Bloodborne Pathogens and the distant cleaner     

I find that my clientele is getting farther away from our company headquarters, sometimes at the other end of the state or across state lines.  Managing remote employees is difficult to do, but managing employees that are at risk of contracting Bloodborne Pathogens is the type of scenario that can keep a manager awake at night.

The emphasis on training and continued training cannot be stated enough.  Repetitious training becomes muscle memory which equates to confidence that the potential risk has been handled quickly and professionally.  Your team’s understanding of bloodborne pathogens is vital to the overall professionalism of not only their work ethic, but representative of your janitorial company.

Medical cleaning has become a large staple in the janitorial industry.  Hospitals, clinics, behavioral health, dental offices, blood plasma centers, dialysis centers and many more health centers lean on experienced cleaners for daily work, which also means the potential involving blood, needles, bodily fluids or other contaminated materials such as bedding, gowns, wash towels to be present.  Training in how to respond to these breaches is important for the health of the employees as well as clients and their patients.  Recognizing hazards and following the correct steps to mitigate the risk comes down to the repetitious training, knowing where the Exposure Control Plan is located, using correct PPE and being aware of the proper handling of the contaminated material.

Having trust in your training system, having control plans in place and recognizing the potential consequences is everyone’s responsibility when it comes to remote, long distance cleaners.