The Lessons Learned from the Pandemic: A Guide to Moving Forward

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a significant challenge for global health agencies. However, one of its most positive ramifications of the pandemic is that it has helped us all realize the need for effective infection control and prevention.

As the world still faces the consequences of the pandemic, facility managers need to review the lessons learned and think about how these lessons can guide future actions to control and prevent the transmission of infectious diseases in the future.

Hand hygiene is a crucial lesson learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. We have long known that unclean hands can cause the spread of illness. Washing hands with soap and water often or using hand sanitizers when soap and water are not available can reduce the transmission of COVID-19 and other diseases significantly.

Facility managers can promote good hand hygiene by providing quality soap and warm water, touchless faucets, paper towel dispensers, hand sanitizers, and don’t forget messaging.

We’ve all seen those signs in restaurant restrooms that say, “Employees must wash their hands before returning to work.”? We see these signs because they work. Now it’s time to put similar messages directed toward all of us using public restrooms.

Another important lesson from the pandemic is the need for regular and effective cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces and objects to reduce the infection risk. This includes cleaning high-touch surfaces regularly and disinfecting areas used by many people frequently. This includes breakrooms, restrooms, conference rooms, shared office spaces, and classrooms.

Proper cleaning and disinfection remove visible soil and debris and kill germs and bacteria on surfaces and objects. Working with cleaning workers and janitorial product distributors, facility managers can help determine which surfaces are high-touch and then, using ATP metering systems, objectively measure cleaning performance to ensure cleaning has been performed properly.

Do not forget to reach out to janitorial distributors. They can be one of your best guides, helping to keep your facility clean and healthy going forward.

The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us many other specific lessons as well. At the top of the list is the need for strong infection control and prevention policies. These policies should include contingency plans for outbreak management, clear protocols for cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects, and a strategy for prioritizing critical surfaces and areas in case of cleaning staff shortages.

Facility Managers should base their policies on the best available evidence. Turn to credible sources such as ISSA and some of the leading trade publications to find this credible information.

Effective communication and collaboration are also essential in the response to infectious diseases, as the COVID-19 pandemic has shown. This means working closely with organizational leadership in local, state, and national health agencies and partnering with other organizations and stakeholders to coordinate actions and share information. This information should also be available to building users and those cleaning the facility.

Facility managers must also be aware that infection control and prevention are not limited to pathogens such as the one that caused COVID-19 but also include minimizing occupant exposure to:

????????? Mold spores

????????? Legionella from poorly maintained cooling systems

????????? Listeria from stagnant drinking water

????????? E. coli and Salmonella from food preparation surfaces and equipment

????????? Pet droppings from rodents

????????? Soil and dust contaminated with bacteria and other compounds that can harm occupant health.

?The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of infection control and prevention in safeguarding occupant health. It has also helped everyone realize the fact that the cleaning industry has the products, expertise, and know-how to keep buildings clean, healthy, and productive when given the time, resources, policies, and strategies to do the job right.

?Stephen Ashkin is president of The Ashkin Group, LLC, an internationally recognized consulting firm helping building owners “green” the cleaning process.