Final answer:
To protect from bodily fluids, personnel must use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) like protective clothing, face shields, and gloves, and follow specific decontamination protocols for waste disposal and instrument cleaning.
Step-by-step explanation:
In environments with heightened risk of exposure to bodily fluids, personnel are advised to use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to mitigate the risk of infection. This equipment includes protective clothing such as gowns or suits, face protection like masks or shields, and gloves.
In high-risk settings such as BSL-4 laboratories or when dealing with highly infectious materials like the Ebola virus, more stringent protective measures are taken. Workers wear suits with their own air supply and maintain a positive pressure to prevent laboratory air from entering the suit in case of a breach.
Appropriately handling contaminated waste is also crucial. It must be incinerated or autoclaved, and instruments must be cleaned with strong solutions. For chemicals like chlorine, full body impermeable suits, gloves, and a full face mask with specific filters are necessary.
Moreover, health-care workers should use gloves and face protection to prevent bloodborne infections like HBV, and follow post-exposure protocols including immunoglobulin treatment and vaccination.
In summary, proper use of PPE, including gloves, suits, face protection, and respiratory equipment, paired with protocols for decontamination and waste handling, is essential for preventing the transmission of pathogens through bodily fluids.