Does your lab's infection control policy allow handling of blood products without gloves? How about separating segments with scissors without gloves? Does your policy allow some tasks to be done with gloves and some without gloves in the same area? For example, can you do an electronic crossmatch with no gloves at the same workstation as a serologic crossmatch with gloves?

Within the Red Cell Immunohaematology Section of the NHSBT (formally National Blood Service) we are suposed to wear gloves whenever we are dealing with samples. However, a lot of people have found that the lose a certain amount of tactile sensitivity when doing so (particularly whe dealing with wet tubes that have been incubating in a water-bth). As a result, we have performed a formal local Risk Assessment and there are now certain times when the staff are allowed to make their own decisions on the subject.

The AABB Primer of Blood Administration published August 2008, states in Chapter 5 page 7 in the Obtaining Blood section to "wear gloves when handling blood component unit bags."

So, are there techs out there that actually wear gloves to issue a unit of packed cells, or FFP, etc.? Is there a standard for this?

So, there is no standard of wearing gloves when issuing a unit of blood. It is not considered a biohazard.

Terry Jo Giles, aka The Safety Lady discussed this in a teleconference and also felt that gloves were not needed when handling a blood bag.

Obtaining blood is a different story since at that point the blood is untested and is considered potentially biohzardous. If you are using a computer to do an electronic XM that is also used to do serologic XM''s then you should wear gloves as that computer is dirty due to patient specimens. Handling segments of blood, I require gloves to be used in my department since it is easier to dictate open samples (patient or donor) than differentiate between the two.

Although the exterior of blood bags is not considered to be hazardous enough to require wearing gloves, so many other things are done in the area that do require gloves that our safety standards require wearing gloves in the issuing area. In terms of cutting segments, that always requires wearing gloves. If you are cutting the segments with scissors, I also recommend facial protection. There is a fine spray of blood that occurs when segments are cut with scissors.

We also have had blood bags that are returned bloody that are otherwise acceptable for return and reissue. We have also had bags that get bloody from breakage of distal segments. At this point, we clean them up and put them back into circulation, but even cleaned I would not handle them without gloves. I think it is prudent to wear gloves when handling blood products. As Mom used to say, "You don't know where that has been!"

Am I correct that there is no real standard requirering one to wear gloves though, when issuing a unit of blood/components?

To my knowledge, sealed blood bags are not considered to be biohazardous and there is no regulation requiring the wearing of gloves while handling them.

I think we should just practise good laboratory practises. ; )

My colleagues wear gloves throughout the day. Therefore, we rated everything in the lab as biohazardous. This is more for practical reasons. So that we do not have to take the gloves off and on so often.

Of course, no "armour" anywhere out of the main lab.

of course--the person transporting the unit of blood does not have gloves on.

are we going to police that too?

of course--the person transporting the unit of blood does not have gloves on.

are we going to police that too?

I couldn't agree more with you LIMPER55. There are Health and Safety Regulations for good reasons, and Health and Safety Regulations for the sake of regulations (and these latter regulations bring the former into disrepute).

:mad:

of course--the person transporting the unit of blood does not have gloves on.

are we going to police that too?

When we issue a unit of blood, it is placed in a plastic ziploc bag for transport !