How Pathogens Move Through Facilities

How Pathogens Move Through Facilities

Preventing the movement of germs and bacteria from point A to point B is one of the primary focuses of commercial cleaning services.

How Pathogens Move Through Facilities

There and Back Again--A Germ's Journey Through Your Facility

Despite our best efforts, germs and bacteria plague the air and surfaces of our public facilities, resulting in illness, death, economic damage, and a measurable decline in human progress.

Per the National Institutes of Health (NIH);

The estimated average annual total economic burden of influenza to the healthcare system and society was $11.2 billion ($6.3-$25.3 billion).

Direct medical costs were estimated to be $3.2 billion ($1.5-$11.7 billion) and indirect costs $8.0 billion ($4.8-$13.6 billion).

These total costs were based on the estimated average numbers of (1) ill-non medically attended patients (21.6 million), (2) office-based outpatient visits (3.7 million), (3) emergency department visit (0.65 million) (4) hospitalizations (247.0 thousand), (5) deaths (36.3 thousand) and (6) days of productivity lost (20.1 million).

Economic burden of seasonal influenza in the United States

To confront this challenge, we must understand how germs and bacteria enter facilities and travel from point A to B to disrupt the transmission and prevent infection.

 

How Germs and Bacteria Enter the Building

Infectious disease typically enters public facilities through a commonly ignored medium--the floor.

According to the results of a 2017 study of five hospitals;

Efforts to improve disinfection in the hospital environment usually focus on surfaces that are frequently touched by the hands of healthcare workers or patients.

Although healthcare facility floors are often heavily contaminated, limited attention has been paid to disinfection of floors because they are not frequently touched.

The results of our study suggest that floors in hospital rooms could be an underappreciated source for dissemination of pathogens and are an important area for additional research.

Hospital floors may pose a larger health risk than previously thought

 

Moving from A to B

Once germs and bacteria have entered a facility, either on the shoes of facility visitors or via infected occupants, they rapidly spread to other surfaces and occupants.

Studies have suggested that the average building occupant touches the floor, either directly or indirectly, by touching objects in direct contact with the floor up to 50 times per day.

From there, the infectious microbes are transferred to our hands, where they are quickly and easily spread to other high-contact surfaces and occupants.

According to CBS News;

New research shows that contamination of just a single doorknob can help spread germs throughout office buildings, hotels or health care facilities within hours.

Researchers applied samples of a virus to surfaces such as doorknobs and tabletops and found that, within two to four hours, the virus had been picked up by 40 to 60 percent of workers and visitors in the facilities and could be detected on many commonly touched objects.

In the study, the investigators used a virus called bacteriophage MS-2 as a surrogate for the human norovirus -- the most common cause of the stomach flu -- as the two viruses are similar in shape, size and resistance to disinfectants.

The researchers placed the tracer virus on one or two surfaces -- a doorknob, a tabletop or both -- at the beginning of the day.

Then a few hours later, they tested various surfaces in the building such as other doorknobs, light switches, bed rails, phones and computer equipment for the virus, and found the germs had spread widely.

One germy doorknob can infect half your office within hours

 

Combatting the Spread at the Source

Stopping infectious disease from moving through public facilities and infecting occupants means addressing it at the source--floors.

Unfortunately, it appears that many commonly employed floor care and cleaning practices are not only unsuitable for the task, but they may be contributing to the spread, including the use of microfiber mop heads.

The solution, according to current science, appears to be regularly cleaning and disinfecting floors with an auto scrubber appliance.

According to CleanLink;

Conventional mops may not help us. As they get contaminated, they tend to spread germs and bacteria.

Microfiber mops may not be the answer either.

A 2002 study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found that microfiber mop heads can remove pathogens from floors “as long as the mop head is changed after cleaning each room” and “as long as the used [microfiber] mop head is not put back in the cleaning solution.”

The answer, and what continues to be the most effective way to clean floors, is automatic scrubbers.

They apply a cleaning solution to floors, agitate the floor, and vacuum up the soil, moisture, and pathogens all in one pass… putting an end to the mysterious travels of pathogens.

How Do Pathogens Travel Across Facilities?

 

Takeaway

Preventing the spread of disease requires custodial teams to stop it at its source.

Doing so will require an increased focus on facility floor cleaning and disinfection as well as an investment in automated floor scrubbing technologies, cross-contamination prevention training, and targeted hotspot disinfection via day porter service providers.

Adopting these methods and retaining the labor resources necessary to facilitate them may prove cost-prohibitive for many organizations, underscoring the value of outsourcing.

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 on-site 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


Vanguard Cleaning Systems of the Southern Valley

Vanguard Cleaning Systems of the Southern Valley