To not clean the wee up?

[lostintheour]

I work in a medium sized supermarket (4 tills) and we have no customer toilets - staff ones which are cleaned by cleaners not shop staff.

Today a child wet themselves in one of the aisles. My manager told me to clean it up with paper towels and I refused. It’s not part of my job description and I’m not cleaning up human waste - even if it’s a child’s.

To be honest the parents walking away and not offering to help was lazy and gross in itself but regardless aibu?

That would be a bit harsh.

I don't and won't clean other people's piss. How ridiculous.

I don't think it would be harsh, bit I do think it would be unpopular with the parents and with the corporate PR team!

OP you could ask to see the risk assessment for cleaning bodily fluids. YANBU to refuse to do it without a proper RA and training/guidance, but if they have it and the RA is "wear gloves and use X spray" then you would need to do it. There will be a clause in your contract along the lines of " and any other duties appropriate to the job role" and if it's been risk assessed, it's within your contract to do it I am afraid.

I'm a primary school teacher, not sure if it's in my job description but I've had to clean up vomit, pee, blood and snot on many occasions. 😂 Same applied when I used to work in a bar. It's not pleasant but just spray it with some antibacterial liquid, throw down some kitchen roll and pick it up with plastic gloves. Probably take all of 2 mins. 🤷

How ridiculous. It’s just piss.

lol… control their child ?
Child had an accident … doesn’t need “controlling”.

Re the cleaning, I think you’d have a duty of care to at least put a cone near it and inform the cleaners to keep the environment hazard free. If there were no cleaners around, yes I’d expect you or other staff to clean it because if you don’t, who will ?
Would you just sit back and wait for someone to slip on it ?
Sometimes it’s a case of common sense and doing the right thing.

Same here.

My teenage grandson works part time in a supermarket and has had to clear up urine.

You can't hand parents cleaning fluid and allow them access to hot water etc. It's against policy and procedures. Your manager shouldn't have asked you to use just paper towels. Signs should have been put over the area while the prep to clean was done. Then whoever does it is according to their contract.

Trained to handle clinical waste?

There's a whole army of staff in schools that have never had this training, but do it day in and day out.

Vomit. Faeces. Urine. Spit. Snot. Blood.

Animal faeces walked into the carpet children are about to sit on.

Hopefully not all in the same day,

All very very common bodily fluids cleaned in schools across the country every day by untrained staff.

Ok? I'm genuinely sorry you don't get adequate training (PPE? Adequate cleaning materials?) to do necessary parts of your job.

I'm just sharing the procedure at the few NHS Trusts I've worked in, as thats an area you'd expect to be in contact with urine and other bodily fluids. I don't blame OP for not doing it in her role.

Who cleans it then?

No “ training” needed to clean up wee.
Paper towels and disinfectant spray surely. And common sense.
Followed by a cone or two.

Fair enough, the Manager can do if they must

I'm surprised there isn't a policy around this - I can't imagine wee/vomit are totally unheard of in a supermarket.

Who's job do you think it was to clean it up? It won't be the cleaner's job, I don't expect. Are you certain it isn't in your role?

I would have expected to have suitable PPE (gloves, maybe an apron) and suitable cleaning products.

Why? It's their kid.

“Scuzzy kid”
“can’t control their child”

Some of you need to get a grip. I’d be very surprised if it wasn’t in your contract under maintaining clean and safe environment or similar. Get a mop and get over yourself.

If not you then who?

Presumably if it isnt your job, then it isnt anyone elses either. If the cleaners in your place are the same as where I used to work (medium sized place too) they would come in for set hours to clean the shop and then leave, there wasnt a cleaner on site at all times.

Using gloves, the appropriate anti bac cleaner and a red mop head which would be binned afterwards, sorted. The suggestion of using paper towels was wrong but apart from that I dont see the issue. It needs cleaning up, whats the alternative?

Cleaning up a puddle of piss would be a simpler and less unpleasant job than cleaning up a big smashed bottle of Ribena in a supermarket aisle. I speak from experience.

Though I suspect these days Ribena only comes in plastic.

Having kids is not the same as being expected to clean pee of other peoples children while their irresponsible and idiotic parents walk away.

I would have just cleaned it up. The curse of the modern working world - "it's not in my job description". I'm so pleased I will never have to hear that again!

In an ideal world the parents would have offered to clean up, they didn't so someone has to do it. Most places don't have cleaners waiting around just in case they are needed ffs. Life would grind to a halt if it wasn't for those of us who aren't so precious that we can't do a bit of cleaning when required.

Another laughable thing about the modern world - "training" to clean up a bit of wee 😂

Unfortunately people with common sense seem to be a bit thin on the ground.

Nope, YANBU.

Cleaners are paid and trained to properly clean up high risk fluids, such as sick and urine. They also have to wear protective gear whilst doing so. Your manager should know this and shouldn’t have suggested cleaning up with paper towels. There’d definitely be a cleaning protocol to abide by for cleaning urine which cleaners would know not necessarily shop floor staff.

If anyone should have cleaned it up it should be the manager, if there were no cleaners on site. No way would I have done it. Well done for refusing.

I work in retail and the only people trained to clean up bodily fluids are the first aiders.

That said I'm assuming you have a separate mop for the toilets? If so I'd get that out with whatever approved chemicals you use and mop it up then put wet floor signs around it. It's not a big deal and it takes two minutes.

So the wee has to stay on the floor until the cleaners arrive? When did a kid's wee become "high risk fluids". Talk about snowflakes!