INFECTION CONTROL
KEEP THE SPREAD AT BAY
Jamie Woodhall, Technical & Innovations Manager at Rentokil Specialist Hygiene looks at the ways in which businesses can adapt to a new era of infection control.
Winter is a common time when people get ill as temperatures drop and we spend more time indoors. The flu (influenza) is effective at spreading during this period, which brings a chorus of sniffs and sneezes as people across the UK battle through illness. While flu outbreaks come as no surprise, this year the world has come face to face with a new virus that has spread to UK shores – coronavirus (COVID-19).
Amid unprecedented circumstances caused by COVID-19, it’s more important than ever that businesses take the right measures to keep their facilities clean and employees safe.
REGULAR CLEANING IS ESSENTIAL Workplaces can be challenging environments to
prevent cross contamination, due to the large number of people, shared spaces and equipment. It’s essential that businesses take action, particularly during a time where illness is rife, to ensure their workplace doesn’t serve as a hotbed for viral infection.
Kitchen, dining areas and washrooms must be subject to vigilant daily and weekly cleaning routines. We advise that standard cleaning is scheduled and tracked, ensuring that it takes place regularly and on time. Organisations with hot-desking policies should also provide antibacterial wipes and encourage staff to wipe down their desks at the beginning and end of each day.
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It might sound simple but encouraging proper handwashing will also help to prevent the spread of germs. Our hands are a natural breeding ground for germs and one of the principle carriers of harmful pathogens – in fact, 80% of infections are spread by hand. Ensuring your employees have access to essential handwashing tools (warm water, soap, drying facilities and ideally, hand sanitiser) is key. There should be ample supplies of these products in the washroom, kitchen and throughout the building, paired with handwashing reminders to encourage best practice.
PROACTIVE PREVENTION On top of a regular cleaning regime, booking in a
thorough deep clean is important during a period of illness outbreak, preferably managed by a specialist cleaning company that is trained to tackle those hard- to-reach or rarely seen areas where potentially harmful microorganisms might be hiding.
With regards to the coronavirus outbreak, businesses that remain open would be wise to review and update their cleaning regimes. They should also proactively prepare in case a deep clean is required, in the event they have a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis on site. This would require a contingency survey of the premises to assess the operational needs and cleaning process as well as the financial cost of a deep clean, should an outbreak occur. All-
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