SECTION 748.3015. How must caregivers handle bodily fluids that require universal precautions?

Caregivers must follow universal precautions outlined by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) when handling blood, vomit, or other bodily fluids that may contain blood, including:

(1) Using disposable, nonporous gloves;

(2) Placing gloves contaminated with blood in a tied, sealed, or otherwise closed plastic bag and discarding them immediately;

(3) Discarding all other gloves in a sanitary manner immediately after one use;

(4) Washing hands with soap and running water after using and disposing of the gloves;

(5) Disposing the bodily fluids in accordance with local regulations. Where local disposal regulations do not exist, the Department of State Health Services must be consulted regarding the appropriate disposal procedures and their recommendations must be followed; and

(6) Disposing disposable syringes, needles, and other sharp items used by persons for injections or for medical or other procedures in a hard plastic, leak and puncture-resistant container immediately after use, and keep them inaccessible to children.

Source Note: The provisions of this §748.3015 adopted to be effective January 1, 2007, 31 TexReg 7377; amended to be effective January 1, 2017, 41 TexReg 10393; transferred effective March 9, 2018, as published in the Texas Register February 16, 2018, 43 TexReg 909