Food Safety and Health and Safety Consultancy, Training and Services.
01933 626444
Email: info@inhousesafety.co.uk
In House
Unit 6 Blotts Barn, Brooks Road, Raunds, Wellingborough, Northants NN9 6NS.
COVID 19 : Workplace Hygiene Assessments
Critical following the return to work after the COVID 19 pandemic lockdowns is the assurance that a company’s cleaning and disinfection regimes are effective to reduce the risk of cross–contamination and spread of the virus around the workplace. Having a workplace hygiene assessment will reassure staff, visitors and clients that will be on site that your company is clean and safe. In House Safety are here to help you with this.
How “clean” is clean?
One of the necessary controls for the spread COVID 19 around any workplace is the effective cleaning and sanitisation of hard surfaces that come into contact with people, and especially their hands ("hand contact surfaces").
In the HSE’s “Working safely during the Coronavirus Outbreak – a short guide” and the Government guidance “COVID 19: cleaning in non-healthcare settings”, the emphasis on effective cleaning is clear. But there is no guidance on how this cleaning is to be undertaken to be effective. A wipe over the surface with a damp cloth just doesn’t cut it.
Just because a surface is free from all visual contamination doesn’t mean that non-visible contamination has been removed. With COVID 19 being microscopic, the particles could easily be left behind to be picked up on somebody’s hands and then transferred to their mouth, eyes or face. To be truly hygienic you need to be able to “see” this non-visible contamination…
And now you can with BIOSCANNING.
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BIOSCANNING
What is BIOSCANNING?
BIOSCANNING is a monitoring system that can detect the presence of bacteria and other residues on any hard surface in your workplace. The results reveal whether your cleaning methods are really working to remove these residues and thus non-detectable particles such as the virus.
How does it work?
The technology used in BIOSCANNING is known as ‘bioluminescence’. It works on the detection of a substance known as ATP (adenosine triphosphate). ATP is present in all living cells, including bacteria. If a high level of ATP is found on a surface, it indicates that it is not clean.
Though ATP cannot detect virus particles directly, by using bacteria as an indicator organism you will gain an invaluable understanding on whether the chosen method and frequency of cleaning is being effective.
If high results are attained then a change of chemical, additional training of staff or an increase in frequency may be required.
The testing method does not require any laboratory testing which can take days. It gives you instant feedback on the quality of your workplace cleaning procedures.
What does the BIOSCANNING service include?
The service can be tailored to meet your specific needs and workplace. But in short:
- Hand Contact Surface swabs - of door handles, wash hand basin taps, any shared equipment / workstations.
- Results available within seconds
- Advice and guidance on improvements to be made to cleaning procedures.
- Regular visits (usually 3-4 times per year) to ensure ongoing effectiveness
- Report left on site for immediate action by the Manager
- Written electronic report within 7 days for files
What are the Benefits?
Bioscanning is a quick, easy and immediate method by which you can monitor the effectiveness of your cleaning and sanitising regime. This is particularly important during the pandemic to have assurance that your cleaning regime is effective.
Using this service enables you to:
- Monitor effectiveness of your hygiene standards as part of your Covid-19 risk reduction measures
- Monitor contract cleaners’ standards
- Provide evidence to staff and other stakeholders that the workplace hygiene standards are high
- Reassure staff and customers that you are taking the Covid-19 risks seriously.
Want to know more?
If you would like to know more please call us on 01933 626444, drop us an email or complete our online form.