Chapter 55. PROCESS/INSTRUCTIONS Student Sample of a Process Description --- Introduction All samples in WritingforCollege.org's chapters are by students, unless otherwise noted.  They are examples of "A" level undergraduate writing or entry-level graduate or professional work.  If more than one sample is provided, be sure to read all samples.  Then compare each to what the "Basics" section says for this type of paper.  If you do not have time to read every sample below, word for word, then use a form of skim reading: read the entire introduction and conclusion paragraph of a sample, and then read just the first and last sentence of all the other paragraphs in the sample.  This method of skimming often provides an understanding of the basic contents and of the paper's form or structure.  Another method of faster reading is to choose just one or two of the samples that are most like the paper you will be required to write; then read, either fully or using skim reading as described here. Unless otherwise noted, sample papers do not necessarily meet all requirements an individual instructor or professional supervisor may have: ask your instructor or supervisor.  In addition, the samples are single spaced to save room.  However, a proper manuscript given to an instructor or supervisor normally should be double spaced with margins set at or close to 1" unless another format has been requested. The authors of all sample student papers in this Web site have given their permission in writing to have their work included in WritingforCollege.org.  All samples remain copyrighted by their original authors.  Other than showing it on this website, none should be used without the explicit permission of the author. --- University of Minnesota EngC 3027-5, Composition I Process Description © by Jill Garrett Proper Handling of Body Fluids Using OSHA Standards by Jill Garrett Introduction         This is a process description of how a child care worker handles body fluids according to Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) standards.  Exposure to any type of bodily fluid results in the possible transmission of blood-borne pathogens, which could lead to disease or death.  Many occupations, such as those of child care workers or nurses, are highly exposed to potentially infectious materials. INFECTIOUS BODY FLUIDS   (1) Blood (2) Saliva (3) Semen (4) Vaginal Secretions         This paper uses the example of a boy in a child care setting who has fallen, hit his mouth on a shelf, and is bleeding from the cut he received. The procedure for handling the situation is outlined in the following six steps: Removing the injured child, moving other children away from the injured child and contaminated area, protecting the child care worker’s body, cleaning and disposing of the infectious materials, cleaning the shelf, and completing a post-evaluation and follow-up. Step 1: Removing the Injured Child         First, the child care worker removes the injured child from the play setting.  When at a child care, there are usually many children playing together in one area.  When a child falls and is bleeding, he/she then becomes a potential danger to all other children.  Therefore, it is of absolute necessity to isolate a bleeding child.         When the child is led away from the others, the child care worker is careful to not touch the blood.  The child care worker picks the child up and holds him away from her body so as to not become contaminated.  The child is then taken to a setting where the child care worker has access to all necessary materials, such as personal protective equipment.  OSHA standards require that employers provide "gloves, gowns, masks, and mouthpieces and clean, repair, and replace these when necessary." Step 2: Removing Other Children from the Contaminated Area         The child care worker then keeps the other children away from the contaminated shelf.  It is of absolute necessity to keep the other children away from the shelf on which the child hurt himself.  If a child were to go and touch the blood on the shelf, they too would be contaminated.         Keeping the children away from the shelf usually requires another child care worker, aside from the one assisting the injured child.  The second child care worker takes care to make sure that no children touch the shelf or the surrounding area.  She then moves all the children to the other side of the room to keep them away from the shelf.  Another alternative is for the second child care worker to take the other children to a different room. Only when the shelf has been properly cleaned may the other children come and resume their activities around the shelf. Step 3: Protection of the Child Care Worker         The child care worker then protects her body, because she is also potentially harmed when dealing with the blood.  She takes universal precautions, which involves treating all body fluids or materials as if they are infectious.  After she has the bleeding child in a safe setting, she places gloves on her hands so the child’s blood will not come in contact with her skin.  The following types of gloves are acceptable. EXAMPLE OF RECOMMENDED GLOVES (1) Latex Gloves        (2) Non-latex Gloves   (3) Rubber gloves         The worker may choose to wear more than one pair of gloves.  After she feels properly protected, the child care worker proceeds to clean the child. Step 4: Cleaning the Child         The child care worker then cleans the child’s wound and properly disposes of any materials which contain blood.  Infectious materials that contain blood are put into a bag that is able to be tightly closed.  Instead of bags, some employers have a special container specifically marked for hazardous materials labeled biohazard.         With gloves on, the child care worker takes a washcloth and holds it on the affected area until all bleeding stops.  She then throws the washcloth into a bag and seals it securely.  The child has blood on his shirt, therefore the child care worker removes the shirt from the child’s body, taking care to not let the blood touch skin or clothing.  The soiled shirt is placed in another tightly saleable bag, different from the one containing the washcloth.  The child care worker removes her gloves and places them in a third, separate bag.  To ensure that there is no blood on her hands, she then proceeds to a sink and washes her hands with warm water and soap for thirty seconds.  A clean shirt is found for the child and he also washes his hands. Step 5: Cleaning the Shelf         After the child is taken care of, the child care worker prepares to clean the shelf and surrounding area.  She also disposes of any hazardous materials left.  She puts on another pair of clean, unused gloves.  Next, she fills a bucket with warm, soapy water and uses a washcloth for the cleanup.  When cleaning the shelf, she makes sure to scrub the area where there is blood.  She also looks thoroughly to see if there is blood anywhere else.         After cleaning, she disposes of the gloves and washcloth, using the same technique as before.  Then, she pours the soap and water mixture down the sink.  She then takes a mixture of bleach and water and sprays the shelf to kill any body fluid still present.  The bleach is allowed to air-dry and/or wiped off after two minutes.  The bags containing the soiled materials are placed in an outside garbage container and clothes are put on a shelf to be sent home with the child.  Now that there are no dangerous body fluids present in the room, all other children come back into the room and are able to be near the shelf. Step 6: Evaluation of Incident         Finally, the child care worker completes forms and evaluates the incident, otherwise known as the evaluation and follow-up procedure.  If the child care worker wishes to do so, she can have laboratory testing if she fears she was contaminated during the process.  According to the OSHA fact sheet, the child care worker’s "confidential medical evaluation documents the circumstance of exposure, testing of blood, counseling, and evaluation of reported illness."  Also, the child care worker writes an account of the incident in a health log kept by her employer.  The following diagram illustrates the necessary information and the sequence in which it is gathered: INFORMATION FOR HEALTH LOG Child’s name ↓ Child’s age ↓ The incident ↓ What was done         The child care worker files the reports for future reference. She keeps the child’s incident confidential between herself and the child’s family. Conclusion         In conclusion, the process for dealing with a body fluid such as blood involves many steps and precautions.  Body fluids are potentially hazardous when one does not take the essential precautions.  All steps, according to OSHA standards, are necessary to accomplish and complete the process in the correct way. --- Return to top.

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