The COVID-19 Pandemic has raised awareness for businesses and their cleaning companies to be focused and diligent to prevent the potential spread of pathogenic organisms that can cause disease in humans.  It's pretty clear that medical facilities have to refresh their approach, but in our industry of cleaning offices, warehouses and large distribution centers--there are also some "must-do" precautions that should be implemented by employers.

Employees must be trained to assume that all people, products and materials should be considered contaminated.  Failure to follow consistent safety practices can be a life or death decision.  First, protective practices begin with cleaners protecting themselves with proper protective equipment (PPE).  This includes eyewear (to prevent splashing, spray, droplets), gloves and footwear.  Also similar to hospital color coding, cleaning staff in warehouses should use color coding of rags and equipment to limit cross-contamination from room to room and client to client.   Proper disposal of trash, rags, towels and gloves is important and disinfecting tools is essential. 

In our disinfection services, we have found that clients are open to discussion that informs how they can protect their employees and allow cleaners better access to help in the fight.  Simple things like clearing your desk and removing personal items or grouping equipment and supplies for easy access.  Disinfection requires attention to detail of all surfaces that are touched frequently, but includes things touched unconsciously like tops of cubicles,  chair levers, chair backs, drawer handles and buttons on machinery.  An informed workforce partnered with a diligent cleaning company can make both cleaning employees and client's workers safer! 

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    In today's ever changing climate of infectious disease the need for bloodborne pathogen training with all staff is vitally important. The possibility that staff in any capacity will come in contact with bodily fluids is increasingly high.

    The ability for the staff to have the knowledge for the proper procedures to avoid self and cross contamination is instrumental in preventing the spread of pathogens. Instructing the staff on proper use of PPE to avoid exposure to infectious diseases is paramount to control the spread of all pathogens. 

    Proper use of PPE, containment kits, and reporting protocol is all established with proper training. 

The way we are going to implement medical cleaning into our business always starts with training. If we don't know what we are doing we can't do the proper job. That meant getting the IJCSA certification first. This gave us the foundation to be able to properly do the job. After we have the training next we need to make sure we are using the right tools.

With the IJCSA training we are taught what chemicals and equipment to use. Therefore we can go online and buy the best possible tools and products to do the job.

With the correct tools we will be able to use the proper techniques learned in the IJCSA training course. We will know what to use and the purpose of those products.

Something else that should be known is that we can use the medical training techniques anywhere that we clean. This is because there is the possibility that there is germs or viruses anywhere. There is also the chance of us getting into contact with a bloodborne pathogens. This means that we should treat every cleaning situation the same way that we would treat a medical cleaning situation. This means being attentive and intentional about everything that we do.

Being aware of germs and viruses keeps everyone safe. Our job as a cleaning company is to remove those germs, dirt, and viruses. If we have the proper training then we can know we are doing it the right way. A clean space is a healthy space. In these current times health is a primary concern for a lot of people and we can help with that goal by doing the best possible sanitation services. Cleanliness is the main factor that determines whether or not people get viruses from germs and therefore we have to treat every situation as a medical situation.

Janitors and other cleaning staff are important to daily lives because life is messy and it is important to have properly trained people to come in and make sure that everything gets cleaned properly. It takes constant effort and attention to details to keep buildings clean and sanitary.

Janitors help keep day to day operations flowing smoothly as they work behind the scenes to make sure that everything is properly cleaned and sanitized, and that small, easily overlooked dirt and problems (such as leaky pipes, or broken items) do not get passed up. 

Janitors keep buildings clean and sanitizes, which helps to keep adults and children safe and healthy. Because they work so hard, they help to minimize the likelihood of people coming in contact with bloodborne pathogens and other infectious diseases. 

You can find registered cleaners that work hard to keep commercial buildings clean in the Janitorial Directory 

Janitors are essential workers needed to keep sanitary and healthy conditions for everyone else to work in. They reduce transmission of bacteria, diseases, and pests; by using chemicals and equipment to help eliminate pathogens or infestations that impair human health.

Janitors are properly trained in measures to prevent diseases, by being certified in bloodborne pathogen prevention and chemical hazards safety. As well as making sure hygiene items like soap and paper towels for restrooms be stocked. Ensuring everyone is able to wash hands, which is one of the best preventive methods to avoiding spread of diseases.

Janitors can having many duties in line of school facilities to keep future generations safe and healthy. This includes policing common areas free of trip and slip hazards. Some of the responsibilities include removing floor trash, cleaning up immediately spills, snow removal, and lawn care services.

In the IJCSA directory link below, you can find cleaning companies and there essential workers to aid in keeping your businesses sanitary and safe.

https://www.ijcsa.org/Find-A-Cleaning-Service-Janitorial-Service

It's imperative that we as employers give our employees the tools they need to succeed but foremost to ensure their safety! One measure of this in the Custodial industry is to ensure that employees are aware of how to identify hazards, safety protocols and how to handle those issues at hand.  

Training is key in educating our employees for safety. Having a proper training plan in place along with a certification program will give them the  knowledge they need to succeed in their position and their safety goals.

Preparing your team with the proper protocols and proper PPE will ensure that they are prepared for any clean up necessary. These last two years have brought much change to the industry and we as professionals need to adapt as the times change. Keeping up with best practices and our ever evolving PPE and equipment is so important to ensure everyone's safety.

There are so many aspects of bloodborne safety that it's difficult to summarize in its entirety. These few aspects that stood out to me are basic but to me are some of the most important. I would hope that each leader in this industry would take the time to educate themselves a bit more on safety. My goal is to ensure each and everyone of my employees have the knowledge and tools to stay healthy and happy!

Properly cleaning healthcare facilities is very important for many reasons. People are using going to a medical facility because they are sick. This means you have one location that is having many diseases and infections all in one place. You therefore have to be training properly to know how to clean all of those areas and kill the germs. If you dont properly clean you can cause others inside to get sick.

Something else that you must also think about is that you can get sick. From working in the healthcare facility you can get infected if you dont know what proper procedures to follow when it comes to cleaning. You have to know about sterilization and disinfection. you must also know all about bloodborne pathogens.

Healthcare facilities are places where people go to get healthy or cured. You have to ensure that you are doing your task of destroying germs and viruses so that they cant go to the next person. You have be focused and aware of just how strong germs are and how they can survive. With IJCSA training you will be prepared to complete this service to the highest standard.Janitorial Service Directory

The importance of properly cleaning a healthcare facility is to kill all germs so they are not spread and to keep a sterilized and safe environment for the situation. It may be waiting rooms, exam rooms, or operating rooms. They all have different reasoning. 

Everything I think should be treated the same no matter if it is airborne or on surfaces. A waiting room may just carry your common cold germs or more. If a person is out there bleeding and needing emergency assistant then you will need to disinfect the area due to bodily fluids being exposed to the waiting room. An aerosol disinfectant may kill the germs in the air but not on surfaces. So the bodily fluids must be cleaned up then would need disinfected as well. 

When you are taken to the back to wait on your doctor to come into your exam room, your exam room should be smelling like fresh disinfectant, not the other persons odor before you . I say that because it has happened to me plenty of times. I've gone in there and all they do is take that piece of paper cloth and rip it off. The other part that has been used is thrown away. It also has not being wiped down, it's just pulled out over the bed for the next person. I sometimes get a paper towel and put sanitizer on it, next wipe it down, then rip it off again, and replace it. I think more cleaning and disinfectant should be done more to help germs from spreading to the next person. Just replacing paper sheets only covers up what was there, you still may catch something because the germs. 

The last one I am talking about is operating rooms. Operating rooms should be 100% germ free because of what is exposed in them. Every kind of body fluids and germs are in there. The patient is expecting his Dr. to fix things and not making matters worse. So a patient before surgery has to go inside the operating room bringing in the least possible germs so it won't be as harmful. I know there is a lot of risk in itself for surgery but the operating room does need to be germ free for a surgery to go well and not catch infectious diseases left from other patients. MRSA is one easy to catch disease which can be deadly. So it is most important to keep medical facilities clean.

https://www.ijcsa.org/Janitorial-Service-Directory-Find-A-Janitorial-Service-JanitorialServices

Having knowledge in bloodborne pathogens is very crucial.  It's very important to educate your employees on the hazards and the handling procedures. If the waste is not disposed of properly people can get injured, sick, and even die.   

Educating your employees is important because you can not afford to have injured and sick people.  It will cost in many ways, for instance lack of help, loss of business and insurance premiums increases.  If your employees are out sick it will require you to work or hire other people.  If business are not cleaned properly and bloodborne pathogens are not properly cleaned you will lose business. Lastly if you are always filing claims on your insurance because you have injured employees your insurance increases. It is definitely worth spending the extra money for the classes to prevent everything mentioned.

IJCSA offers a great class to inform employees on procedures and importance of handling carefully.  There are many diseases that can happen if not handled appropriately as in HBV and HIV. My company will offer classes to all my employees on the importance of handling all Bloodborne Pathogens.

For the safety of staff and customers, your staff should be aware of the Bloodborne pathogens. Staff should be trained in this category, most especially these days. With so many viruses and bacterial infections, knowing how to clean and what to clean with is very critical.   

You should always use your standard universal precautions to prevent any spread or exposure to infected bloodborne pathogens in the workplace.  If exposed you should first wash wound with soap and water and/or flush out your eyes and nose. You should also immediately contact your supervisor and your Doctor for further steps.

Safely disposing of any Biohazard materials and used disposable cleaning equipment, also help prevent the spread. Making sure the staff knows how to disinfect as trained during these situations will make a huge impact on stopping the spread of any diseases.