While the world currently struggles in the throes of the current pandemic, many have warned that we should be preparing for the next--a reality few, eager to return to normal, might be ready for.
Is Your Facility Prepared for the Next Pandemic?
It is accurate to say that the COVID-19 pandemic caught many off guard, resulting in a catastrophic loss of life and, though briefly, a deterioration of vital infrastructure.
However, many of the world's medical scientists and health officials had predicted a far different and more familiar airborne pathogen to rise to the level of a pandemic--influenza.
Per the World Health Organization's website;
As the next pandemic is most likely to be caused by influenza, the disease continues to be the priority public health threat in the Region.
WHE continues to work with Member States to strengthen prevention, surveillance, and response capacities for seasonal and zoonotic influenza with pandemic potential.
In response to the upgraded challenges presented by SARS-CoV-2, including the seemingly elusive method by which it is transmitted regardless of extreme measures to quarantine it, world governments and various public health organizations have begun assessing, proposing, and introducing new legislation and policies to prepare for the inevitable--another global pandemic.
However, one critical area routinely overlooked, even through the course of the current crisis, and rarely, if ever mentioned through the sequence of charged politicization, are the unseen individuals who are responsible for cleaning and sanitizing the facilities we all occupy and trust blindly to keep us safe with little to no knowledge of their training, available tools, or ability to protect themselves from infection and becoming carriers.
Addressing Pre-COVID Challenges
Several potentially difficult truths must be accepted to properly prepare your facility and its occupants for the next pandemic.
First, there is clearly little to no accurate method for predicting where the next outbreak will come from or what it will entail.
According to National Geographic;
When asked about the possibility of future pandemics, virologists rarely mince words: Another one is coming.
It’s just a matter of when.
In fact, there are an estimated 1.7 million viruses that are believed to exist in mammals and birds, and nearly half could potentially follow the deadly trajectory of the coronavirus responsible for the spread of COVID-19—meaning it could jump from animal to human and kick off another pandemic.
Second, there is a significant probability that your custodial staff is unprepared for the task of safely cleaning your facility and protecting its occupants.
Take, for example, a story regarding an incident at the University of Nebraska where, according to at least one source, custodial staff were instructed to clean a room without the proper training and safety equipment, allegedly leading to the incorrect room being sanitized--an incident which University officials deny.
According to 3 News Now;
A University of Nebraska Omaha employee raised concerns to 3 News Now Investigators on Monday about how custodial workers were treated when asked to clean a room in the wellness center on campus due to coronavirus precautions.
The source, who asked to remain anonymous, said the employees didn't have proper protection and training.
"Their concerns were not listened to," the source said.
According to our source, on Monday morning, it was discovered the wrong room was cleaned Sunday, but the room was locked and no one accessed the room before the mistake was discovered, the source said.
UNO employee: Custodians untrained for possible coronavirus cleanup
Third, before the pandemic, your custodial team was already tasked with handling dangerous chemicals, heavy equipment and routinely placed in hazardous situations with little to no protective gear or training--a fact that truly only came to light during the height of the pandemic when exposed workers could become potential carriers.
According to Bloomberg;
[...] being a cleaner — and especially a new or inexpert one — comes with risks that this pandemic could magnify.
Already these workers handle corrosive chemicals, haul heavy objects, and come into contact with potentially infectious garbage.
Now they are contending with the presence of a dangerous coronavirus on the surfaces they’re cleaning, and some say that they aren’t being provided with adequate training or personal protective equipment.
Some workers worry that the materials they’re now being asked to use might be risky.
Virex, a cleaning agent that has become the industry’s weapon of choice to fight coronavirus, can also cause rashes and burns.
Preparing Your Team for the Challenges Ahead
Adequately preparing your school or business for the next global health crisis will require a skilled, confident, and properly equipped custodial and facilities management team armed with a detailed plan regarding how your building should be cleaned, when, with what, and how that plan should be altered in extenuating circumstances.
At a minimum, your organization should outline and routinely review:
- What surfaces exist throughout the building, how they should be cleaned, with what product, and how often.
- An exhaustive list of the tools, products, chemicals, and quantities your organization currently has in inventory with the accompanying safety data sheets, maintenance logs, and corresponding protective equipment.
- A document mapping out and detailing worker training in product and equipment use, handling, disposal, maintenance, and emergency response.
- A record of the training custodial staff has received with a detailed plan for increasing their skills, knowledge, and competencies.
- A list of Local, State, and Federal agencies to reference for guidelines, especially in a state of emergency.
Takeaway
Successfully combatting the next inevitable pandemic must start at the ground level with a well-trained and equipped front-line force of skilled and confident service providers.
Long-term retention in this arena has been historically challenging for many organizations due, in large part, to issues discussed throughout this article.
Outsourcing your facility's cleaning, day porter, disinfection, and infection prevention and control requirements is a proven method for cost-effectively navigating the challenging world that lies ahead.
If you would like more information regarding the effectiveness of high-performance infection prevention and control measures, or if you would like to schedule a free, no-obligation onsite assessment of your facility's custodial needs, contact us today for a free quote!
In Bakersfield, CA, call (661) 437-3253
In Fresno, CA, call (559) 206-1059
In Valencia CA, or Santa Clarita CA, call (661) 437-3253
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