ADVANCEMENT OF THE PRACTICE
THE PRACTITIONER’S TOOL KIT
Effective Cleaning: Our Influence on Good Sanitation Practices
James J. Balsamo, Jr., MS, MPH, MHA, RS, CP-FS, CSP, CHMM, DEAAS Nancy Pees Coleman, MPH, PhD, RPS, RPES, DAAS Gary P. Noonan, CAPT (Retired), MPA, RS/REHS, DEAAS
Robert W. Powitz, MPH, PhD, RS, CP-FS, DABFET, DLAAS Vincent J. Radke, MPH, RS, CP-FS, CPH, DLAAS Charles D. Treser, MPH, DEAAS
some retail food establishments. We often find their custodial closets and cleaning equipment in an appallingly unclean condi- tion. Gray mops stored in gray water that is starting to bubble due to septic fermenta- tion, brooms and brushes that are worn and blackened from dirt and grease, cleaning cloths that can stand up on their own, and mop buckets that have not been cleaned since the turn of the millennium. Worst of all, we find that the equipment used to clean food preparation and food ser- vice-related areas is the same that is used to clean toilets and waste rooms. We often find the widespread use of inappropriate house- hold cleaning chemicals and incompatible cleaning chemical mixtures that either o- gas or are rendered completely ineective. Often, we find excessive glug–pour (i.e., the idea that if a little is good, a lot is bet- ter) applications of toxic compounds regu- lated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It is not uncommon that odorants are used to cover the stench of rancidifying fats and putrefaction that result from the anaerobic bacterial digestion of proteins or used to cover foul-smelling, incompletely oxidized organic products. And if that was not enough, we see a total lack of adequate sta training and supervision, particularly in the use (proper or otherwise) of personal protective equipment. All these conditions are rife for cross-con- tamination, not to mention seriously compro- mising the health and safety of everyone in the facility. Citing them as violations is justifiable. Contrary to popular belief, effective cleaning is not intuitive. It is a skill like any other that must be learned and perfected.
Editor’s Note: The National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) strives to provide relevant and useful information for environmental health practitioners. In a recent membership survey, we heard your request for information in the Journal that is more applicable to your daily work. We listened and are pleased to feature this column from a cadre of environmental health luminaries with over 300 years of combined experience in the environmental health field. This group will share their tricks of the trade to help you create a tool kit of resources for your daily work. The conclusions of this column are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the ocial position of NEHA, nor does it imply endorsement of any products, services, or resources mentioned.
F or those of us who specialize in in- stitutional environmental health or work in the food production industry, we focus primarily on what we aectionately refer to as the “service corridor.” This work sector includes the essential basic support operations such as food and laundry services, maintenance, warehouse, and sanitation (i.e., housekeeping, janitorial or environmental services), as well as a myriad of environmen- tal health and safety-related activities that fall under these headings. Of these support op- erations, we probably spend most of our time with sanitation, secondary to maintenance. Our charge is to reduce the bioburden of crit- ical areas to acceptable levels and minimize the risk of cross-contamination. To accomplish this charge, we define “how clean is clean” in an objective, sus- tainable, economical, and eective manner by evaluating cleaning frequency, clean- ing methods, chemicals, and equipment,
and then developing simple quality control systems. In addition, we are sensitive to the health, safety, functional, and aesthetic needs of the facility to reduce the risk of injury and illness and to minimize losses due to contamination of people, places, and things. We ensure that meeting these objec- tives does not result in any adverse eect on the public health of the community, such as destroying the local sewage disposal plant through the misuse of chemical cleaning, disinfecting, or sanitizing agents or that their use results in occupational health issues such as allergic reactions, respiratory problems, or contact dermatitis. With that not-too-brief introduction, we are sometimes aghast when we see the poorly applied sanitation eorts in facili- ties that do not enjoy the oversight of an environmental health professional. These include store-front clinics, day care cen- ters, group homes, motels, and particularly
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Volume 86 • Number 2
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