Countering Spills

With it now being a legal requirement for all employers to have controls in place to protect staff from potential infection, James Croll explains how a cost-effective spill kit is providing a hygienic solution for the handling, odour elimination and disposal of spills, blood, vomit and body fl uids

The latest ZeoMed body fluid spill kits from Clean Stream Technologies are designed to comply with Department of Health regulations in the handling of bloodborne pathogens in workplaces, public and recreational areas.

As Scott Whittaker, General Manager of Clean Stream Technologies, explains “the rising interest in ZeoMed, particularly in this hygiene-conscious post-COVID world, isn’t surprising, since it is now a legal requirement for all employers to have controls in place to protect staff and the public from potential infection from body spills.

“Indeed, the legal requirements extend across a broad range of industry, commerce, and public institutions, ranging from retail, industrial, transport and medical and laboratory facilities but also include hospitality, leisure, and entertainment venues.”

The growth of the ZeoMed range has coincided with the recent surge in organisations and businesses across the industry creating staff roles with EHS (environmental health, and safety) responsibilities. EHS Officers essentially protect, promote, and improve public health to prevent people from getting sick from their environment. This might include ensuring the safety of items such as drinking water, food and beverage, or hygiene across both public and private areas, pest control, and, of course, the efficient management and disposal of waste.

These professionals assess risk and develop, regulate, enforce and monitor laws and regulations governing public health for both the built and natural environment, in order to promote good human health and environmental practices. It is a highly specialised role and is responsible for ensuring compliance with environmental safety laws with the staff member working to protect the environment from potentially harmful business practices while also protecting employees and visitors from environmental hazards in the area.

The need to have an efficient and compliant solution for spills is a concern across the leisure industry, particularly since, by their nature, venues generally see a high volume of foot traffic, and in some cases mass gatherings, which in turn increase the risk and frequency of spills.

Whittaker notes “venues have Duty of Care obligations along with legal requirements, and standard cleaning methods simply don’t comply. Imagine using a mop and bucket to clean a blood or vomit spill, then using the same mop to clean a canteen. You run the risk of cross contamination.

“Spills are an area that you want to clean quickly. Quite apart from their unsightly appearance, or foul smell, they can cause a slip hazard on hard floors, or they can transmit bloodborne diseases.”

The ZeoMed range of kits provide an efficient and hygienic solution for the handling and disposal of spills, including blood, vomit, and body fluids that pose health hazards including HIV and Hepatitis. ZeoMed also absorbs excess moisture and most importantly, eliminates odour.

Interestingly, the ZeoMed kits are becoming as noticeable as other essential prevention solutions across Australasia’s leisure venues. They can be hung next to fire extinguishers or placed

Spills are a challenge for all types of venues and, Environmental Health and Safety Offi cers, in particular.

in first aid kits for quick recognition. The kits include protection required by Safe Work Australia. Contents of the kits include absorbent powder, absorbent cleaning cloths, sealing waste disposal bags or sealing bulk containers, face masks, splash goggles, gloves, aprons, scoops, scrapers, bright yellow waste warning materials and instruction sheets. All kits have been designed to comply with Department of Health regulations in the handling of bloodborne pathogens in the workplace.

Clean Stream Technologies has found an increasing demand for these ‘all-in-one’ kits with organisations ordering kits to suit the particular need of their own individual site. Across the leisure industry, the demand for three specific ZeoMed kits has been all too obvious.

The most common in the leisure sector is the Body Fluid Spill Kit, which is designed for in-field use with portable first aid kits for quick access by employees. These are ideally suited to pubs, clubs, stadia, gyms, and a huge range of indoor facilities likely to encounter spills. Then, there is the Biohazard Spill Kit which is ideal for corporate, hospitality and public domains, located near first aid stations or cleaning trolleys. And the Multipurpose Spill Kit for venues such as sporting and other activity venues, supermarkets, variety stores, shopping centres, restaurants, hospitality, and transport terminals where staff or the public may be at risk from biohazard and chemical hazards as well as slip and fall hazards.

Whittaker advises “with all industries coping with the ongoing effects of Covid - and in a workplace safety environment with heightened interest in worker and visitor protection - these are all products whose time has arrived.”

Clean Stream Technologies also has complementary product lines to ZeoMed, including the laboratory validated EnviroKlenz® Air System Plus, a complete air filtration system, introduced to Australasia to help public and private employers as well as venues fulfil their duty of care and occupational health and safety obligations to protect staff and visitors against the spread of viral and other airborne health hazards within interior spaces. EnviroKlenz® Air System Plus kills viruses multiple times smaller than COVID, including SARS-COV-2. It is already proven in service in US health and public facility environments responding to the Coronavirus pandemic and is suitable for office, front desk, dentist and medical centres, aged care facilities and canteen, accommodation, hospitality, and leisure venues.

The system incorporates safe, laboratory proven technologies to neutral multiple other airborne health challenges, including different viruses, bacteria, including E-coli, pathogens, pollen, and pollution including smoke, and seasonal allergens that affect millions in Australia and New Zealand, particularly health-compromised or older people.

Whittaker concludes “it is highly effective because it goes much further than standard purifiers by combining medically proven ultraviolet UVC germicidal irradiation with safe and effective earth mineral technology originally developed for the US military and still used today to destroy chemical warfare agents and toxic industrial chemicals.

“The two products epitomise our goal and vision of helping people live healthier and more productive lives by providing clean air through a suite of products and solutions.” James Croll is Partnerships Manager at Australasian Leisure Management.