Employee Manual 2023 - Flipbook - Page 68
blood borne pathogens. It is the policy of the City of Plymouth to require employees to observe
universal precautions to prevent contact with blood and other potentially infectious material.
It is the policy of the City of Plymouth to develop and implement appropriate work practices to
prevent or minimize Category A employee contact with blood or other potentially infectious
materials. Employees must adhere to the following practices:
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Employees must remove all contaminated personal protective equipment (PPE)
immediately (or as soon as possible) after leaving the work area. They must place
contaminated PPE in an appropriately designated storage container for storage, washing
decontamination or disposal.
Employees must wash their hands promptly after removing gloves or other PPE.
Employees must wash their hands or skin after contact with blood or other potentially
infectious material.
The City of Plymouth will provide an appropriate and readily available means of hand washing. If a
hand washing facility is not readily available, the City will provide either an antiseptic hand cleanser
and paper towels or clean cloth or antiseptic towelettes. Employees may not eat, drink, smoke,
apply cosmetics or lip balm or handle contact lenses in areas where blood or other potentially
infectious materials are located. Employees will perform all procedures that involve blood or other
potentially infectious materials using methods, which minimize splashing, spraying, and aerosol
exposure.
Personal Protective Equipment:
Where there is occupational exposure, the City shall provide, at no cost to the employee,
appropriate personal protective equipment. Personal protective equipment (PPE) will be
considered appropriate only if it does not permit blood or other potentially infectious materials to
pass through or to reach the employees’ work clothes, street clothes, undergarments, skin, eyes,
mouth or other mucous membranes under normal conditions of use and for the duration of time
which the protective equipment will be used.
It is the policy of the City of Plymouth to evaluate the need for and provide, at no cost to the
employee, appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE).
All employees with occupational exposure must wear appropriate PPE. An employee may briefly
and temporarily decline to use PPE in rare and extraordinary circumstances. The employee must
establish that in their professional judgment using PPE would have prevented the delivery of health
care or public safety services or would have posed an increased hazard to the safety of the worker
or co-worker.
It is the policy of the City of Plymouth to investigate and document all instances in which an
employee has declined the use of PPE in order to determine if practices can be established to
prevent future occurrences.
The City of Plymouth will make sure that appropriate PPE in appropriate sizes is readily accessible
City of Plymouth Employee manual - Page 68 – March 2023
