And since soil accumulation is directly pro- portional to the presence of pestilence and precursors to disease and injury, it is our job to urge our clients in a positive and produc- tive direction. But first, we strongly urge that you familiarize yourself with some of the tricks of the trade that are readily avail- able through YouTube and other free online sources. At the least, become familiar with the basic steps of cleaning, cleaning chem- istry, the dynamics of disinfection and sani- tization (d-, z-, and f- values), and the vari- ous commercial methods available for the operator including the latest technologies (e.g., dry steam, electrolyzed water, dry ice blasting, ozone generation, microfiber mops and wipe cloths). You may also want to share a few suggestions that would significantly help operators reach a higher level of sanitation in their facility. •First, discourage the double-dipping of mops and cloths. Discourage the use of the single mop bucket. Rather have your client consider double-compartment buckets, or better yet, use an auto-scrub- ber or a no-touch spray or vacuum system for routine cleaning. • Show your client the proper use of wipe cloths. Demonstrate how to fold clean- ing cloths into quadrants and wipe in one direction instead of back and forth, and to change to a new quadrant when needed. To prevent cross-contamination, urge that the wipe cloths are laundered after use, rather than reusing them after rinsing in a single bucket sanitizer solution. • Urge that all custodial equipment, includ- ing the custodial closet and janitorial area, is maintained in a clean and usable condi- tion. Remember, you cannot sanitize any- thing that is soiled. Suggest that all mops, if they are to be stored between use, are stored in such a manner to prevent con-
tamination of the handles (i.e., mop heads hanging down). •Along with the cleaning of equipment, help set up a program that directs hand- washing between various cleaning tasks and encourages the proper selection and use of personal protective equipment, par- ticularly gloves and eye protection. •Promote the color coding of custodial tools. Since there is no universal standard for color coding, conventional wisdom suggests using green tools (including mop heads) that are exclusively reserved for food service. Red cloths, mops, and other equipment are for use on toilets, urinals, and restroom floors. There are yellow options for restroom sinks and mirrors, and blue for general low contamination risk areas. At the very minimum, we sug- gest the red/green separation. • Ideally, if it were not for the survival of the planet, we would encourage the use of disposable mops and wipes. This sug- gestion, however, is neither practical nor economical. Therefore, if a facility does not use a commercial laundry service, we strongly suggest that they consider purchasing an appropriately sized com- mercial washer/dryer system and have it serviced by a commercial distributor of laundry products. This practice will ensure the proper wash temperature and the necessary wash cycle settings to match the materials that are being laun- dered. It will also ensure the proper titra- tion of wash chemicals for optimum soil removal. Proper laundering will signifi- cantly extend the useful life of mops and wipes, particularly microfiber ones. • Pay attention to the condition of the clean- ing hardware and ancillary equipment such as mop frames and handles, backer plates, utility sinks, equipment hooks, and
floor drains. These items see constant use and need to be replaced when they are no longer cleanable. • Encourage adequate lighting measured at the ground level of at least 20 ft-candles (215.2 lumens) in all custodial areas. Remember, it is dicult to clean what you cannot see. • Finally, suggest that your client direct suf- ficient ventilation to dry the area when not in use to prevent chronic septic conditions. As a final note, whenever possible, we always try to describe the state of sanitation, or anything else for that matter, in an objec- tive way. Subjective descriptions such as “the stove area is very dirty” relies on opinion and experiences for interpretation. Because clean- ing must be targeted to the type of soiling and frequency of attention, describing the area objectively leaves little for interpretation. For instance, “The area behind the stove includ- ing the gas lines and wall is covered with grease and dust. The heaviest accumulation is immediately adjacent to the deep fryers. The stove burners have accumulated charred food spillage that partially blocks some of the burner orifices.” Yes, this type of comment requires a bit more writing, but it is far more descriptive and provides guidance about the expectations of cleanliness. Terms such as very, extreme, or dirt do not have meaning in the prevention of cross-contamination. We encourage cleaning validation, which is using some procedure that includes field instrumentation to establish evidence that cleaning processes prevent product contami- nation. While cleaning validation is a testing and documentation process, let us first see what we can achieve through basic, regular, and good cleaning practices and leave the validation for another day.
Contact: toolkit@sanitarian.com.
September is National Preparedness Month. This year’s theme is “Preparing for Older Adults.” The month aims to raise awareness about the importance of preparing for disasters and emergencies that could happen at any time. Visit www.ready.gov/september for more information. You can also check out our preparedness resources at www.neha.org/preparedness, which includes our recently released Wildfire Response Guide for Environmental Public Health Professionals.
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