Infection Control: a critical part of Cleaning
Infection Control
When the CDC warned people of the severe flu season earlier this year, many turned a deafear. Turns out the Center for Disease Control
and Prevention and its numerous well educated scientist knew what they were talking about with infection control! Nearly 7% of deaths in a single week of December were attributed to pneumonia and influenza. To top that off nearly 6% off hospital visitors presented with flu like illnesses, up significantly from the 2% average.
Hitting the panic button is not the intention of the CDC reports and it’s too early to determine if the numbers are that far out of range in comparison to previous years. The point is taking a preparedness approach can help businesses and institutions avoid major breakouts and help with infection control, keeping the environment safe. Gator Cleaning Solutions takes a proactive approach to infection control and prevention especially when working with critical environments such as medical offices, schools and high traffic office space. It is part of our mission to work as partners in maintaining a safe and healthy work environment by instituting the most proven processes and chemicals to help fight infection and cross contamination within our client’s facility.
There is an enormous amount of research to support an effective infection control, cleaning and hygiene program can reduce the transmission of environmental pathogens. In fact the following basic measures can have significant impact in minimizing the contaminants:
- Clean wi th frequency – Simply cleaning regularly is a first step in infection control and keeping germs and viruses at bay
- High Touch Cleaning and Disinfection – Recognize the high touch points in your facility and be sure there is increased cleaning of these areas. Door knobs, drinking fountains, phones and keyboards are frequently overlooked with basic cleaning and often harbor bacteria.
- Understand what your up against- Certain bugs live for shorter periods of time then others. If you know there is a flu outbreak then you will find it valuable to know that the flu virus can only live and infect others for a period of 8 hours after contact. Plan accordingly and it may only take your cleaning team a few short hours to disinfect the entire facility.
- Choose the Right Chemical – Know the difference between disinfectants. Read the labels of the chemical choices to determine how they are properly used and that they are approved for your specific pathogen. Most chemicals have a specific dwell time and without that time will not have the desired results.
- Train for Safety – Take the time to acknowledge the outbreak and train staff on the importance of Hand Hygiene and keeping a clean office. Its sounds elementary however studies show 95% of people do not correctly wash their hands. Soap and Water + 20 seconds of scrubbing + rinse and dry with clean towel or air dryer!
Keep in mind Hand Sanitizer is not a replacement for Soap and do not eliminate all types of germs!
Finding the right cleaning contractor can really help fight these breakouts and contain a current breakout! If you would like a partner that understands the value of a clean working environment give Gator Cleaning Solutions a call for a no obligation quote at
813-929-1122 or www.gatorcleaningsolutions.com
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