GO 300-21 Communicable Disease Policy

Question 1

Also, the department shall furnish appropriate equipment to protect employees from potential exposure to a______________ in situations that can be reasonably foreseen.

Answer 1

communicable disease

Question 2

Employees who are potentially exposed to a communicable disease while in the line of duty,
shall document the exposure as if it were an ___________ injury.

Answer 2

on-the-job

Question 3

All divisional vehicle coordinators are responsible for the dissemination and replacement of the
below items, which are part of the communicable disease kit.

Answer 3

a. Protective body gowns
b. Disposable gloves
C. Puncture resistant container
d. Red sealable biohazard waste bags
e. Barrier resuscitation equipment
f. Goggles
g. Disposable face masks
h. Disposable disinfectant towelettes
i. Waterproof bandages
j. Protective shoe covers
k. Biohazard labels
I. Body sheets

Question 4

_____________should be worn by employees when handling any wounded persons or animals or their clothing, or any items contaminated with body fluids.

Answer 4

Disposable latex or nitrile gloves

Question 5

A __________, ___________, and ____________ should be worn when there is a potential for splashing of any body fluids.

Answer 5

face mask, protective eyewear, and protective clothing

Question 6

A ________should be worn when the employee is near a coughing person suspected of having an active case of tuberculosis (TB).

Answer 6

face mask

Question 7

A plastic _______________ should be used whenever an employee must perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Answer 7

mouth piece barrier resuscitation device

Question 8

All ______________, such as knives and needles that are collected for evidentiary or
disposal purposes, should be handled with extraordinary care and placed in a puncture
resistant container with a biohazard label on the outside of the container.

Answer 8

sharp instruments

Question 9

Needles _________be recapped, bent, broken, or removed from a disposable syringe, or
otherwise manipulated by hand. Needles and syringes may contain narcotic evidence.

Answer 9

should not

Question 10

Employees who have been ___________ and _________ shall not refuse to physically
handle or administer first aid measures to any person just because that person may have a
communicable disease.

Answer 10

properly equipped and trained

Question 11

Individuals who are contaminated with body fluids or coughing uncontrollably shall be
transported in ________vehicles from other individuals.

Answer 11

separate

Question 12

Employees have an obligation to notify_______________ during a transfer of
custody when the suspects have body fluids present on their person or have stated they
have a communicable disease.

Answer 12

relevant support personnel

Question 13

Officers who are booking a prisoner into a City jail or police station lockup facility are
responsible for notifying the _____personnel and jail attendants about any prisoner who is
contaminated with body fluids.

Answer 13

medical

Question 14

Employees shall indicate on the __________ when suspects taken into custody have body
fluids present on their person or state they have a communicable disease; for example,
“Suspect states … “

Answer 14

arrest forms

Question 15

Any employee’s unprotected skin surface that comes into contact with another person’s or
animal’s body fluids shall be immediately and thoroughly washed with warm running water
and soap for at least ______seconds before rinsing and drying.

Answer 15

fifteen

Question 16

Alcohol, hand sanitizer, or antiseptic towelettes should be used when ________ and _____ are
unavailable. Using a disinfection solution including one part household bleach and ten parts
water or a commercially available disinfecting cleaning solution is also recommended.

Answer 16

soap and water

Question 17

All HPD ________, __________, and ___________shall serve as biohazard storage
sites for biohazard waste, sharps, and glass. Biohazard waste bags shall be made available
at each of these sites.

Answer 17

police stations, City jails, and Police Headquarters

Question 18

iohazard storage sites shall be issued containers with lids for the disposal of biohazard
waste. The containers shall be labeled with a biohazard symbol and lettering specifying
BIOHAZARD. The containers shall be marked _______,___________, or ________

Answer 18

GLASS, SHARPS, or NONSHARPS.

Question 19

The employee shall contact a ________and advise of the exposure. The supervisor shall
evaluate the injury and complete the City of Houston Accident Report form and the GOH On the
Job Injury Reference Sheet. Both forms are located on the department’s Intranet Portal.

Answer 19

supervisor

Question 20

The employee shall go to a __________ or __________ facility to receive protective treatment at the earliest possible time.

Answer 20

hospital emergency room or urgent care

Question 21

An employee with a potential exposure shall notify the department’s Health and Safety Unit
(HSU) of the potential exposure within ____hours following the incident. Personnel with Houston
Health Department (HHD) Bureau of Epidemiology, in cooperation with the HSU, will evaluate
each situation and determine if in their judgment the incident qualifies as an exposure. HHD
Bureau of Epidemiology will notify the HSU if they determine the incident constitutes an
exposure.

Answer 21

24

Question 22

No employee may be forced to submit to a blood test as a result of reporting an exposure; however, workers’ compensation requires any employee claiming exposure to submit to a baseline blood test within ____calendar days following the exposure.

Answer 22

ten

Question 23

To request mandatory testing of the source of a potential exposure to a communicable disease,
an employee shall complete an __________________ outlining the circumstances surrounding the potential exposure and detailing the nature of the potential exposure (e.g., bitten by a suspect whose saliva was contaminated with blood, pricked with a needle taken from a known drug user, exposed to a person coughing or suspected of having an active case of TB).

Answer 23

Affidavit of Exposure to a Communicable Disease form

Question 24

Employees who test positive for a communicable disease_______ continue working as long as
they perform the essential functions of the job, maintain acceptable performance, and do not
pose a safety and health threat to themselves, the public, other employees, or the department.

Answer 24

may

Question 25

An employee will not be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits for a work-related exposure
to a reportable disease unless the employee provides the employer (City of Houston) both of
the following:

Answer 25

a. The employee’s sworn affidavit of the date and circumstances of the exposure.

b. A copy of the results of the employee’s test taken within ten calendar days after the
exposure and indicating the absence of the reportable disease. Exposure criteria and
testing protocol must conform to Texas Department of Health requirements.