Health and Safety Standards

I. Policy Title: Health and Safety Standards

II. Who does this policy affect?

Campus Community

III. Purpose

The Board of Trustees believes that any person on campus is entitled to function in an environment as free from hazards as can reasonably be provided. In this regard, and in accordance with law, the Board will provide reasonable and adequate protection to the lives, safety, and health of its employees, students, and visitors.

IV. Policy Statement

The President shall be responsible for the development and maintenance of administrative guidelines to assure compliance with all standards including, but not limited to AHERA, OSHA, MIOSHA, and Hazard Communication.

The President or designee shall also develop and supervise a program, including periodic inspection, for the cleanliness and sanitary management of the buildings, grounds, and equipment pursuant to law.

Disinfection

Surfaces contaminated by blood or other body fluids must be cleaned and disinfected with commercial disinfectant solutions or with household bleach, freshly diluted in a 1:10 solution. Proper personal protective equipment (“PPE”), including but not limited to waterproof gloves and face coverings, should be worn in the case of large and small bodily fluid spills. Large bodily fluid spills include spills with a high splash potential, such as a raw sewage leak. Small bodily fluid spills include spills with a low splash potential, such as a small pool of blood.

Disposal of Bodily Fluids

The President or designee shall prepare procedures for the handling and disposal of bodily wastes and fluids and adequate sanitation facilities will be available for their handling within the College. School personnel will be trained in the proper procedures for handling blood and body fluids and these procedures must be strictly adhered to.
 
Equipment

Any needles or other equipment that puncture skin or mucous membrane should be used only once and promptly disposed. Used equipment should immediately be placed in a FDA-cleared sharps disposal container or, if a FDA-cleared container is unavailable, a heavy duty plastic container. Equipment with puncture capabilities should only be placed in FDA-cleared disposal containers or heavy-duty plastic containers. Caution must be exercised, particularly in disposing of needles.

Teaching Laboratories

Laboratory courses requiring exposure to blood, such as biology courses in which blood is obtained by finger prick for typing and examination, must use disposable equipment, and no lancets or other blood-letting devices should be re-used or shared. No students, except those in health care profession courses, should be required to obtain or process the blood of others.

Campus Safety Department

The campus safety department will acquire appropriate gloves and safety masks to be used during CPR. This equipment will be small enough to be carried by each officer while on duty.

Control of Chronic Communicable Diseases and Blood-Borne Pathogens

The Board of Trustees seeks to protect those staff members who may be exposed to blood-borne pathogens and other potentially infectious materials in their performance of assigned duties.

The President or designee shall develop exposure control plans which will include the following elements:

1. Identification, in writing, of job classifications and of those tasks, activities, and procedures within a job classification where occupational exposure to blood-borne pathogens might occur;

2. Development of written procedures for cleaning, for handling contaminated materials, and for disposing of hazardous waste within all College campus buildings and facilities;

3. Provision of appropriate personal protective equipment that is readily accessible to identified employees;

4. Provision (at no cost to the employee) of hepatitis B vaccine under specific circumstances as defined by exposure determination, and medical follow-up for exposure incidents;

5. Provision of warning labels or color-coded containers for use with hazardous waste;

6. Provision by a qualified trainer of training that contains content as specified by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Blood-Borne Pathogens Standard; and

7. Development of written procedures for meeting requirements for medical record keeping.

The exposure control plans are to be reviewed and updated annually and whenever necessary to comply with the OSHA Standard. The President shall report periodically to the Board regarding the status of the plans.

Henry Ford College will work cooperatively with the Wayne County Health Department to enforce and adhere to the Michigan Public Health Code (Act 368 of 1978 as amended) for prevention, control, and containment of communicable disease.

Students and staff with identified chronic and communicable diseases may attend normal school functions, including classes, whenever, through reasonable accommodation, the risk of transmission or injury to the identified student is outweighed by the detrimental effect of excluding the student or staff member from the school function.

V. Definitions

N/A

VI. Responsible Party for Policy Interpretation/Review

Vice President of Facilities
Director of Facilities

VII. Related Documents

20 CFR 1910.1030

VIII. Policy History:
a. Adopted by Board: February 20, 1995
b. Previous Policy Section: Property and Operations; Previous Policy No.6550; This policy also absorbs previous policies 3300, 3350, 6400, and 6450

Reviewed/Updated

April 15, 2024– Approved by Board of Trustees

This policy supersedes and replaces any and all past policies related to this subject