We love our job as professional medical cleaners, but without understanding the proper guidelines issued by OSHA,  we can seriously put ourselves and others at risk of infection of bloodborne pathogens. In order to protect ourselves and our co-workers we must practice Universal Precautions and Protective Practices.

Bloodborne pathogens are pathogenic microorganisms found in human blood and can cause diseases such as but not limited to: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) associated with AIDS. This is why OSHA requires any job site with the potential of exposure to bloodborne pathogens be considered potentially infectious and infection control precautions be taken to lessen the risk of exposure, this approach is called: Universal Precautions.

As a cleaning business, there are precautions we can take to minimize the risk of bloodborne pathogens when cleaning in medical facilities such as: never manually compress trash, avoid splashing or spattering when cleaning up, always decontaminate surfaces with Betco disinfectants, always wear personal protective equipment, and properly wash hands. If we follow the guidelines we can protect ourselves and leave a safe clean environment for the medical staff and patients.