Rank: Super forum user
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Hello
If we find out an employee has hep B, is there anything specifically we need to do? It has not been caught through any work activities as the person is office based
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Rank: Super forum user
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If the person has symptoms of any sort you could consider reasonable adjustments to work; Hep B can cause fatigue, but serious symptoms would mean absence from work. There is no need for any notification. Hep B is a blood-born viral infection, but then all human bodily fluids should be treated as hazardous substances in the workplace whether the source is known to have an infectious disease or not; for every known Hep B carrier (for example) there is a number of people who have not been diagnosed. So the short answer is you don't need to do anything you shouldn't already be doing,
John
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Rank: Super forum user
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Rank: New forum user
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I would seek permission (maybe via Occ Health ) team from the individual as to whether they may allow the first aiders in the business to be informed of the situation.
If the individual will not allow the name to be disclosed (or you may not find this a suitable approach with regard to confidentiality) maybe advise the First Aiders of the risks of treating staff with Hep B etc..
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Rank: Super forum user
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Not sure about advising first aiders; they should already be treating everybody as an infection risk. Certainly that's what I've been told on 1st Aid courses, so it really shouldn't make any difference at all whether a person is known to be a carrier or not; suspect everybody and treat all body fluids as hazardous substances. This is the approach we take in healthcare, and given the low rates of diagnosis & disclosure plus the confidentiality issues it really is the only way,
John
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Rank: Forum user
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There may be a difference between an office environment and a generalised healthcare one that would influence how to respond here. Yes, in general and as per first aider training the assumption should be that all body fluids are infective in some way or another. But think of an office with a well-established team who know each other well, socialise, gossip etc. In those circumstances, someone else probably knows or at least suspects that an individual may have a health problem. It then makes sense to ask the indivdual, either directly themselves, or indirectly through the employer, to tip off their first aider as an additional precaution. It's a way of nailing speculation etc. and will be as confidential as any other personal information is in such a place.
Jim
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Rank: Forum user
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You may want to think about proving Hep B vaccination for your First Aiders to mitigate against the risk of infection when handling anyone’s blood. This, however, is something which should be considered outside this case and in context of them dealing with blood anyway. It is also important to remember that basic barrier techniques are only just that, which is why vaccination becomes a preferred option in this strategy. This is something you may wish to explore in your First Aid risk assessment.
Andrew Böber CMIOSH FRSPH FRGS
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