This week marks the start of International Infection Prevention Week (IIPW). As a facility manager, this is a perfect time to reflect upon your current infection prevention protocols and identify areas you can improve. A survey found that 7 in 10 consumers pay more attention to the level of cleanliness of the facilities they visit. Updating your cleaning team’s routine for heightened infection prevention can help your facility be prepared in case of an outbreak.
Here are some key practices you can implement in your facility to help create an effective infection prevention program.
Key Infection Prevention Practices
Enforce Proper Hand Hygiene
Proper handwashing is a core pillar of cleanliness and infection prevention. Research shows that over 80% of common infections are spread by hand, making it crucial for facilities to promote proper handwashing techniques throughout. Consider installing signage in restrooms to remind your facility occupants of the correct hand-washing techniques. Remember, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends scrubbing your hands for at least 20 seconds.
Ensure your facility has proper hand hygiene essentials such as soap, hand sanitizer and paper towels readily available throughout. This allows your facility occupants never to have to go without the proper hand hygiene essentials.
Educate and Train Your Staff
To create a successful cleaning program, you must properly train your staff. Education helps make employees feel more comfortable working with various chemicals, equipment and machines. This training is crucial for your employees to understand how to disinfect your facility properly. That way, in case of an outbreak, you can have confidence that your cleaning team is ready to go.
If your staff feels ill, they should feel comfortable taking time off to heal. If a staff member comes in sick, it could potentially cause them to spread their germs to coworkers and other building occupants. Within your training, create a list of procedures to follow if anyone calls out sick and how employees can cover for them. Additionally, consider posting signage to encourage all facility visitors who are feeling ill to avoid entering the building.
At GSF-USA, we ensure all our employees undergo mandatory training to stay updated on the latest trends and information. Our program helps ensure our staff members can safely and successfully implement cleaning operations within your facility.
Create Standard Cleaning Protocols
In addition to educating your team on proper cleaning techniques, it’s crucial to establish and enforce standard cleaning procedures. Focus on minimizing cross-contamination by consistently cleaning high-touch surfaces to remove visible dirt and debris. Follow this with disinfection as needed, aligning with the CDC recommendations. Nevertheless, these tasks should always be addressed, with particular attention given to disinfection during an outbreak in your facility or during peak flu season.
Tackle Infection Prevention with Ease
Take this week to reflect on your facility’s current cleaning routine to identify ideas that can be improved to help enhance the overall hygiene of your facility. Creating an infection prevention plan can help ensure your cleaning team’s readiness in the event of an outbreak within your facility. By incorporating the above practices, you can be assured of your team’s preparedness to confront any hygiene challenges.
Infection prevention should be a year-round focus for your facility. Do you have a qualified team ready to uphold your infection prevention program? Contact GSF USA here to learn how we can help.