The Principles of Medical Device Decontamination

• Biological hazards – Exposure to pathogenic organisms such as Blood Borne Viruses (BBV’s) e.g. HIV, Hepatitis B or C and transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) e.g. Creutzfeldt Jakob disease (CJD) whilst handling contaminated sharps/ equipment/bone fragments or tissues – Exposure to aerosols containing microorganisms from splashing spraying of fluids during e.g. manual washing or exposure to contaminated ventilation/ water systems in the workplace Engineering controls such as ventilation are key to controlling the risks from exposure to chemicals in decontamination units and should comply with all relevant Health Building Notes 11 and Health Technical Memoranda (HTM 03-01 Parts A and B, 2021) 8 of each nation. The risks to employees when using, handling, storing and disposing of detergents and disinfectant chemicals such as peracetic acid, hydrogen peroxide, chlorine dioxide, enzymatic or low foaming detergents must be managed according to COSHH 2002 regulations 9 .

Some chemicals will have occupational exposure limits (OELs) 12 and therefore monitoring to measure exposure is essential in these settings.

As part of good Health and Safety management and under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, employees and employers are required to report any accidents and/or near misses via incident reporting mechanisms e.g. DATIX with more serious adverse events reportable through the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR), 2013 13 .

Occupational Health and Wellbeing Service

Occupational health is a specialist area of medicine that seeks to support and promote the health and wellbeing of staff and prevent harm when carrying out the elements of decontamination in the workplace. Occupational Health Departments (OHD) within the NHS can and should provide the following services: • Health screening of staff including pre-employment assessments related to their capacity to fulfil the decontamination role. • Risk assessing and making recommendations for any reasonable adjustments

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