An employee who is exposed to any person who is a possible or known carrier of a communicable disease in the line of duty shall be responsible for the following:
Immediately notify their immediate supervisor of the exposure;
Complete a Hazardous Materials Injury/Toxic Substances/Communicable Disease Exposure Report (SH-R-426);
When multiple employees have been exposed to the same person, each individual employee shall complete a separate report unless medical treatment is required by the individual employee at the time of exposure; and
Submit the SH-R-426 form to their immediate supervisor without delay.
Supervisor’s Responsibilities:
The immediate supervisor of an employee who has been exposed to any person who is a possible or known carrier of a communicable disease in the line of duty shall be responsible for the following:
Ensure the employee completes and submits a Hazardous Materials Injury/Toxic Substances/Communicable Disease Exposure Report (SH-R-426);
When multiple employees have been exposed to the same person, each individual employee shall complete a separate report unless medical treatment is required by the individual employee at the time of exposure; and
Place a copy of the form in the employee’s unit medical file and forward the original to the Disability Management and Compliance Unit.
The California Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Cal/OSHA) mandates that the immediate supervisor determine whether other employees may have been exposed to the communicable disease. The supervisor shall also be responsible for the following:
Identify other employees who may have been exposed;
Immediately notify each employee of the potential exposure;
Supervisors shall not disclose the identity of the original exposed employee;
Ensure each employee completes and submits a Hazardous Materials Injury/Toxic Substances/Communicable Disease Exposure Report (SH-R-426) and process the same as for the original employee;
Provide each employee with information about the communicable disease: i.e., how the disease is spread, symptoms, medical treatment, and how to reduce the chance of becoming infected in the future; and
Communicable disease information can be obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) web site (www.cdc.gov) or by contacting the Risk Management Bureau’s Safety Management Unit.
If an employee subsequently contracts the communicable disease, the supervisor shall prepare and process additional reports in the same manner as for an industrial injury. The date and time of exposure to the disease shall be substituted for the date and time of injury.
The Safety Management Unit, Risk Management Bureau, can be contacted during normal business hours at (323) 890-5002 for additional information or advice.
Safety Equipment
Consistent with operational requirements, all units shall maintain an adequate supply of resuscitation masks, disposable gloves, disposable towels, NIOSH-rated N-95 respiratory masks, disinfectant spray, and biohazard storage/disposal bags. Specialized units within Detective Division may also maintain adequate inventories of additional protective apparel. Items may be obtained through divisional budget representatives utilizing standard requisition procedures.
Unit commanders shall ensure that adequate supplies are maintained and distributed to Department employees, vehicles, and work locations in accordance with divisional directives.
Safety Equipment Usage for Risk Reduction
Resuscitation masks/bag valve masks or Department approved barrier devices should be used during the resuscitation of any person who has stopped breathing;
Disposable gloves should be routinely worn when any contact is anticipated with blood or other body fluids, or when contacting clothing or materials which may have been contaminated with blood or other body fluids;
Disposable face masks (NIOSH N-95) should be utilized by employees when in contact with known or suspected contaminated individuals or large amounts of possible contaminated fluids;
Disinfectant spray should be used on any surface contaminated by blood or other body fluids; and
Disposable towels should be used in conjunction with disinfectant to clean up contaminated sites; and biohazard storage/disposal bags should be used to transport and store any clothing, etc., or to transport disposable soiled gloves, towels or cleaning materials which have been contaminated by blood or other body fluids. Contaminated materials that are to be held as evidence shall be dried, then packaged in paper evidence envelopes/bio-hazard bags.
General Precautions
Extreme caution should be exercised when conducting searches and dealing with any sharp object that may be contaminated;
Sharp objects which may be contaminated and must be disposed of or held as evidence should be placed in puncture-resistant containers and appropriately labeled;
An employee who is bleeding or who has any open wound or skin lesion should avoid direct contact with the blood or other body fluids of another person. If the employee's broken skin is on the hands, disposable gloves should be used when handling blood or other body fluids of another person;
Any equipment or clothing coming into contact with possibly contaminated substances or persons should be disposed of or properly decontaminated as soon as practical;
Employees who come in frequent physical contact with inmates (i.e., searching and fingerprinting) should routinely wear disposable gloves during such procedures; and
Locations which have been severely contaminated by blood or other body fluids (i.e., homicides) should be secured or contained until the arrival of appropriately equipped personnel.
Decontamination
Any person who becomes contaminated should, as soon as practical, wash exposed areas thoroughly with soap and water;
Contaminated surfaces and personal equipment may be decontaminated with Department-issued disinfectant spray, any commercial disinfectant, or a solution of one part bleach to ten parts water (1:10);
Clothing and uniforms may be decontaminated by washing with laundry soap or dry cleaning; and
Disposable gloves, towels, and other items used to clean up contaminated areas should be placed in biohazard storage bags and disposed of at the nearest appropriate disposal site as approved by Medical Services at (323) 568-4500.
Use of Inmate Workers for Decontamination
Inmate workers may be used to assist in cleaning contaminated areas and vehicles at any Sheriff's facility where inmate workers are normally assigned. Supervising personnel shall ensure that their activity conforms to all hygienic practices and policies cited in this subsection.