Bio Hazards and what to do about them
As a mobile technician, I work with many shops. Quite often I am asked to work in filthy vehicles. Not disorganized or cluttered but vehicles with old hamburgers and rotten food. These vehicles smell bad. With heightened awareness of communicable illness it is starting to freak me out. Since I am a provider for shops, what should I say or do to keep myself and my family safe? Is it too much for me to ask that the vehicles be clean at least in the areas I am working? What about the steering wheel, shifter, keys, buttons and knobs? Am I over reacting?
Yesterday I was doing training on TPMS tools. I handed my demo tool to the students and they used it. Again, I am freaking out. Did they wash their hands? What did they touch before handling my tools? Maybe I can carry some rubbing alcohol and wipe down everything after training? I could wipe down vehicle controls before starting my work. As shop owners how do you ask your customers to clean up before asking for vehicle service?
I have refused work for that very reason. Once a car needed a heater core with vomit on floor,passed on it.
I too would be concerned. But it is what you don't see that could make you sick. When I learned that urine and feces travel 15' when our customer toilet is flush, and my front office is only 15' deep, I freaked out. Coffee pot is only 8' away! I now have the room sprayed every 2 weeks with a professional grade disinfectant (Hospital grade). Clorox makes a commercial grade (Amazon) that I would…
Sure, but what do you do at home? And are your toothbrushes sitting out in a holder? There is so much that we don't know and we just keep moving on.
true. if you believe in a higher power (I do). he tells us not to live in fear. this is just the latest ploy to take our eyes off the main thing. I just try to be as diligent with hygiene as possible, and try not to live in fear...…..if the corona don't get you, the elevated cortisol level and high blood pressure sure will. Good luck and God bless all out there.
How many years have you been doing this? While the Covid-19 issue has brought germs and the need for cleanliness to light,there are far worse communicable diseases that have been around for as long as youve been in business. Guaranteed. Do what ever you have to do for peace of mind,but know that your risk of catching something is no more than it was before. If think about the items that…
Agreed. Money is probably the worst thing that we handle, overall. Utterly disgusting.
I look for serious hazards- sharp objects, heavy mold, live creatures, body fluids, etc. Stuff gets covered in plastic, if I am going to be working in a way that puts me in contact with it, and I wear gloves. Rotting food and such is disgusting, but the hazard is low. If I cannot open enough to get … ventilation, then something needs to be done. Skin is a … barrier against most things…
Yes I would be concerned if you are out and about working in the public sphere. Covid-19 is different than other pathogens and is not something you want to get or unknowingly spread. Do everything you can to minimize possible contact. There are those that think this is no big deal WRONG, EVERY expert on infectious disease says it is a big deal. For many it might be a minor illness or none but…
I require my technicians to always wear gloves, use seat covers and floor mats when working on vehicles. we are fortunate enough to have on site detailing and any vehicle that is questionable gets cleaned before commencing repairs. Every customer is advised before doing so, and I have yet to have a customer decline to pay and have it cleaned. Depending on how much they spend, I have built in…
President Rosevelt said “ we have nothing to fear but, fear itself”. I’m more fearful of the the fearful than the virus. And I’m old. I think we will suffer more from the cure than the disease. Most of the fears that you mentioned have little to do with communicable disease transmission.
not to go down a rabbit trail, but I also worry about flood vehicles and the bacteria and junk that are present in some of them. I remember seeing an article couple years ago about a tech losing his life due to an infection he caught from a flood vehicle that he was working on.
I would be having a serious conversation with the owner/manager who took junk like that in in the first place. Just because he expects his techs to work in filth doesn't mean you should. And just because we've all gotten up close and personal with nasty vehicles in the past doesn't mean it's advisable to continue to do so, because that past exposure didn't give you any immunity to what you can…
I have a spray bottle with 4 parts hydrogen peroxide and 1 part miss myers concentrate and I spray a rag with it before i touch yucky stuff and when I am done and take my gloves off I have a rag in the van and spray it and wipe my face off with it, no its not un polite to ask for some sort of cleaning of the area your working in
If your not comfortable with the situation, by all means refuse to do it. I once had a van come into the shop where the parents let their kids urinate all over the inside of the vehicle. They used it as a toilet. I refused to work on it until it was clean and sanitized. Do what you fell is in your best interest and don't apologize for it.