INFECTIOUS DISEASE PREVENTION

Science Laboratory Instruction
Before a class works with blood or blood products, the teacher must explain the potentially hazardous nature of blood, emphasizing the fact that through blood, various agents can be transmitted from one person to another.  Before and after doing laboratory work, students must always wash hands with soap and water, dry hands, and cover any existing cut, wound, or open sore with a sterile dressing.  The following techniques also must be used when students are working with human blood:

1.  Specific procedures and safety precautions shall be explained carefully before starting each laboratory exercise.
   
   
2. Wherever possible, blood typing experiments shall be conducted by teacher demonstrations rather than being performed by individual students.
   
   
3. Students always shall work with their own blood, or shall use prepackaged ABO/Rh blood cell kits that have vials of blood previously tested for transmissible agents.
   
   
4. Students shall use individual sterile lancets for finger punctures, and lancets must not be reused.
   
   
5. Before the finger is punctured, it shall be wiped with alcohol or other approved disinfectant.
   
   
6. If bleeding persists after the finger is punctured, the student shall apply a sterile bandage using moderate pressure.
   
   
7. Lancets and any other materials with blood on them must be discarded into sharps containers that will be incinerated at the hospital.
   
   
8. At the end of the class, laboratory desks shall be wiped with a one to ten dilution of bleach or other approved disinfectant. 

Techniques similar to the above shall be used when working with any other body fluids.

KETCHIKAN GATEWAY BOROUGH SCHOOL DISTRICT
Adoption Date:  10/13/99
Revision Date: 10/12/2011

• AR 5141.23