Possible contamination

[dannyboy]

Oh dear, how to protect ourselves from stupidity.

First you notice blood on your gloves. No biggie, that is why you wear gloves, protection.

But no, you of course dont take off the contaminated gloves, you keep on wearing them. Then it strikes you, you rub those nasty dirty gloves all over your face and other parts of your body. Heaven forbid we know what all you have touched with those nasty gloves.

And this is UPS's fault how? You are the only one to have blood on your gloves? How interesting. How are you the only one that is that lucky? Blood that came from no where from no one. I find that incredulous.

And that begs the last question, how are you so sure its not something else? How do you know its blood?

So many questions, so little actual info. But of course, you are looking to have all sorts of tests run..........I could see where you would actually be too busy to have changed gloves or actually had it confirmed that it was blood to begin with.

What I know is that it more than likely came from Reno. It was an irreg. That I was one of at least 3 people to handle that box. That it did go through hazmat, got cleaned up, and apparently shipped back out before I got there to ask

You know so much, but yet not really anything.

d

 

[Floridacargocat]

Would like to submit an interesting interpretation from the DOT regarding blood and HazMat
Source: http://phmsa.dot.gov/portal/site/PH...toid=934d5794ed745110VgnVCM1000009ed07898RCRD

"
PHMSA Interpretation #03-0113

Aug 30, 2004
PHMSA Response Letter

Aug 30, 2004

Ellis Jacobs, Ph.D., DABCC Reference No. 03-0113
Director, Clinical Laboratory
Evaluation Program
Wadsworth Center
New York State Department of Health
P.O. Box 509
Albany, NY 12201-0509
Dear Dr. Jacobs:
This is in response to your letter asking if whole blood samples offered for transportation by your program to administer various proficiency tests for the purpose of licensing laboratories in the State of New York are subject to the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171-180). From telephone conversations with Ms. Kathi Wagner of your staff, we understand the whole blood has been tested and determined to not meet the definition of a hazardous material, but before being offered for commercial transportation to the laboratories for analysis, various chemicals, parasites, or microbiological agents may be added. We apologize for the delay in responding and any inconvenience this may have caused.
You are correct that blood collected for transfusion and biological products subject to approval by the Food and Drug Administration or the U.S. Department of Agriculture are not subject to the HMR (see § 173.134(b)). However, the samples you use for your various test programs may be subject to the HMR if you add chemicals or other materials to the samples.
Blood and other biological samples that do not meet the definition of a Division 6.2 (infectious) material in § 173.134(a) or the definition of another class of hazardous material in Part 173 are not subject to the HMR. Thus, the blood samples you transport for your engraftment monitoring, immunohematology proficiency test, and parentage/identity testing programs are not regulated under the HMR. Similarly, if the serum samples you transport for your clinical chemistry, cytokines, diagnostic immunology, endocrinology, hematology, oncology, parasitology, therapeutic substance monitoring, and clinical and toxicology proficiency test programs are not infectious and do not meet the definition of another hazard class, they are not subject to the HMR.
Sincerely,

Hattie L. Mitchell, Chief
Regulatory Review and Reinvention
Office of Hazardous Materials Standards"

So, until the blood sample has been confirmed not be contagious or infectious, it is classified as "non-hazardous"
You can look up all the interpretation from DOT under
http://phmsa.dot.gov/hazmat/regs/interps
and type in "blood" or "blood samples".
I understand the concern of the person involved that all the necessary precautions should be taken, but common sense should not be excluded.
In the extreme, your colleague on the left or right is cutting his finger and needs a bandaid (and you do not know nor ask about his possible infectious state), what would be the proper procedure in providing him/her a simple band-aid?
Re "survival of viruses in blood outside a host", suggest you go to Google or wikipedia and obtain the information you are looking for. Hope this helps.

 

[Apollo]

Oh dear, how to protect ourselves from stupidity.

First you notice blood on your gloves. No biggie, that is why you wear gloves, protection.

But no, you of course dont take off the contaminated gloves, you keep on wearing them. Then it strikes you, you rub those nasty dirty gloves all over your face and other parts of your body. Heaven forbid we know what all you have touched with those nasty gloves.

And this is UPS's fault how? You are the only one to have blood on your gloves? How interesting. How are you the only one that is that lucky? Blood that came from no where from no one. I find that incredulous.

And that begs the last question, how are you so sure its not something else? How do you know its blood?

So many questions, so little actual info. But of course, you are looking to have all sorts of tests run..........I could see where you would actually be too busy to have changed gloves or actually had it confirmed that it was blood to begin with.



You know so much, but yet not really anything.

d

The package in question had been put on the irreg belt like i said around 7 last night. Someone I've never seen before as well as the auditor who noticed the blood came a short time later asking everyone, starting with me as i was the sweeper, if they were bleeding. I looked all over myself and didn't notice anything at the time. But i wasn't looking for blood on me, i was looking for places on me the blood could have come from, cuts or a scrape or something. Didn't notice anything so i kept on working.

At around 8:30 (possibly later) i noticed the blood on my glove and started asking questions. Once i got the "I don't knows" out of my supervisor, and the cold shoulder from my full-time sup. I thought it wasn't that big of a deal and finished taping up the boxes and throwing the last irregs on the belt. At the end of the night I asked my sup again, he just gave me a weird look and walked off. I tried finding John again, to see if he was less busy, but couldn't so I threw the gloves out and went to the clerks' station. After asking them, who seemed slightly more worried, they all talked about it, mentioned the "post contamination protocols" and called dispatch to try and find the clerk who handled the package in the first place. When they weren't able to get a hold of him, they said it's probably nothing to worry about and told me to write down my name and phone numbers, "just in case." I haven't heard from them, so i'm hoping everything is alright

Granted I probably should have thrown the gloves away as soon as I noticed, but I figured since the supervisors didn't seem to have any worries about it, why should I?

Also, When did I put the blame on anyone? Why am I being subjected to such aggression? I came here in hopes of answers and help. Not to be called stupid or ridiculed by some "senior member" who may be tired of guys like me, but should just ignore us if we bother him so.

 

[Catatonic]

Hope this helps.

No, we prefer to react hysterically without regard to any common sense ... thanks for spoiling this thread!

 

[dannyboy]

Florida, great post! I had forgotten that aspect. I tried to get a pickup account started to get the business away from Fedex. Close to 200 packages a day air volume. But was told it was considered Hazmat, so I dropped it. It was not until later on when the customer account rep "discovered" that volume that I was told the same thing.

but I figured since the supervisors didn't seem to have any worries about it, why should I?

And all of a sudden you feel like you need to be tested for all sorts of ills and imagined problems you might have been exposed to, and feel the need to have done it yesterday?

With no documentation of it being blood, and you throwing away the only evidence you had (throwing the gloves away was not really all that smart now was it?) and wiping your face or what ever you did with those ole nasty gloves was not really your smartest move.

Also, When did I put the blame on anyone? Why am I being subjected to such aggression? I came here in hopes of answers and help. Not to be called stupid or ridiculed by some "senior member" who may be tired of guys like me, but should just ignore us if we bother him so.

No aggression. None at all. Just want you to look at what you wrote with an honest eye for detail. You want UPS to pay for your testing? What are they going to test for? You dont even know what it was, you are only assuming it was blood. And your post of how the damage clerk handled it was humorous.

I would bet OSHA would love to look into that one.

BTW, there is a big difference in calling the situation and the way it was handled stupid and saying you are stupid. But then if you feel like the shoe fits, by all means.........

But until then, I did not call you stupid. Clear enough?

d

 

[drewed]

Like it was said bloods non hazardous, it was sent to the hazmat people to get cleaned up and repacked

 

[backinbrown]

Like it was said bloods non hazardous, it was sent to the hazmat people to get cleaned up and repacked

I didn't know we shipped blood

 

[Catatonic]

Like it was said bloods non hazardous, it was sent to the hazmat people to get cleaned up and repacked

Obviously you haven't met some of the "bloods" I know.

 

[Catatonic]

I'm not fat! I'm big boned!

 

[backinbrown]

I'm not fat! I'm big boned!

lol yes i am

 

[dannyboy]

And I can deal with reality.

Im just plain fat.

d

And per my wife, lazy as well.......

And the problem with that is what?......

 

[Catatonic]

And I can deal with reality.

Im just plain fat.

d

And per my wife, lazy as well.......

And the problem with that is what?......

Nuttin' Honey - Big and Proud

 

[dilligaf]

I didn't know we shipped blood

Yes, in the form of lab samples. Usually they are NDA or EAM as they are time sensitive. They are also placarded with a 3373 label.

UN3373 Biological Substance Category B

 

[drewed]

We also ship meats, which as you know has blood, Im not saying that is that in this case it is a possibility though, also in a lot of ethinic cuisines blood soup/pie are delicasys so thats another possibility

 

[dannyboy]

Drew

In the list of possibilities, list a head mount that is being shipped to the taxidermist for stuffing. Seen that many times, and if large enough would be an irreg.

There are a lot of ways blood can get in our system. and a lot of other red liquids as well.

d

 

[BLACKBOX]

did you taste it?

Now thats funny!

 

[Paid-over-in-Maine]

We also ship meats, which as you know has blood, I'm not saying that is that in this case it is a possibility though, also in a lot of ethnic cuisines blood soup/pie are delicacy's so thats another possibility

I had a rather crude looking pkg once that was leaking a fluid. Looked like blood. I called it in. It was kinda creepy. Thoughts of Dahmer raced through my head. Come to find out it was some type of meat. It wasn't on ice or frozen. They just put it in a box with a label and sent it on it's way!That was nasty!!

 

[Covemastah]

Isn't blood a HAZMAT? why were standard hazmat procedures not followed?

thats only for the hazmat test ,you know they cant stop the belts ,,i mean won't stop the belts!!

 

[Covemastah]

We also ship meats, which as you know has blood, Im not saying that is that in this case it is a possibility though, also in a lot of ethinic cuisines blood soup/pie are delicasys so thats another possibility

blood not hazmat!! are you kidding me?? comparing human blood to meat!! why does my dr.put on gloves when he draws my blood? he knows its a dangerous thing!! How many cows are out there shacking up with aides?? ok mr. super supe..you can pick up all the bloody pkges you want if i was a pre/loader they would ride to the end of the belt for you to handle.God you sometimes drink to much of the COMPANY SOUP !!

 

[drewed]

blood not hazmat!! are you kidding me?? comparing human blood to meat!! why does my dr.put on gloves when he draws my blood? he knows its a dangerous thing!! How many cows are out there shacking up with aides?? ok mr. super supe..you can pick up all the bloody pkges you want if i was a pre/loader they would ride to the end of the belt for you to handle.God you sometimes drink to much of the COMPANY SOUP !!

in terms of shipping it, it isnt a hazmat. just like meat, bullsemen, and various other things arent hazmat. im not saying id handle a leaking bloody package, but in the conditons we work peoples hands get cut, bloody noses happen and various other things that produce blood on the packages happens, honestly i think the amount of packages with atleast some blood on it would be surprising high.