Should Your Housekeeper Handle your Blood Spill?
When a blood spill or other biohazard event occurs it may be tempting to clean the spill up yourself, or to hire a standard housekeeping service to do the cleaning for you. However, it is important to understand that these types of events may expose you or your family members to bloodborne pathogens.
Bloodborne pathogens are microscopic organisms that are infectious and can cause disease in humans. These pathogens can contain dangerous diseases including but not limited to Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, HIV, and MRSA. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that blood clean up, and other regulated wastes that may contain blood be disposed of in a way that protects the family, the custodian, and the environment.
The procedures to dispose of these hazards is much more detailed than having a standard housekeeping service clean up the mess. To make sure that everyone involved is protected there are some questions you should ask when preparing to clean up a biohazard that may contain blood.
1. Is the custodian bloodborne pathogen certified? OSHA requires that those that are responsible to properly dispose of bloodborne pathogens be certified annually. It is important to ask if the technician being dispatched to your home is certified in bloodborne pathogen controls and proper disposal procedures.
2. Is the company certified to transport and dispose of biohazardous waste? Inquire of the company if they are legally able to transport and dispose of the biohazardous waste. Ask what type of container the biohazard will be taken away in. There are certain requirements that a certified company will have in place to make sure that biohazardous waste is marked and disposed of at a certified facility.
3. What protective equipment will be used by the company that will be dispatched to your clean up? To eliminate and properly disinfect an area from bloodborne pathogens it is important that the technician on site wears and operates the required personal protective equipment in a way that protects themselves, and eliminates cross contamination of the area that was potentially exposed to bloodborne pathogens.
The desire to want to quickly clean up a blood spill is understandable, however, without asking the necessary questions you may risk exposure to yourself, your family, or others of bloodborne pathogens. Bio-One of Tucson technicians are certified in Bloodborne pathogen training, they are certified to legally transport and dispose of the hazardous material, and they are equipped with top of the line personal property equipment to make sure every effort is made to maintain the safety of everyone involved. If you need a free estimate for biohazardous removal services please contact our office at (520) 771-5960 today.
