Worried about having to clean up vomit

Post Reply New Topic

I work as a bus-cleaner, and I love my job. But one thing that sends me into a panic is if there is vomit on one of the buses. When I first went for the job I was told that vomit is quite rare on their buses, and I wanted the job so badly that I put that to the back of my head.
There are 2 other cleaners too, but one of them cleans up vomit because she says vomit doesn't bother her, which is fair enough. But the other cleaner hates the smell of vomit and refuses to clean it up because of that reason. My reason for being anxious of vomit isn't the smell, it's the look of it and the phobia of a possible norovirus outbreak. If the vomit is either from an animal, a very drunk person, a young baby bringing up milk, or from someone who suffers from motion sickness, I can bring myself to clean it up. But if it's unspecified, the first thought that enters my head is norovirus, and I worry that if I clean it up i will catch it - even if I wear gloves and a mask.
So when the cleaner who usually cleans vomit up isn't there, it's up to the two of us to clean it up. It happened once before; there was loads of vomit on a bus and the driver didn't specify what caused the person to vomit, so I wouldn't go near it. The other cleaner got nasty with me and she's the sort of person you don't want to get on the wrong side of. So one of the engineers had to clean it up.

I really hate vomit. I have an intense phobia of it. I can clean up blood or urine, I'm fine with that, and if a dog has puked I can clean that up, or a drunk idiot just throwing up alcohol. But if I don't know what the vomit is, I keep well away because I am petrified of catching a stomach bug. I hate them.

What can I do to get out of cleaning up vomit if it does happen again? I just freeze with fear and almost fainted, that's how badly terrified I am of it.

I feel for you. What if you buy a disposable mask and keep that handy? If you go to a hardware, paint store or home improvement store they sell them.

You can't "get out of cleaning up vomit"; it's a BFOQ (bona fide occupational qualification) of being a bus-cleaner. What you're saying is that you refuse to perform a perfectly reasonable expectation of your job, just as surely as if a bus driver tried to "get out of" driving busses. Employers usually refer to that as a resignation.
What you can do is not allow your fears to rule over you. Clean up vomit at every opportunity, and observe that despite how terrifying they might appear, your fears really are quite transient and ephemeral; they really have no power over you other than what you allow them. With time and repetition, they will become progressively less compelling, and you will become progressively happier and less fearful. On the other hand, if you indulge your fears and practice avoidance, the exact opposite will hold true. It's your choice.
I'm a former Paramedic; I've cleaned up more disgusting stuff than you can imagine, quite probably infected with much worse than norovirus. Wear mask, eye protection, & gloves, adhere to your employer's safety policies on biohazards, and you will be fine; you're at much greater risk of slipping in the shower than a workplace infection.

I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.
Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear

I think it's more of a rational fear than an irrational one. What if a mask doesn't really stop the virus from entering your nose or mouth? Will I be at risk of catching it at all if I am very hygienic, like wash my hands thoroughly, wear gloves, wear a mask, etc? I know the stomach flu goes around everywhere anyway but I get more edgy if I'm in direct contact with vomit than if I just go to the supermarket. What the eyes don't see, the heart doesn't grieve. That's very true for me.

It's a bit like if I see a spider in my bedroom and then I lose it, I will freak out and people might say "there's probably more spiders than that hiding in your room every night", but saying that never helps because there could be 100 spiders in my room but if I don't see any then I won't worry about it.

Are there any prospects or options for you to apply for a different line of work?

I know exactly how you feel, except I could never clean up another person's vomit no matter what the cause. My two cats occasionally bring up hairballs along with whatever they last ate, and it's gross but I still clean it up. But I can't stand to even be in a large building with someone, usually a kid or toddler, who just threw up. They're less resistant to stomach viruses and are known to vomit with little or no warning. I just want to run home and jump into a bathtub full of bleach (but I don't actually do it).

Thats why you wear gloves and wash your hands. At least it's not diarrhea. There's nothing like cleaning up a patient that's covered in it with no one to help you. The only thing that will help you get over your issues of dealing with it is repeated exposure and mind over matter. I know that sounds easier said than done, but its true. Sometimes I still gag.

Then you need to find a different job. Cleaners are there to clean, not pick and choose what they'd prefer to clean and what they wouldn't. Let me put it to you this way, would you rather do your job properly and not get fired, even if it means you have to clean up vomit, or would you rather lose your job than have to clean up vomit? It's not the engineer's job to clean.

If I were your employer, I would fire both you and the other woman who refused to clean up vomit. If you can't do the job, don't do the job.

f*****g logic I hate logic.

I used to work at a care home, and I had to clean up vomit and diarrhea - during a norovirus epidemic in the very care home I was working in. That's one reason why I left. Since cleaning is the only thing I am experienced at and since I love buses, I went for the bus cleaning job. Just because I have an extreme phobia of vomit it doesn't mean I am bad at my job nor does it mean I don't do my job, nor does it mean the employer should fire me just like that. I think the employer understands.
I cleaned up dog sick a few weeks ago on one of the buses, which I didn't mind so much. You should meet the other cleaner there - she once threw a tantrum just because she was asked to clean the office. Normally I clean the office, but that day I was asked to help clean the outside of the buses because the bus wash wasn't working. I like doing different tasks. I like being busy. I am a willing worker, whatever the job may be; cleaning the office, cleaning the bathroom, deep-cleaning inside buses, sweeping and mopping all buses, cleaning the outside of buses, and I don't even care getting covered in dirt and oil when cleaning a filthy bus that has had engineers working on it. None of these tasks bother me, except cleaning up vomit that has a chance of being a stomach bug. The other cleaner, however, won't even climb a step-ladder to clean the ceilings on the buses, and she refuses to learn to wash the outside of the buses. And yet I am just as fireable as her, just because I freak out at vomit?

I could see the reference given if I did get fired:-
"Joe90 is a very efficient, reliable, positive, hard-working employee, but we had to fire her because there was an occasional vomit on the bus that she was worried about cleaning up."
Sounds a bit ridiculous, it's funny.

If you're worried about catching a "stomach bug" then vomit isn't any different to anything else. Wear gloves and use a disposable towel. Wipe up what you can of the puke and discard the towel. Use another towel and disinfectant to get the surface nice and clean. Of course hand washing after wearing the gloves and not touching your face will minimise your chances of picking anything up.

All of the surfaces in a public bus will be massively contaminated with loads of microbes, including norovirus. The rails and handles that passengers hold onto present more of a risk and many people touch them each day without gloves on.

Gloves, mask and eye protection and you should be fine, but if Ebola spreads to your area, quit your job regardless of any consequence.

Yes I know that but how come I caught the bug when I worked at a care home among people who had the bug, but never caught it just by getting on a bus or walking in a store where everything's covered in the virus? At the care home I wore gloves and a mask, washed my hands a lot, and used a lot of disinfectant to clear any vomit or diarrhoea up, throwing away cloths as I did so. I was very careful. But I still caught the bug, and then my family caught it off me, and we're not even prone to sickness bugs in our house. So it's obvious I had picked it up from the care home.

I reckon you only catch stomach bugs if you're in direct contact with vomit or a person who has the bug. A big puddle of vomit probably has a billion virus particles that are so vicious they make their way into your body even if you're protected.

If sickness viruses are everywhere you go, then how come healthy adults (not including children, elderly or people with weaker immune systems) mostly only pick them up in environments where the bug is going around?

I have to admit I hate blood and the mere sight would make me shake.

My partner also didn't like blood but he got over it when he was on a bus about 4 years ago which hit a kid the driver was not at fault as a bunch of kids at last minute ran from both sides of the road. My partner said the kids were at point blank and despite the hard braking the poor driver had the choice of swerving and hitting 6 or hitting 1 and he hit the single child.
The child was hit quite badly and my partner first aid trained had to keep the kid living till paramedics arrived. I remember that after the incident he went into work covered in the poor kids blood and even today he gets upset cause it was a case where the poor kid despite his efforts and the hospital and first responders said he did the best anyone could do with what he had he died on the way to hospital.
After that blood does that bother him but I sometimes worry if that fear of blood was replaced by something else.

I know how you feel. I also have emetophobia and have been afraid of throwing up since I was about 8 or 9 years old. I think part of it stems from seeing other kids get sick in elementary school and the other part has to do with getting ill myself when I was younger. For me, I'm scared of viruses especially stomach bugs and Norovirus. However, I'm not as scared if someone was throwing up due to other causes like pregnancy, being drunk, food poisoning, etc. And like you, I'm not really scared if an animal throws up because most illnesses they have cannot spread to humans unless it's something like rabies. In general, I suggest you wear gloves, goggles and a face mess so the vomit doesn't get in your eyes or mouth and then go somewhere and wash your hands in soap and bleach afterwards.

Have you tried asking your GP to refer you to see a psychologist? They may know strategies and mind tricks to help you with it.