FOCUS CLEANING
face masks and gloves.
Says Ponniah: “We expect sta to wash
their hands on arrival and if, for any
reason, they need to remove gloves while
working, to use sanitiser. Sta have also
received clear instructions to adhere
to the two-metre distancing rules at all
times.
“Although the masks and gloves are
primarily for our own sta , we have been
working with clients to provide equipment
for their employees, and o er ‘Welcome
back’ kits of sanitiser and masks for sta
returning to work. Cleaning firms should
also be able to o er other products, such
as door handle protection, footwear
disinfection, and o ice sanitisers.”
HYGIENIC WASHROOMS
Special attention may be
required in bathrooms
to encourage hand
hygiene and keep
facilities sanitised.
This is where
developments
in automation
come into play.
“It’s vital that
the role modern
taps play in
actively promoting
hand hygiene and
creating safe public
spaces is recognised,”
says Stuart Skinner, Senior
Product Manager at washroom controls
specialist Rada. “Taps with non-touch
controls help manage the risk of crosscontamination.
This functionality is wellestablished,
particularly in hospitals and
care facilities, but touchless interaction
should be considered as an option for
promoting hygienic facilities in every
setting.
30 JUNE 2020
stations around the o ice, especially near
high-risk areas. This will enable occupants
to manage their hygiene more e iciently,
and reduce the strain on bathroom hygiene
facilities.”
He also advises that cleaning audits need
to be stepped up to ensure standards are
maintained, with FMs creating audits and
checklists to manage every single aspect of
workplace risk, hygiene, two-metre social
distancing and cleaning.
He concludes: “Even when people are
fully aware of the threat COVID-19 poses,
standards can drop and old habits picked
back up. Ideally, daily visual inspections
should be carried out and a more formal
audit process introduced on a weekly
basis to ensure that standards are being
maintained, and to spot any holes or
weaknesses in existing programmes.”
“Digitally connected and controlled taps
unlock enhanced functionality. They o er
gesture control so water temperatures can
be easily adjusted without needing to
touch the tap. These products also
enable programmable flow times
to help encourage the di erent
handwashing processes for
users, from the public to
nurses and surgeons.
“Products must be easy
to clean, with minimal joins
and external components.
Pathogens that cause
bacterial or viral illnesses can
live on hard surfaces for some
time, posing a risk to users if not
e ectively removed. As we learn
more about the possibilities this evolving
technology can o er, manufacturers must
work with facility managers to ensure users
benefit from the latest innovations.”
Broderick says that while bathrooms are
certainly an important consideration when
managing hygiene: “COVID-19 doesn’t
discriminate between a bathroom, kitchen,
desk or any other space, and so cleaning
programmes shouldn’t either. In fact, FMs
should consider installing hand sanitation
Garry Bateman, Head of Technical
Services at Forbo Flooring Systems,
provides some practical advice
on how FMs can safely clean and
sanitise floor coverings within
domestic, commercial and healthcare
environments; the significance of
which has evolved tenfold since the
Coronavirus outbreak.
Buildings need to be clean, secure
and well maintained to ensure that
they are safe for those who use them
and this includes the need to regularly
clean and sanitise floor coverings.
When cleaning floor coverings,
consideration must
be given to the
manufacturer’s
recommended
cleaning chemical
type to avoid
any detrimental
damage to the floor surface. The
generic standard type of detergent
recommended within the flooring
industry is a pH neutral (7-8 pH)
based cleaning agent. This strength of
product will not a ect the commonly
used PU factory surface coatings of
floor coverings. However, the use of
higher or lower pH cleaning products
may adversely a ect the long-term
performance and appearance of floor
coverings.
Coronaviruses are enveloped
viruses. This means that they are
RNA viruses that are surrounded by
an outer coating comprised of a lipid
bilayer (water-insoluble fatty coating).
Enveloped viruses spread through a
“budding o ” process during which
a new virus becomes wrapped in an
outer coating. However, if this layer is
dissolved, these viruses are relatively
easy to kill – making the exposed virus
more susceptible to disinfectants
than non-enveloped viruses. The
Coronavirus therefore falls into a
category of viruses that are most
susceptible to disinfectants.
Guidance on cleaning Forbo’s floor
coverings has been provided by its
cleaning and maintenance partner,
Wrennalls Group Limited which
says that appropriate, combined
cleaning and disinfection strategies
are recommended to help control the
spread of dangerous pathogens, such
as the 2019-nCOV.
M2 Ultra (3), a neutral cleaning and
sanitising solution demonstrates
“virucidal activity against enveloped
viruses” and can be used to both clean
and sanitise a wide range of floors and
surfaces within domestic, commercial
and health care environments.
FMs should consider installing
hand sanitation stations around the
offi ce, especially near high-risk areas.
This will enable occupants to manage
their hygiene more effi ciently, and
reduce the strain on bathroom
hygiene facilities.”
REFERENCE NOTES
(1) www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-duringcoronavirus
covid-19
(2) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-
decontamination-in-non-healthcare-settings
(3) www.m2care.co.uk
FLOOR COVERED
/covid-19-decontamination-in-non-healthcare-settings
/covid-19-decontamination-in-non-healthcare-settings
/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19
/www.m2care.co.uk
