If it's warm and wet and does not belong to you

I have spent the last 2 days in training, so now, according to the state, I should be an expert in scheduling appointments, blood borne pathogens, fire extinguishers and recognizing self-injurious behavior.  And so I now feel compelled to share that knowledge with you.  :-D

All you need to know about blood borne pathogens can be summed up in one sentence -
If it's warm and wet and doesn't belong to you, use universal precautions - gloves, gown, mask, shield - if they're available when dealing with any kind of body fluids.. I'm of the mind that something would have to be available before I WOULD touch anything like that.  (Oh, I know that statement isn't really all you need to know about blood borne pathogens, but it's something that sticks in your mind to remind you protect yourself from HIV, HBV, HCV, etc.)

OK - on to fire extinguishers.  Buy one.  :-)  Actually, know the classes of fires and what type your extinguisher is for - Combustibles are type A is for combustibles like wood, type B is for flammable liquids, type C is for electrical, type D is for combustible metals.  And did you know ( I didn't, until today) that for electronic equipment fires, you should use a halon extinguisher.  The other types will destroy the computing parts of your machine and no computer guru in the world will make it work again.. 

When we got to the part about self-injurious behavior, my memory kicked in to overdrive and I recalled stories or experiences, like the guys who swallowed razor blades (one man swallowed a flip-flop), or batteries, or other objects that are not meant to be ingested.  And...sometimes the guys stick pencils in places you wouldn't think a pencil will fit.  Enough said about that.  Most of the time, these guys want a ride at the state's expense because any of the above will result in a trip to an outside emergency room, and some will approach a staff member and report self-injurious intent (we can't call it suicidal  anymore.  PC is ridiculous) because they want attention.  And then there are those who are serious.  And most of the time, those are the ones who succeed, because no matter how often you keep check, if someone is determined to commit suicide, they will do it.  Those who report suicidal thoughts are put in admin seg with 15 minute checks (more often, actually) and referred to psych staff. 

Ah, I don't know why I typed all this out...maybe because it's fresh in my mind and I'm rehearsing for next year's ORT class.  But today was fun.  A lot of my old buddies from the other prison were there, and they are a riot.

And now it's coffee time.  Y'all have a great rest of the week.