As you look into effective home health medical waste solutions, you may come across the term “sharp.” This typically refers to objects like needles and razor blades that need to be handled with care due to their cutting potential; glass also falls under this category.
However, you may not have a sharps container around to hold every shard of glass, and, even if you do, there’s no guarantee that it’s large enough to hold everything you’ll need it to as you clean up the mess. So, you’ll need a different approach for it. You’ll find that approach explained below.
Clear the Room
Broken glass is like glitter: it gets everywhere and is difficult to completely remove. This is why, when glass does break, your first action should be to get every living being out of the room. Pets will likely need to be carried out of the room alongside babies, toddlers, and stubborn children.
Any teens or adults present can then decide who will clean the mess and who will assist with the safer tasks, like grabbing towels, vacuums, etc., for the cleaners.
Everyone else should focus on a different activity and stay away from the now dangerous room until the cleaning is complete and at least one other adult has come through to make sure no glass shard was missed.
Gather Equipment and Clean
Now, you need to gear up and start cleaning. First, check to make sure you haven’t stepped on any glass. If you’re clear, then put on a pair of shoes. Then find some thick rubber gloves and eye protection like goggles. Once you’re in your safety gear, grab a box or newspaper, a vacuum, some wet paper towels, and a bright flashlight. If bending over is difficult for you, then grab a stool as well.
Shine the flashlight around to find a clean spot to set your equipment. Then, put on your rubber gloves and start putting the large broken shard into the box or newspaper. Do not touch glass with your bare hands or you may end up with cuts or even glass embedded into your skin.
Once the large pieces are collected, vacuum the room without using any brush attachments (glass can get caught in the bristles and become an issue every time it is used or even moved).
Finally, go over the area with a wet paper towel to hopefully catch any small shards you may have missed. Keep any waste that may have glass shards on or in them together, preferably in the box/newspaper.
Prepare for Disposal
Once the glass has been collected, you need to decide how to dispose of it. Some locations will recycle your glass shards, so do some online research to see if your local recycling center can do so. If they can, then make sure you fulfill their requirements and then bring them the broken glass.
If there is no recycling center near you that will take your shiny shards, then you need to pivot. Seal the box or newspaper tightly, toss it into a trash bag, tie it shut and put it into your trash can. Do not put loose glass into the can or it will cut every bag open and become a new problem.
Once that’s complete, go back to the place where the glass originally shattered. Do one more check to make sure all of the glass is gone. Also check your shoes and gloves for glass as well. Once you believe the area is clear, then you can clean any other mess created by dropping the glass.
For example, if you dropped a glass of juice, the juice needs to be fully cleaned up now. If a light bulb exploded, now’s the time to look over any other bulbs and the socket itself to see what else you may need to do. If rushing out of the room caused a mess, this is also the time to clean that.
Treat Injuries
While you hopefully don’t have any injuries to treat from this accident, if you do, that needs to be handled first. Start by gently cleaning the area and the hands of the caretaker. Once clean, shine a light on the wound and search for glass shards. If you see any and they are close to the surface then remove them with sterilized tweezers.
If you can, soak the wound in water with some Epsom salt or baking soda first. If the glass won’t come out or you believe there is more there then gently dress the wound and go to a doctor. If the glass appears to be gone then wrap the wound in a bandage and watch for infection. If kept clean and dry, it should be fine.
markmunroe
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