Biological Material Spill Response

Follow these steps to respond to a biological material spill:

1. Put on gloves, lab coat, and other necessary PPE.
2. Remove contaminated broken glass in spilled material with tongs or a broom and dustpan and discard it into a sharps disposal container.
3. Apply a solution of freshly made household bleach (1:10 bleach/water solution) or other approved chemical disinfectant to the affected area for an appropriate contact time. (Contact time is the amount of time the product must be in contact with a material to achieve decontamination. Ten minutes is the minimum contact time for bleach. Check labels for other products.)
4. Absorb the spill completely by using enough absorbent materials to prevent dripping. Material that is not saturated or dripping may be disposed of in the regular trash.
5. Re-apply disinfectant to decontaminate the surface, again allowing adequate contact time.
6. Decontaminate cleaning equipment and re-usable PPE, and discard disposable PPE appropriately.
7. After removing gloves, thoroughly wash hands with soap and water.