CM/Spotlight: Infection Control PREPARING FOR Antibiotic-resistant By: John Poole, Jr. INFECTIONS Superbugs are opportunistic pathogens that have evolved to survive our cleaning onslaughts. O John Poole, Jr. is a Master Registered Executive Housekeeper (REH) with the International Executive Housekeepers Association (IEHA), a Registered Building Services Manager (RBSM) with the Building Services Contractor Association International (BSCAI) and a Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) Assessor with ISSA. He is also an Authorized OSHA Outreach Safety Trainer. Poole has experience as a project manager in Class-A office build-ings and is the former the super-intendent of custodial services for the Georgia Building Authority. Poole is currently available for con-sulting and training through his business, John M. Poole Company, in Atlanta. He can be contacted at [email protected]. for more info Visit www.cmmonline.com and type in search keyword: Infection Control . For more information on related products, visit www.cmmonline.com , select SUPPLIER SEARCH from the main navigation bar, and enter keyword: Disinfectants . Our facilities today have a silent enemy stalking for the opportunity to attack building occupants with lethal force: Microorganisms that are resistant to several classes of antibiotics, commonly referred to as “superbugs” and also known as multiple drug-resistant organisms (MDRO). This is not a scene out of a horror movie; it is a situation that has been occurring for several years — and it is only getting worse. Many different species of organisms are acquir-ing antibiotic resistance at an alarming pace. Several superbugs hang out in hospitals and communities now. The major players are: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Vancomycin-resistant Enterrococcus (VRE), resistant Escherichia coli ( E. coli ), resistant Acinetobacter baumannii , Clostridium difficile ( C. diff ), resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa , and resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae . These superbugs have a high mortality rate, and it has been stated that there are over 100,000 deaths and 2.5 million infections annually worldwide. These are staggering statistics and, as envi-ronmental services managers, project managers, executive housekeepers and the like, we must con-tinue to prepare for a potential infectious inci-dent in our facilities. How do we ready our facilities for exposure to these superbugs or potential outbreaks; what is necessary so we can be ahead of what could come at us in our offices or health care facilities? It is imperative that the housekeeping manager or the environmental services manager recognize immediately that they will need the support, advice and assistance of all the managers in a facility. Whether the tenant coordinator, property man-ager, nurse, doctor or resident, it must be under-stood that everybody lives in the environment the cleaning staff maintains. Whether they like it or not, they are part of the equation to support their immediate staff and associates. They must support what you are trying to do in preparing for the contingency of a potential event. Preparation must be a complete buy-in from everyone in the facility. If not, efforts to control a healthy outcome should an outbreak occur will be in jeopardy. Collaboration among facility residents is the informational source you will need to rely upon to gather necessary The prolonged overuse of antibiot-ics coupled with improper disinfection protocols has given rise to multiple drug-resistant organisms. 30 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • February 2012
CMM – Archives Feb 2012: 30
