Contents

Student Protection
Protection Against Child Abuse and Improper Conduct
Sports Injury Prevention Measures and Strategies
Injury Countermeasures
Infectious Diseases Control Guidelines
Sun Protection
Inappropriate Activities
Additional Protection Measures

With particular reference to HIV (AIDS) and Hepatitis B & C (Adapted from the Sports Medicine Australia Infectious Diseases Policy)

All sports coaches, umpires, referees, team managers, supervising teachers, players (and their parents) involved in contact or collision sports should be informed of the Infectious Diseases Control Guidelines and adopt its common sense recommendations.

A number of blood-borne infectious diseases can be transmitted during body contact and collision sports. The more serious include HEPATITIS and HIV (AIDS) infections. These diseases may be spread by contact between broken skin or mucous membranes and infected:

• Blood
• Saliva (not for HIV)
• Semen and vaginal fluids.

NB: There is no evidence that sweat, urine and tears will transmit Hepatitis B or HIV.

THE FOLLOWING RECOMMENDATIONS WILL REDUCE THE RISK OF TRANSMITTING INFECTIOUS DISEASES:

Teachers and officials treating bleeding players/participants should wear disposable latex gloves. The gloves must be changed and discarded:

• if they are torn or punctured
• after contact with a player or participant

Players

It is the responsibility of all participants to maintain strict personal hygiene as this is the best method of controlling the spread of diseases. All participants with prior evidence of these diseases are strongly advised to obtain confidential advice and clearance from a doctor prior to participation.

A player who is bleeding must leave the playing arena until the bleeding has stopped and the wound is cleaned and securely covered with a waterproof dressing.

All contaminated clothing and equipment must be replaced prior to the player resuming play.

If bleeding should recur, the above procedures must be repeated. If bleeding cannot be controlled and the wound securely covered, the player must not continue in the game.

Referees, umpires and game officials

Officials must report all open cuts and abrasions to medical staff or the supervising teacher at the first available opportunity.

Staff and students often participate as game officials. To prevent possible cross-infection in the use of whistles supplied by the school, the school should ensure that the following cleaning procedures are adhered to:

• wash and scrub all accessible parts with warm soapy water
• rinse with fresh running water
• soak in a solution of 70% alcoholic chlorhexidine for at least two minutes
• dry all parts and powder when necessary
• whistles should be frequently inspected for cracks which make thorough cleaning impossible. Discard if cracks appear.

Simple basic hygiene is the major factor in the prevention of cross-infection. Clean, dry whistles with no cracked surfaces are very unlikely to transmit infection.

Remember:

All open cuts and abrasions must be reported and treated immediately. A player who is bleeding must leave the playing arena until the bleeding has stopped and the wound securely covered.

Team Areas

Spitting and urinating in team areas must not be permitted.

All clothing, equipment and surfaces contaminated by blood must be viewed as potentially infectious and treated as follows:

• gloves must be worn when cleaning blood spills or handling blood stained linen
• if the blood spill is large, confine and contain the spill
• remove the bulk of the blood and body substances with absorbent material, eg. paper towels. Seal the paper towels in a plastic bag and dispose with normal garbage
• clean the spill site with a detergent solution
• wipe the site with disposable towels soaked in a 1:10 solution of bleach
• routine washing procedures using hot water and detergents are adequate for decontamination of most laundry items. Contaminated linen soiled with blood or body substances should be transported in a leak proof plastic bag to the
  laundry site simply to contain the body fluid and stop it spreading to the other laundry items. Contaminated linen does not need to be segregated in the hot detergent wash.

Sharing of towels, shaving razors, face washers and drink containers must not occur. Soiled towels should be withdrawn from use and sufficient clean towels available to avoid reuse and sharing.

In all training areas, open cuts and abrasions must be reported to the coach or supervising teacher and treated immediately.

Dressing rooms should be clean and tidy. Particular attention should be paid to hand basins, toilets and showers. Adequate soap, paper, hand towels, brooms, refuse disposal bins and disinfectants must be available at all times.

Communal bathing (eg. in spas) should be strongly discouraged.

Education

There is an obligation upon all organisations and associations involved in sport to provide suitable information on the associated risk factors and prevention strategies against these diseases.

The safe handling of contaminated clothing, equipment and surfaces must be brought to the attention of all players, teachers and ancillary staff.

Although Hepatitis B vaccination is usually effective in raising immunity to Hepatitis B, it provides no protection against other blood-borne diseases such as HIV. Vaccination must not result in any relaxation of hygiene standards.

The memorandum General Hygiene and Communicable Diseases Including AIDS (89/038) should be read in conjunction with these guidelines.