Medical
Facility Cleaning Pre-cautions
By Sandra Fann
We clean several medical facilities, including a chemotherapy and radiation therapy clinic. I work for a podiatrist part time.
Sharps of course are biohazards. All biohazards should be placed in red containers. Sharps go in special hard plastic containers.
As far as what is considered a biohazard, you can get the information from OSHA.
Here is what I found out, sanitary napkins and tampons are not considered biohazards and can be disposed of in regular trash. The Chemo unit that we clean does put red liners in the feminine disposal units. When they have something in them we pull the bag and put it in the large biohazard containers.
We do not handle biohazard bags otherwise.
The amount of blood on a gauze sponge is not considered by OSHA to be a biohazard. The podiatrist that I work for does office surgery. We don't have to biohazard bag anything because the amount of blood is so small. We do put sharps in sharps containers however.
There is really not much danger in saliva. But precautions should be taken. The most danger of contracting something in a dentist office is to the patient and not to the dentist.
If your people actually pick up things that may have come in contact with saliva, they should be wearing gloves. Actually it is an OSHA rule that anyone cleaning in a medical facility wears gloves. I give our cleaning people the option, they wear them, I don't. The facilities we clean furnishes the gloves.
The Chemo unit has people who are using oxygen during treatments. The canulas, which have been in people's nostrils, are thrown out in regular trash.
Think of it this way, you would not consider a plastic fork or spoon to be especially dangerous, or a paper napkin, or a used Kleenex or paper towel. You would not want to handle them without gloves, but you wouldn't freak out if you accidentally touched one would you?
I do suggest your people sweep up those items that they are uncertain of. A broom and a long handled dustpan would work fine.