Category: British Heart Foundation

Managing Body Fluid Spills

Today, I had the unfortunate job of cleaning up body fluids. I won’t say what sort of body fluids it was, (or name and shame the individual) but lets just say it was RANK and that person should of known better! 🤢 It needed full PPE to clean that mess up. It lead to a a new radio keyword for cleaning emergencies. If you are in the shop and hear “Code Brown”, you know something needs cleaning.

Put it this way, a strongly worded notice has gone up!

Anyway, lets talk about cleaning up body fluids.

Body Fluids can mean several different things: Urine, Blood, Semen, Saliva and Feces. (Poo) Of course, this is not an extensive list, but you get the idea These body fluids, pose a real risk to our health and should be cleaned up, using the correct procedure.

Think Health and Safety: Always wear the appropriate PPE, when dealing with body fluids. (Apron, gloves, protective eyewear)

The Basics

The basic principles of blood and body fluid/substance spills management are:

  • standard precautions apply, including use of personal protective equipment (PPE), as applicable
  • spills should be cleared up before the area is cleaned (adding cleaning liquids to spills increases the size of the spill and should be avoided)
  • generation of aerosols from spilled material should be avoided.

Using these basic principles, the management of spills should be flexible enough to cope with different types of spills, taking into account the following factors:

  • the nature (type) of the spill (for example, sputum, vomit, faeces, urine, blood or laboratory culture)
  • the pathogens most likely to be involved in these different types of spills.
  • the size of the spill – for example, spot (few drops), small (10cm) 10>
  • the type of surface – for example, carpet or impervious flooring
  • the location involved – that is, whether the spill occurs in a contained area (such as a toilet) or in a larger area, which is open to the public. (For instance, a classroom, or a shop_
  • whether there is any likelihood of bare skin contact with the soiled (contaminated) surface.

Standard cleaning equipment, including a mop, cleaning bucket and cleaning agents, should be readily available for spills management. It should also be stored in an area known to all. This is particularly important in clinical areas.

To help manage spills in areas where cleaning materials may not be readily available, a disposable ‘spills kit’ could be used. (See Below)

Equipment

You will need the appropriate equipment, for dealing with body spills

  • appropriate leak-proof bags and containers for disposal of waste material
  • a designated, sturdy scraper and pan for spills (similar to a ‘pooper scooper’)
  • about five sachets of a granular formulation containing 10,000 ppm available chlorine or equivalent (each sachet should contain sufficient granules to cover a 10-cm diameter spill)
  • disposable rubber gloves suitable for cleaning (vinyl gloves are not recommended for handling blood)
  • eye protection (disposable or reusable)
  • a plastic apron

Procedure for cleaning up Body Fluids

Small Spills

Spots or drops of blood or other small spills (up to 10 cm) can easily be managed by wiping the area immediately with paper towels, and then cleaning with warm water and detergent, followed by rinsing and drying the area. Dry the area, as wet areas attract contaminants.

A strong anti-germicide disinfectant, should always be used.

Larger Spills

Where appropriate, close off the area. (Where large spills (more than 10 cm, or where a spillage have occurred in a ‘wet’ area, such as a bathroom or toilet area) I normally use my closed for cleaning floor sign for this. The spill should be carefully washed off into the sewerage system using copious amounts of water and the area flushed with warm water and detergent.

Where the spill is on the floor: Use a spills kit, to contain the spill. A scraper and pan should be used to remove the absorbed material. Use blue paper towels to scoop up the the granules, which should be put into a yellow clinical waste bag. The area of the spill should then be cleaned with a mop, and bucket of warm water and detergent. The bucket and mop should be thoroughly cleaned after use and stored dry.

Large blood spills should be contained and generation of aerosols should be avoided.

The Use of Bleach

It is generally unnecessary to use sodium hypochlorite (Bleach) for managing spills, but it may be used in specific circumstances. It is recognised, however, that some people may feel more reassured that the risk of infection is reduced if sodium hypochlorite is used. There is no evidence of benefit from an infection control perspective. Hypochlorites are corrosive to metals and must be rinsed off after 10 minutes and the area dried.

However, in many places, a blanket is in place, prohibiting the use of sodium hypochlorite, so it may not be possible to use bleach, depending on the policies n your workplace. We at BHF, are not allowed to use bleach, so a strong anti-germicide disinfectant, is what I will use.

Spills Kits

While spill kits are designed for certain spills, all spill kits usually consist of the same three elements: PPE, sorbents, and clean-up items.

Spills Kits include the following:

  • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Whether the kit is designed for oils pills or a battery acid spill, there is always some type of PPE included in a spill kit. The most common types of PPE used for spills are eye and face protection, gloves, booties/shoe covers, and chemical spills usually require the use of a disposable lab coat, respiratory protection, and a corrosive resistant apron.
  • Absorbents: These are items like mops, cloths, sponges, loose powder, etc. that are created out of material capable of absorbing and containing a spill. Absorbents in put in kits based upon the type of material they are designed to soak up. For example, all-purpose absorbents are placed in universal spill kits, but a battery acid spill kit is much more likely to contain and absorbent with a chemical neutralizer.
  • Clean-up materials: Spill kits should have a dust pan or scoop to soak up the spill. Kits will also almost always include plastic bags for used PPE items to be put in for disposal. The kit itself should come in a container large enough for the potential spill. In addition to having appropriate supplies to clean the pill, the kit should include disposal materials and instructions for the worker. By properly disposing of spills and the clean-up of spills, it reduces/eliminates the potential for an environmental or public risk hazard.

Sources:

Another Day at the BHF

It’s been another busy day at the shop. Today, has been mixed duties, between cleaning and working on the shop floor. Between 2 – 3 was the busiest period on the shop floor and I had a queue of customers, wanting serving. However, the lovely Pat was on hand to give me some help.

Between that, I have tried to unblock the hoover. However, it’s a non starter, as the head does not come off the pole and taking it apart doesn’t help. Plus the tub vac is missing it’s poles and hose is missing, so I am going to see if we can get a replacement. I could really do with a upright for the stock room and stairs. The kitchen and toilets got there usual clean and I managed to get round to sorting the back lobby out and with the help of Ella, took out all the cardboard and emptied the bins.

I didn’t get round to doing the stairs, but that’s a job for tomorrow 🙂

Washroom Deep Cleaning

 

Today’s task, was to sort out the Washroom. It was a right mess and needed urgently attending to. it was a job that I knew needed to be done and would take up most of my day. The 1st job, was to empty the room of anything that was not fixed down. This meant carrying thing out and cluttering the break area. However, there was no where else to put it all.

Here’s our empty washroom. It needed a good clean, so that was the 1st job on the agenda. The good old Vel Mop came out and I used this to sweep the floor clean.

As you can see, the lino was looking rather tired and dirty and that was my next job on the agenda. If you have seen my post on cleaning Safety Lino, you will know that is a real pain in the neck to get clean.

Thankfully, this is where neat disinfectant poured on to the floor and a deck brush comes in handy. The deck brush. gets deep down dirt (which is stuck in the abrasive surface of the floor) out. I also used my deck brush, to scrub the skirting boards clean, at the same time. (Making sure to rinse my deck brush in the bucket, at regular intervals)

 

Here is the floor, after it had been scrubbed with the deck brush. It looks so much brighter and alot more clean! I really had to scrub it hard, to get it to look this good! (Good old elbow grease was needed here!)

Once scrubbed, I washed the floor with clean water. Because of the cleaning process, it took ages for the floor to dry and left footprints, every time that  someone went to the loo, so I was continuously having to re-mop, which slowed the drying process down.

Thankfully, I was able to put the heater on, which helped to dry the floor. The floor was dry the time I had finished covered on the shop floor.

 

Putting everything back was the last job. Both of my Tub Hoovers, (We have a pair of Henry Vacuum Cleaners) plus the mop, vel mop, buckets and the box that I keep all the toilet rolls, paper towels and spare hoover bags, needed putting back neatly.

As you can see, the space is much tidier now and you no longer fall over things to get to the sink.

I hope the washroom remains tidy, after spending most of the day sorting it out. My boss was really impressed with what I have done and the effort I have put in.

 

Finally, I have to post this – Lucy (Our Deputy Manager) took this picture of me in my Tabard, rubber gloves and radio in hand. I am also wearing my new glasses, which look really nice on me.

My neighbour Steph also had come into the shop today with her fella, so it was nice to see her. I served her at the till, while I was on lunchtime cover.

I am back in tomorrow and have a list as long as my arm of jobs to do. It never stops at the BHF, but that’s how I like it.

 We are a great team and I love everyone I work with. (Especially Maria, Lucy and Bethan!)

Another Busy Day At BHF

It has been another busy day at the shop today. I have been an apprentice till operator, so my ‘Work Wife’: Maria, has been showing me the ropes. I got the hang of it quite quickly! So for once, I was on the shop floor all morning!

At lunch, myself and Maria managed to miss each other again, as we were both going to Macci’s for lunch, but managed to both be in the wrong place at the wrong time!!!!

Then I ended up using my deck brush to scrub the lino in the loos, locker room and the kitchen as part of my daily clean. The Lino has never looked so clean! You can click here, to view my post on cleaning Safety Lino.

I did manage to pick up a bargain though – a really nice hoody, with staff discount. (£1.50, which is a real bargain!!)

I’m on the air now with Drivetime.

Brilliant Day

I had a absolutely brilliant day down the shop. For a start, I had a lady chat me up, which was really funny and has myself and Maria in hysterics. (Especially when we were going on about fit Fireman!) Even Lucy was caking herself with laughter, when Maria called her on the Radio.

Then I had to take care of a customer that wasn’t feeling too well. She felt dizzy, so I got her a chair to sit on and kept an eye on her. Good thing I am a First Aider. Of course, I was up and down spot cleaning the shop floor too.

For lunch, I had a Macci’s. I thought Maria was going to Macci’s, so I thought I would join her. However, she went to Burger King, so we missed each other! This afternoon, I came out as gay to my colleagues, which they had no I’m gay. (Isn’t it obvious lol!!!!)

So been another busy day of cleaning and tidying, even though I had to drag the bin out the way – as the pub next door have no idea of Health and Safety. (They left their bin so it blocked the fire escape route!!!! – A big NO NO!)

A Day in the Life of a Facilities Manager

In my job, no two days are alike. My job is very fast paced, always busy and great fun. For those of you that do not know, I work for the British Heart Foundation, which is a charity that champions research for heart and circulatory illnesses. I am a volunteer, even though I have a job title and love every minute of it.

I suppose I am a glorified Caretaker with a “fancy title”, as I do more than cleaning. I fix things, I tidy and help to keep everyone safe, I take the bins out and I make sure we have plenty of supplies. I love working at BHF, as it is such a worthwhile charity to work for and helps so many people.

So lets have a look at what happens during my day.

My day starts at about 9.45 when I get up. The 1st thing I do is put the kettle on and (*coughs*) have a “fresh air stick”. I let Splodge out the kitchen and feed her at the same time. Normally, I have 2 Weetabix for my breakfast and I then go to the PC.

I check my emails, read the headlines on the local paper and check if the busses are up the creep. Thankfully today, there is no disruption, so I should get in OK.

10:45 and I am out the door. I walk the 30 yards to the bus stop and wait for the good old No. 6 at 10:50. Once on the bus, I stay on until Church St. Today I have forgotten something, so I nip into the newsagents on the way in.

11:30 and I arrive at the shop. The 1st thing to do, is to sign in. (This is to comply with the Fire Regs and for security. I run upstairs and say hello to Maria and to Anne, who are already working away. I offer cups of tea to them, nip to the locker room and put my Tabard and my ID Badge on. I then fly downstairs and ask Lucy if she want’s a brew, which she did. – Milk, 2 sweeteners and coffee.

11:40 and the brews are made and I am down on the shop floor. Spot cleaning takes up most of my time, but I do not mind. The floor takes a lot of traffic, so I am constantly up and down sweeping. I talk to customers as I tidy and hold the door for a few people. Denise is her usual chatty self, so I have a quick conflab with her. I like Denise, she is so luverly. Maria is my fav at the shop though!

11:45 and I am back upstairs. Today’s jobs include deep cleaning the toilet area and deep kitchen cleaning. So I get my Vel Mop ready and the bucket and start washing down the walls. I needed the ladders to do parts of the walls that the mop won’t reach, so I get on with that. I give the loo a good clean while I am at it.

12:00 and I nip down for a bit of fresh air and then go and spot clean the floor again. The shop is really busy,  so I am back sweeping the floor with my long handled dustpan and brush.

13:00 and someone wants a brew making. I make them a brew and then get asked to make another. I don’t mind making brews, so I get those made and grab a drink myself. I then take everything out the cupboard in the kitchen and wipe down the inside. They only need doing every 3 months, so that’s another job ticked off.

13:15 and I have a break, except I need to go for an eye test. I sign out and nip to Vision Express. I had no idea I would be there till 2, but that doesn’t matter.

14:00 and I am back. Time to scrub the safety lino. Tabard back on and I am down on my hands and knees, scrubbing the floor. This takes some time, as the locker room floor also needed doing. Once scrubbed, I mop the floor and give the toilet another good clean. I leave the wet floor sign up and wring out the flat mop heads, which I had put into soak earlier. These then got hung up to dry.

14:45 Shift almost over and there’s just time to get the Henry out and vacuum the carpets. Upstairs is quite a large space, so it took me around 14 minutes to hoover through. This includes the Stock Room and Office. While I am at it, I put a new battery in the clock in the office, as it had stopped.

14:58 it’s time to finish. I take my tabard off, put my walkie talkie on charge and nip downstairs. I say cheerio to Lucy and walk round to Corporation Street to get the bus home.

Tomorrow is another day and I am sure I will have another long list of jobs to do. But for now, I need to get home to sort out my Drivetime Show. Thankfully, I will get back to Grange at 3.30, as the 5C only takes 20 mins from town.

Deep Cleaning

So for those of you that don’t know, I hold a voluntary position at the British Heart Foundation, as their Shop Facilities Manager. (Basically I am a Caretaker with a fancy title.) I actually have done Caretaking before, so am not new to it. I was a volunteer in the last place, looking after a Church, Church Hall and Grounds.

So the BHF has me cleaning the store, I keep things tidy and I do a lot more, that would take up too many pages! It’s a very busy job and I am there every day of the week, 11.30 – 3 Mon – Sat and 11.30 – 4 on Sundays.

Deep Cleaning is needed, often where a normal clean will not get rid of the dirt. Before I continue, I must stress, that the cleanliness of the shop it is not the fault of the staff or volunteers. We had no one that could do the cleaning regularly, until I came along. My boss and even the Area Manager, have said that I have really turned the shop round in the space of a week!

So today’s task, was the toilet. (Not the nicest of jobs) but it needed deep cleaning. Using my Vel Mop (a mop with a fluffy flat head) I got down all the dust and cobwebs off the walls. I dipped my pads in the bucket and then wrung it out. Then when it was reattached to the head, I used it to wipe down the walls. On a ladder, I then went right up to the area above the window and used a microfibre cloth to clean round the top of the window and get the fan clean. The bucket contained disinfectant and water, which I used to rinse the cloth and the Vel Mop Pad in.)

Next came the floor. Now the floor is Safety Lino, so it is a real pain in the neck to get clean. (This is because the lino has grips, which the dirt can easily get stuck in. To clean the floor, I had to mop the floor with neat floor cleaner to get it damp, then use a stiff brush and scrub the floor. This meant removing the Sanitary Bin and the normal bin, while I did this. Then I mopped the floor to clear off the suds. Once done, I was able to put the wet floor sign in place, to warn everyone that the floor was wet and leave it to dry, before coming back later and doing another toilet clean. (I cleaned the toilet during the deep clean, cleaning all surfaces, including the sink, toilet, door handles, toilet paper holder etc) The 2nd clean was carried out at the end of my shift. The deep cleaning, took me most of my shift, because there was so much to be done.

I still managed to get down on the shop floor and spot clean the floor, as well as hoovering through, making cups of tea and having the odd “fresh air break!”

 

May be an image of hat shop and text that says "500ks"
Our Stock Room has never looked cleaner!