PERSONAL PROTECTION
CLEAN AS A WHISTLE
It’s easy to become a filthy mess during a spring clean at home, so imagine the dirt and dangers lurking at a scene of crime or trauma. Sarah Southworth, Managing Director of Specialised Cleaning Services, talks us through the vital PPE that keeps her teams spic-and-span.
At Specialised Cleaning Services, we tackle a range of extreme scenarios. From scenes of death or violence, clean ups in homes belonging to hoarders or where there has been extreme hygiene issues relating to humans and animals, right through to scenes of fire damage or drug use, we’ve seen it all.
When tackling these scenes, cross contamination is always at the forefront of our minds and therefore we provide a full kit of personal protection equipment to the team. It’s true that this is required by law, but even without a legal obligation, we believe that the right personal protection equipment is the key to performing the best job and to keeping the team safe.
Naturally, our hands are our tools and, when it comes to hygiene, hands are the first port of call for protection. We have a range of gloves including latex and heavy duty rubber gloves for example, which are essential for trauma and environmental cleans and are very much an extension of the haz- mat suits that we also wear, protecting us from bodily fluids and matter.
We also use thick protective gloves for handling clearance items. When removing large items on a regular
“WE REGULARLY WORK WITH CLEANING PRODUCTS AND POISONS FOR PEST CONTROL AND THE VAPOURS FROM THESE CAN POSE AN IMMEDIATE RISK TO HEALTH.”
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basis, the gloves provide extra non- slip grip to avoid dropping items as well as protection from cuts and grazes. It's important not to be complacent about this type of PPE as we are working in dirty environments where a small cut can easily become infected. When it comes to performing needle sweeps or removing broken glass, steel mesh gloves are the key to safety and we also use 'picking rods' to minimise contact where we can.
Regardless of the extremity of the scene, when approaching a property where there is human or animal waste or body matter, the team wears full white haz-mat body suits. These are made from impermeable material and provide protection from head to foot, including a hood. In situations where the floor is heavily contaminated with fluid, we will also extend this to shoe covers.
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