Category: Blog

The new year is on the horizon and while we get amped for what 2021 has in store let’s take a moment to look back at what we’ve covered this year. There’s been a lot we have gone over, from understanding how clean your gym really is (or isn’t) and disinfecting and making workplaces safe. Let’s take a look!

BIOClean’s 2020 Year End Wrap Up

We started this year with a discussion of the healing potential of pets.

Can a Pet Help with Loss?

While most commonly a dog, an ESA can be any animal, as the name implies. According to the AKC, “the pet needs to be prescribed by a licensed mental health professional to a person with a disabling mental illness. A therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist must determine that the presence of the animal is needed for the mental health of the patient.” 

Read More on ESAs Here

 

Next, we took a look at gym sanitation in…

Is Your Gym Really Sanitary?

“Here’s the bad news: there are no standards of cleanliness that all gyms need to meet, no federal codes. If the gym has a sauna, spa, or any sort of cafe, those individual places may have specific inspection guidelines to adhere to but the rest of the space? The machines, free weights, mats, and floors? All of that is up to the diligence of the individual gym and their clients and employees to maintain. There’s a reason gyms frequently have signs asking their members to ‘Wipe down gym equipment after use.’ For many gyms, it seems impossible (or perhaps an afterthought) to call in a committed cleaning crew after the morning or evening rushes.”

Prep for your New Year’s Resolution and Read More Here

 

After that, March was Meth-Month with two pieces on labs and clean up protocols. You can read those here!

Meth Labs with BIOClean & Meth Lab Clean Up Procedures from BIOClean

 

And then, it hit. The defining events of 2020 across the world, the COVID pandemic swept across the globe and has affected us ever since. As you can imagine, our blogs reflected that new reality looking to answer the most pressing questions of our readers and customers.

We covered how disinfecting works, the need for dwell time, and how the use and efficacy of ozone and fogging can vary wildly.

Coronavirus, Disinfecting, and You 

Read this piece to learn the best practices for preventative precautions.

Reopening Your Business During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“The CDC has released some guidelines in getting businesses back up in running during the midst of the pandemic, so we are here to help spread the word far and wide. The more precautions everyone takes, the better we will be in the months to come! But before you even consider how to open, first you need to determine if your business can reopen.”

Read more about Reopening Your Business here.

COVID-19 and Fogging Efficacy

“Lately, the use of fogging has cropped up as a potential tool in the disinfecting of workspaces. The good news is fogging works! That’s because it is a great part of a longer, 5, or 6 step process. The bad news, lots of businesses are doing just the fogging and not understanding why the entire process is necessary, meaning their fogging procedure isn’t as effective as it should be…”

Read More on Fogging Efficacy Here

A Self-Care Checklist for Coping During a Pandemic

The pandemic is continuing and this list of self-care items is more valuable than ever.

“The stress and anxiety may feel overwhelming now, but there are methods to help reduce these feelings and to take care of your mental health in healthy ways that promote good mental health hygiene. Here are some practices that might be helpful for you in this stressful time…”

Check the List Here.

 

We’ll admit, COVID-19 has taken over the year in a big way but as we head into 2021, with vaccines on the horizon, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Stay safe, be cautious and don’t expose yourself to any unnecessary risks. That includes biohazard cleanups that you’re not trained for!

Have a biohazard situation that needs cleaning? Give the professionals here at the BIOClean Team a call! We’re available 24/7 to help!

Emergency Biohazard Cleanup? Call BIOClean!

When people pass they go in many ways. When their spirit, their life leaves their body, the remains however progress in one well-understood path through decomposition. Today on the BIOClean Team blog we want to go over the timeline of and process of decomposition of the human body.

If you need help, cleaning up decomposition don’t hesitate – Call The BIOClean Team today!

The Stages of Decomposition

Decomposition is a completely natural, normal process. At death, the heart and lungs stop operating and with that blood stops pumping, oxygen stops flowing and tissues throughout the body begin to break down. There are four stages of decomposition, the rate the body goes through will differ, depending on various factors like weather, moisture, temperature, even position of the body. All of these have an impact on the speed of the decomposition, but all four stages still occur.

What are the Four Stages of Decomposition

To be specific we are talking human decomposition here. While we’re experts on biohazard cleaning, we’re not experts on the ways everything decays and decomposes so that should be mentioned. The four stages of decomposition are: autolysis, bloat, active decay, and skeletonization.

Here’s what those stages encompass.

Autolysis

Autolysis is the first stage of decomp and takes place immediately after death, usually at about 4 minutes or so. Autolysis is when the tissues begin to be destroyed and broken down by their own enzymes. This occurs because respiration and blood circulation have stopped, the body no longer is removing waste and providing new oxygen. The carbon dioide builds, creating an acidic atmosphere, the cell membranes (the walls of the cell) break apart and letting out enzymes that then digest the cells from the inside.

Rigor mortis also starts in this stage. A bunch of different chemical reactions happens in the muscles causing them to stiffen

Bloat 

Gases begin to build due to the leaking enzymes and material during autolysis. The bacteria produce a sulfur-containing compound that leads to discoloration as well. During the bloat stage, the human body can double in size. All of this leads to putrefaction and extremely bad smells. Frequently this odor is what will attract attention from others. These smells can also linger long after the body has been taken away.

Active Decay

After bloat, active decay sets in. When all of the body’s soft tissues decompose, organs, muscles, and skin liquefy. Hair, bones, cartilage, and some other materials remain. During the active decay stage, the body loses most of the mass.

Skeletonization

After the active decay stage, skeletonization occurs. This is when all of the matter decays away leaving nothing but bones behind. There is no set timeframe for when skeletonization will occur since it is so heavily based on the loss of the other parts.

Basic Timeline of Body Decomposition

• 1-3 days after death — organs decompose.
• 3-5 days after death — the body starts to bloat. Foam containing blood leaks from the nose and mouth. The body discolors, turning green.
• 8-10 days after death — the body further discolors from green to red as blood decomposes and gas accumulates. 
• Several weeks after death — nails and teeth fall out as the tissues surrounding them have decomposed completely.
• 1 month after death — the body begins to liquify.

 

The process begins fast, and it doesn’t get any better or easier to handle as it goes on. As soon as smell as developed there will need to be serious remediation to make the space habitable again. 

Give the professionals at The BIOClean Team a call and we’ll get you through this.

This year has been a difficult one, with shutdowns, pandemic, and political unrest. Some studies are beginning to show stats that the increase in suicides is up to around 200%. If you are experiencing this, we’re so, so sorry. It is crucial that during this difficult time you practice self-care and self-love.

If you or someone you know is struggling, Help is Available!

Call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline, available 24/7 at 800-273-8255!

 

This is a difficult time, and while you are doing your best to cope, you can’t forget that you need to take care of yourself. Remember this these things:

• You are not alone in this

You have a support network of friends, family, and potentially professional help, that are all here for you. 

• You can take care of yourself

This is a big change, and you are going to need to heal in many ways. You can do this.

 

Some things are common to those coping as survivors. Recognize that these are possible, but they don’t have to be present, that doesn’t mean you’re dealing with this any worse, just differently

 

• You will feel a great deal of emotions from anxiety to sadness to grief to blaming yourself. This is normal. The grieving process is complex and you’ll feel a range of emotions you might not fully understand. 

 

• You will need time to work through these feelings of guilt, shame, and self blaming. Don’t feel like you have to rush past these feelings, and do find the support you need—it is not “irrational” to feel guilty or ashamed.

 

• Allow yourself to feel. Cry and let out those emotions if you need to. This can give you relief from the pain..

 

• Many suicide survivors find some solace in sharing the truth about their loved one’s death by suicide. It eases the burden on them, and opens the door to those close to you to help. 

 

• You may find it necessary to reduce interactions with those who make the grieving process more difficult. Do not hesitate to reduce those interactions and be honest with them, “I know you mean well, but what you are saying right now is not helpful.” 

 

• Find a survivor support group, or seek out professional help. Most people don’t have all the tools they need emotionally to cope with something as difficult as this. That’s okay. Help is out there!

 

• If you are a parent of a child or teen whom this effects, be open and truthful. Allow the space and security to express emotions and talk. Encourage questions, and be there for them too.

The number one thing you need to remember, be kind to yourself…

When you feel ready to begin the next chapter in your life, you can enjoy life again. Remember and care for the memory of your lost loved one however it feels right, know you are on the path of healing and that it is okay to feel good. You are doing your best. Be kind to yourself.

It’s something just about every single landlord has to go through at some point, unfortunately, the experience doesn’t make it easier. Opening the door to your rental property only to find the inside looks like a trash bomb went off, tearing up rugs, blasting holes into walls, and covering the baseboards with who knows what. Whether they had to be evicted or left on their own terms, the mess left behind is now yours to deal with. Aside from using their security deposit, here is what else you can do to clean up your rental!

Post Tenant Cleanup Survival Guide!

If your tenant was evicted, there are a few things you’ll want to be sure to consider to make sure you’re not on the wrong side of a lawsuit (even if they were evicted legally).

First, before doing anything with what may be left behind,  be sure to look at and understand your state’s laws when it comes to tenant rights. Specifically, look for info surrounding these topics:

• Recouping Lost Rent
• Holding Property
• Notifying the Tenant

Personal Property, Recouping Damages & Rent or Holding

Recouping Damages

In some states, you are allowed to do what you wish with anything left behind in a home following an eviction, as long as the tenant owes you for rent or damages done to the property – but this isn’t possible in every state.  You may be required to lodge a formal complaint and sue before being able to do anything with potential valuables.

Holding Property 

Similarly, in many states, the laws on what can be done with personal property vary. Many places require that you hold on to any property of an evicted tenant for at least 30 days for them to claim. Usually, this comes with a caveat that you are able to relocate and organize the items as needed so that you can take care of the property and get it in rental shape again.  So before you get to work selling or dumping the property, make sure you know your legal requirements. 

If you do have to store the property, you can usually recoup any costs associated with storage as well, requiring the previous tenant to pay for the storage fees before the property is released.

Notifying the Tenant 

Along with knowing how and when you have to hold and store property or use it to recoup money, there are legal stipulations on how you have to notify the former tenant about these belongings.  It may include a set waiting period, a means by which the notification has to occur and more – so understand those requirements before you start. 

Okay, with those considerations… considered, it’s time to start looking at the actual cleanup process!

Cleaning Up

The eviction process is rarely simple and easy. Tenants may be unwilling to leave, causing them to lash out, destroy walls, break doors, or even do downright disgusting things involving bodily fluids and waste. Whatever may have happened in your property you need to approach it from a place of caution.

One of the most common items left behind that can create a hazardous environment for cleanup crews is food, believe it or not. Food left behind to rot in the fridge can begin to go moldy, and if left unchecked can contaminate the entire fridge. 

Another possibility? Fecal matter. It’s disgusting but it’s true, you might find that your house was left with human waste where it shouldn’t, and that odor can permeate the floors, walls, and ceiling if not cleaned quickly. 

Cleaning up garbage and wiping down floors and walls are all things that you should feel comfortable tackling yourself, if you have to, but when it comes to biohazardous materials don’t touch it! Call in experts who know how to remediate a house quickly, and effectively, and get the job done right in one go. We have the skills, experience, and equipment available to get the results you need for your rental property to be livable again. Especially when it comes to lingering smells, you don’t want to have to deal with this problem again and again with your new tenant months down the line.

So, do you need expert professional help getting your property livable again? Give the BIOClean Team a call – we’re here to help.

 

This time on the BIOClean Team blog we’re taking a step back to the big picture of what we do. We clean hazardous environments, we disinfect dangerous situations, we handle the biohazardous waste that others cannot. Here’s how to dispose of biohazard waste as a professional!

TO BE CLEAR: If you’re not a trained professional, cleaning up biohazardous waste can be dangerous! If you have a dangerous, biohazard situation call the professionals, call the BIOClean Team!

Alright, with that out of the way we can talk, broadly, about how we dispose of biohazard waste.

When people think of biohazard waste, they almost assuredly think of the red ‘trash’ bags that biohazard waste is put into. Let’s talk about that.

Biohazard Waste Bags 

There are waste bags that are specifically designed to handle biohazards. These waste bags are usually red with bold lettering marking them: BIOHAZARD. This standard helps anyone who might come across the waste down the line know to handle it with care. These bags are for any liquid or solid medical waste, anything contaminated with blood or other potentially infectious material.

What Constitutes “Other Potentially Infectious Material”

Good question, that ‘other’ opens up a lot of possibilities. Any sort of body fluids or things contaminated by body fluids falls into this infectious material category. Bodily fluids including things like: semen, vaginal secretions, synovial, cerebrospinal, pleura, amniotic, or pericardial fluid.  Anything that is visibly contaminated with blood as well counts as potentially infectious material. There are a lot of things that are a biohazard and need to be handled with care.

How to Use Biohazard Waste Bags for Disposal

When using biohazard waste bags follow these quick and clear points:

Inspect the bag and check it’s integrity. The last thing anyone wants is to fill a biohazard waste bag only to have it split apart on them.

Sharps go in sharps containers first. If the biohazard waste and potentially infectious material include any “sharps” these to go into a sharps container first, a hard-shelled container that will prevent punctures. Sharps are any sort of medical device designed to lacerate or puncture the skin.

Separate and level the materials. Before loading up the waste bags, do your best to fill it evenly.

Seal the bag, immediately after removing it from the bin or container. 

All the gear, all the time. When handling red biohazard bags use protective equipment including gloves, apron, face mask, and eye protection. 

What Can’t Go In Biohazard Waste Bags?

These waste bags are designed for specific things so anything that isn’t biohazard or other potentially infections material should be kept away. Specifically, do not place any of these in biohazard waste bags:

• Chemicals including:
  •  corrosives 
  • Formaldehyde
  • Solvents
  • waste oils
  • alcohols
• Radioactive waste
• Human remains 
• Pharmaceutical waste
• Chemotherapy waste 
• Materials containing lead 
• Hazardous waste including:
  • batteries 
  • light bulbs
  • heavy metals
  • compressed gas cylinders
  • aerosol cans
  • inhalers
• Uncontaminated solid waste including beverage containers and food wrappers
• Empty IV tubing without any visible blood present
• Sphygmomanometers, glass thermometers, and any other device that contains mercury
• Mercury-containing dental wastes including contact and non-contact amalgam products, vacuum pump filters, amalgam sludge, chairside traps, empty amalgam capsules, and extracted teeth with mercury filling

Hopefully, that helped illuminate what goes into the handling of biohazard waste bags as well as what can and can’t go in them. It’s worth repeating that if you are put in a situation where you have to handle biohazard waste and you have not been properly trained on it you should not handle the waste at all! 

In that scenario, you need to call the professionals. Call the BIOClean Team today, for all your biohazard cleanup needs!

The BIOClean Team is Here to Help!

With the world slowly reopening and bringing itself back to life, so much focus is – correctly- being put on how to keep people safe when they’re not in their homes, either at the office or visiting a business or shop. For many businesses, they are looking to hire dedicated janitor services to come in day in and day out to clean their spaces. While it’s a nice idea, the effectiveness may leave much to be desired!

Know What Is Required

Standard janitorial services may be fine for standard janitorial cleaning, but that’s not wha the world is needing right now. When it’s time to clean after a possible COVID exposure it’s anything but standard. 

There is a clear and serious difference between standard janitorial cleaning and infectious disease decontamination! Consider these things before relying on a standard cleaning service.

Level of Training

Most janitorial companies don’t require intense, biohazard specific training. For their day to day jobs their great no doubt, but infectious, biohazard materials require serious education and training. 

A common sight these days is seeing a company claim that their newly offered fogging service does the trick, but there’s more to it than that! To put it briefly, there are necessary disinfectant stages that need to be done in addition to the fogging technique to make it effective. Most simple janitorial companies aren’t following that either because they don’t know that or they’re not trained in it. Either way, they’re not performing at the level required to keep the space safe.

Speaking of disinfectants…

The Right Tools for the Job

As everyone begins to reenter the workplace and begin living more in public, employees, customers, everyone is paying extra attention to the cleanliness of their surroundings. A standard janitorial service might have the skills to keep things looking clean and safe, they don’t necessarily have the tools to make sure environments are clean and safe from coronavirus.

There are very specific disinfectants and cleaners that are approved by the EPA for use in cleaning and disinfecting SARS-COV-2 contaminations. These compounds also have specific requirements including directions, application method, and dwell time, to properly disinfect an area. Since COVID is highly infectious, any area that has had exposure needs to be treated as such and so full personal protective equipment (PPE) needs to be worn when cleaning and disinfecting COVID-19.

Not having the proper tools or following the proper, required procedures means the ‘cleaning’ well, isn’t. In some instances this could open the business to liability should something occur.

Here at BIOClean, we have the experience, knowledge, and access to these tools to use them correctly, because we clean hazardous materials day in, day out – Joe Janitor doesn’t.

Testing Capabilities

Verifiable surface testing is an absolutely necessary piece of the puzzle in combating the spread of COVID-19. This extra step provides accountability, allowing for more proactive controls and containment. Being able to test surfaces before and after disinfection can help track how effective the process is (and whether it is needed in the first place). Being able to do verifiable, measurable tests is such a huge component to proper disinfection and, as you may have guessed by now, it’s not something standard janitorial companies are required to do. These tests require specialized training and equipment. 

So if standard janitor services don’t cut it, who does?

The BIOClean Team – Profesional, Trained, Disinfection Specialists

Continuously keeping a sanitized workspace is critical. If one person gets sick and brings the virus into work, it is immediately risky for everyone else, workers, clients, customers anyone who may enter the space. Businesses need to up their sanitization strategy. Give The BIOClean Team a call! We are happy to help and trained to do it all, safely.

As always, The BIOClean Team is committed to being here for you when you need us the most. We are actively deploying teams to combat COVID-19 and offering large and small-scale disinfection in addition to all other standard services.

We follow the most up to date safety measures and precautions, employ an environmental hygienist to update our protocols, every team member is a certified professional following infection control measures, and the team is led by an RN with specific microbiology and virology knowledge.

Pests are an all too common unfortunate by-product of human living. Where we gather so too does waste accumulate, food and water become more readily available. When homes are messy, or home to hoarders the risk increases dramatically. A rat infestation becomes more likely, and more hazardous. This time on the BIOClean blog, how to remediate after a rat infestation!

Remediating a Rat Infestation

Before getting on your hands and knees with a rag and spray taking some extra time at the start is absolutely crucial. First things first, you need to trap any rodents that remain. Once those have been rounded up and any potential entryways sealed, wait a week. Keep repeating this process until a week goes by and no new rodents are caught. This will also provide time for any infectious virus in the droppings and nesting material to go inert. Once the active rat infestation is handled, remediation can truly begin. 

Ventilate the Space

Once you’re sure that there are no more rodents open up the space and ventilate it. Open doors and windows for a minimum of 30 minutes before working in there, create some cross ventilation if possible.

Cleaning up urine and droppings

Remember how the first thing to do was ventilate? That’s critical because you don’t want to stir up any hazardous dust when cleaning so avoid sweeping and vacuuming to start. Follow these guidelines:

• Wear rubber/vinyl/latex gloves
• Spray the urine and droppings with a disinfectant or a mixture of bleach and water and let soak 5 minutes. 
• Use a paper towel to pick up the urine and droppings, and dispose of the waste in the garbage.
• After the rodent droppings and urine have been removed, disinfect items that might have been contaminated by rodents or their urine and droppings.

The recommended concentration of bleach for a solution is 1 part bleach to 10 parts water. Whenever using a commercial disinfectant, always follow the manufacturer’s instructions. They have critical information for dilution and dwell time that has to be followed to ensure efficacy. 

Clean and disinfect the area

• Mop floors, clean countertops with the disinfectant or bleach solution.

For any furniture or clothing items that have been exposed to rat droppings or urine, clean and disinfect as well with powerful cleaners and hot water.

• Shampoo or steam clean furniture and carpets.
• Wash any bedding, clothing with laundry detergent in hot water.

Dead Rodents or Nests

While clearing out the remnants of a rat infestation, it’s entirely likely you might come across dead rodents or a nest. Take the proper precautions needed when removing dead creatures as they can be hazardous! Handling them will require some precautions as well. Make sure to wear rubber/latex/vinyl gloves when cleaning.

• Spray the dead rodent or nest and the surrounding area with a disinfectant or a mixture of bleach and water.
• Allow the nest/rodent to soak for 5 minutes (or designated dwell time on the disinfectant) before wiping up with a rag or paper towel.
• Put the dead rat and/or nesting materials into a plastic bag and seal tightly. Place this bag into a second bag and seal.
• Throw the bag into the trash bin.

Afterward make sure you remove your gloves, and thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water.

 

Watch Out for Vehicles with Rodent Infestations

Believe it or not, vehicles are a common spot for rodents to take up residence. Rats, squirrels, all sorts of rodents make trucks, campers, boats, and other vehicles their nests. Any vehicle that sits for a longer period of time or used infrequently makes for a secure ready to live spot for rodents. 

When it comes to clearing out nests or infestations you’ll want to follow the same steps. The difference here is you will want to make sure to take your vehicle in for an inspection as soon as you’re able. When rodents move in, they don’t treat the property quite as nice as they could, chewing through cables and wiring and hoses. It’s entirely possible they’ve done some serious damage that needs repair.

Heavy Rat Infestation

If the rat infestation was particularly heavy, you’re better off calling in professionals like the BIOClean Team to come in and remediate the space. It can be more than just sweeping up droppings and disinfecting the carpet, requiring flooring and subflooring to be removed or even more drastic remediation techniques. For that, you want qualified, certified, experienced professionals like the BIOClean Team!

Step inside your mom’s home only to be greeted with the overpowering smell of litter box? Cat odor is incredibly powerful and if left unchecked will take over the house entirely. This time on the BIOClean Team blog, cat odor remedies, when they will work and what to do when they don’t!

Cat Urine – Why is it so Powerful?

Cat urine is made up of some intense stuff! The big component is uric acid. Uric acid is produced when the body breaks down certain compounds including those found in some food and drink. When a cat urinates on something that uric acid coats it and crystalizes. While simpler methods (such as using soap or vinegar) might break down the crystals and bring odor relief temporarily, humidity can cause the uric acid to recrystallize, bringing the smell right back. Another piece is that as urine sits the bacterium that is alive inside the urine will breakdown giving off an ammonia-like smell. As the urine continues to breakdown it then gives off mercaptans, a compound similar to what gives skunks their potent punch.

It’s not so much that cat urine is powerful (though it is) as much as it is durable. You need to take it a step further to break it down and remove the smell entirely!

Huge Warning! Avoid Products that Use Ammonia!

Since ammonia is one of the components of cat urine, if you use an ammonia-based product it will very likely cause your cat to come back and mark the spot further, as they think it’s either okay to go there or perhaps another cat has marked it. Further, ammonia and chemical cleaners will often set the stain, the complete opposite of what we are looking to do!

Ok with that out of the way, let’s talk about what works!

Cat Odor Remedies

Several products can help neutralize cat pee odor, including vinegar or baking soda but you’ll want to go even further with an enzyme cleaner to really do the trick!

Baking Soda and Vinegar

Vinegar is a classic option for cleaning around the house. It’s a bit smelly itself, but vinegar is an acid that neutralizes the compounds in dried urine. Use one part water to one part vinegar and you can clean hard surfaces. After the vinegar smell subsides the urine smell should go with it.

Enzyme-Based Cleaners

For softer, porous surfaces you need to step it up a notch. Carpets, couches, cushions, mattresses, and linens, will need something to work its way into the material and break down the uric acid. Enzyme based cleaners use natural enzymes and beneficial bacteria to breakdown the uric acid and bacterium, and the smell with it. 

It’s important that any cleaning you attempt goes past just removing the smell for you. The smell may still linger for your cat and if it does, you may find your cat going in the same spot as before.

Once you’ve used a cleaner of your choice and really worked it out, think about using a wet vac to rinse out the cleaner and waste from the carpet. Don’t use a steam cleaner however, the heat needed for steam cleaning will set the stain, which is the exact opposite of what you’re looking for!

If you are dealing with a truly difficult and stubborn scenario, perhaps a hoarder situation and the cat urine has been left too long – it may be too late for a simple remedy. Cat urine is powerful, it can break down concrete if left unchecked for too long! In some cases, the only recourse is to tear up the carpet and padding and start fresh. In these instances, it would serve you well to hire professionals to come remediate the home.

2020 has many businesses around the world examining their cleaning protocols, to keep a healthy and safe environment for their customers, clients, and employees. In going above and beyond, many may be unknowingly putting their employees, and themselves, at risk! Here’s a quick rundown on what you can and cannot have your employees clean up!

Many businesses may find themselves coming into contact with hazardous biowaste. Blood, feces, other fluids, they can all be potential hazards that many jobs see at some point or another. But can an employer ask an employee to tackle that? 

Your General Duty

There is what is known as the General Duty clause in OSHA. It states that employers’ have a  “General Duty” and responsibility to provide a safe, healthy workplace that is free from serious hazards.

This means the burden of responsibility is on you the employer to ensure your environment is clean and free of hazards. Does that mean the employer has to get down on their hands and knees and start scrubbing themselves? Of course not. But it means they have to provide the ability for the workplace or environment to be cleaned and made safe, in a safe manner.

The answer is: no! At least, not quite. Cleaning up hazardous material like blood isn’t simply grabbing a mop and some bleach and hoping for the best, blood can be host to a number of bloodborne pathogens that are hazardous to your health and safety.

When it comes to cleaning up hazardous material such as blood, it means that you need to have provided training and equipment to whoever it is that will be responsible for cleaning up such a mess. If you have all of your employees trained on this, then the answer quickly becomes yes, they can clean that up! Because they know how to do it safely.  So we turn to OSHA standards and

Bloodborne Pathogens?

According to the OSHA, bloodborne pathogens are  “infectious microorganisms in human blood that can cause disease in humans. These pathogens include, but are not limited to, hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).”

The potentially harmful nature of blood is why OSHA developed their Bloodborne Pathogen Standard. This is a set of guidelines to protect workers against the health hazards caused by bloodborne pathogens.

OSHA’S Bloodborne Pathogen Standard

The standard outlined by OSHA details what steps are necessary for employers to implement and address when they have employees who are exposed to potentially infectious materials.  They are as follows:

Establish an exposure control plan. 

Create a written plan that identifies and states clearly how to eliminate or at the very least minimize potential exposures. This will also list the jobs that have occupational exposure (think along the lines of anyone in X Position may be exposed to blood, some people in Position Z may be exposed to blood). This document reflects the planning and foresight to know who and why anyone may be exposed. This exposure control plan needs to be updated annually to be kept current.

Provide personal protective equipment (PPE). 

We all have been hearing about PPE plenty in the news lately so you’re probably already familiar. PPE includes gloves, eye protection, gowns, and masks. OSHA standards state employers must provide any PPE required to do the job (including being asked to clean up blood.) Employers must also clean, repair, and replace this equipment as needed. Provision, maintenance, repair, and replacement are at no cost to the worker

Implement the use of universal precautions. 

Universal precautions just means to treat every instance of blood and bodily fluid as if was known to be infectious, like firearm safety teaches you to treat every gun as if it was loaded. By always approaching things from the most cautious angle, you can be certain you’re doing everything possible to keep everyone safe.

Make Vaccinations Available 

Vaccinations such as the hepatitis B vaccine should be offered within 10 days of initial exposure. This is crucial for all safety.

Workers Rights

Did you find this page as a worker? Wondering exactly what you should do if an employer asks you to clean up blood?

As a worker you have the right to:

• Be trained in a language you understand
• Work on machines that are safe
• Be provided required safety gear, such as gloves or a harness and lifeline for falls
• Be protected from toxic chemicals
• Request an OSHA inspection, and speak to the inspector
• Report an injury or illness, and get copies of your medical records
• See copies of the workplace injury and illness log
• Review records of work-related injuries and illnesses
• Get copies of test results done to find hazards in the workplace

Know what you can, and cannot ask your employees to clean, and work to create a safe, healthy environment. If you need your employees to be able to clean up blood and other potential waste, you also have to get them the training and equipment to do so safely.

Otherwise, you need to hire someone specifically for it. In addition to being potentially infections, blood and other waste can be downright terrible to clean out of porous materials. You may find you need to bring in the professionals to take care of it. That’s where we come in.

The BIOClean Team is here to help. We Strictly following ever-changing  CDC Guidelines, employ an environmental hygienist to update our protocol, all team members are certified professionals following infection control measure and the team is lead by an RN with specific microbiology and virology knowledge to get the job done right and safely, the first time.

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We may have settled into a “new normal” amidst the reality of dealing and coping with the novel coronavirus, but it doesn’t mean it’s easy. As if the primary concern of the virus itself wasn’t enough, the ripple effects can make our new normal a painful one. There are the enforced measures in hospitals keeping distance between loved ones, there is the inability to help in the care-taking of a family member in a nursing home, there is the loneliness of isolation, and the fear of contagion, to name just a few of the new struggles that we can be facing during this time. Navigating between managing mental and physical well-being can take a serious toll. Taking care of yourself is essential for your own well being and for your community’s. 

Coping with Stress

Stress is a natural and understandable by-product of all the concerns we’re dealing with. It can manifest as fear, anger, anxiety, and the feeling of being overwhelmed. Knowing how to cope with stress in a healthy and productive way is good for not only you but also for your family and friends. Stress causes nervous system changes, makes the heart beat faster and begins a chemical reaction in your body that prepares it for survival. While natural, and what helped our ancestors survive, living in a constant state of stress can cause serious problems.

Mental Health Checklist

The stress and anxiety may feel overwhelming now, but there are methods to help reduce these feelings and to take care of your mental health in healthy ways that promote good mental health hygiene. Here are some practices that might be helpful for you in this stressful time:  

• Ask for help if you or someone you know is at risk for suicide, domestic abuse, child abuse, sexual assault.
• Find a mental health provider that can meet virtually.    
• Take a break from the news cycle. A constant onslaught of news can be fatiguing and increase anxiety. 
• When you do watch or read the news, make sure it is fact-checked and not sensationalized. Disinformation can cause undue panic. 
• Meditate or practice yoga to check in with your body. Notice what you feel, and accept it. 
• Connect with others. This can be difficult in our socially distanced world but connect and maintain social connections by phone, mail, and social media.  
• Set and maintain a schedule for yourself at home. 
• Listen to music. There is a psychological and physiological benefit to listening to music as a tool in stress reduction. 
• Arts and crafts can be a creative and meditative outlet. 
• Journaling or creative writing can be an exploration of your current experience, and help process it. 

Physical Health Checklist

Taking care of your body is essential to feeling good, and in maximizing your body’s ability to have the most optimal immune response to viral infections. While it can be difficult to sort out a new routine with gym closures and non-essential business closures, it isn’t impossible to find ways to take care of our physical health. Here are a few things we can do to promote physical well being:   

• Eat well-balanced, nutritional meals, and drink plenty of water to keep hydrated.
• Exercise regularly. Regular exercise helps reduce the risk of disease, helps maintain a healthy weight, and can be a much-needed mood booster. 
• Get plenty of sleep. Our sleep schedules may have been interrupted but establishing and maintaining a sleep cycle 7-8 hours long where restful REM sleep is reached is vital for good health. 
• Avoid as much as possible alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs which can lead to destructive coping habits.
• Spend time outside. Getting fresh air, and being outside in the sunlight are positive attributes that can improve overall health. Go for a socially distanced walk or run outdoors.
• Garden. Even if the only option is indoor gardening, there are the options of a flower bed, herbs, or trying your hand and growing your own produce. 

Everyone reacts differently to stressors. Methods that help alleviate stress for some won’t work for everyone. We have to keep trying until we find healthy and positive ways to manage what we can with the tools we have at our disposal. Self-care during these trying times is what will ensure long term healing and is essential in helping us eventually get back to normal. If you are struggling, be gentle with yourself and remember that we are in unprecedented times, and it’s okay to feel whatever you feel. 

Contact the BIOClean Team today for additional help or resources in these difficult times. We are here in whatever capacity we can be to help.