Combat Concerns With The Best Disinfection Practices

Contributed by ABM

Fifty-seven percent of working professionals say they don’t feel comfortable returning to the office. Building occupants are relying on cleaning professionals to give them assurance that the environment is safe. Even if they’re responsible for maintaining the space they rent, many high-touch points are in common areas: elevator buttons, restrooms, entrances, and even parking payment machines.

Don’t Just Tell, Show

Tenants aren’t cleaning experts. They can’t look at a cleaning schedule, a list of chemicals, and employee training videos to understand how the disinfection program is working to create a healthier facility.

That means cleaning professionals need to distill the disinfection program into an easy-to-communicate plan that tenants can share with their employees. If working with an outside vendor for cleaning, they may be able to support the organization with specifics such as email content to share with employees and digital signage in common areas.

It’s not enough to just hear about what is being done. Building occupants also need to see it. Whether cleaning personnel are working during business hours or use signage to indicate when an area has been disinfected, these practices demonstrate to tenants and their employees that cleaning professionals are actively creating a healthy environment.

The Right Disinfection Program is Holistic

While high-touch points are an important focal point for any disinfection program, there’s much more to consider. That’s why professionals should start with an assessment. Even if the facility has already reopened, it’s a good idea to reset the cleaning program with an assessment, followed by regular disinfection of touch points, and broader disinfection of spaces at the proper intervals.

Taking a methodical — instead of an incremental — approach to disinfection is the best way to give tenants and their employees peace of mind that building wellness is being taken seriously.

Article contributed by Lane Williams, vice president of Sales at ABM.