FSM
Feature
How To Ensure Stadia Are Safe For Staff And The Public Post-COVID
Written by Shaun Doak, CEO of React Specialist Cleaning With large, open and populated
spaces,
such as stadiums, it is especially important that employers can ensure all areas are thoroughly cleaned and COVID-free before reopening, followed by
consistent cleans
With Boris Johnson’s recent announcement on the possibility of opening stadia in October, the nation’s gaze has already focused on the new football season and the potential of live sport in the coming weeks. Before that, it is essential that all sporting arenas are made clean and safe to eliminate the lingering worry over COVID when thousands gather en mass.
To prevent the spread of illness and the threat of a potential second wave, employers and employees alike must fully understand the risks of returning to offices and workspaces, and must know how to mitigate them effectively for the safety of the public.
As COVID-19 is a fairly new risk to health and safety, there has been a lot of inaccurate information spread on how to effectively clean and protect against it. It is crucial that individuals have expert advice, and complete suitable and sufficient risk assessments, when preparing workplaces for the safe return of staff and the public.
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whilst open. Not only should public spaces be kept effectively cleaned, but there must also be attention to the office and meeting spaces, behind-the-scenes.
The most important element is to have regular and comprehensive cleaning, hygiene and test plans in place, to ensure all areas are decontaminated effectively. Given how large stadiums are, it could be easy to miss areas, so a robust plan is vitally important, undertaken by a well organised and managed team.
It is advisable, especially with areas as large as stadiums, that the initial deep clean of public spaces are outsourced to a specialist cleaning company, as they have the expertise and products to complete reliable and thorough cleaning. There are also, however, steps staff can take to ensure a safe environment.
The most thorough cleaning process involves an initial deep clean of an entire area, followed by an increase of the frequency and thoroughness of cleaning going forward. This is especially important for high-touch surfaces such as tables, doorknobs, elevator
buttons, seats, toilets, faucets and handrails, and it is important that the methodology you choose is effective. This goes for both the behind-the-scenes areas and any spaces open to the public.
Public use of areas should be monitored, so high footfall or touch areas can be identified to implement a more rigorous and frequent plan that specifically targets these spaces.
The most effective disinfection process
includes an initial wipedown of surfaces with a pH-neutral solution, such as hot water and soap, to remove lingering dirt and dust where bacteria and viruses can be absorbed. Then, follow this by applying a virucidal disinfectant which has been certified in disabling viruses such as SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19. When make sure to
applying disinfectant, follow the manufacturer’s
instructions. This should include guidance on the required ‘contact time’- the time the disinfectant should be left on the surface to effectively destroy the virus.
This combination of cleaning procedures does not kill the virus, but disables it by destroying the protein and the ribonucleic acid (RNA) of the virus. The RNA is the substance that provides the blueprint for making more virus particles, so destroying it leaves the virus with no way to multiply or
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