Protection From Pathogens

Some of the main steps to protecting facilities from an infectious outbreak include:

1. Train staff to wash their hands often and continue teaching building occupants to do the same.

2. Stay home when sick. Managers should support a culture where this is encouraged.

3. Clean and clean well. The best protection from pathogens comes from proper and comprehensive training. Create written standard operating procedures and protocols. And use the least toxic, high-performing chemical or equipment/technology to clean/remove soils and germs.

If this is done, research has shown that up to 90 percent of soils and pathogenic microbes can be removed from surfaces. This is a good result, but it isn’t enough. For example, if there are 1 billion microbes on a surface, and you remove 90 percent of them, you still have 100 million microbes present.

4. Kill when necessary, using the best product for the job. Using the correct sanitizer or disinfectant could kill another 90 percent, leaving 10 million microbes behind.

Of these germs, some are non-harmful and are just part of the environment, and some will be harmful. Once the one-time spray-and-wipe or spray-and-let-dry is completed, then the accumulation of soil and microbes starts again. Dust, germs, and droplets in the air fall onto surfaces from the HVAC system, or from open doors and windows. This is why a one-time so-called deep disinfection is not effective and can waste valuable time and money. Setting up a daily, proactive system is needed.

5. Know the facility. Keep track of what types of infections happen in the facility, what time of year they occur and how long they last. Create a plan that helps relieve that burden. Work with vendors or industry experts to identify the appropriate chemicals, equipment and technology, along with appropriate cleaning processes, to protect the facility on a daily basis from an outbreak.

Every facility needs both a cleaning plan and a public health, infection control or mitigation plan.

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Identify Common Germs Found In Facilities

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Life Span Of Germs And Cleaning Efficacy