Cleaning Facilities In The Aftermath Of A Hurricane

In a prior article, I addressed the need to respond in a proactive way to water damage at home. In this article, I would like to make some suggestions to custodians who have been temporarily displaced due to flood damage to their workplace.

Although your first priority is to your family and home, you need to reach out as soon as possible to your employer to determine their need for your support as they work to get your office building back on line. If at all possible, please make yourself available to them so long as you can safely get to the contract and there is work for you to perform. Note that it may not be your typical office cleaning since they may need you to assist with flood remediation tasks such as hauling out debris, sanitizing/stocking restrooms and simply being available for whatever tasks come up in the days ahead.

In many cases, your employer is working with a skeleton crew since many employees will be off line due to the damage to their homes and inability to get to work. If you are at all available please reach out to them and be as flexible as possible. I know they will appreciate it and also you can help in the effort to get back to normalcy. Some points to consider is:

1. Beware of standing water since sink holes and many dangers can be invisible until too late. Do not walk through an area unless you absolutely know what is under your feet.
2. Beware of downed power lines since water conducts electricity. This can be tricky since there may not be any indication of the area being electrified.
3. Beware of the water itself in that it can contain many toxins including microorganisms, chemical contaminants and other pollutants that can cause skin irritation resulting in serious infections.
4. Consider updating your tetanus and other shots as a precaution.

Use appropriate PPE’s at all times.

Your comments and feedback are always appreciated. I hope to hear from you soon. Until then, keep it clean...

Mickey Crowe has been involved in the industry for over 35 years. He is a trainer, speaker and consultant. You can reach Mickey at 678-314-2171 or CTCG50@comcast.net.