Blood borne pathogens, what are they and what’s the risk?

Far too often I hear about people cleaning up bodily fluids that are biohazards without any knowledge, training and sometimes without the correct products or PPE. This happens time and time again in work places such as pubs and clubs, leisure centres, cinemas, shops and many other places where the public go frequently. I also regularly hear about landlords and holiday let owners dealing with tragic incidents, the aftermath or violence, vomit, faeces or drug use paraphernalia in properties themselves. Maybe this is to save money or maybe they don’t realise specialist cleaning services are available? Either way they are putting themselves in real danger. I have regularly been approached by family or loved ones of people that lost someone in tragic circumstances such as unattended deaths, accidents or suicides and they tell me that because they aren’t aware that a specialist clean up service existed they cleaned up the aftermath themselves and are now left with PTSD and other mental health issues. Apart from the obvious trauma this would cause it is actually fairly risky to their own health as well. So what are Bloodborne pathogens? According to google “Bloodborne pathogens are infectious microorganisms in human blood that can cause disease in humans” In the biohazard cleaning industry we treat all bodily fluids as a potential risk. Although called “bloodborne” dangerous viruses and bacteria can live in some bodily fluids for days and weeks. While some viruses and bacteria aren’t life threatening, most are unpleasant and can make someone poorly such as gastroenteritis, norovirus etc others can have severe consequences such as Hepatitis and HIV, MRSA, C Diff etc. The correct product needs to be used to ensure all the potential viruses and bacteria are effectively killed and the correct equipment and PPE needs to be used so that any contamination risk is minimised. There are lots of ways these pathogens can enter the body. Touch- through skin, pores, cuts and minor abrasions, wearing the correct cover suit and gloves is important but also this could even be cross contamination such as rubbing you eye or touching your nose or mouth with gloves on etc. Inhaling- breathing them in, this is why a sufficient mask is vital at all times. If you aren’t protected and you come into contact with these pathogens they can easily be transmitted to you. Cross contamination is always a big risk, even if you think you are protected, the way you take your PPE off and touching things like phone, keys, can cross contaminate, this is why correct training is vital. Bodily fluids we regularly get contracted to clean up but aren’t limited to include blood, vomit, faeces, body decomposition fluid and urine. We also often find other hazards such as rat and mice faeces if we are cleaning hoarder houses or house with infestations, these will also be treated as potentially dangerous. Obviously we have to be sensible in our daily lives. If your own child was sick or had a nosebleed or something it isn’t realistic to call out a specialist cleaning team each time but as a rule, nobody untrained, without the correct equipment, should ever be cleaning up bodily fluids of anyone, especially if they don’t know where/who the biohazard came from, or if they know the source but could be hazardous in anyway. Get in touch if you're ever in need of a biohazard cleaner.