Australian Capital Territory

Public Health (Infection Control) Code of Practice 2005

Disallowable Instrument DI2005–303

made under the 

Public Health Act 1997, s 133 (Code of Practice)

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

Part 3 of the Public Health Act 1997 (the Act) provides for the regulation of businesses performing public health risk activities and public health risk procedures that may result in the transmission of disease, or that may otherwise adversely affect the health of individuals in the community. 

Subsection 18 (1) of the Act requires businesses that undertake public health risk activities to be licensed (Infection Control Activity Licence).  Subsection 20 (1) of the Act provides that businesses carrying on a public health risk activity must comply with a code of practice in relation to that activity.  Skin penetration procedures have been declared a licensable public health risk activity and are defined in the Public Health (Public health Risk Activity – Infection Control) Declaration 2005 (No.1).
The Infection Control (for office practices and other community based services) Code of Practice has been developed to provide a set of infection control standard outcomes.  These must be adhered to in order to minimise the risk of transmission of blood borne and other infections associated with skin penetration and other infection risk procedures.  This code is based on recognised national infection control guidelines and Australian Standards.

No regulatory impact statement has been prepared for this Code of Practice.  Section 34 of the Legislation Act 2001 requires a regulatory impact statement when the instrument would impose appreciable costs to the community.  This Code of Practice imposes no increase in regulatory requirements.  It is a condition of the Infection Control Activity Licence that all procedures performed by practitioners or persons engaged by the business are completed in such a way as to protect the public from the transmission of blood borne and other infections.

This code is an enforceable code under section 20 of the Public Health Act 1997 and is required to be adhered to by businesses that carry on skin penetration and infection risk procedures.

This instrument is a disallowable instrument.