Blood and Body Fluid Exposures: Response Procedures

Blood and body fluids may contain viruses such as hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). A printable resource document is available in English, Chinese (simplified and traditional), Vietnamese, Korean, and French.

  • a needle stick or cut from a sharp object
  • blood and/or body fluid contact with broken skin (open cut, wound, rash)
  • blood and/or body fluid contact with eyes, nose or mouth
  • Clean your hands and then put on single-use gloves prior to handling or dressing a client’s wound.
  • Wash the exposed skin surface with water and soap. If the area is bleeding, allow it to bleed freely. After cleaning the wound, apply a skin antiseptic and cover with a clean dressing or bandage.
  • If there has been a splash onto a mucous membrane (eyes, nose, mouth) flush the area thoroughly with water.
  • The person exposed must immediately contact a health professional.
  • Document all incidents and keep records for three years with a minimum of one year (365 days) on site.
  • the date of the injury/exposure
  • full name (first and last), mailing address and phone number of the person exposed
  • full name and contact information of person providing the procedure (first and last) when the exposure occurred
  • the service being provided when the exposure occurred
  • details of the exposure including where on the body the injury/exposure occurred and how the injury/exposure occurred
  • action taken

For a copy of this document in the following languages, please email us at publichealth@toronto.ca.

  • 中文 / Chinese
  • 한국어 / Korean
  • Tiếng Việt / Vietnamese
    Date modified: September 4, 2026