Septic Spillage SOS: Essential Cleanup Tips for Restroom Operators
Pete takes listeners on a deep dive into the world of sanitation, addressing an unusual yet critical question posed by a listener regarding the procedures to follow after a spillage of septic waste. The episode is structured around an entertaining yet cautionary tale of a disaster that unfolded when a driver mistakenly released a significant amount of waste in a yard, resulting in a mess that covered not only the driver but also a nearby colleague. This incident serves as a launchpad for a broader discussion on the importance of safety protocols, training, and the right equipment in the sanitation industry.
Throughout the episode, Pete emphasizes the necessity of preventive measures, such as ensuring that all staff are adequately trained, equipped with spill kits, and have received necessary vaccinations against common pathogens found in waste materials. He elaborates on the contents of an effective spill kit, explaining how to use standard household materials to create an efficient cleanup strategy. The narrative is interspersed with practical advice on personal protective equipment (PPE), highlighting the need for gloves, boots, and safety glasses to protect workers from potential exposure to harmful substances.
Listeners are encouraged to consider the implications of mishaps in sanitation work, not just from a health perspective but also regarding workplace morale and operational efficiency. Pete concludes with a light-hearted yet earnest reminder of the importance of communication and preparedness in preventing such incidents, ensuring that even in the face of potential disaster, workers can maintain a level of professionalism and safety.
Although this episode is based on a real life incident, no pumpers were harmed in the telling of this story.
Takeaways:
- Accidents can happen in sanitation work, so having a detailed spill response plan is crucial.
- Personal protective equipment, like gloves and safety glasses, is essential to workplace safety.
- Proper training and vaccinations for employees can help minimize health risks from exposure.
- Having shower facilities and laundry services greatly improves staff comfort and retention rates.
- Using simple household materials can create an effective spill kit for septic waste management.
- Always communicate with affected parties if a spill impacts their property or belongings.
Links referenced in this episode:
Transcript
Hello and welcome to get Flush, the world's favourite Sanitation podcast.
Pete:I'm Pete and today's episode is brought to you by service core, the easy to use software for restroom and dumpster providers.
Pete:Regular listeners will have spotted that I haven't published an episode since the 20 June.
Pete:I want to take this opportunity to reassure everyone that I haven't lost interest and haven't decided to cancel the show.
Pete:I've just been busy on other projects.
Pete:It's also wintertime here and the weather's been particularly grim and I use that as an opportunity to take some time away from the mic while the rain was hammering on our tin roof.
Pete:I'm back onto it now and I hope to continue releasing episodes through till the end of the year.
Pete:The subject of today's episode was inspired by a question from James Cantlemay in Phoenix, Arizona.
Pete:James and his wife Kelly provide restrooms through their business, 310 dust control, and James asked, is there a standard operating procedure if you get covered in used blue?
Pete:I had a new guy blow the discharge hose off today and he got blasted.
Pete:To sum it up, one of James staff managed to get covered in a spillage of septic waste.
Pete:And by that I mean all the poo, pee, paper, blood, sanitary towels, vomit, condoms, all the other unmentionables, plus the chemicals and the water that you typically collect when you service a portable restroom.
Pete:Before I go any further, I absolutely want to stress when I'm pumping restrooms and discharging waste.
Pete:I really don't want to eat or wear the product.
Pete:But, you know, accidents do happen and even with the best controls and the most practice technique, there's always a risk that you'll be exposed to the odd splash of waste during a working week.
Pete:So what exactly should you do if a spillage occurs?
Pete:Let's find out.
Pete:I'll start with a true story.
Pete:Driver a arrived in the yard at the end of a busy day pumping toilets.
Pete:It was in a truck with a fixed tank, and the vacuum pump was powered by a PTO or power takeoff.
Pete:In simple terms, that meant the engine on the truck drove the vacuum pump, and this particular pump was fitted with a counter clockwise rotation so it could be put into reverse to pressurize the waste tank and blow the contents into the waste water receiver.
Pete:On this particular day, the driver parked on the pad, connected the dump hose, engaged the PTO and reversed the pump.
Pete:He waited a few minutes for the pressure to build, and then he opened the valve to discharge the waste.
Pete:At that point, he decided to save a few minutes by giving the truck a wash down with a water blaster, which was parked next to the pad.
Pete:It washed off one side of the truck and was just starting on the back when everything stopped.
Pete:The truck engine died.
Pete:The warning beeper in the cab went off, and because the engine wasn't running, the PTO stopped and the vacuum pump stopped pumping.
Pete:The driver walked around the truck, scratching his head, and when he got to the discharge hose, he decided to release the clips on the camlock valve.
Pete:And at that point, the discharge hose blew off and 500 gallons of pressurized waste spurted out of the tank.
Pete:It went everywhere.
Pete:It spread all over the yard, all over the building, all over the clean restrooms in storage, all over the cars park next door, all over the driver, and all over another staff member who happened to be walking past.
Pete:And when I say all over, I mean they were both absolutely covered in thick, blue green, foul smelling porridge from head to toe.
Pete:It was in their hair, on their faces, in their boots, and all over their clothes.
Pete:When the passerby took his specs off, he looked like a panda with two skin coloured patches around his eyes.
Pete:When the crew cleaned up, they discovered that the driver had knocked the emergency stop button on the deck of the truck with the hose from the pressure washer.
Pete:Now, I'm actually surprised that he managed to undo the camlock clips because they were under immense pressure, but I'm even more amazed that the hose didn't cause serious injury or harm when it blew off.
Pete:Now, we can laugh about that incident, but heaven forbid you ever find yourself in a similar situation.
Pete:How would you clean up and how would you respond?
Pete:And perhaps more importantly, what could you do to make sure that nobody got sick if an incident like that did occur?
Pete:As I said earlier, the waste from portable restrooms contain the obvious elements of pee poo, blood, chemicals, and anything else that has been flushed down or dropped into the toilet.
Pete:It will contain pathogens, viruses, bacteria and germs.
Pete:In many jurisdictions, it's categorized as a class 6.2 dangerous substance, which is recognized as toxic and harmful to life.
Pete:That means there are strict regulations and controls on how you handle it, transport it and dispose of it.
Pete:That said, I'm aware that some states are more relaxed and they don't require such strict compliance.
Pete:That doesn't make their waste any less toxic.
Pete:It just imposes fewer legal controls.
Pete:My first recommendation is that prevention is always better than a cure.
Pete:With the proper equipment, the right technique, and due care and attention, you really shouldn't have a major spillage like the one I described.
Pete:But as I said, the odd splash probably will land on you during the week.
Pete:You'll get dribbles from the suction one splashes when you pump the toilet and when you rack and unrack the hose, and you'll probably get a few leaks when you discharge.
Pete:Good operators will get to know their equipment and they'll develop a technique that reduces those spills.
Pete:Now, because we're handling septic waste, everyone who works as a restroom provider should definitely have their poo shots.
Pete:These are the vaccines and inoculations that will prevent you becoming really ill.
Pete:The obvious ones are tetanus, hepatitis A and hepatitis B, but we should probably include Covid now because there is evidence that the COVID virus does indeed survive in toilet waste.
Pete:As an employer, you should have a proper system that allows your employees to get tested for antibodies and receive booster shots as required.
Pete:I don't want to get too hung up on this, and I know that you can't make people take shots if they don't want them.
Pete:And I'm also sure that we know operators that haven't had any shots and companies that don't provide antibody testing or inoculations.
Pete:But for me it's really simple.
Pete:No shot, no job.
Pete:Next on my list is PPE, the personal protective equipment that will help to protect you and keep you safe at work.
Pete:I'll start with boots and gloves.
Pete:Obviously we're going to wear safety boots with steel toe caps.
Pete:These come in a lot of different materials and styles.
Pete:I prefer pull on or slip on leather boots because they're easy to get on and off and easy to keep clean.
Pete:I know some companies and sites have a requirement for workers to wear lace up boots, but when you're pumping toilets, laces provide an ideal trap for water and waste.
Pete:I like leather because you can apply lots of polish or wax, which will keep them looking smart and make them waterproof.
Pete:With fabric boots, water will tend to seep into the fabric, which means you'll end up with wet feet.
Pete:On a similar note, I don't like to wear rubber wellingtons or gumboots because on cold days they're really cold and on hot days they make your feet sweat, which again will lead to wet socks and feet pumping.
Pete:Restrooms is undoubtedly tough on boots.
Pete:They get constantly wet and septic waste is really corrosive.
Pete:Don't be shocked if your boots start to look shabby after a couple of months and need replacing before they're six months old, but you can extend that if you buy good quality leather boots.
Pete:Let them air and dry at the end of each day and give them a regular clean and polish.
Pete:When it comes to gloves, I've seen a lot of operators work with bare hands, but I absolutely insist on wearing gloves at all times.
Pete:It will protect your hands and if you've got any cuts or wounds, it will help you keep the dressings clean.
Pete:I like disposable surgical gloves made of latex.
Pete:I use a clean pair for every service and I put the used gloves in a bucket or bin when I'm done.
Pete:Now, I know some operators use long rubberized gauntlets and I've seen people wear bright yellow gloves that you might use when you wash the dishes at home.
Pete:I'm not a fan of either of those because they tend to get wet on the inside and they are also bound to get covered in bacteria and germs which will spread from job to job.
Pete:Next on my list for PPE are safety glasses.
Pete:I always wear sunglasses when I'm pumping restrooms because the sun here in New Zealand is particularly strong and I start to suffer from eye strain if I don't, especially if I'm driving.
Pete:Some people will say glasses fall off when you bend over to pump the toilet, but I've never had that happen to me and you can always wear a bungee or elastic strap to keep them in place.
Pete:Seriously, any glasses are better than no glasses because you really don't want to get a splash of septic waste or toilet chemical in your eyes.
Pete:I don't wear a face mask and I don't think it's necessary to do so when pumping loose.
Pete:But again, some sites do require masks to be worn and when it comes to clothing, I'm not going to make any recommendations other than you should wear what works for you.
Pete:I know providers who issue overalls.
Pete:I know some sites require long pants and long sleeves, and I know some pumpers prefer to wear waterproofs.
Pete:I like to wear clean shorts and a fresh long sleeve top every day.
Pete:Which brings me onto two relevant questions.
Pete:Should restroom operators provide shower facilities and should they provide a washing machine or laundry service for their staff?
Pete:For me, the answer to both questions is absolutely yes.
Pete:And in a competitive labour market where it's hard to attract and retain staff, small things like that will make a world of difference to the members of your team.
Speaker B:With fuel prices at an all time high, every extra hour our drivers are out on the road is costing at least $100.
Speaker B:Driver wages and fuel are the biggest cost to pro's businesses, which means inefficient routes are the number one thing eating into our profits currently.
Speaker B:If this all sounds familiar, then you might ask yourself, are my routes optimized?
Speaker B:Do my stop orders maximize service time and minimize windshield time?
Speaker B:Is each route close to 8 hours?
Speaker B:We all want to cut back on overtime.
Speaker B:My routes have the right amount of stops and no overlap.
Speaker B:If you answered no or unsure about any of these, then you should look at service core software.
Speaker B:Service Corps is an easy to use software built specifically for liquid waste and roll off businesses.
Speaker B:It's going to help you get your jobs done, get paid, and provide better service to all your customers.
Speaker B:Servicecores routing engine is going to make sure all your routes are optimized, balanced and dense with only a few clicks so you can go to sleep at night knowing you're getting every last dollar of profit you can out of each of your routes.
Speaker B:Now's the time you need to be thinking about this.
Speaker B:Come see what we can [email protected].
Speaker B:dot.
Pete:Before I get into the process of cleaning up, let's talk about spill kits.
Pete:A spill kit is the term used to refer to the equipment and materials used to stop and contain the spillage, collect and remove any waste, and then decontaminate or clean up the ground.
Pete:Obviously here we're talking about accidental spills away from the designated dump point.
Pete:You should always carry a spill kit on your trucks, and there should always be one in the yard for septic waste.
Pete:You might be surprised to know that you don't need to buy anything flashy.
Pete:You can use household materials found in most supermarkets or hardware stores, and there are four elements to a spill kit, the containment equipment, absorbent material, spill handling equipment, and a container for disposal.
Pete:I'll talk through each of these in turn.
Pete:To contain a spill, you need something long that you can lay on the ground to create a barrier or boom.
Pete:Now you can buy long bags or socks filled with dense foam or sand, but you could also use loose absorbent material that you later used to clean up the spill.
Pete:Sand or sawdust work really well, but cat litter and vermiculite crystals work even better because they can soak up a huge volume of liquid for the given size of each granule.
Pete:Cat litter and vermiculite are also relatively cheap, especially if you buy in bulk from a garden center or hardware store.
Pete:Whichever material you use, you need to store it in a suitable container that you can secure on the truck.
Pete:Wheelie bins work really well because they've usually got a lid, but literally any container will do and if you keep it dry, cat litter and vermiculite will last for years.
Pete:Remember to write the word spill kit on the container, though, so that everybody knows what it is.
Pete:When it comes to handling the spillage, pros have an advantage because they're usually in a truck with a vacuum pump and suction wand, and they're designed specifically to suck up septic waste really quickly and easily without having to use any other tools.
Pete:Obviously, if the spillage is on the ground, you need to be careful that you don't suck up any rocks, stones or debris.
Pete:But you'd be surprised at how quickly you can make a spillage disappear if you suck it up with a wand.
Pete:If you've spread out your absorbent material, you'll need a shovel to scrape it up and some thick polythene bags to put it in, and then somewhere to dump that waste once you leave the site.
Pete:If it's bagged, it can go into a skip or a bin.
Pete:Whatever you do, please don't try to dump it at the wastewater treatment plant or pour it into the sewer.
Pete:When it comes to decontaminating the site, I like to use a disinfectant spray.
Pete:A dilution of household bleach works well and is colourless.
Pete:I wouldn't, however, use blue because although most blue toilet chemicals contain a disinfectant, the blue dye will spread a really long way as soon as it mixes with water.
Pete:I once accidentally dropped a blue sachet which burst on the ground in a gravel car park.
Pete:Even though I spent ages cleaning up, you could still see traces of blue when I finally left and the site manager rang to complain before I got back to the yard.
Pete:In his mind, I'd left toilet waste on the ground.
Pete:The last thing you should have in your spill kit is a set of instructions and a list of emergency phone numbers.
Pete:In New Zealand, we've got a pollutions hotline, but I'd only call them if it was a major spillage that risked going into the waterway.
Pete:Usually the number for the office, the local council or environmental agency will do.
Pete:These details should be on a laminated card kept inside the spill kit or written on the outside of the spill kit container.
Pete:And on that note, don't assume that your staff know how to use a spill kit.
Pete:Talk about the procedure before the spillage occurs.
Pete:Get them to check their spill kits as part of their vehicle checks, and make sure they know what to do and who to contact.
Pete:The last part of today's episode is about the personal clean up on the day of the big spill by driver a, the clean up team got the two people who were covered in the waist to stand on the wash pad, and they used the hose to rinse them down.
Pete:They told them to strip down to their undies, put all their boots and clothes into a skip.
Pete:They were fortunate because there was a shower at the yard and a stock of spare clothes.
Pete:But honestly, it takes an awful lot of scrubbing before you start to smell and feel clean.
Pete:After an event like that, you'll catch a whiff of it for days afterwards.
Pete:I'd probably want to shave my head, peel my skin, and go through gallons of deodorant for at least the next month.
Pete:I know that some operators will say that ditching the boots or clothes was an overreaction.
Pete:In fact, driver a actually offered to take the dirty kit home to wash it.
Pete:Now, you can call me out on this, but I'm adamant that in an extreme situation like the one I described, heavily sawed boots and clothes need to go in the bin.
Pete:You see, we're dealing with toxic waste that's potentially harmful to life.
Pete:Call me fussy, but I really don't want that to go in the washing machine at home that's used to wash the rest of your family's clothes, towels, and linen.
Pete:And I don't know that many laundry services will take clothes that are that badly soiled.
Pete:Sure, if there's a washing machine at the yard, I might consider using that, but the smell of deeply ingrained septic waste is really hard to remove.
Pete:And for that reason alone, I'd be throwing the boots and clothes away.
Pete:If the waste sprays onto other property, like the cars parked next door, you obviously need to come clean with the owners.
Pete:I personally wouldn't start washing other people's cars until I'd spoken with them, but I would be offering a full clean and a full valet and whatever else I needed to do by way of an apology.
Pete:You can't just leave the scene without letting them know.
Pete:Luckily, major spills are the exception, not the norm.
Pete:And as I said earlier, with the right equipment, the right technique, and proper care and attention, you really shouldn't find yourself in a catastrophic soaking like the one I described.
Pete:Okay, that's all I've got for this week.
Pete:In the next episode, I'll be talking about the rules around driving at work and what to do if you or your staff are involved in a motor vehicle crash or road traffic collision while driving on company business.
Pete:Thank you to service corps for their support this week, and thank you for your time.
Pete:I've been Pete.
Pete:And you've been listening to get flushed, the world's favorite sanitation podcast.
