Cleaning the sewer camera after a job is covered elsewhere on this site; this guide is about everything else that touched the sewage. Hands and forearms, the wrench that opened the cleanout, the locator that was set down on a wet lawn, the phone that took the photographs, the boots, the clothes, and the van cab that all of it rode home in. Sewage carries bacteria, viruses and parasites, and the route from a cleanout to a kitchen table is shorter than it looks. A ten-minute routine closes it.
Quick answer: before leaving site, wash hands and forearms with soap and clean water you brought, dry with paper towel and bin it; wipe every hand tool that touched the cleanout or the rod with disinfectant and let it dry before it goes in its bag; wipe the locator, phone and monitor with a disinfectant wipe; bag contaminated gloves and rags; change out of wet or soiled outer clothing and boots before getting into the cab; keep a dirty side and a clean side in the van; wash work clothes separately in hot water; and treat any cut or splash to the face as an incident to clean immediately and watch.
Hands and forearms
Gloves tear and sewage wicks past cuffs, so assume the hands are contaminated when the gloves come off. Carry a container of clean water, soap and paper towel, because most sites have no tap you can use. Wash to the elbow, dry with paper towel and bin it; a shared cloth towel in the van spreads what the wash removed. Hand sanitiser is for after the wash, not instead of it, since it does not remove grit and organic matter. Hand cream afterwards keeps skin from cracking, and cracked skin is an entry point. PPE for camera work covers what the gloves should be.
Hand tools
The cleanout wrench, the cap tool, the pick that cleared the grate, the screwdriver that opened the floor drain: all have been in or on the sewer opening. Rinse them, wipe with a disinfectant that is safe for metal, let them dry and only then put them in the tool bag, which otherwise becomes a contaminated bag. A dedicated small bag for cleanout tools, kept apart from the general tools, is a simple fix. Cleanout entry is where these tools get dirty.
The locator and the monitor
The receiver was carried across the lawn and set down near the cleanout; the monitor was handled with gloves that had touched the rod; the phone took photographs between pushes. Wipe each with a disinfectant wipe, keeping liquid away from ports and seams, and let them dry. Locator maintenance and monitor care cover what the wipes should not touch.
Gloves, rags and waste
Everything disposable that touched sewage goes in a bag that is sealed and binned, not left loose in the van. Rinse water goes down a sanitary drain where one is available, never a storm drain, a lawn or a gutter. Cleaning after a sewage job covers the reel’s share of the waste.
Boots and clothing
Boots are hosed or wiped and left outside the cab; a boot tray in the back is better than the footwell. Wet or soiled outer clothing comes off before the driver’s seat, which is why a spare set lives in the van. Work clothes are washed separately from household laundry, in hot water, and the washing machine is run empty afterwards if the load was bad. Disposable coveralls for a known sewage job make all of this simpler.
The van
Divide the van: a dirty side at the back where the reel, the tools and the boots live, and a clean cab. Nothing moves from the dirty side to the cab without being cleaned. Line the dirty side with a washable mat, wipe the handles and the steering wheel at the end of the day, and keep the hygiene kit by the back door so it is used before the cab door is opened. Setting up a van covers the layout.
Eating, drinking and smoking
Not until hands are washed, not in the dirty side of the van, and not with gloves on. A sandwich eaten at the cleanout with a gloved hand is the commonest way a camera operator gets sick.
Cuts and splashes
A cut on the hand is cleaned immediately, covered with a waterproof dressing and watched for redness; a splash to the eye or mouth is rinsed with clean water at once and noted. Anyone who does this work regularly should discuss hepatitis A and tetanus vaccination with a doctor. Sewer gas safety covers the other health hazard.
Customers’ homes
Inside a house, lay a sheet where the reel sits, wipe the floor around a pulled toilet or floor drain with disinfectant when done, and do not walk through the house in boots that were at the cleanout. The customer notices, and a clean exit is part of the service.
The kit
A water container, soap, paper towel, disinfectant wipes, a disinfectant spray safe for tools, nitrile gloves, waste bags, hand cream, a first aid kit with waterproof dressings and an eye wash, and a spare set of clothes and boots. It fits in one box by the van’s back door and costs less than one day off sick.
Common questions
How do I wash my hands after sewer work with no tap?
Bring water. A container with a tap, soap and paper towel in the van is the whole answer; sanitiser alone does not remove sewage.
Should I disinfect the wrench I used on the cleanout?
Yes, every time, and keep cleanout tools in their own bag so they do not contaminate the rest.
Can I wash sewer work clothes with the family laundry?
No. Separately, in hot water, and run the machine empty afterwards if the load was heavily soiled.
Related guides
See how to clean and disinfect a sewer camera, inspecting before and after jetting, and cameras for restoration companies.