ISSA News

ISSA INTRODUCES GBAC STAR™ FACILITY ACCREDITATION PROGRAM

The Global Biorisk Advisory Council® (GBAC), a division of ISSA, has introduced its GBAC STAR™ facility accreditation program on cleaning, disinfection, and infectious disease prevention, the industry’s only outbreak prevention, response, and recover accreditation. GBAC STAR establishes requirements to assist facilities with work practices, protocols, procedures, and systems to control risks associated with infectious agents, such as SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. Accreditation criteria and facility applications are now available at www.gbac.org.

“GBAC STAR is the gold standard of safe facilities, providing third-party validation that ensures facilities implement strict protocols for biorisk situations,” said Patricia Olinger, GBAC executive director. “Accreditation empowers facility owners and managers to assure workers, customers, and key stakeholders that they have proven systems in place to deliver clean and healthy environments that are safe for business.”

Ideal for facilities like offices, restaurants, hotels, airports, convention centres, stadiums, and other public venues of all sizes, the GBAC STAR program assesses a facility’s preparedness and provides staff with training for biorisk prevention and containment. The program also establishes a framework for communication and awareness best practices.

Hundreds of companies around the world have already pledged their commitment to the accreditation, and earlier this summer the Georgia World Congress Center and Dinner in a Dash became the first companies to complete the program. Canadian facilities from coast to coast are also signing on to GBAC STAR, including the Toronto Congress Centre, the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre, ISSA has announced enhancements to its Workloading & Bidding Tool, such as the addition of metric calculations and the ability to add daily and weekly frequencies, to help its members document and analyze their cleaning services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the tool, available exclusively to ISSA members worldwide through the organization’s website, members can build out a location or cleaning project by entering room type, the area in square metres or square feet, and the activities to perform. The activities correspond with ISSA’s 612 Cleaning Times, a guide to industry time standards for performing cleaning tasks. Additional features include the ability to: • show the days of week each task will be performed, along with the number of times per day • add specific tasks associated with heightened disinfecting

the Edmonton Convention Centre, and the Edmonton EXPO Centre.

The performance-based GBAC STAR program enables facilities to create and maintain an effective cleaning, disinfection, and infectious disease prevention program. To achieve GBAC STAR accreditation, facilities must demonstrate compliance with the program’s 20 elements, which range from standard operating procedures and risk assessment strategies to personal protective equipment and emergency preparedness and response measures. Facilities can apply online and provide all documentation and supporting evidence with their application. The GBAC STAR Accreditation Council determines the status of all GBAC STAR facilities. “In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the GBAC STAR accreditation program is exactly what facilities need to confidently reopen and keep staff, customers, and communities safe,” said ISSA executive director John Barrett. “The way the world views cleaning has changed overnight. To effectively recover from this crisis and prepare for the next, it’s essential that businesses take these necessary steps – and we’re thrilled to have a stable of top organizations that have already committed to the program.”

ISSA has also released a new course called GBAC Fundamentals Online Course: Cleaning and Disinfection Principles specifically designed for cleaning workers on the frontlines of the coronavirus fight. By using the special promo code “MediaEdgeCourse” registrants can receive a discount off normal prices.

For additional program details and information, please email

ISSA UPGRADES ONLINE WORKLOADING AND BIDDING TOOL

chuckn@mediaedge.ca or contact him at (416) 803-4653. create workload based on a room, floor, area, or building calculate revenue to labour, supply costs, and general overhead

Dianna Steinbach, ISSA vice president of international services, commented, “ISSA constantly updates and develops member resources to ensure members are best poised to implement industry best practices. The current pandemic made clear that the calculator needed more flexible cleaning times to meet increased demands and help with explaining the impact of current changes in cleaning scope of work. Thanks to the metric system update, members from all over the world now will be able to use the tool to improve their services and communicate cost calculations.”

ISSA members can access the tool via the myISSA portal. There is a one-month window for members to transfer their saved calculations from the previous version of the tool to the new version, or to download them.

AVOIDING CORONAVIRUS CLEANING LIABILITIES

Cleaners and restorers worldwide are at battle against the coronavirus and doing all they can to stop the virus from spreading. But without proper training, equipment, and chemistry, some might be causing more harm than good, making coronavirus cleaning a liability.

What happens when a frontline cleaning or restoration professional doesn’t follow industry standards and instructions? It can lead to disaster.

Here’s an example:

Jim Pemberton, president of Pembertons in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, is an industry supplier, trainer, and consultant. He is inundated with questions from not only his direct customers but others across the country looking for advice on what to do to battle the coronavirus and help customers. He related one experience of a cleaner who thought he could simply add disinfectant to his cleaning solution, which isn’t what the directions indicated.

Pemberton has had other conversations with cleaners who ask about misting, fogging, and other forms of applying products to surfaces. The challenge is they are thinking of routine cleaning procedures, not something as serious as fighting the coronavirus.

“Many of these guys just want someone to tell them ‘It’s OK,’ and they don’t think about the consequences,” he said. However, dangerous repercussions may result from these types of situations.

TARGETED TRAINING

Patricia Olinger, executive director of the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC), a division of ISSA, sees the same issue.

“We are getting questions about how people can start a business right now in professional disinfection,” she said. “We are seeing people in many different industries thinking they can just pick up a piece of equipment, put disinfectant in it, and go! Someone is going to get hurt. The need for training, individual certifications, and company accreditation programs is evident.”

One solution offered by GBAC is the GBAC Fundamentals Online Course: Cleaning and Disinfection Principles. Those who complete the two-hour training and pass the various test questions will receive a certificate of completion and will be in a better position to battle the coronavirus and other infectious issues. Another valuable collection of information is found on the ISSA website page titled Cleaning and Disinfecting for the Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2).

COMPLIANCE ISSUES

In the United States, the EPA has provided guidance to the industry about products appropriate for battling coronavirus. Aside from products, a delivery system has to be used to get the product to the surface for proper disinfecting procedures.

It’s a dangerous world when regulatory compliance is not followed. “This is a problem,” Olinger stated. “Considering health and safety, this is a major problem. They have to be careful. They will open Frontline cleaning professionals require support and education to ensure they are adequately protecting building guests

themselves up to liability if they don’t pay attention to regulatory compliance issues.”

If a product is not approved for use in a fogger, sprayer, or other delivery system, it may be because it has not been proven to be effective, she added.

“Individuals who are using sprayers, foggers, and the like should not only be trained on the disinfectant and equipment, but they need to understand the specifics of the infectious agents they are declaring war on,” Olinger warned. “It is extremely important for the health and welfare of the workers, the clients, and the environment.”

She said more consideration must be given to the type of personal protective equipment (PPE) being used, not only for protection against infectious agents but also the potential chemical exposure to products being applied. Something as simple as donning and doffing — putting on and taking off — PPE can be a true skill and is critical knowledge to have. Individuals can do everything right from the cleaning and disinfection side and then take off their PPE incorrectly and become infected. This has been a major cause of infection in first responders and healthcare workers. It has been a concern during previous outbreaks and pandemics as well, including the 2014-2015 Ebola outbreak.

Pemberton adds some simple, final advice: “Read the label. The application directions, including dilutions (if not ready-to-use), application devices, dwell time, and more is all on the container to help our professionals use the product appropriately and also how to deliver it to surfaces.”

Jeff Cross is the editorial director of ISSA Media, which includes Cleaning & Maintenance Management, Cleanfax, and ISSA Today magazines. He is the previous owner of a successful cleaning and restoration firm. He also works as a trainer and consultant for business owners, managers, and frontline technicians. He can be reached at jeffcross@issa.com.