CM/Spotlight: Infection control It is time to catch up with today’s building occupants’ habits. By: Peter J. Sheldon, Sr. E Evolution is inevitable. We have evolved into a primarily indoor society with most people working, going to school and even shopping and exercis-ing indoors. One thing is certain: We’re sharing and spreading a lot of germs. With growing threats like Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Vancomycin-resist-ant enterococci (VRE) showing up in schools, gyms and other non-residen-tial environments — in addition to the 150 billion dollars in lost company pro-ductivity each year from illnesses, such as influenza and the common cold — it has become obvious that there is a sig-nificant need to do a better job of con-trolling infection in our indoor com-mercial environments. Fortunately, cleaning science is catch-ing up and new health-focused cleaning systems have been developed to address the need of cleaner, healthier business facilities. facilities, causing a few large commercial cleaning contractors and some in-house cleaners to go beyond “it looks clean” and conduct research and development to cre-ate cleaning programs that address infec-tion control for all our indoor business environments. The commercial cleaning industry is feeling the pressure to contribute to the health and safety of our community and reduce the spread of infections in our facilities. The most innovative in the industry are taking janitors and custodians of the past and comprehensively training them on health-focused cleaning procedures and guidelines, turning them into infection con-trol professionals who become our first line of defense against the increasing infection Concluded on next page A true health-focused cleaning program There are many components to a truly effective facility cleaning program. Strict guidelines must be followed to ensure the health and safety of tenants, visitors and staff. A facility manager wishing to evaluate whether their cleaning contractor is using the proper procedures for infection control and cross contamination prevention in the facil-ity should evaluate the specific elements in their current cleaning programs. The crucial elements of a health-focused cleaning program are: • The cleaning system implemented has been measured and developed through the use of scientific measurement tools rather than by aesthetic appearance alone • Use of hospital-grade disinfectant chemistry • Microfiber technology cleaning cloths for maximum bacteria and virus removal to reduce cross contamination • Flat mopping technology for maximum bacteria and virus removal to reduce cross contamination • Strict color-coding microfiber methodology to reduce cross contamination • Multiple filtration, high-efficiency vacuuming technology to increase indoor air quality and reduce the spread of airborne acquired infections. Go beyond clean In recent years, cross contamination prevention and aseptic cleaning proce-dures have received a lot of media attention, especially in health care www.cmmonline.com 19
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