This OSH Answers document covers cleaning and sanitation activities in schools and other workplaces, excluding health care environments.

Hospitals and other health care facilities have special concerns and will usually have in-house infection control procedures in place. If you work in a health care setting, please ask your supervisor or infection control officer for more information.

It is important that all facilities are free from garbage, debris, filth, and potentially infectious materials.

DO

• Follow procedures and safe work practices recommended by your employer.
• Check product labels and MSDSs to know the potential hazards and safe work practices for all cleaning and disinfecting products you use.
• Wear personal protective equipment and clothing recommended by your supervisor.
• Use cleaning products appropriate to your workplace and according to the supplier's recommendation to ensure proper cleaning.
• Always clean and wash surfaces/areas thoroughly before disinfecting them.
• Use germicides or diluted bleaches (e.g. sodium hypochlorite) to disinfect areas as required.
• Wash hands thoroughly with warm water and soap, after removing gloves.
• Report to your supervisor all spills, accidents, incidents, etc.

DO NOT

• Do not eat, drink, or smoke while using bleaches, cleaning agents, disinfecting agents, or other chemical products.
• Do not leave open containers of bleaches, paints and solvents in the washrooms or other areas used by other staff, students, visitors or other members of the public.

Use these suggestions when you may come in contact with blood or body fluids visibly contaminated with blood (for example, when you can see blood in vomit). It is important to follow these tips as blood may spread certain illnesses.

When cleaning and decontaminating blood-contaminated areas:

DO

• Wear gloves and use disposable towels or other means of cleaning that will stop direct contact between you and the blood or body fluids.
• Decontaminate the area with an approved germicide or a 1:100 solution of household bleach (that is, dilute 1 part bleach with 99 parts water).
• Wash and disinfect all the equipment used when you were cleaning.
• Discard all soiled cleaning materials in a leak-proof plastic bag. Dispose of this bag according to local/public health regulations for the disposal of infectious waste.
• Wash hands thoroughly with warm water and soap, after removing gloves.
• Change gloves after each task or exposure.
• Dispose of your used gloves as you would for contaminated materials.

• Wash hands regularly especially after each exposure.
• Wet, soap and lather for at least ten seconds.
• Wash and scrub under the nails and cuticle.
• Rinse thoroughly and dry.

Please see Hand Washing for Infection Control for more information.

Occasionally, you may encounter discarded hypodermic needles, syringes, condoms, objects, materials or fluids contaminated with blood and body fluids. You must exercise special precautions in handling such materials/objects. Often these biological wastes are contaminated with "germs" or other micro-organisms which can make you ill. Major concerns are the spread of hepatitis B and AIDS.

DO

• Ask your supervisor for training to be able to:
• understand potential hazards
• be familiar with regulations
• Consider all biological wastes as infectious.
• Handle all contaminated wastes carefully to prevent body contact and accidental injury.
• Wear puncture-resistant gloves and safety boots appropriate for the situation.
• Dispose of infectious waste in a puncture-resistance container such as a bucket or box with a secure lid and lined with leak-proof, puncture-resistant plastic.
• Put a biological hazard symbol on the container.

• Wear leather gloves and empty waste paper baskets (or other containers) by holding container on the outside. DO NOT empty or carry the container by putting your fingers on the inside.
• Call your local public health department or police for further assistance.

DO NOT

• Do not load the container beyond its capacity.
• Do not compact infectious waste. This process may disperse the contamination.
• Do not mix infectious waste with regular garbage or trash.
• Do not reach into any waste container or receptacle which may contain hazardous waste.

More information in other OSH Answer documents includes:

• Universal Precautions for workplaces where workers are exposed to blood and certain other body fluids.
• Hand Washing for Infection Control

For more detailed information, please see Infection Control Guidelines: Hand Washing, Cleaning, Disinfection and Sterilization in Health Care, as published by the Public Health and Safety Agency of Canada, Health Canada.