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“Many of the same steps and precautions taken with
crime scene cleanup apply to these incidents”
Hamilton, OH -It is not uncommon for messy accidents resulting in blood on surfaces to occur in schools, offices, industrial and other locations.
Very often, cleaning professionals are asked to hygienically clean up after such incidents.
While these accidents rarely reach the level of “crime scene” cleaning, many of the same steps and precautions taken when performing crime scene cleanup apply to these unfortunate incidents as well.
To effectively clean these areas and protect the health and safety of the cleaning worker, Kaivac, developers of the No-Touch Cleaning® and OmniFlex™ Crossover Cleaning systems, offers the following tips and suggestions:
· Blood and tissue at the accident site must be treated as biohazards. Nonporous personal protective gear must be worn and disposed of once the area has been cleaned.
· Biohazard waste must be placed in 55-gallon, heavy-duty liners, sealed, and disposed of at a medical waste incinerator; it cannot be disposed of like regular trash.
· If the accident occurred on a carpeted area and blood or bodily fluids are noticeable, cleaners should assume more has soaked through the carpet to the subfloor underneath; in most cases, the carpet should be removed and the subfloor cleaned with a hospital-grade disinfectant.
· Hospital-grade disinfectants should also be used to wipe clean all nearby surfaces that are splattered, including counters, desks, ceilings, walls, light fixtures, and equipment such as computers, phones, etc.
· No-touch (spray-and-vac) cleaning systems are often recommended to clean floors and other surfaces, eliminating contact with contaminated surfaces. (Note: the wastewater must be treated as a biohazard.)
· If odors persist, it may be because bodily fluids have gotten into air ducts and hard-to-reach areas; industrial foggers that release cleaning agents into the air can often eradicate these odors.
“Cleaning workers should also put parameters on this type of cleaning,” says Matt Morrison, communications manager for Kaivac. “If the accident is serious and very messy, a crime scene cleaning professional may be necessary to clean up the accident.”
*The Kaivac Cleaning Challenge is an ongoing service by Kaivac, Inc., designed to help cleaning professionals maintain facilities so that they are cleaner and healthier with minimal impact on the environment.
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About Kaivac, Inc.
Headquartered in Hamilton, Ohio, Kaivac, Inc. delivers complete science-based cleaning systems designed to produce healthy results and outcomes while raising the value of cleaning operations and the professionalism of the worker. The originator of No-Touch Cleaning®, Kaivac offers an integrated portfolio of environmentally friendly cleaning products designed to remove the maximum amount of soil and potentially harmful biopollutants in the most cost-effective manner possible. For more information, visit www.kaivac.com.
About No-Touch Cleaning®
Designed to remove the maximum amount of soil, bacteria, and other biopollution, Kaivac’s patented No-Touch Cleaning systems combine an indoor pressure washer, a powerful wet vacuum and chemistry into an integrated system. Empowering workers to hygienically clean without touching contaminated surfaces, these systems not only clean better, but also cut labor, chemical, and equipment costs while raising worker morale and image. In fact, studies show that Kaivac’s No-Touch Cleaning systems are 60 times more effective in reducing bacterial contamination on tile and grout surfaces than mops, which are more likely to spread contaminants than remove them.
