2.11 - Guide For The Cleaning Of Spills Involving Body Fluids

Precautions For Domestic, Catering And First Aid Staff

When Dealing With Any Form Of Spillage Involving Body Fluids, Particularly Blood;

The Procedure Set Out Below Should Be Followed At All Times:

1. The spill should be reported to your supervisor and cleaned up as soon as possible;
2. Rubber gloves and suitable protective clothing must be worn, to prevent contact with your skin;
3. Any spillage should first be absorbed with Sanitaire emergency clean-up powder, using yellow clinical waste plastic bags.
4. Remove any traces of the contaminated clean-up powder with pan and brush and dispose of immediately in the yellow clinical waste bag into a Sanibin, found in all ladies toilets, or taken to Domestic Services for disposal;
5. The area should then be cleaned with hot water and a detergent;
6. After all visible traces of the spill have been removed, the area should be treated with a disinfectant detergent such as Screen - obtainable from Domestic Services staff - and left on the affected surfaces for as long as possible;
7. Do not forget to mark the area with a yellow Caution cone;
8. Laundry should be washed at 70C using a biological enzyme detergent;
9. Sharp blades, needles, etc. must be carefully disposed of either into a special Sharps container or wrapped securely and labelled, before placing in a yellow clinical waste bag for disposal.

Revised January 2002