According to many experts, the world is entering into “uncharted territory” because it was not prepared for COVID-19. This sense of uncertainty is also experienced by businesses of all types and sizes in every industry – and as the pandemic continues to evolve, an increasing number of businesses are moving towards developing an appropriate response plan to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 in their settings. The most common and effective course of action taken up by essential and non-essential businesses is to adopt health and safety guidelines provided by relevant institutions.

As facilities maintenance companies function as an essential service during the coronavirus outbreak, they are also expected to change their approach to meet the new customer requirements of re-designed procedures and higher frequency demands. Some of these enhanced solutions include:

• Increased frequency of cleaning and disinfecting customer facilities with particular attention to all high touch points such as door knobs, elevator buttons, handles and latches, countertops, light switches, shared keyboards, desks and tables, among others
• Focus on cleaning as well as removing bacteria and viruses including the novel coronavirus
• Select cleaning products and disinfecting chemicals with approved coronavirus claim
• The use of appropriate PPE by employees and training on how to use and dispose it
• Training on how to practice hand hygiene during and after the cleaning and disinfecting procedures
• Ensure that all surfaces are first cleaned to remove visible contamination, dirt, and grime prior to the disinfecting procedure.
• Increase the recommended dwell time of disinfectants instructed by manufacturers to eliminate any risk of inadequate results

Service providers can only make necessary improvement in their procedures by ensuring their employees are thoroughly trained to meet the cleaning and disinfecting scope of work requirements.  The teams at Environmental Service Systems have consistently followed the guidelines shared by leading experts and authorities to ensure enhanced maintenance programs comprise of effective disinfecting procedures and quality standards for high frequency schedules. To learn more about the new and effective cleaning practices to help your business mitigate the risk of coronavirus spread at your facility, get in touch with me – Ciara Lilly at clilly@environmentalss.com