Safe Clean-up Of Spills

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Safe Clean-up Of Spills...

Safe Clean-up Of Spills

CLEANING UP SPILLS OF BLOODBORNE PATHOGENS

Potentially infectious material (PIM) includes: (1) the following human body fluids:

Blood, semen, vaginal secretions, cerebrospinal fluid, synovial fluid, pleural fluid, pericardial fluid, peritoneal fluid, amniotic fluid, saliva in dental procedures, any body fluid that is visibly contaminated with blood, and all body fluids in situations where it is difficult or impossible to differentiate between body fluids; (2) any unfixed tissue or organ (other than intact skin) from a human (living or dead); and (3) HIV-containing cell or tissue cultures, organ cultures, and HIV- or HBV-containing culture medium or other solutions; and blood, organs, or other tissues from experimental animals infected with HIV or HBV.

Have these materials on hand for cleaning up spills:

A durable container to store the clean up supplies

Several biohazard labeled bags

Disinfectant - freshly-prepared 10% solution of household bleach (1 part bleach and 9 parts water; or add a scant ½ cup bleach to 1 quart of water) or other commercial chlorine or iodine based disinfectant)

Inert absorbing material (e.g., diatomaceous earth, hy-dri, kitty litter, absorbent pads)

A small dust pan and hand brush

Personal protective equipment, including several pairs of latex gloves, goggles, face masks, coveralls, and paper boots

A heavy cardboard box

A roll of paper towels

Antiseptic wipes

Follow these procedures if you are cleaning up a spill of blood or PIM:

If blood or PIM has spilled directly onto you, it should be thoroughly washed off as soon as possible. If the material has spilled on your clothing and soaked through so that there is skin contact, the clothes must be removed. Following removal, wash those areas where exposure is evident, even to the point of taking a shower. If blood or PIM has come into contact with any of the mucous membranes (eyes, nose, lips) they need to be thoroughly rinsed. If there is contact with open wounds or cracks in the skin, there is a risk of exposure. Immediately and thoroughly wash your hands with water and an antiseptic cleaner if contaminated with a body fluid. These occurrences are considered to be an Exposure Incident and it is important to follow the procedure outlined in the Bloodborne Pathogen/Exposure Control Plan.

When clean up involves blood or PIM that is on a flat surface, you should first delineate and mark the spill area so that others do not inadvertently enter the area until clean up is complete.

If assistance is needed because the spill is unusually large, it involves additional hazards, or clean-up materials are not available, contact your local Office of Environmental and Occpupational Health and Safety, or call 911.

Don personal protective equipment before beginning clean up. Minimal PPE consists of gloves, goggles, mask, and coveralls or other outer garment. Small spills should be wiped up with paper towels, then decontaminated with a proper disinfectant. Spill kits designed for cleaning up small spills (less than 8 ounces) of potentially infectious material are commercially available.

Large spills can be quickly contained by creating a circular barrier around the perimeter of the spill with an absorbent material (hy-dri, kitty litter, diatomaceous earth). Residual liquids in the center of the ring can be soaked up with additional absorbent or absorbent pads. Place the absorbent in a biohazard waste bag.

Soak the area for at least 20 minutes with a disinfectant (freshly-prepared 10%

bleach solution). You can be liberal with disinfectant but don't apply so heavily that it begins to run.

Allow at least 20 minutes for the disinfectant to complete the decontamination. You can use the small hand broom and dustpan to clean up the spill.

Deposit all clean up material in biowaste disposal bag and close tightly. The bag should be secured in a bioharzard “burn box.” Call your local Hazardous Materials Handling Facility or Biological and Medical Waste Disposal Services and arrange for biowaste pick up.

Carefully remove gloves, coveralls, and boots, (if used) and discard in a biowaste bag. If used, the facemask should also be disposed. Goggles can be disinfected, rinsed and reused. The dustpan and broom can also be disinfected, rinsed, air-dried and reused.

After cleaning and disinfecting your equipment, return them to their proper storage area. Replace PPE, bags, and other items so that they will be available for future use.

Record and report the incident to your supervisor!

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