What To Include A well-thought out plan should address and define, at the very least: Who the plan benefits and which individuals are leveraged to carry it out; what tactics should be employed at various stages of implementation; where custodial profes-sionals should focus their cleaning attention; when the plan should come to fruition; and how much time and attention should be denoted to specific tasks in des-ignated areas. “One important item to mention: Confirm that the correct disinfectant is being used on the appropriate surfaces,” notes Terry Zastrow, owner of Zastrow Building Maintenance Company Inc. “For instance, our ʻregularʼ disinfectant cleans a whole list of things — including Staphylococcus aureus — but doesnʼt cover the H1N1 virus. So, we reminded all staff which disinfectant to use on touch points. You may want to confirm that your chemical will be adequate for the virus or it defeats the purpose of ʻdis-infectingʼ surfaces.” Increased signage and building occupant awareness campaigns are important aspects of a holistic plan. Because repetition is a key to remember-ing, signage and awareness campaigns should stress the importance of preparation and be administered in such a way that their messages are not quickly forgotten. “What we are doing for our customers is education,” says Ken Galo, owner of L&K Office Cleaning Services. “We are letting them know, again, what we do, how we do it and what we do it with. This seems to be the best answer. They know we are making our best effort for control, contain-ment and risk reduction in the limited fre-quency and amount of time we are allotted in the facility.” When preparing a pandemic plan, rein-forcement is a key metric to success. Managers and supervisors tend to have a better understanding of the expectations of building owners while end users general-ly have greater knowledge of what building occupants require from the custodial staff. According to Bell, there are three levels of involvement with pandemic planning: Experienced medical staff and sanitari-ans who can offer expertise and tech-nical insight for eradicating threats Management personnel who under-stand the business aspect of having a written plan Custodial professionals who know building occupant expectations and hurdles associated with service delivery. Many facility managers say they are Say What? The more individuals involved in the prepa-ration of a pandemic plan the better. It would be counterintuitive to insist that only upper management can have a say regarding what the plan consists of — and vice versa. Circle Product Information no. 212 on page 32 www.cmmonline.com 21
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