CMM - January 2012
fact based management Down Hands The dirty dozen harmful hot spots for contamination in and around commercial facilities A By Vince Elliott A number of studies have drawn a clear relationship between cleanliness and occupant health absenteeism and productivity Much of the findings point to touch points those things touched by your hands The primary spread of contamination is by hand contact with building surfaces I guess it goes without saying that our restrooms are a natural top priority when thinking about controlling the spread of germs We use special care special cloths separate water mops and often different equipment We have a sharp focus on any restroom fixture or surface we might touch But are we really controlling the spread of germs because of our myopic attention to restroom cleaning Well I think not The issue is not simply about sanitized restroom fixtures and surfaces what about all the other building items and surfaces that we touch Indeed there are the dirty dozen areas that represent the highest levels of touch point contamination 1 Restrooms Restrooms are a big source of nasty germs bacteria and more no surprise And its the reason why so much attention has been directed to the cleaning of these spaces 2 Dining rooms Where we find food we find a natural breading ground for germs of all kinds Outbreaks of Salmonella Escherichia coli E coli and other digestive risks are always present reception desk and touch the counter the sign in pen and perhaps the phone 9 Elevators Theres not much to touch on an elevator just two buttons And everyone will touch those buttons unless we can get someone to do it for us 10 Escalators Lucky us theres only one surface to touch Like everyone else though we hold onto the moving hand rail If were lucky well miss the exact spot that all those other folks touched or maybe not 11 Doors and light switches Any room with a door and light switch is a potential contamination surface 12 Stair railings Stair railings are a contamination issue even in our buildings The answer to reducing the contamination risk from the dirty dozen areas lies in the way we police and spot clean our buildings Night shift day shift and the policing staff can focus on reducing contamination levels by ongoing sanitizing in these areas CM Sanitizing tables chairs and other touch points is often an unrecognized priority in dinning areas 3 Break rooms Like dining rooms break rooms are a great breading area for bacterial growth There are food residue levels even on cleaned tables a natural platform for contamination 4 Copy areas Think about all the surfaces we touch when making copies And think about the number of other people who have also come in contact with those surfaces 5 Conference rooms Meetings meetings meetings all at the same table using the same chairs light switches and doors We touch all these surfaces and they become a reservoir for the growth of contaminants that can affect everyone 6 Water coolers As we stand around this community communications devise we touch everything The wall the cooler handle the bottle and each other Yes touching is the way to spread bacteria and the water cooler is an unsuspecting hot spot 7 ATM Like the water cooler we touch a lot of surfaces on and around the ATM machine 8 Lobby and reception areas Perhaps the first thing we touch when entering a building is the door and it seems like some other folks had the same idea Then we may walk up to the security Vincent F Elliott is the founder president and chief executive officer CEO of Elliott Affiliates Ltd of Hunt Valley Maryland For more information visit www EALtd com He is widely recognized as the leading authority in the design and utilization of best practice performance driven techniques for janitorial outsourcing and ongoing management Elliott is also the founder of the Chemical Free Cleaning Network CFCN More information about that initiative can be found at www CFCN info 44 CM Cleaning Maintenance Management January 2012
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