(A) Laundry.
(1) Contaminated laundry shall include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following:
(a) Officer uniforms and clothing items worn on duty, including undergarments, socks, shoes and outerwear, whether supplied by the Department or personally owned, which have been exposed to blood or other potentially infectious material while an officer was performing his or her official duties; and
(b) All non-disposable blankets and wiping cloths of a non-disposable nature, used in the Police Department regardless of whether the aforementioned items were exposed to blood or other potentially infectious material or not.
(2) Contaminated laundry shall be contained in the location where used, and handled as little as possible, and bagged or containerized at the location where it was used. Containers and bags used for storing contaminated laundry shall be constructed of materials which prevent soaking through or leakage of fluids to the exterior.
(3) Any officer handling contaminated laundry shall wear disposable protective gloves.
(4) In the case of an officer’s uniform or clothing items being exposed to blood or other potentially infectious materials, the officer shall change clothes at the police facility as soon as possible after the exposure, and bag the items with a biohazard label.
(5) In no case shall an officer launder any contaminated clothing items, including uniform items, at his or her home.
(6) All contaminated laundry items shall be replaced or cleaned and decontaminated at Department-approved cleaners. Replacement or decontamination will be at the Department’s expense.
(B) Vehicles.
(1) A supervisor shall be notified and the vehicle shall be cleaned with a prescribed disinfectant immediately.
(2) Service personnel shall remove any excess body fluids from the vehicle with an absorbent cloth, paying special attention to any cracks, crevices or seams that may be holding excess fluid.
(3) The affected area should be disinfected using hot water and detergent/alcohol or detergent/bleach solution and allowed to air dry.
(4) All police vehicles taken to a service center for scheduled washing and maintenance will be routinely cleaned in the interior with an approved disinfectant.
(C) Non-disposable equipment.
(1) Any excess of body fluids should first be wiped up with approved disposable absorbent material.
(2) A freshly prepared solution of one part bleach to nine parts water should be used to clean the equipment.
(D) Supplies.
(1) Superiors are responsible for continuously maintaining and storing, in a convenient location, an adequate amount of communicable disease control supplies for all officers.
(2) Supervisors are responsible for dissemination of supplies for infectious disease control. Protective gloves, other first aid supplies and disinfecting materials will be made readily available at all times.
(3) All Departmental vehicles shall be continuously stocked with the following:
(a) Disposable gloves;
(b) Puncture resistant containers and sealable plastic bags;
(c) Barrier resuscitation equipment, goggles and masks;
(d) Liquid antiseptic cleaner;
(e) Disposable towelettes (70% isopropyl alcohol);
(f) Water-proof bandages;
(g) Absorbent cleaning materials; and
(h) Police barricade tape.
(4) Officers using supplies stored in police vehicles are responsible for their immediate replacement.
(5) Officers are required to keep disposable gloves in their possession while on duty.
(Ord. passed 3-16-2009)