Final answer:
Healthcare workers must treat all bodily fluids, especially blood, as potentially contaminated to prevent infection. Protective measures, thorough hygiene practices, and post-exposure treatments are crucial to reduce the risk of transmitting pathogens.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the context of health and safety, particularly for healthcare workers, it is imperative to always treat blood and other bodily fluids as if they might be contaminated to prevent the spread of infections such as Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) and HIV. Blood poses the greatest risk of infection, but other fluids like semen and saliva can also transmit pathogens. To minimize this risk, protective measures like wearing gloves, face protection, and utilizing disposable syringes and needles are crucial.
Additionally, maintaining rigorous hygiene by washing exposed skin with soap and water and disinfecting surfaces with solutions such as 10% bleach as recommended by the CDC can help mitigate potential infections. In the unfortunate event of exposure, immediate steps such as treatment with HBIG and vaccination, rigorous cleaning, and testing of blood products are necessary protocols for management and prevention.