INFECTION CONTROL
Guiding your facility’s approach to
infection prevention
Words Rich Prinz
How to establish a roadmap for safer and more sustainable environmental cleaning.
30 INCLEAN May / June 2022
I
nfection control has always been integral to the environmental cleaning process, however, over the last two years it has become a critical necessity. While the COVID-19 pandemic drew attention to the importance of infection prevention, it also triggered a dramatic uptick in unsafe cleaning and disinfection practices with potential health risks. Disinfecting is now ubiquitous across all industries, yet few sectors have employed dedicated infection control specialists with expertise in best practices for safer processes. This article will provide an inside look at some of the hazards posed by legacy practices and offer a route toward safer approaches to infection prevention.
As hidden hazards come to light, cleaning professionals are discarding the assumption that traditional sanitisation methods are tried and true. For instance, the age-old belief that the most potent disinfectants are sodium hypochlorite (bleach) or quaternary ammonium compounds (quats) is now viewed with caution due to serious health concerns and the probability of lower efficacy. Using too many different chemicals for each cleaning task is another example of how conventional procedures have inadvertently caused safety concerns. Not only is this practice wasteful and inefficient, but it also creates a confusing labyrinth for cleaning staff that can significantly increase risks for error.