Outsourcing your commercial facility's infection prevention and control requirements will increase profits and decrease complaints as long as specific standards are established and maintained.
The Importance of Service Provider Training in Cleaning Outcomes
The most successful cleaning departments and service providers invest heavily in ongoing product and safety training.
Doing so prevents high turnover rates and ensures desirable cleaning outcomes while minimizing overhead and risk.
However, when hiring a third-party service provider, many organizations, especially smaller ones, often lack the knowledge required to ensure the contracted provider adheres to proper training standards and that each team member has industry-specific experience.
To address that challenge, pay attention to the following:
Efficiency Focus
Outsourced cleaning service providers for commercial and industrial facilities should focus on the efficiency and effectiveness of the designed cleaning routine and not fall into the trap of wasting time on tiny details and minutia.
The reason behind this logic is that many service contracts are established at a specific rate over a set time, and missing the forest for the trees will result in low-quality cleaning outcomes and probable health and safety issues.
If you feel that critical areas of the facility are habitually missed or ignored, contact your account manager and request a service review.
If the desired service falls outside of the contracted terms, request a renegotiation or special service to address the missed areas.
Industry Experience
It's critical for the service provider, custodial supervisor, and the outsourced company, in general, to have industry-specific experience relevant to your organization.
The reason for this is that different industries and facility types have widely varying cleaning and disinfection requirements, regulations, and restrictions.
For instance, you would not want a custodian to clean your dental office with the same products or methods used in a gym locker room, and doing so would likely violate OSHA and CDC standards and guidelines.
Working with a provider that has a deep understanding of the specific requirements relevant to your industry will significantly reduce cost, risk, and overhead.
Cross-Contamination Prevention
One of the most significant challenges facing custodians in busy commercial and industrial facilities is cleaning while preventing surface cross-contamination.
Cross-contamination can occur in several ways:
- When a room that was just cleaned and disinfected is re-entered by the custodial team from an area that has not been sanitized.
- Using a towel or mop on different surfaces--for instance, cleaning a counter where food is prepared with a cloth that was used to clean a toilet, or;
- Using contaminated or dirty water and tools throughout the building without switching out tools or changing out the water.
Cross-contamination can be avoided through:
- Proper mapping of the facility.
- Following a detailed cleaning checklist.
- Team cleaning.
- Using color-coded microfiber and the two-bucket cleaning method, and;
- Staging all tools and chemicals on the cart before beginning.
Takeaway
Clearly, a significant amount of training and experience is required to efficiently and effectively service modern commercial and industrial facilities, especially in the wake of COVID-19.
It is critical that the hiring manager or team properly assess not only the price and service options of potential commercial cleaning providers, but that each team member is properly trained, certified as necessary, and experienced with the intricacies of your particular industry.
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
In Palmdale, CA or Lancaster, CA, call (661) 371-4756
