5. Chemical disinfection of blood or body fluid spillage
Blood and body fluids may contain a high concentration of microorganisms from known BBV-infected individuals. Such spills, for example from deep cuts, are a source of potential infection for others who may come into contact with the spill.
All spills should therefore be made safe as soon as possible after the spillage is discovered. Because clearing blood or body fluid spillages may expose an individual to infectious microorganisms, you must take care to ensure the member of staff is protected by the appropriate use of protective clothing.
Follow these local rules (for example spill kits) when using disinfectants to deal with spillage and other forms of contamination:
- gloves should be worn and lesions on exposed skin covered with waterproof dressings throughout – these should be discarded safely after use
- if the spillage is extensive, disposable plastic overshoes or rubber boots may be necessary. If splashing is likely to occur while cleaning up, other protective clothing should be worn, for example to protect the eyes
- if there is broken glass present, it is essential that the fragments are not gathered up by hand either before or after treatment with disinfectant, rather use forceps or tweezers so a needlestick or sharps injury to those cleaning is avoided
- contamination should be wiped up with an absorbent material (for example a paper towel) soaked in freshly prepared disinfectant appropriate for the spill type
- towels and gloves should be placed in a clinical waste bag for appropriate waste disposal and hands should be washed
- finally, the area should be washed with water and detergent and allowed to dry
- in open areas, for example playgrounds and roadways, the spillage should be hosed down with water
Carpet and upholstery spills
In an environment where there are likely to be blood or body fluid spills, carpets and soft furnishings should be avoided. This is because they will be difficult to decontaminate by wiping the surface and can be damaged by chemical disinfectants.
If contamination does occur, for example of carpets or other fixed cover textiles, detergent cleaning should be followed by steam cleaning.
Surface decontamination using liquid vacuum methods, for example of floor, carpets and upholstery surfaces, would be acceptable but only if liquid disinfectant at an effective concentration was contained in the bulk cleaning fluid.
For curtains and other loose cover items, laundering or dry-cleaning followed by hot pressing is effective. Again, textiles should be checked to ensure their tolerance of such treatments. However, the effectiveness of such procedures is likely to be variable, and will depend on choice of equipment (for example steaming), disinfectants and the nature of the textile being treated.
If you are unable to disinfect them as suggested, soft furnishings should be incinerated:
- when they are heavily contaminated
- if there are grounds for believing the contaminating material is infectious