Do you know what to do if an employee in your office is diagnosed with coronavirus? Who do you call if a tenant tests positive for COVID-19 in your building?
Business owners and building managers need to know the next steps to take if someone in their building tests positive for COVID-19. Emergency disinfection services are your go-to solution to take quick action to prevent the further spread of the virus.
But what are emergency disinfection services, and how does the disinfection process work? We’ll provide the answer to these and other questions about this vital service in this article.
What are Emergency Disinfection Services?
Standard disinfection services are typically rather basic. Generally, the goal of disinfection services is to provide a clean environment to your customers and employees. Until March 2020, emergency disinfection services were only needed in severe crises and weren’t part of typical day-to-day business considerations.
However, since March 2020, the goal of disinfection services cannot merely be having a hospitable and clean environment.
Unfortunately, most cleaning services may not be all they say they are. Many services continue offering the same basic services with some creative language about the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather than adapting to heightened sanitization needs, many companies provide their regular services assuming they will help make a safe reopening.
Having an accredited cleaning service that fully abides by CDC and WHO recommendations is more crucial than ever. An experienced commercial cleaning company for emergency disinfection services is an absolute must to provide your employees and your customers with the safest environment possible.
With that in mind, here are five things to know about emergency disinfection services.
1. When Emergency Disinfection Services Are Used
Before March of 2020, businesses did not need emergency disinfection services on nearly the same scale to which they are now required. Emergencies were few and far between, so companies focused on basic options, such as base-line janitorial services.
However, there is a need for emergency disinfection services to provide a COVID-19-free environment for your customers and employees. Emergency cleaning and disinfection services need to respond every time there’s a risk of contamination because someone tested positive and your staff is at risk.
Once your infected area is adequately zoned off, it’s possible to call in an emergency disinfection services team. But what happens next?
2. The Process for Emergency Disinfection Services
The CDC states that, so long as you use the right products, you can kill the COVID-19 virus. However, while normal soap-and-water-cleaning can assist with reducing the amount of virus on surfaces, the soap itself may not kill the virus.
Professional agencies need to use EPA List N chemicals to provide a thoroughly sanitized environment. The CDC recommends against specific types of bleach for proper disinfection, but should a company be without the appropriate training, how would they know which cleaning solutions were truly suitable?
Also, making a bleach solution following the CDC guidelines results in a product that is only good for only 24 hours. If you hire a company that makes the mistake of mixing their chemicals too early, you’ll find all of the services you paid for aren’t as effective and could be putting you, your employees, and your customers at risk.
3. What’s Included in Emergency Disinfection Services
At the very least, your cleaning crew should arrive prepared to handle the task at hand. You should expect your emergency disinfection team to be communicative, first and foremost. The team should consist of highly experienced and trained individuals that can answer any questions you have.
Your team should be updating you if and when unexpected issues pop up that affect your reopening deadlines. Your team may need more time than anticipated in some situations because they will be disinfecting nearly every surface of your building using various products.
A fogging machine is sometimes used as a sanitization method — though it is not always the most effective. Soft, porous surfaces like couches and plush chairs will need to be cleaned with soap and water and laundered if possible. Items like tables will need sanitizer to remain wet on them as long as possible.
Should a worker be diagnosed with COVID-19, expect your emergency disinfection services team to wait until the area is void of people to run a vacuum and to wait at least 24 hours after the person’s last known interaction with the building to begin cleaning. While this wait may seem unnecessary, the CDC recommends waiting 24 hours to clean and disinfect. The only thing they recommend during the waiting period is to open windows and outside doors to increase circulation.
Of course, every case is different. The CDC notes there are some cases where waiting 24 hours is impossible. In those cases, your emergency disinfection services team will wait as long as possible before beginning their cleaning procedures.
4. How Much Emergency Disinfection Services Cost
The cost for emergency disinfection will be entirely dependent on the size of your building and the crew’s training. Bloomberg reports that it could cost anywhere from $1 to $100 per square foot of your building to professionally sanitize it before reopening your doors.
These numbers, unfortunately, do not include the cost of waste disposal. Waste disposal costs can add up to 25% to your cleaning bill because of the nature of the COVID-19 virus.
5. What’s the Timeline for Returning to Work?
You are safe to reopen as soon as the disinfection team finishes their cleaning process. A proper disinfecting process, though potentially lengthy, is a surefire way to ensure your business is back to near-normal operations as soon as possible.
If you learn someone diagnosed with COVID-19 visited your location over seven days ago, additional cleaning and disinfection are unnecessary. However, everyday cleaning practices are still needed to ensure a healthy workplace.
Emergency Disinfection Services from a Provider who CARES
It’s best to have an emergency disinfection services provider ready to call if needed. Sentral Services understands and follows all CDC and WHO guidelines. We cover all affected areas with disinfection technology to protect our team members. Then, we deliver a two-step cleaning and disinfecting service that kills the virus and allows you to reopen your doors in confidence.
With your emergency disinfection services, you get:
- clear and fluid communication, so you're always informed
- assurance that your facility will meet your standard of cleanliness recommended by the CDC
- our proven processes replicated to streamline services and reduce waste
- results elevated by better equipment, better-trained teams, and environmentally friendly cleaning solutions
You deserve the highest quality of service. Our methodology guarantees it. For reliable, professional, and highly specialized emergency disinfection services, reach out to us for a free custom cleaning proposal. Let us help you get back to work safely.
