What precautions should flight attendants take when dealing with bodily fluids or human blood?

What precautions should flight attendants take when dealing with bodily fluids or human blood?

• A. Use universal precautions and wear proper PPE (gloves, gowns, eye, nose and mouth protection)
• B. Ignore PPE and continue service
• C. Rely on verbal consent before touching fluids
• D. Wash hands only after leaving cabin

Answer: (A)

Universal precautions mean treating all bodily fluids as potentially infectious and using the right protective gear to prevent exposure. When flight attendants deal with bodily fluids or blood, you should don gloves at a minimum and, depending on the situation, add a protective gown and eye protection or a face shield, along with a mask to protect mucous membranes. Put on the PPE before contact, avoid touching your face while handling the fluid, and use proper cleanup materials and containment for any spills. Afterward, carefully remove the PPE to avoid self-contamination and perform hand hygiene immediately, then again after the removal process. Follow cabin cleaning protocols for decontamination and use the spill kit if needed. Other approaches don’t provide real protection: skipping PPE leaves exposure risk, relying on verbal consent isn’t relevant to safety procedures, and washing hands only after leaving the cabin is too late to prevent spread and is not sufficient by itself.

Universal precautions mean treating all bodily fluids as potentially infectious and using the right protective gear to prevent exposure. When flight attendants deal with bodily fluids or blood, you should don gloves at a minimum and, depending on the situation, add a protective gown and eye protection or a face shield, along with a mask to protect mucous membranes. Put on the PPE before contact, avoid touching your face while handling the fluid, and use proper cleanup materials and containment for any spills. Afterward, carefully remove the PPE to avoid self-contamination and perform hand hygiene immediately, then again after the removal process. Follow cabin cleaning protocols for decontamination and use the spill kit if needed.

Other approaches don’t provide real protection: skipping PPE leaves exposure risk, relying on verbal consent isn’t relevant to safety procedures, and washing hands only after leaving the cabin is too late to prevent spread and is not sufficient by itself.