Biological waste disposal for clinics is typically structured for easy collection at the generation site and transport to a holding area. Yet not every situation is simple. Spills and accidents inside of a clinic can cause biological waste to enter common areas, and require quick action to remove before anyone is infected.
Safety precautions and procedures need to be in place inside of your clinic to help contend with a biological waste spill. Taking steps now to prepare for such an incident will help to ensure that the effects are not catastrophic.
Hazardous bloodborne pathogens could be present in even the smallest trace of blood or other bodily fluids. All staff members must be provided with clear direction on how to approach these situations and fix them, in a way that takes their own health and safety into consideration.
Steps to Follow When Facing a Biological Waste Spill in a Clinic
- Secure the area and prohibit any patients or other unauthorized personnel to gain access
- Use gloves and other protective gear to avoid direct contact with the biological waste
- Clean spills using disposable towels only after ensuring that there are no broken glass fragments
- If the spill contains pieces or broken glass or other objects that can pierce the skin, these should be cleaned using a disposable brush and pan or other device that can be subjected to sterilization afterwards
- Assume that all substances are biohazardous waste and dispose of them accordingly in bags labeled as such
- Wash hands using a sterilizing soap and warm water
- Log the incident and the type of biological waste involved
- Ensure that the waste is retrieved by your medical waste disposal company as soon as possible
When faced with cleaning up a blood spill or other biological waste, commercial cleaning products and regular trash bags are not sufficient. To protect the integrity of your clinic, you have to ensure that the entire area that was contaminated has been completely sterilized, and that the collected medical waste is contained safely.
How Your Medical Waste Disposal Company Can Help
Of course in the heat of the moment you are not going to be able to call up your biological waste disposal service provider to clean up a spill, but they can assist you in enacting safe plans for when they do occur. The convenient placement of cleaning materials, waste bags and other tools will help to ensure that you are able to clean up a biological spill quickly and efficiently.
Don’t wait for the inevitable to happen before having a plan in place for dealing with it. Accidents occur when you least expect them, but when they involve biological waste, you don’t have the luxury of time. Talk with your service provider about proper training of your personnel and materials needed to ensure that even a large spill in your clinic will have no impact on the health of your patients and workers.