Spill Management in Hospitals and Healthcare Facilities

(Overview) 

Spill management is mandatory for the provision of safe and clean environment for patients, staff and visitors because hospital environment necessitates use of hazardous substances that may have serious consequences if appropriate measures are not taken.  

WHAT IS SPILL? 
An unintentional or accidental fall, flow or runout of something can be termed as Spill. In Hospitals, these spills include chemicals, hazardous material, drug, blood and other bodily fluids. 

WHAT ARE THE COMMON KINDS OF SPILLS IN THE HEALTHCARE FACILITIES? 

There are four common or major kinds of spills such as: 

Biological Spills – Blood and other bodily fluids, culture of micro-organisms and other infectious materials. 

Chemical Spills – formalin, xylene and other acid, bases and drugs 

Mercury Spills – B.P Apparatus & thermometer mostly but mercury compounds are also used in preservatives and reagents. 

Cytotoxic Spills – cytotoxic drugs and medicines 

HOW SPILLS INTERACT WITH HUMAN BODY?
Harmful materials such as bacteria, viruses and other small organisms, fumes and vapors and inappropriate drug or medicine can enter in to the body by four ways as explained below: 

POTENTIAL FOR SPILLS

Even with the best spill management guidelines, spills can still occur for many reasons, including:

·         Faulty equipment

·         Equipment that malfunctions or breaks while in use

·         Human error

·         Unfortunate circumstances

At the time of spill incident, concerned staff should be efficient enough to respond in order to minimize the exposure and potential of injury.

RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH THESE SPILLS 

They may have serious health consequences or even death for instance; microorganism (bacteria, viruses) may gradually impact internal organs badly. Mercury beads and its fumes can disrupt nervous system. Chemicals and their vapors may cause skin, eye irritation depending upon their properties and nature. Cytotoxic drugs (Cancerous drugs) are highly toxic to cells that may lead to adverse effects during exposure. 

BASIC STEPS TO RESPOND TO A SPILL 

1. Assess nature of spill and adopt safety measures accordingly
2. Stop the source of spill
3. Place caution sign or cordon off the area
4. Inform area supervisor or safety coordinator 
5. Wear appropriate PPE from spill kit 
6. Use appropriate spill items to tackle spill such as absorbent pad etc. 
7. Dispose of contaminated material including PPE in waste bags (Yellow & Red) or sharp container
8. Wash Area or disinfect area through housekeeping staff 
9. Wash hands
10. Re-stock spill kit items 

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF MAJOR SPILL KIT ITEMS 
Major items used during spillage are shown below: 

Frequent trainings and drills are vital for safe environment for masses.

Safety is more important than Convenience

Haider Ali is young professional works as a Health Safety & Environment Officer in Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (SKMCH & RC), holds a degree in MPhil Environmental Science from Government College University, Lahore. He writes on burning issues and has been involved in various projects.