Decontamination of COVID-19 and getting back to work as soon as possible
Posted on 12th May 2020 at 15:33
Cleanliness has always been incredibly important to us at Cheshire Cleaning. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s become essential to everyone. Keeping offices, homes, shops, transport and other spaces clean, and decontaminating heavily used areas, is by far the best way of reducing infection and controlling the pandemic.
As the UK begins to look forward to life after lockdown, continued deep cleaning is going to become increasingly important in both commercial and domestic settings. By decontaminating surfaces on a regular basis, we can kill the virus, prevent transmission and help the country to get back to work.
The importance of decontamination
COVID-19 is a highly infectious virus that can be spread in a number of different ways. It’s most commonly transmitted person to person. This happens when an infected person coughs or sneezes next to another person, or when an infected person comes into close contact with someone who doesn’t yet have the virus. This route of transmission is very common among friends and family members. It can also happen in offices and other workspaces where social distancing is not an option.
COVID-19 can also be easily spread via touch. If a person with the virus coughs or sneezes onto their hands – or touches their face – and then reaches for a door handle, handrail, supermarket trolley or other hard surface, they can easily transfer droplets of the virus to that surface. If another person comes into close contact with the same surface, and then touches their mouth or eyes, they can contract the virus. This can result in people catching COVID-19 from office buildings, trains, buses and other communal spaces.
Decontaminating surfaces is the only way to prevent this type of transmission. When heavily used areas are thoroughly cleaned using the correct chemicals and processes, it kills the virus and stops other people from picking it up unknowingly. In order for decontamination cleaning to be effective, it needs to be carried out by a professional. Skilled and experienced cleaners will be able to select the right products for the job and ensure that all surfaces are properly decontaminated.
How to decontaminate a domestic or commercial property
In order to thoroughly decontaminate a commercial or domestic property, the correct cleaning chemicals and processes need to be used. This ensures that virus droplets are killed and the area properly decontaminated. Products used for COVID-19 decontamination cleaning need to eliminate DNA and RNA, as well as other organic organisms. These cleaning products should also continue to be effective once dried.
Ideally, the area to be cleaned needs to be sealed off from the rest of the property. This prevents people from walking through the area as it’s being decontaminated and potentially re-contaminating the space. All surfaces in the area should be thoroughly cleaned and decontaminated to prevent the spread of the virus.
How decontamination cleaning can help you get back to work
This week, the UK Government has announced that people who can’t work from home can go back to their jobs. In order to keep these workers – and their customers – safe, employers need to ensure their premises are decontaminated on a regular basis. Understanding the need for decontamination cleaning, and creating a schedule for your workplace, will help to ensure you do your part in beating the virus.
1) Decontaminate before workers return
All employers expecting to restart their businesses following lockdown should arrange for a thorough decontamination clean before employees return. Even if they don’t think their workplace has been exposed to COVID-19, business owners need to ensure that their employees are as safe and secure as possible.
If you have had cases of COVID-19 in your workplace, decontamination is even more important. Experts are unsure of how long the virus can live on hard surfaces, so it’s possible that virus droplets in your workplace could make your employees ill.
Decontaminating your workspace will allow employees to come back as soon as possible. This should help to minimise the financial damage to your business and help get the economy moving.
2) Create a cleaning timetable
In order to minimise the risk of infection in your workplace, you need to arrange for professional decontamination cleans on a regular basis. Employees and customers can easily catch the virus outside of your building and transfer droplets to the space when they enter. A professional cleaning service will be able to advise you how regularly your space needs to be decontaminated.
3) Make sure employees are aware of company COVID-19 policy
Another good way to reduce the risk of infection is to create a detailed COVID-19 company policy. This policy could include requiring employees to wash and disinfect their hands when they enter the premises and to wear facemasks when they’re working closely with colleagues.
Make all employees aware of your new policy by placing signs up at hand washing points and workstations. Placing disinfectant close to the entrance of your building, in toilets and in kitchens, will further help employees to stay safe.
It’s also a good idea to ask members of staff to report any COVID-19 symptoms to their line manager. If you have an early warning about a potential infection, it will give you more time to contain the virus. If a member of staff tests positive, make sure you have a professional cleaning team in as soon as possible to decontaminate their personal workspace as well as any other areas they may have used and surfaces they came into contact with.
Decontamination cleaning is a key step in the fight to get Britain back to work and life back to normal. If you have a commercial or domestic property that needs to be thoroughly cleaned, or if you’d like to find out more about our decontamination cleans and the other services we offer, explore our site or get in touch with a member of our friendly Cheshire Cleaning team.
Tagged as: COVID-19, Decontamination
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