BLOOD-BORNE PATHOGENS

Protect yourself, your family and your friends!

All Officers are encouraged to spend a few moments reviewing the following training presentation.

Pathogens Training Presentation

(download power point)

(printable version - pdf)

ACOA What-to-do Checklist (printable version - pdf)

Consider this...

When Correctional Officers suffer minor head wounds, there is usually enough blood around to motivate everyone concerned into taking immediate action; however, blood-borne pathogen exposures often involve nothing more than an apparently "minor" needle stick and very little blood. Too many of these are brushed off lightly as "not serious" enough to get upset over. The reality is, seemingly minor blood-borne pathogen incidents have the potential to result in consequences that far surpass the consequences of head wounds, and may have a lifelong psychological and physical impact on the involved Officers and their families. Don't be misled...train yourself to react and react as you are trained.

In this regard, many thanks to Sergeant Dave Fredericks from the Department of Corrections Training Academy for sharing the attached Department Blood-borne Pathogen Exposure training PowerPoint and additional attachments listed below. This is a new presentation the Academy staff has put together after learning that the responses to Correctional Officer Blood-borne pathogen exposures at two institutions suggested the need for additional training. Whether you are an Officer or a Sergeant, it behooves you to review this data and have an immediate action checklist handy.

Dave, thank you for sharing this important information with us!