Pandemic-era work-from-home requirements have influenced office workers toward more eco-conscious behaviors and expectations in the workplace.
Eco-Friendly Practices A Priority Among Office Workers
Time away from the office and working from home has realigned the majority of U.S. office workers' values towards more eco-friendly action.
College campuses, particularly dorms and restrooms, are petri dishes for germs and bacteria that spread rapidly and negatively impact academic and social development, emphasizing the need for improved cleaning policies and methods.
How Germy is the Average Student Body Dorm Room?
In most college campus dorms, students are tasked with sanitizing their living and shared spaces during the regular school year.
Recently the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the hMPXV (monkeypox) virus a Global Public Health Emergency, significantly increasing the severity outlook for the infection and taking us one step closer to the declaration of another pandemic.
Monkeypox Global Health Emergency
On July 23rd, 2022, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Ph.D., overruled a 9-6 Emergency Committee decision and declared the monkeypox virus a Global Health Emergency.
World Water Week 2022--occurring between August 23rd through September 1st and organized by the Stockholm International Water Institute--aims to make the invisible visible by bringing to attention concerns regarding rapid aridification and permanent climate change in the U.S.
Groundwater Reliance in the Western U.S.
Several naturally arid Western U.S. states increasingly rely on groundwater banked in aquifers.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, facility infection prevention priorities have shifted from cleaning for appearance, through hygiene theater, to a holistic focus on cleaning for occupant and environmental health.
Post-Pandemic Facility Infection Control Practices
Before the pandemic, custodial professionals pushed for improved cleaning methods to promote occupant health and safety while reducing humanity's environmental impact.
Healthcare officials are emphasizing the importance of summertime cleaning routines to combat the surge in COVID-19 variants.
Summer COVID Cases Surging
According to recent reports, summer cases of COVID-19 variants have quietly surged across California.
It has been estimated that approximately one in thirty hospitalized patients will acquire at least one HAI during their visit, underscoring the importance of routine enhanced cleaning and standard infection control measures.
COVID-19 and Increased HAIs
The COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted healthcare efforts to diminish the presence and impact of antimicrobial-resistant germs that affect a reported 1 in 31 patients annually, though the number is undoubtedly higher.
A steady increase in superbug infections in the U.S. has health officials concerned, especially after a disturbing spike in cases was recorded during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, partly due to the increased use of antibiotics.
Superbug Infections Increase During and After COVID-19 Pandemic
Recent data shows several concerning trends:
An increase in superbug infections is occurring and may experience an enormous spike by 2050.
More than 750,000 people die from antibiotic-resistant infections annually, and that number is expected to reach 10 million by 2050.
In the United States alone, antibiotic-resistant microbes cause more than 2.8 million infections and over 35,000 deaths annually.
Certain pathogens remain hazardous after disposal, even in treated waterways, often by attaching themselves to waste plastics, underscoring the increasing importance of moving to greener, sustainable lifestyles and business operations.
Pathogens and Plastics in the Waterways
A recent study conducted by the University of Stirling in Scotland found that non-lipid coated pathogens, such as norovirus and rotavirus, can survive facility cleaning, disposal, and water system waste treatment protocols by binding to microplastics in the waterways.
A series of recent polls suggest U.S. workers' expectations of and attitudes towards facility cleanliness and safety have changed dramatically since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
U.S. Worker Attitudes Regarding Workplace Health and Hygiene
Data collected from a series of recent polls demonstrate that U.S. office workers, even those who are considered fully vaccinated, are more concerned now with workplace safety and hygiene than before the pandemic.