Complete Story
04/07/2020
Sanitation Guides & FAQs
Source: Gary Jones, SGIA, April 3, 2020
Sanitation FAQs
Cleaning and Disinfecting Your Facility
Protecting the health and safety of employees during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak is essential to ensure the spread of the virus is stopped and it does not spread within the workplace. The emergence of the COVID-19 virus has created a situation where every printing operation needs to institute a cleaning and disinfection program that will minimize the possibility of an employee becoming infected.
The information presented below is based on the guidelines issued by the Center for Disease Control for businesses.
How do you clean and disinfect?
• Provide training to all cleaning staff on site prior to providing cleaning tasks.
- Training should include when to use PPE, what PPE is necessary, how to properly don (put on), use, and doff (take off) PPE, and how to properly dispose of PPE.
• Ensure workers are trained on the hazards of the cleaning chemicals used in the workplace in accordance with OSHA’s Hazard Communication standard (29 CFR 1910.1200).
• Comply with OSHA’s standards on Bloodborne Pathogens (29 CFR 1910.1030), including proper disposal of regulated waste, and PPE (29 CFR 1910.132).
• Make sure all employees cleaning wear disposable gloves to clean and disinfect and then wash your hands for 20 seconds following the cleaning activity.
Sanitation Operating Procedures
1. Purpose
The purpose of this procedure is to provide instructions on the cleaning and disinfection of potentially contaminated work surfaces to prevent the transmission of the corona virus and possibly other viruses, bacteria, and other infectious agents. The contents of this procedure are based on the recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control (www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html).
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7. Sanitation Procedures
Wear disposable gloves when cleaning and disinfecting surfaces. Gloves should be discarded after each cleaning. If reusable gloves are used, those gloves should be dedicated for cleaning and disinfection of surfaces for COVID-19 and should not be used for other purposes. Wash hands immediately after gloves are removed.
Cleaning and/or disinfecting shall be accomplished by using household cleaners and EPA-registered disinfectants that are appropriate for the surface. All label instructions for safe and effective use of the cleaning product or disinfectant shall be followed including precautions to take when applying the product, such as wearing gloves and making sure you have good ventilation during use of the product.
When cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and areas, the following procedures will be followed:
• If surfaces are dirty, they should be cleaned using a detergent or soap and water prior to disinfection.
• For disinfection, most common EPA-registered household disinfectants should be effective. A list of products that are EPA-approved for use against the virus that causes COVID-19 is available here. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for all cleaning and disinfection products (e.g., concentration, application method and contact time, etc.).
