Increased Cleaning Protocols for Frontline Centers Amid COVID

Hospital rooms and floors dedicated to treating COVID-19 patients need to be cleaned and handled with special care. COVID-19 outbreaks in hospitals are not uncommon, so emphasizing increased cleaning protocols for frontline centers during the pandemic is vital in stopping the spread.

Fortunately, there is a great deal of guidance available to frontline janitorial staff to keep rooms, hallways, and floors as clean as possible.

Here are some tips for cleaning protocols for hospitals.

Wear Extra PPE

Personal protective equipment, or PPE, such as gloves and face shields, has long been used to clean different spaces. But when it comes to COVID-19, cleaning crews need to take additional precautions even before the cleaning begins.

Janitorial workers should change their PPE more often than they may have previously, especially after coming into contact with surfaces and rooms that may have come into contact with the virus. For those workers who are more concerned, and rightfully so, there are disposable gloves, safety goggles, and many other kinds of PPE.

Clean More Frequently

This can be a challenge for hospitals that run their treatments around the clock, but cleaning frontline centers regularly and more frequently than ever before helps reduce the spread of COVID-19. This helps keep other germs and illnesses as limited as possible, such as the common cold, the seasonal flu, and more.

Cleaning frontline centers requires more attention than just spraying down a surface with an all-purpose cleaner and wiping it away. To protect against the virus’s spread, cleaning staff at frontline centers should adhere to the full cleaning cycle, including cleaning, disinfecting, and sanitizing.

• Cleaning: Removes dirt and other agents from surfaces. This is important because soiled surfaces might lessen a disinfectant’s effectiveness, which is ultimately what handles the spread of the virus. For floors, janitors should opt to mop instead of or on top of sweeping them.
• Disinfecting: Disinfecting cleans bacteria and viruses that cause illness or disease. Staff should be sure to read the product label on disinfectant sprays and use it according to the instructions. For instance, most disinfectants must stay on a surface for a minimum of 2-10 minutes to be effective.
• Sanitizing: This is an optional step after disinfecting surfaces, but it helps prevent new germs from living and surviving on surfaces until picked up by humans. As with disinfectants, staff should make sure to read the label and use it as intended.

Wash Your Hands, Then Wash Them Again

Respiratory illnesses like COVID-19 spread when droplets containing the virus get into the body through eyes, nose, and/or throat. Often, the virus easily spreads from one person to the next via hands. This has put more emphasis on handwashing and being more aware of the general cleanliness of hands.

Cleaning crews work around many contaminated areas within a hospital. Washing hands more frequently significantly reduces infection in cleaning staff as well as the circulation of harmful germs. Whenever someone removes their gloves, they should wash their hands or use an approved hand sanitizer before putting on new gloves and moving on to the next task.

Operate with Janitorial Insurance

Working with janitorial insurance provides peace of mind for staff and the company they work for. This coverage helps protect a cleaning business and its employees from various risks that can occur during cleaning, including injuries requiring workers’ compensation coverage to other issues like commercial auto accidents.

Having the right janitorial insurance for cleaning services is essential as it protects from losses that can potentially devastate a janitorial business. Basic janitorial insurance programs include General Liability, which covers mistakes or accidents that could carry high costs and Commercial Auto coverage.

It’s important to take extra special care in cleaning protocols in frontline centers that host healthcare workers and patients throughout the day. It may make the work more challenging, but in the end, cleaning services will feel better knowing their teams are doing practical and safe work in these unprecedented times.

About Tangram Insurance Services

Located across the Golden Gate Bridge, just outside of San Francisco, Tangram Insurance Services is a full-service Managing General Underwriter and Program Manager offering specialty programs. We focus on industry-relevant coverage, competitive pricing, and practical business and risk management solutions for your clients. Since we are not all things to all people, we make sure to create outstanding custom-built solutions that matter to those businesses, and the brokers who serve those industries. Contact us at (888) 744-9810.