Infection Prevention & Control – Our Responsibility.

Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) is a practice synonymous with the healthcare industry. Healthcare facilities create many opportunities for microorganisms to spread between patients, visitors and healthcare workers. Especially with the growth in increasingly complex and invasive procedures being carried out. These infections are known as healthcare-associated infections (HAI’s). But Coronavirus (COVID-19) has been a game-changer.

It is now all of our responsibility to embrace infection prevention and control within the workplace, and due to present circumstances, outside it.

What is infection prevention and control?

Infection prevention and control is a discipline that aims to prevent or control the spread of infections in healthcare facilities and the community. Infection prevention and control is a universal discipline with relevance to all aspects of healthcare. Given that we are facing a pandemic, Infection prevention and control is relevant to all workplaces and should be seen as our duty. A fundamental requirement of effective infection prevention and control and antimicrobial stewardship practices is an educated workforce.

 

Infections are caused by microbes such as bacteria, fungi or viruses entering the body. They can be minor and stay in one area, like a boil, or they can spread throughout the body, like flu. Often, infections are easily dealt with, but sometimes they can cause serious problems

 

Why is it so important?

 

Infection prevention and control occupies a unique position in the field of patient safety and quality universal health coverage since it is relevant to health workers and patients at every single health-care encounter. The aim of Infection prevention and control is to reduce the risk of infection for both service users and staff. Following recommended guidelines reduces the spread of infections, thus saving lives.

What should be covered?

Comprehensive infection prevention and control training should aim to provide guidance on at least, but not limited to, the following:

• An understanding of what the area of infection control means and its importance for every employee.
• Having a better understanding of the basic principles of infection control and being able to apply standard precautions in relation to infection control.
• An awareness of the importance of infection prevention and control in providing a safe environment for clients.
• An understanding of the chain of infection.
• An understanding of their own role in the prevention of the spread of infection.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) and IPC

Coronavirus (COVID-19) has brought about specific challenges for infection prevention and control within the workplace and on a personal level.The transmission of COVID-19 occurs mainly through respiratory droplets generated by coughing and sneezing, and through contact with contaminated surfaces. The predominant modes of transmission are assumed to be droplet and contact.

How can I personally protect myself and others from Coronavirus (COVID-19)?

 

Following guidelines from the World Health Organization (WHO), the HSE sets out advice to protect yourself and others from coronavirus (COVID-19). This can be set out as follows:

Do:

 

• Wash your hands properly and often.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve when you cough and sneeze.
• Put used tissues into a bin and wash your hands.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
• Avoid close contact with people – keep a distance of 2 metres (6.5 feet) between you and others.
• Avoid crowded places, especially indoors.
• Follow the travel advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs
• Stay at home if you are sick to help stop the spread of whatever infection you may have.

 

Don’t:

• Touch your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands are not clean.
• Share objects that touch your mouth – for example, bottles, cups.
• Shake hands.

 

At Myelearnsafety, Our online Infection Prevention and Control course teaches you how to: understand how infection spreads, understand the need for protection of vulnerable groups,

be able to break the chain of infection, understand the use of PPE and understand the requirement for social isolation.

Data Protection Breaches Now Leading to Compensation Claims

Organisations processing personal data can now face legal action if breaches to the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) take place.

Under the GDPR and the Data Protection Acts 1988-2018 (the DPA), for individual data subjects, the people identified or identifiable from the data that is processed (data subjects) are empowered to seek compensation if a breach of the GDPR has affected them (articles 79 and 82 GDPR).

Lack of knowledge of the rights afforded to individuals under the GDPR has led to infringements of these rights, which is in turn leading to direct fines from the Data Protection Commission (DPC), and individual compensation claims.

The following case studies provide examples of the actions brought against organisations which were directly dealt with by the DPC.

How ready is your organisations for a Data Breach?

As well as the actual cost of compensation, legal fees and penalties, there is the reputational damage to your company to factor in. This can lead to the loss of further business and longer-term damage. The question you need to ask is ‘How ready is our organisation for a Data Breach?’.  Are those who deal with the processing of personal data fully aware of data subjects rights under the GDPR?  Is there a process in place to safeguard against data breaches?  Is there a process in place once data breaches have been reported? What steps should be taken to rectify such breaches?

The following serves as a checklist in preparation of a personal data breach:

• We know how to recognise a personal data breach.
• We understand that a personal data breach isn’t only about loss or theft of personal data.
• We have prepared a response plan for addressing any personal data breaches that occur.
• We have allocated responsibility for managing breaches to a dedicated person or team.

Our staff know how to escalate a security incident to the appropriate person or team in our organisation to determine whether a breach has occurred.

If a data breach does take place is important that your organisation has a system in place to deal with this breach:

We have in place a process to assess the likely risk to individuals as a result of a breach.

• We know who the relevant supervisory authority for our processing activities is.
• We have a process to notify the DPC of a breach within 72 hours of becoming aware of it, even if we do not have all the details yet.
• We know what information we must give the DPC about a breach.
• We have a process to inform affected individuals about a breach when it is likely to result in a high risk to their rights and freedoms.
• We know we must inform affected individuals without undue delay.
• We know what information about a breach we must provide to individuals, and that we should provide advice to help them protect themselves from its effects.
• We document all breaches, even if they don’t all need to be reported.

Compliance is the best defence against data breaches.  Knowledge of the GDPR is the first step in ensuring compliance.  Our online GDPR Training course will outline your main responsibilities and help you to start making the necessary changes brought about by the added responsibilities on businesses arising from the GDPR.

To receive a 15% discount on our online GDPR training course, enter GDPR15 in coupon section here.

Mental health and the Workplace – Awareness is Key

Mental health issues costs £2.4 billion each year

mind.org.uk , an English and welsh mental health charity has found that stress and mental health problems in the workplace are the second biggest cause of sickness and absence from work. In England and Wales they have calculated the lost working days and staff turnover due to mental health issues costs £2.4 billion each year. Staff retention is a key goal of all businesses given the cost and time it takes to onboard a new employee and the cost of lost knowledge and relationships with clients and stakeholders resulting from the staff leaving.

Gender, age and other factors are not necessarily key indicators.

Stress at work is a major factor in individuals well being. Living a hectic life balancing work and home commitments is an everyday reality for many working people especially women and more particularly mothers in the workforce. Gender, age and other factors are not necessarily key indicators however and all individuals have unique circumstances that raise their stress levels.

Wellbeing is in fact unique to each individual. Companies that recognize this and cater to an individual,s diverse needs create better working environments. It has been proven that a place of work that values your wellbeing is seen as a more attractive place to work and leads to better staff retention and engagement.

People are the most important factor that create success in an organization.

So what are the wellness issues that might impact on an individual?

• it may be flexible working hours or
• access to support services such as health lifestyle advise or
• financial well being checks.
• other ideas include provision of gym passes or facilities,
• access to personal training advice and free healthy snacks.

There are many ways to help an individual feel well on the workplace and also be able to take the benefits into their home life.

The Global Wellness Institute recognises in its “Future of Wellness at Work Survey” that catering to the individuals needs is crucial.

There is no one size fits all in well-being, but empowering an individual to live a wholehearted life ensures improved performance and productivity. After all the opposite of wholeheartedness is half hearted ness and wants a half hearted performance? Wellness of the individual will reap benefits to an organisation.

To provide a better working environment by providing for the wellness of each employee need not be an onerous task. It all starts with awareness and implementing sensible policies to avoid the obvious such as bullying in the workplace and providing options that meet needs.

Online training provides an accessible and affordable way to initiate the process of awareness

It provides training in many aspects of a wellness programme. It can range from anti bullying courses to stress awareness and a whole range of other activities. Many courses not only promote good work practice but are useful in everyday life. Manual handling, pediatric first aid, coping with stress all reach into all aspects of or home and work life.

Be well and live a wholehearted life should be the mantra for everyone as the benefits accrue not just to the individual but to their organizations family and friends.

Business Closures in Relation to Food Safety Violations

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has reported that 11 Closure Orders were served on food businesses during the month of June for breaches of food safety legislation, pursuant to the FSAI Act, 1998 and the EC (Official Control of Foodstuffs) Regulations, 2010.

The Enforcement Orders were issued by environmental health officers in the Health Service Executive (HSE).

In terms of why the Enforcement Orders in June were issued to the various locations, some of the reasons included: a dead mouse that was found next to a fridge at the entrance to a kitchen, rodent droppings found under a sink in a kitchen, and evidence of a cockroach infestation.

Elsewhere, some establishments had rodent droppings behind an ice cream machine, live cockroaches in the kitchen shelving areas, and flies present throughout a premises.

Six Closure Orders were served under the FSAI Act, 1998

Five Closure Orders were served under the EC (Official Control of Foodstuffs) Regulations, 2010 on:

Speaking about the latest Enforcement Orders that were issued, Dr Pamela Byrne, Chief Executive of the FSAI, has emphasised the need for food businesses to have adequate pest control systems in place, particularly as the weather gets hotter in the summer months.

“It is extremely disappointing to find that June is the highest month so far this year for Closer Orders served on food businesses. The majority of food businesses in Ireland must be commended for adhering to the highest of food safety standards, but there continues to be a number of food businesses disregarding important food safety standards,” she said.

Dr Byrne adds: “Summer is a busy time of year for food businesses and systems must be put in place to cope with the increase in customers and at a time when outside temperatures can be a lot higher. Bacteria in food can multiply quickly in warm weather and food businesses must ensure that food is stored at correct temperatures. In June we saw a number of failures in pest control procedures resulting in a number of Closure Orders. These businesses are putting their customers at unnecessary risk of becoming sick through these poor hygiene practices and it will not be tolerated.”

Details of the food businesses served with Enforcement Orders are published on the FSAI’s website.

Closure Orders and Improvement Orders will remain listed on the website for a period of three months from the date of when a premises is adjudged to have corrected its food safety issue, with Prohibition Orders being listed for a period of one month.

 

Source : www.fsai.ie

What should I know about fire safety?

We are talking today about fire safety because it’s that time of the year again when temperatures start to drop, and you find yourself turning on your stove and cranking up the heat. Being up to date with the fire safety procedure is essential. To protect your family, you need to take the following steps to help prevent fires in the home—and to keep everyone safe in the event of one.

Install and Maintain Smoke Alarms:

Smoke alarms give you an early warning of a fire, giving you time to escape with your children before your house is filled with flames and smoke. Most fatal fires occur at night, when people are sleeping, so an early warning is crucial. Smoke alarms can cut the risk of death by 50 percent.

How Many Smoke Alarms Do You Need?

The amount of smoke alarms you should have depends on the size of your house. Bryant recommends a minimum of one alarm per level of your house. If your house is multi-leveled, he says you should have one at the top of the stairs, in every cooking area and in the living room. You should also make sure that there is an alarm outside every room that a person sleeps in.

Test your Smoke Alarms

Make sure that smoke alarms are in order and everyone in your family is familiar with its sound.  Educate them that this particular sound means danger and they must evacuate the building immediately.

Change Smoke Alarms batteries

Remind yourself to change smoke alarms batteries one or twice a year. Give it fresh batteries and your smoke alarm will stay awake and watch for fire while you are sleeping.

How to escape during a fire.

It is always important to make a family escape plan by highlighting two escape routes for every room and a safe meeting place for all family members to gather outside of your home. This worksheet offers a handy way to make a fire escape plan for your family. Once you’ve established your escape plan, practice it regularly with your family.  Choose a meeting place outside, so you would know that everyone has gotten out safely.

Fire is a dangerous thing but if you are fully prepared and have a plan in place it could help you to save your life and lives of your loved ones. Do not ignore safety procedures make sure that you are aware of the danger and comply with safety regulations.

Our Fire Safety training course can help you to control the risk of fire and trains participants how to act safely in case of emergency, get more information here.

Things You Should Know About Food Safety (Part 3)

Let’s continue food safety topic and learn more today about knife safety and also appropriate cooking temperatures.  In our previous blog, we looked at high-risk foods and how to freeze food correctly,  if you missed it you can always catch up and read about it here.

The eLearn team is highly experienced and fully-qualified health and safety instructors we have over 27 years combined experience as Safety Partitioners. Our mission is to educate you about food safety and how to deal with food on a daily basis. If you have more questions, our team of specialist will be happy to answer any of them, check our contact page here.

 

Knife Safety

You probably don’t hear about a lot about knife safety, but it’s essential to know how to be safe with your knives in the kitchen.

The most important thing regarding knife safety is to make sure your knives are always as sharp as possible and not damaged.

It may seem counter-intuitive, but you’re much more likely to hurt yourself with a blunt knife than you are with one that’s been properly sharpened. A blunt knife requires you to use more force to cut, which means that if you do slip, you could easily injure yourself, as opposed to the small cut you might get with a very sharp knife.

Do not forget to replace your knives when the blade gets too thin.  A knife that’s been sharpened so often that the blade is starting to thin out becomes a breaking hazard, and the last thing you want is to have the tip of your knife snap off while you’re preparing dinner!

 

Appropriate Cooking Temperatures

After we spoke about food safety, we would like to move to the actual food cooking.

The minimum safe internal temperature for any cooked food is 85C/185F – but many foods require a higher internal temperature to be safe.

It’s easy to tell if food is cooked – it will look and smell like it is, and being able to see the surface or perform an easy test like sticking a fork in it is enough. However, when it comes to things like roast meats – especially roast poultry – or larger serving sizes, things can get tricky.

Chefs and other experienced cooks often have tricks to determine whether food has been cooked to a safe internal temperature, but if you haven’t got the experience to fall back on, your best bet is to get an inexpensive meat thermometer. They’re very easy to use – you just insert them into the meat or dish you’re preparing – and cook until the correct internal temperature is reached. They’re often marked with optimal internal temperatures for common types of meat, so it’s straightforward to see whether your food is safe.

This is especially handy with home ovens, which may not be heating to the temperature it says on the dial, for some reasons.

 

Preparing and cooking your food doesn’t have to be a minefield once you know how to be safe about it!  If you are interested in getting a Food Safety certification, you can find more information here.

Things You Should Know About Food Safety (Part 2)

Things You Should Know About Food Safety (Part 2)Today we would like to continue food safety topic and talk about high-risk foods and how to freeze food correctly. If you missed our first blog, you can find it here.

Food safety is about handling, storing and preparing food in order to prevent infection and help to make sure that our food keeps enough nutrients for us to have a healthy diet. If food and water is unsafe, it means that it has been exposed to dirt and germs. Or, it may even be rotten, which can cause infections or diseases.

High-Risk Foods

We all know that raw poultry and fresh seafood are high risks, but what other foods do you need to be concerned about? Here’s a few you might not have known about:

Cooked rice, pasta, and noodles. The high carbohydrate and moisture content of these foods make them an ideal breeding ground for bacteria (and if left long enough, mould).

Milk and cream are also a high risk because of high sugar and moisture content. Soft cheeses also fall under this category, though if refrigerated correctly should last much longer.

Ice cream! You might never have thought that ice cream could be on this list but due to barely-cooked eggs and milk, it can be high risk. Have you ever seen that gooey, slightly darker crust on an opened tub? That’s a film of bacteria.

Fresh fruit and vegetables. At a bare minimum, these need to be washed thoroughly before eating. It’s not just food-borne bacteria you need to worry about with fresh produce, but soil-borne bacteria and the ingredients in pesticides (even organic ones) and fertilisers.

Eggs. Whether raw eggs are high-risk or not will largely depend on hygiene practices where you live. However, cooked, or worse, semi-cooked eggs are very high risk foods and should be consumed quickly or refrigerated, and not allowed to sit for longer than necessary.

Freezing Food Correctly

Some food safety charts assert that frozen food will remain safe indefinitely. In ideal conditions this would be true, but if you’ve found a way to get your freezer to a state of ‘ideal conditions’ I would love to know all your secrets.

That said, freezing food is a great way to preserve it long-term. Provided you freeze it wrapped correctly in cling film or kept in the original packaging, food can stay for a year or longer in a good freezer.

It is essential that food be as fresh as possible when you freeze it, so if you know you aren’t going to use it before it spoils, you should freeze it straight away rather than waiting for the last minute. Freezing works by halting the growth of bacteria, so having less bacteria in the food before you freeze gives you the best chance of having it come out safe and tasty.

If you defrost food partially or entirely, use it within 36 hours. Do not refreeze defrosted food.

If the covering on your food has torn, leaked, or is otherwise damaged, discard it. If anything doesn’t look or smell right when you defrost it, discard it.

Do not defrost frozen food on the bench. Either apply heat (like the defrost setting on your microwave) or let it defrost in the fridge. Placing it on the bench to defrost exposes food to the temperature danger zone, potentially for much longer than the safe period.

Preparing and cooking your food doesn’t have to be a minefield once you know how to be safe about it!  If you are interested in getting a Food Safety certification, you can find more information here.

Things You Should Know About Food Safety

Why Is Food Safety Important?

Foodborne illnesses are a preventable and underreported public health problem. These illnesses are a burden on public health and contribute significantly to the cost of healthcare. They also present a major challenge to certain groups of people. Although anyone can get a foodborne illness, some people are at greater risk.

Safer food promises healthier and longer lives and less costly health care, as well as a more resilient food industry.

Preparing and cooking your food doesn’t have to be a minefield once you know how to be safe about it! We would like to cover the primary and most important parts of food safety for those who are unsure about it or just beginning to prepare food for themselves. Cooking is an important life skill that’s well worth the learning, but it’s better to do the right way. Within next few weeks we will give you some food safety tips that will be handy for you to have.

So, let’s get down to the basics of food safety:

The Temperature Danger Zone

The temperature danger zone is probably an essential concept in food safety. It’s between 4C (40F) and 60C (140F), which is the temperature zone in which food-borne bacteria multiply rapidly.
Within four hours in this temperature zone, bacteria on food will likely have multiplied to dangerous levels and should be discarded.
Refrigerators need to be set below the minimum end of the scale – that is, they should be colder than 4C/40F, to ensure that bacterial growth is kept to a minimum. Refrigerating food extends its life considerably.
When being kept warm, the internal temperature of food must be above 60C/140F (this applies to refrigerated temperatures also, but it’s easier to cool food all the way through than heat it all the way through).
Freezing food slows bacterial growth almost to a complete halt, though frozen food does not remain safe indefinitely (more on that further down).

You can get more information about Food Safety certification here.