DEALING WITH TRAUMA
INCIDENTS
Experienced in the delicate and often upsetting task of trauma event clean-up, ServiceMaster Clean takes us through the steps of dealing with these exceptional and unsettling situations.
A trauma incident challenges the normality of our world like few other events. There are many factors that can contribute to a trauma incident; it may be as the result of an accident, an intentional act, or as a result of individual tragedy.
Whatever the reason, the aftermath of trauma needs to be handled in the right way.
Over the years, ServiceMaster Clean has attended many trauma scenes on behalf of a range of clients who have unexpectedly been presented with a situation that needs to be dealt with effectively.
In the shock and panic that often accompanies trauma it can be easy to overlook both risk and responsibilities. The first responders are invariably circumstantial, people that just happen to be close-by at the time, followed by the emergency services. The latter have a significant part to play but this will not include anything that is left behind at the scene and certainly not the cleaning process.
Whatever the trauma, the responsibility sits with the property owner, landlord, retailer, hotelier or local authority if the incident takes place in a public space. Once the emergency services have completed their work, cleaning should take place quickly. As part of a business contingency plan, it makes sense to identify the organisations that will be able to assist you in a variety of exceptional situations.
STEP 1: ISOLATE THE
AFFECTED AREA The first steps must be to cordon the area off. This reduces the risk of transferring blood-borne pathogens.
How do you know what contagions are there? You don’t, so it’s important that your actions are based on the worst case scenario.
Prevent access to the area unless it is entirely essential. If necessary, consider how this access will take place and how you will prevent the transfer of contagions.
STEP 2: CALL A
PROFESSIONAL Although the area may not look overtly dangerous, attempting to clean without the knowledge and understanding of the hazards, appropriate training, the right products and equipment or correct PPE, is just increasing the risk.
As an employer, you also have a duty of care for your employees. Asking someone who is not trained to deal with the issue would be wrong. We are all human so we react differently to situations and again it would be wrong to place someone in a position that is distressing to them.
STEP 3: BEING SENSITIVE The impact of a trauma event can have a profound effect on people, even strangers. Absolute sensitivity is required when dealing with family members, friends or work colleagues.
The ability to provide a solution following a trauma event, especially when emotions are running high, is an important factor in ensuring that the short term and long term risks are managed.
STEP 4: BEING
THOROUGH A professional trauma clean expert will identify the wider risk of cross contamination. The surface may
50 | TRAUMA & ACCIDENT CLEANING
appear to have been cleaned but the nature of the material, whether absorbent, porous or textured, may contain a residual risk.
Products used by professionals will have a known efficacy with blood- borne pathogens and infections, and this gives reassurance to the cleaning process. Equally the professional will take a pragmatic view about whether an item can be suitably cleaned and returned to a safe condition or whether it is more appropriate to dispose of an affected item.
In attending suicides, often in hotel rooms, we know severed arteries will create visible areas to clean, but we give the entire area methodical attention as not everything can be seen by the naked eye.
There are techniques and equipment that can be deployed to manage airborne pathogens. If suspected then the appropriate PPE would be a mandatory requirement.
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