Purpose:
The Palos Heights Public Library recognizes the importance of safety in all aspects of contact with the general public. Library personnel usually are not considered to be exposed to potentially infectious material. Exposure to vomitus, saliva, feces, or urine (unless visibly contaminated with blood) is not dangerous. Tuberculosis, hepatitis, and HIV are not transmitted in personal contact with any of these materials.
Policy:
The library will provide rubber examination gloves in all departments and will emphasize the importance of using them if first aid is administered to staff or the public and if any body fluids need to be cleaned up.
Hands should be washed thoroughly with a generous amount of soap any time there is contact with body fluids.
Staff will be allowed to leave the library to change clothes if their clothes become contaminated through contact.
The HGB inoculation will be paid for by the library if the Palos Community Hospital personnel deems it appropriate.
All cleaning services employed by the library will have this same type of plan and will train their employees.
This plan will be reviewed annually.
Adopted: June 12, 1997