Page 43 - School Infection Control Handbook - 2010
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Chapter 3: Development of Protocols
38
Chapter 3.H. Preventing Cross-Contamination
Introduction
Cross-contamination is the transfer of infectious microbes from one surface, object, or person to
another. Preventing this transfer can help minimize the surfaces that need to be cleaned or
disinfected for infection control. It is also counterproductive to what a cleaning program is trying
to achieve.
Preventing cross-contamination begins with an understanding of where microbes live (reservoir),
how they multiply, and how they move from location to location. See
Chapter 2. The Science of
Infection Control
for information on how this “transmission” process works.
This document provides some common cross-contamination scenarios in schools and several
strategies and work practices to prevent this from happening.
What are the common reservoirs of microbes that serve as sources of cross-contamination
in schools, and what strategies can be used to eliminate them?
x
Reservoir:
A used cleaning cloth or mop head, especially if left soaking in dirty
solutions.
1
x
Strategies:
;
Launder cloths and mop heads after use and allow them to dry before reuse to help
minimize the degree of contamination.
;
Replace soiled cloths and mop heads with clean items each time a bucket of
disinfectant is emptied and replaced with fresh, clean solution.
1
___________________________________________________________________________
x
Reservoir:
A solution of disinfectants, especially if the working solution is prepared in a
dirty container, stored for long periods of time, or prepared incorrectly. Gram-
negative bacilli (e.g.,
Pseudomonas
species and
Serratia marcescens
) have been
detected in solutions of some disinfectants (e.g., phenolics and QACs).
1
x
Strategies:
;
Prepare disinfectant and detergent solutions in clean containers.
;
Make sufficient cleaning solution for daily cleaning, discard any remaining solution,
and dry out the container.
;
Dispose of used solutions immediately.
__________________________________________________________________________
x
Reservoir:
Contaminated hands or gloves.
x
Strategies:
(in order of preference)
;
Wear and wash chemical-resistant gloves each time a mop head or cleaning cloth is
changed for a new surface, or when the disinfectant solution is changed.
;
Wear and change disposable chemical-resistant gloves each time a mop head or
cleaning cloth is changed for a new surface, or when disinfectant solution is changed.
