Bloodborne Pathogen Food Incident (2016)

On the night of May 27, an individual was eating his evening meal at a spike camp when he bit down on a “used” bandage that had been in the meal’s mashed potatoes. These meals had been prepared in individual “To Go” containers which were delivered in ice chests to the firefighters. Therefore, potential for exposure included up to 117 individuals who received and ate from these meals that evening. This Incident-Within-an-Incident (IWI) was immediately reported up the chain of command to the Agency Administrator who quickly informed the Forest Supervisor and Forest Duty Officer.

The next day, the individual was taken to the Emergency Room for evaluation and advised of follow-up actions. The Agency Administrator asked U.S. Forest Service law enforcement to begin an investigation. He also requested assistance from the Duty Officer to contact the local agencies responsible for food safety and mishaps. Initial calls were placed to the New Mexico Environment Department’s Environmental Health Bureau. An on-call Epidemiologist Doctor soon responded and began the process for the department’s response.

The Agency Administrator asked the Forest to provide a Point of Contact to take the lead on this atypical Incident-Within-an-Incident. The Forest appointed the Forest Safety Manager to be this lead. The Forest’s Bloodborne Pathogen plan was implemented.

RLS, Health and Fitness, Exposure