October marks the start of the flu, gastroenteritis, and other illnesses. As building managers, what can you do to prevent infections? Here's an article on the prevention activities I recommend for all building managers. Indeed, you all have the power to reduce infections in your buildings.

I help prevent infections in my buildings

Compliance with hygiene rules

Does it seem basic to you to remind people about hygiene rules? Part of my job is to provide training to housekeeping staff, and very often in bathrooms. I'm surprised every time by the number of people who wash their hands. And for those who do, it's very often with water only! That's why it's necessary to display the correct method in all areas likely to be at high risk of contagion.

Washing with soap and water remains the best prevention tool, easy and accessible to everyone, regardless of age.

Keep it simple

A little challenge is always fun. I suggest keeping it simple. A picture often speaks for itself. So, if you'd like, feel free to use my little challenge by posting it in the suggested locations.

If you have an internal newspaper or a TV that shows the latest news, that's a good place to talk about prevention. But it should be visual and brief.

Train housekeeping employees 

Housekeeping attendants are workers who clean the most high-touch areas in a building. Just today, I met a young employee for whom the use of gloves was unacceptable. She was cleaning the toilets and every other surface with her bare hands. Of course, I opposed it and explained to her how at risk she was. When I started in housekeeping, wearing gloves was actually not required. It was even frowned upon!

Explain, promote wearing gloves and washing hands, ACT

Training employees isn't enough; employees must also be empowered to take action. We must provide hand soap, handwashing signs in the recommended locations, and provide gloves in the right quantity and quality. I don't approve of the dishwashing gloves sold in grocery stores. I favor nitrile gloves. They are resistant to basic chemicals. Placing glove dispensers in strategic locations throughout your plant, for example, can demonstrate that wearing gloves is valued in your building.

Are you sick? Stay home!

Do you have a fever and are you contagious? Stay home to avoid infecting other employees and customers. When all the soldiers are killed in battle, no one gets ahead! So it's best to take time off. And of course, inform your employer of your symptoms. It will be easier for them to prevent it.

What to do if you get hurt to be pricked by a dirty needle

You will find in the link above a very simple and illustrated document made by the Ministry of Health. Communicate the information to your employees that they have two hours to get to a medical emergency to enforce the blood-borne disease prevention protocol.

Organize the work using the High Touch technique

There High Touch technique emphasizes housekeeping tasks that should be done more frequently, depending on the degree of risk of the clientele and the risk. On a daily basis, for example, we will disinfect the half-moons of the doors (door handle and the door around the handle) as well as other similar places very frequently during the day. Instead of washing the bathrooms once a day in the evening, we will instead favor several times a day (at the start of the shift, after the break, after dinner, after the afternoon break and in the evening) or according to the traffic of your customers and the presence of your employees.

You can have somehelp in preparing a housekeeping quote and preparing roadmaps housekeeping attendants. The roadmap is another way to promote resources and methods elsewhere. It is also based on the roadmap that we will determine at what time to do a particular task. If you want the bathrooms to be visited several times a day, this must be clearly planned.

Preventing infections through surveillance

As a manager, you have several tools at your disposal to prevent infections. Have you discovered non-compliances? Take the opportunity to coach laundry employees or conduct general training activities to draw attention to non-compliances and ways to correct them. Through site supervision activities, you can ensure that:

• Employees wear their nitrile gloves
• Use the right working methods
• Respect their route maps and the requested washing frequencies
• Maintain their washing equipment and accessories properly
• The order of their housekeeping premises
• Use of washing products according to the recommended dilutions and uses

You can use work tools like monitoring accessories such as those from Diversey – Sealed Air or other manufacturers. I chose this last kit for its ease of use as well as its effectiveness, but of course, there are other systems.

If the surface has been properly cleaned, there will be no marks that will show up under UV light. Dirersey's VeriClean system – Sealed Air can be used on the following surfaces:

• Ceramic
• Hard surfaces
• Tile
• Tank
• Walls

This implies that you regularly perform the exercise in several locations in your buildings. Don't have the staff to carry out these checks? Call us; we will be happy to offer this service. quality control department.

Articles on the same or related topic

• How to check the quality of the work
• The 5 keys to truly improving the quality of housekeeping
• Getting your employees to do better
• Why, when and how to carry out quality control of housekeeping?
• Reintroduce a culture of cleanliness and tidiness
• Preventing infections through surveillance

Need help starting a training program or getting started with quality control in your buildings? Contact us through our form or call us.