Over the past 18 months, companies thoroughly have cleaned and disinfected all work surfaces as part of their efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Due to the recent Covid-19 pandemic, all offices, warehouses, call centres, grocery stores, coffee shops, and other non-healthcare locations need enhanced routine cleaning and disinfection procedures, which is an important step in reducing exposure and infection.
Staff working in the workplace during the COVID-19 pandemic need to continue regular cleaning and other cleaning practices in all locations that remain open to workers or others. Increase cleaning levels and frequency during flu and cold seasons, ensure workers wear masks, and follow all other COVID-19 protocols. Keep infected people as far away from the workplace as possible, including through systems that allow employees to report if they are sick or showing symptoms of COVID-19, or through the screening measures described above.
Using contaminated surfaces and shared items increases the risk of spreading COVID-19 in the workplace, so companies must protect staffs and others by developing cleaning and disinfection programs. A thorough cleaning and disinfection program may be a critical part of reducing the spread of COVID-19, but it cannot exist in a vacuum. Whether or not a company chooses to use antiseptics, the best way to reduce the risk of infection transmission is to clean and disinfect all surfaces and remind people to wash their hands.
Disinfection kills any remaining bacteria on surfaces, further reducing the risk of infection spreading. Cleaning does not necessarily kill germs, but it does reduce the number of germs and the risk of spreading infection.
The assured way to prevent a superficial infection is to wash your hands frequently or use hand sanitizer. Cleaners used to remove stains may not always be effective disinfectants, and vice versa. Although the materials have always been carefully checked for cleanliness, they have not always been assessed for disinfection.
All companies should consider developing COVID-19 response plans that use a ranking of controls and other tools to ensure the protection of workers who remain or will return to their jobs during the COVID-19 public health emergency, even subject to evolving conditions epidemics. Companies can also take extra measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Continue cleaning and disinfecting in accordance with your COVID-19 safety plan. Cleaning of facilities, materials, and equipment used by a COVID-19 patient during a high-risk exposure period, and disinfection of the facility, materials, or equipment is on the premises and will be used by another employee within 24 hours of a COVID-19 emergency.
If there are no known people with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 in the facility, cleaning once a day is usually sufficient to remove any virus that may be present on surfaces. However, given the length of time the coronavirus can survive on certain surfaces, some frequently used items may require more frequent cleaning, even several times a day.
Appropriate cleaning products and protective equipment are critical to the cleanliness of the facility and the safety of caretakers and staff. Make sure employees are trained to follow strict cleaning protocols and use cleaning products safely. Apply standard daily workplace cleaning guidelines and maintain proper hand hygiene.
First clean all visibly soiled surfaces with soap and water before disinfecting the surfaces. Clean regularly with a high-contact disinfectant (at least twice a day), including tables, doors and doorknobs, keyboards and elevators, including elevator buttons and handrails, documented procedures. The team must approve and develop a written procedure for cleaning critical contact points, which must be cleaned and disinfected more frequently in the workplace.
The new procedures will include cleaning and sanitizing their workspaces throughout the day, especially key touch points such as keyboards, computer mouse and personal phones. Routine cleaning and disinfection procedures (e.g., applying a disinfectant to frequently touched surfaces or items, and pre-cleaning surfaces with detergent and water) apply to SARS -CoV-2, including patient care areas in healthcare facilities where aerosol-generating procedures are performed. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends routine cleaning in most facility areas. The centres for Disease Control (CDC) also frequently update their cleaning guidelines.
While that has not changed, other things have changed, including what we know about how the virus spreads, workers and customer’s expectations for cleanliness, the emergence of more contagious variants of COVID-19, and the advent of vaccines has led to the increase in disinfection cleaning. Hand hygiene plays an important role in CDC’s layered approach to reducing the impact of Covid, which also includes improving ventilation, social distancing, and wearing protective masks.
This includes the use of approved cleaners and fresh disinfectants diluted according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. All cleaning staff or cleaning service providers must be trained in the correct use of chemicals, detergents and cleaning equipment. Workers performing cleaning work must be protected from exposure to dangerous chemicals used in cleaning work.
Cleaning with a household cleaner that contains soap or detergent reduces bacteria on surfaces by removing contaminants and reduces the risk of surface contamination. For cleaning, you can use common household cleaners, which can be found in supermarkets.
Professional cleaning companies are well trained in establishing disinfection and cleaning processes and cleaning mechanisms. To know more of how you can make your workplace environment safer for your employees, contact www.homesurf.in
