M3
Infection, Prevention and Control M3
M3- Review a risk assessment in relation to infection, prevention and control undertaken at a health or social care work placement.
What is a hazard?
A hazard is anything that has the potential to cause harm. Risk is the likelihood of that harm. For example hazards in terms of infection control are pathogens. Some pathogens are considered a greater risk to others, for example MRSA (super bug) or Clostridium difficile.
What casues pathogens to grow? Baceteria grow by splitting in two. In ideal conditions bacteria can divide every 20 minutes, so the size of the colony doubles every 20 minutes. In theory a colony of bacteria can continue to grow like this without stopping. Bacateria need plenty of food, a suitable temperature, a suitable pH, no build up of poisonous waste products and oxygen to be able to grow.
Fungi also grow very fast in ideal conditions. Their needs are very similar to those of bacteria although many common fungi such as yeast do not need oxygen to grow. The rate of growth of a colony of yeast doubles for every 10°C rise in temperature until an optimum temperature is reached. If the temperature goes up higher the enzymes in the yeast don't work properly and they stop growing.
Hazards identified on the risk assessment hand-out-
Why is it important to identify hazards in infection, prevention and control?
It is important to identify hazards to minimize the risk of illness and infection. For example a hazard could be airborn doplets, these droplets contain pathogens that can make us ill. If someone for example has a cold and they sneezed into the air, millions of pathogens are airborn and we are at risk to inhaling them, while the pathogens are airborn they can contaminate anything from our drinking water to the air we breath, if these pathogens enter our bodies our immune system might not be strong enough to fight off the infection which could lead us to becoming ill. So to reduce this risk always ensure
M3- Review a risk assessment in relation to infection, prevention and control undertaken at a health or social care work placement.
What is a hazard?
A hazard is anything that has the potential to cause harm. Risk is the likelihood of that harm. For example hazards in terms of infection control are pathogens. Some pathogens are considered a greater risk to others, for example MRSA (super bug) or Clostridium difficile.
What casues pathogens to grow? Baceteria grow by splitting in two. In ideal conditions bacteria can divide every 20 minutes, so the size of the colony doubles every 20 minutes. In theory a colony of bacteria can continue to grow like this without stopping. Bacateria need plenty of food, a suitable temperature, a suitable pH, no build up of poisonous waste products and oxygen to be able to grow.
Fungi also grow very fast in ideal conditions. Their needs are very similar to those of bacteria although many common fungi such as yeast do not need oxygen to grow. The rate of growth of a colony of yeast doubles for every 10°C rise in temperature until an optimum temperature is reached. If the temperature goes up higher the enzymes in the yeast don't work properly and they stop growing.
Hazards identified on the risk assessment hand-out-
Why is it important to identify hazards in infection, prevention and control?
It is important to identify hazards to minimize the risk of illness and infection. For example a hazard could be airborn doplets, these droplets contain pathogens that can make us ill. If someone for example has a cold and they sneezed into the air, millions of pathogens are airborn and we are at risk to inhaling them, while the pathogens are airborn they can contaminate anything from our drinking water to the air we breath, if these pathogens enter our bodies our immune system might not be strong enough to fight off the infection which could lead us to becoming ill. So to reduce this risk always ensure