Cleaning, Decontamination and Waste Management

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1.1 State the general principles for environmental cleaning. The work environment should control the growth of micro-organisms by being clean, dry, exposed to light and well ventilated. Dust, dirt and liquid substances must not be allowed to build up. Regular cleaning and good design features of buildings, fittings and fixtures can achieve this. A cleaning schedule should be written this should specify the staff responsible for cleaning, the frequency of cleaning and methods used and the expected outcomes. The work environment must be visibly clean, free from dust and soilage and acceptable to service users, their visitors and other staff. Increased, thorough cleaning should be done where an outbreak of infection has occurred, where the pathogen concerned survives in the environment – In these situations the use of recommended detergents and cleaning chemicals stated in the Infection Control Policy must be used. All healthcare workers need to be trained and aware of their individual responsibility for keeping themselves hygienically clean and for maintaining a safe and clean environment for service users and staff. Equipment in the clinical environment must be decontaminated appropriately after each use and before moving onto another service user. When using detergents disinfectants and cleaning chemicals, the correct PPE must be worn. Clean and dirty items must be correctly stored and separated. 1.2 Explain the purpose of cleaning schedules Cleaning schedules are put in place to inform staff and visitors – who cleaned, what is cleaned, what time and day cleaning happened, how often cleaning happens, whether something needs to be cleaned daily, weekly or monthly, and what chemicals were used to clean. 1.3 Describe how the correct management of the environment minimises the spread of infection By ensuring all staff are fully

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