Restaurant and food facility bodily fluid cleanup

What this involves

Food facilities have one goal after a bodily fluid incident: make sure it does not turn into a foodborne illness outbreak. A guest vomiting in a dining room, an employee becoming sick in the kitchen, a cut on a slicer or a diarrheal accident in a restroom can all spread norovirus or other pathogens to food, utensils and other people. The affected area may include food-contact surfaces, prep equipment, open food and serving stations near the incident. Incidents in front-of-house areas such as dining rooms, buffets and restrooms are common, but incidents in prep areas are the most serious, because food and food-contact surfaces may be directly affected.

Why professional remediation matters

The FDA Food Code, which state and local food rules are commonly based on, calls for food establishments to have written procedures for responding to vomiting and diarrheal events. Local health department guidance generally includes blocking off a wide area, removing material, cleaning, and disinfecting with a product effective against norovirus, then discarding exposed food and properly cleaning and sanitizing food-contact surfaces. Disinfectants strong enough for norovirus are not meant to stay on food-contact surfaces without rinsing and sanitizing, so the order of steps matters. An outside crew can help when the incident is large, happens near food prep, involves carpet or upholstered seating, or happens during an outbreak, so that kitchen staff can stay focused on safe food handling.

What to avoid before help arrives

• Do not let the employee who was sick help with cleanup or return to food handling until your health department's exclusion guidance allows it.
• Do not keep serving from a station or prep area near the incident.
• Do not use a norovirus disinfectant on food-contact surfaces without rinsing and sanitizing afterward according to the label and your food code.
• Discard any exposed food. Do not try to salvage it.

How the work is done

1. Close the area. A wide area around the incident is blocked off, and nearby food and service items are removed or discarded.
2. Removal. Material is contained with absorbents and removed, with disposable items bagged.
3. Clean and disinfect. Non-food-contact surfaces are cleaned and disinfected with a product labeled for norovirus.
4. Food-contact surfaces. Food-contact surfaces are cleaned, disinfected where appropriate, rinsed and sanitized in line with label directions and your food code.
5. Summary. Management receives a written summary to keep with the facility's vomit and diarrheal event procedure.

Waste handling

Vomit, absorbent materials and discarded food are bagged and disposed of as solid waste in line with local rules. Blood-contaminated materials are handled as medical waste.

Afterward

Watch for additional ill employees or guests in the days after an incident, and contact your local health department if more than one person becomes ill. Review your written procedure with staff afterward.

Rules that apply in Tennessee

• OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard 29 CFR 1910.1030 · checked 2026-11-03

Where we provide this service

Throughout our Middle Tennessee service area, including:

• Nashville
• Murfreesboro
• Clarksville
• Franklin

Related

• Vomit cleanup and norovirus disinfection
• Infectious disease disinfection
• Public restroom biohazard cleanup

Questions