It is of utmost importance that one's janitorial staff understands the topic of bloodborne pathogens as this information is critical in eliminating one's exposure to sickness and in some cases, even death. I believe that the entire janitorial staff should receive in-depth training to understand OSHA's standard to handling bloodborne pathogens so that all staff members are aware of the seen and unseen dangers of coming into contact with someone else's blood, urine, and in some cases saliva.  By doing so, a staff member is able to make more informed and sensible decisions as to how  proceed while decontaminating and disinfecting exposed surfaces 

In today's post pandemic environment,  creating a safe, clean, and healthy space should be the top priority of any responsible, commercial cleaning firm. In the same breath however, one must understand that in this particular profession, risks of exposure is heightened and can occur  by simply coming into contact with someone that has a bloodborne illness. The good news however, is that by understanding these potential risks, our staff can potentially eradicate incidents altogether.  

With that being said, If there is any reason that exposure does occur, a responsible leader will ensure that there is a written control and exposure plan in place. 

Removing trash, bed linens, or even cleaning up spills all have specific protocol that staff should know to follow to ensure personal safety. Easily protecting yourself by using PPE, color coding or labeling laundry, never manually compressing trash, disposing of exposed gloves, disinfecting cleaning equipment, washing hands, utilizing red and orange waste bags, watching for symptoms, and reporting any incidents to your supervisor are all critical pieces in eliminating direct exposure to bloodborne pathogens.  Ensuring that our staff returns home to their loved ones, healthy and safe continues to be our leadership team's top priority.