Page 81 - OHS, July/August 2020

Creating confidence in clean starts with the perception of how a facility looks and follows with how transparent the organization is with its processes.
Building Confidence in Your Clean
The average consumer’s awareness of their surroundings has heightened during the pandemic. So now, more than ever, it is vital to build their confidence in the cleanliness of your organization. So much of the work you do is behind the scenes and unseen by guests. One can’t easily tell if a counter was recently disinfected or if a floor was dusted last night. It is up to you to make sure your guests are aware of the cleaning, disinfecting and safety efforts that are being put in place. Using branded signage and graphics can communicate vital safety and business information and show the public what you are doing to protect their health and safety.
This builds their confidence and trust in your brand. Your cus- tomers want to know that you are following city, state and national guidelines to keep them safe. A carefully crafted message on sig- nage, in an email campaign, and even across social media, can set the appropriate tone and ease the minds of all who enter your space.
In an effort to be transparent, consider posting public signage outlining your cleaning and disinfecting routine. Make signs vis- ible and in places where customers are most likely to look such as on the front door, on a restroom mirror or next to a checkout line. It is also valuable for customers to see employees cleaning and dis- infecting, whether that is wiping down handles of shopping carts, or spraying off keypads after each use.
Carefully Clean and Disinfect
Examine the types of surfaces you have in your space and deter- mine the right cleaning products for those surfaces. This will be key. Is there an opportunity to get rid of hard to launder textiles that trap dirt and dust? Can you find tools that help with efficiency by taking care of multiple cleaning steps in one? As we become more accustomed to this new normal, productivity will become even more important. You will have to find ways to do more with less and make the products and tools you use work harder. As such, seeking out solutions that aid efficiency will be beneficial.
To properly disinfect, you must first understand if your disin- fectant will effectively kill the pathogen, like coronavirus, that you are addressing. Then, you and your team must understand how to properly clean with such chemicals and tools.
With so much information out there, how do you know if you have the right disinfectant in place?
■ Check your labels. Make sure you are utilizing disinfecting and antimicrobial products that have been labeled and registered for use against the types of viruses you are intending to mitigate by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).1
■ With emerging pathogens like the novel coronavirus (SARS- CoV-2), information changes rapidly. Always check with the EPA’s “Emerging Viral Pathogen Guidance for Antimicrobial Pesticides” to find disinfectants 2 that have been approved for “off-label” use against a novel virus.
■ Refer to the manufacturer’s website for more information about your disinfectant.
■ Stay on top of cleaning and disinfecting requirements and approvals dictated by your county and local leadership.
Once the appropriate tools and products are in place, employ-
ees need to be given the training to use them safely and effectively. Factors such as dwell time, dilution accuracy and the importance of using a chemical management system are all factors that not all employees have been privy to in the past. Providing simplified training upfront can not only build your employees’ confidence but also help you to share the responsibility of keeping your space clean and safe for all.
Quick cleaning and disinfecting tips to consider:
1. Dwell times can range dramatically from 10 quick seconds to 10 or more minutes. Always follow instructions on the bottle to ensure the product you are using is sitting long enough to kill the intended germs.
2. Dusting and cleaning need to come before disinfecting ef- forts. It is important to remove all contaminants first to prime a surface for disinfecting later.
3. To eliminate the unintended spreading of germs, switch to single-use dust sheets, cleaning wipes and towels.
4. The proper personal protective equipment (PPE), should be worn by all employees even during cleaning efforts. Hand washing best practices should be enforced during the cleaning process as well.
Social Distancing Standards
Businesses have had to quickly determine a social distancing strat- egy to protect both their guests and their employees. As a result, implementing wayfinding best practices and clear and helpful sig- nage is more important than ever. Visual solutions like floor graph- ics to keep patrons in a line six feet apart from one another, or win- dow or wall graphics that communicate the flow of traffic will help maintain social distancing guidelines. Not only will adding signage keep your guests be safer physically, but when utilized strategically, it will provide them with a sense of comfort and assurance.
It is important to remember that this is an unprecedented and evolving time. As such, it is critical to stay informed of developing guidelines and best practices put into place by organizations such as the CDC3 and OSHA.4 Always root your organization’s health and safety protocols in the most up-to-date data and information, and implement processes based on a statewide or county by county basis per governor discretion.
By carefully assessing your cleaning and disinfecting proto- cols, being transparent with your employees and guests about your health and safety initiatives and implementing social distancing guidelines, you can confidently tackle this new normal in a way that makes employees feel comfortable and safe at work.
Adrian Cook is the digital print films product manager for 3M’s Commercial Solutions division. Previously, he was the US floor care portfolio product marketing manager and has also worked on the chemicals portfolio during his time at 3M.
REFERENCES
1. https://www.epa.gov/
2. https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-n-disinfectants-use-
against-sars-cov-2-covid-19
3. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/ reopen-guidance.html
4. https://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3990.pdf
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