Final answer:
The FIRST step when getting blood or other potentially infectious materials in your eyes, nose, mouth, or on broken skin is to rinse the affected area with water. This should be followed by informing your supervisor and adhering to detailed cleaning and sanitization procedures.
Step-by-step explanation:
If you get blood or other potentially infectious materials in your eyes, nose, mouth, or on broken skin, the FIRST step you should take is to rinse the affected area with water. This is a critical immediate action to help mitigate the risk of infection and spread of pathogens. After rinsing, you must then inform your supervisor about the incident as promptly as possible.
It is important to follow safety protocols to avoid such incidents. Personnel are advised to wear protective clothing such as a coat, face protection and gloves when dealing with potentially infectious materials. Additionally, proper hand washing is essential both before and after handling such materials, using warm water and soap, followed by drying hands completely with a clean towel.
In case of spills, affected areas should be disinfected thoroughly before and after work, especially when working with bacterial cultures. After the immediate rinsing, further steps including cleaning with specific solutions like 1 N NaOH or a bleach dilution might be needed based on the contamination and institutional policies.