This document provides guidance on handling biohazard spills. It discusses universal precautions which treat every spill as potentially infectious. Personal protective equipment like gloves and safety glasses are required for cleaning blood or bodily fluids. Proper cleanup involves 10 steps: preparation with signs and PPE, placing absorbent material, applying disinfectant, cleaning the spill, disposing of contaminated materials, disinfecting the area again, cleaning equipment, removing PPE, handwashing, and reporting the spill. Facilities must have an exposure control plan per OSHA to protect employees from bloodborne pathogens.

1. Handling Biohazards Spills
Wafa Al-Ahmed
BSc, PgD, MLS(ASCP)cm
Senior Quality Assurance Officer
Arab Medical Center-Jordan
walahmad@amc-hospital.com

2. Quiz
1. Universal Precautions is a practice of responding to every spill as if it
contains blood or body fluids contaminated with blood borne pathogens.
True or False
2. Gloves and safety glasses are required when cleaning ANY blood or other
potentially infection material.
True or False
Select the appropriate answer for each question or
enter the answer in the blank provided.

3. Quiz
3. What colors are associated with the signs of the biohazard waste?
A. Yellow/Purple
B. Red/Orange
C. Blue/Green
D. White/Black
4. How many times do you apply a disinfectant to an area?
A. Once
B. Twice
C. Three Times
D. Four Times

4. Quiz
5. The final step after removing your gloves is to wash your hands.
True or False
6. An Exposure Control Plan is:
A. A written plan to eliminate or avoid employee exposure to blood borne
pathogens in the workplace.
B. A plan your facility has to have in place.
C. A plan to help prevent accidents in the work place.
D. All of the above.

5. What is OSHA?
 OSHA stands for Occupational Safety and Health
Administration.
 OSHA creates and enforces safety and health
regulations to ensure that employees work in
environments that are free from recognized
hazards.

6. Exposure Control Plan
 Required when employees may be exposed to blood or other potentially
infectious materials.
 This plan should include:
 Determination of employee exposure
 Implementation of methods of exposure control, including:
- Universal precautions
- Work practice control
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- Housekeeping
 Hepatitis B vaccination
 Post-exposure evaluation & follow up
 Communication of hazards to employees & training
 Record keeping
 Procedure for evaluating the exposure incident

7. Standard precautions
 According to the Bloodborne Pathogens “Standard precautions" is an approach
to infection control.
 The concept of Standard precautions, is that all human blood and body fluids
needs to be treated as if known to be infectious for HIV, HBV, and other
bloodborne pathogens." 29 CFR 1910.1030(b).
 29 CFR 1910.1030(b)(1) requires that Standard precautions be observed to
prevent contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials.
 This would include the handling of PPE that has become contaminated with
blood or other potentially infectious materials in medical facilities.

8. Steps to Proper Blood Spill Clean Up
 1. Preparation & Safety
 2. Place absorbent material on spill
 3. Apply Disinfectant
 4. Clean Up the Spill
 5. Dispose of Contaminated Materials
 6. Disinfect Spill Area Again
 7. Clean the Equipment
 8. Remove Personal Protective Equipment
 9. Wash Your Hands
 10. Report the Spill
 * These steps have been created based on OSHA's recommendations for cleaning
up blood and bodily fluid spills.

9. Biohazard Symbol

10. Step 1 - Preparation & Safety
 Place wet floor signs around the contaminated area first!
 Notify people in the area
 Remember that all spills should be assumed infectious,
so protect yourself (Standard Precautions)!
 You will need:
 Appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
 Laboratory coat, gloves and safety glasses are mandatory
 Mask or face shield depends on the size of the spill and the
chance of splashing during clean-up
 If there is any doubt, use all of the PPE available
 Yellow trash bags to dispose of the debris appropriately.
 sharps container for broken glass or needles.
 Dustpan & brush
 For minor spills on a countertop or floor you will need paper towels and
a hospital grade disinfectant.
 For major spills on the floor you will need Klorsept powder.

11. Steps 2 & 3
Step 2 - Place absorbent material on the spill
“e.g. disposable paper towel”
Step 3 - Apply Disinfectant
 For minor spills on a countertop or floor:
- Spray the disinfectant that is approved by Arabic Medical Center
- Allow sufficient contact time (15 min)
 For major spills on the floor:
- Cover the spill with Klorsept granules.
- Allow sufficient contact time Wait for 2 – 3 min.

12. Step 4 & 5
Step 4-Clean Up the Spill
Pick up material, (broken glass- use forceps)
 For minor spills on a countertop or floor:
Absorb the spill with a disposable paper towel
 For major spills on the floor:
Remove the formed gel using dustpan & brush
Step 5-Dispose of Contaminated Materials
 Dispose broken glass in biomedical waste sharp container
 Dispose the paper towel in biohazard yellow bags
 If there are any doubts as to how to dispose the items, ask a supervisor.

13. Step 6 - Disinfect Spill Area Again
Spray and wipe the area with the
disinfectant again.

14. Step 7 - Clean the Equipment
Be sure to disinfect the forceps,
sharp container sides if used to
clean up glass or sharp objects.

15. Step 8 - Remove Personal Protective Equipment
 Remove contaminated PPE properly.
 Dispose of contaminated PPE according to your facility’s Exposure Control Plan.
 Always remove gloves LAST.
 Wash your hands! This is extremely important!

16. Step 9 - Wash Your Hands

17. Wash with plenty of friction (be sure to get
under your nails and your wrists)

18. Step 10 - Report the Spill
 It is important that you report the spill to your supervisor.
 Your supervisor will keep a log of the spills as part of your
facility’s Exposure Control Plan.
 If you are exposed, act fast!
 Wash or flush the exposed area immediately.
 Notify your supervisor!
 Fill out an incident report.
 If you haven’t already done so, request the HBV
immunizations.

19. Quiz
1. Universal Precautions is a practice of responding to every spill as if it
contains blood or body fluids contaminated with blood borne pathogens.
True or False
2. Gloves and safety glasses are required when cleaning ANY blood or other
potentially infection material.
True or False
Select the appropriate answer for each question or
enter the answer in the blank provided.

20. Quiz
3. What colors are associated with the signs of the biohazard waste?
A. Yellow/Purple
B. Red/Orange
C. Blue/Green
D. White/Black
4. How many times do you apply a disinfectant to an area?
A. Once
B. Twice
C. Three Times
D. Four Times

21. Quiz
5. The final step after removing your gloves is to wash your hands.
True or False
6. An Exposure Control Plan is:
A. A written plan to eliminate or avoid employee exposure to blood borne
pathogens in the workplace.
B. A plan your facility has to have in place.
C. A plan to help prevent accidents in the work place.
D. All of the above.

22. Cleaning Up a Spill (Blood borne Pathogens)
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uh0U3giZJx8

23. Thank you