The Impact of A Pandemic

Most of us in the cleaning industry were forced to react and deal with the impact of SARS in our workplaces, customers and the various institutions we may have visited. SARS forced us to wash our hands more frequently, be careful around others and a host of other good health practices. 

Now we are faced with the threat of an influenza pandemic as a result of the H5N1 avian influenza. The avian influenza is actually the start of the virus as it primarily affects birds. Once this virus mutates to humans as a new virus and starts to spread, it becomes a pandemic. 

The World Health Organization currently has us at a level three of six levels of pandemic alert. At this level there is none or very limited human-to-human transmission. As the virus starts to change and become more efficient in human-to-human transmission, the level will obviously increase and become more severe unless a cure is found or steps are taken to contain the virus as much as possible. The organization’s web site at www.who.org is an excellent site to visit for up-to-date information on this virus. 

This new strain first infected human in Hong Kong in 1997 causing 18 cases and six deaths. As of this writing, there have been 258 human cases reported, of which 153 have died. As most of us will have no immunity to this virus, it is important that we, in the cleaning industry, do everything possible to protect our clients, co-workers and family members from the spread of this virus. 

There have been numerous articles and there are various web sites dedicated to this very serious threat. It is not my intention to review the information that is generally available, but I intend to provide a view of how it will affect us in providing cleaning services and products to our clients. 

The most visible evidence of a serious health threat is the use of hand sanitizers on entering buildings; wearing of latex gloves; and the use of face masks both on the job and in public. Another obvious piece of evidence was the use of bleach just about everywhere and the obvious odor attributed to it. In the future, I would like to see the industry rethink the use of some of these harsh products, such as bleach, which can be hazardous and have a substantial impact on the environment. 

There is, however, another impact which will be even more important if a pandemic occurs. It will be on the labour required to ensure an environment which minimizes the spread of any virus. Obviously, I cannot cover every situation, but the following paragraphs contains some of the tasks and other cost factors to be considered in preventing the spread of the virus. 

In every facility we are going to have to pay increased attention to contact points such as door handles, railings and elevator buttons. It is known that the SARS virus could live for several days if not cleaned properly on these surfaces, so constant monitoring will be critical. 

In almost every type of facility with the exception of healthcare which will have a different set of rules, this will mean increased policing of the above surfaces on a regular basis. Not only will we see increased cleaning of these surfaces, but we will be performing other types of tasks related to cleaning such as: 

• We will need to have the ability to cover off with additional staff should existing staff become ill or not available to perform their duties. It will be even more important to make sure that there are sufficient staff to perform necessary cleaning functions. Some staff may even refuse to come to work if they feel threatened in their workplace. In a larger building, this might be the time to consider team or gang cleaning so members of the staff are cross-trained in one another’s duties. Develop a contingency plan for reduced staffing levels such as only performing the basic functions necessary.
• Consider a policy to pay staff who are off sick. Many individuals in the cleaning industry need to work as much as possible, and will make every attempt to work and get paid even if they are sick.
• Communicate to all employees in their appropriate language the importance of this issue and their role in it. This will include that they must stay home if they are sick; the importance of building security; the difference in symptoms between the common cold and avian flu; proper hygiene; and safety apparel.
• Ensure, in advance, that there are sufficient cleaning and other supplies to get through an emergency situation. Many facilities had difficulties getting hand sanitizer during the SARS outbreak.
• Teach staff about how to deal with potential sources of the disease they may find in the workplace such as dead birds, which may be carriers of the flu.
• Ensure that you have the necessary Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) should staff be required to work in an area where someone has been or is suspected of being ill.
• Develop an emergency preparedness plan which you can show to your client to demonstrate your preparedness.
• Develop and train your employees in disinfection cleaning of offices or work stations where someone who is ill may have worked. It will be necessary to these personnel to wear PPE.
• Establish a communication centre that makes it easy for employees and customers to communicate with a central post any changes which may occur on a day-to-day basis.

 

There are numerous factors which affect how many additional staff, if any, will be necessary to maintain and sanitize surfaces. These factors include the type of surfaces; number of occupants; and traffic levels in the building. Also, the type of screening that is done before people enter the building and how much public traffic is allowed into the building, will be important considerations. If buildings are checking each individual entering the facility and a sanitization procedure prior to entry is in place, then staff increases may not be necessary. 

Any type of restriction may be difficult in office buildings due to the business requirements of the tenants in the buildings and their rights under the lease. In office buildings, most of the additional requirements will be during the day when occupants and visitors are present. Most buildings, particularly those over 250,000 sq. feet already have some day staff present for policing washrooms, maintenance of entries and lobbies, general spot cleaning and handling emergencies. 

If the contact surfaces in elevators, stairwells, corridors and other public areas are to be wiped down or spot cleaned with some form of disinfectant on an hourly basis, this would require approximately four hours per day of additional cleaning services in a 250,000 sq. foot building. This number can be increased or decreased depending on the factors mentioned above, but is a good yard stick to use for every 250,000 sq. feet. This would, of course, be increased if tenants wish maintenance in their areas which will be highly likely in their own public areas, conference and meeting rooms, kitchenettes etc. 

In universities, colleges, public schools and other educational facilities, this yardstick will be higher as the building population is more fluid throughout the day. Almost the entire facility is being used as students travel from class to class. A minimum of eight hours per 250,000 sq. feet per school shift would not be unreasonable. This is intended to cover off evening classes and community usage in addition to day coverage. 

I realize that this benchmark of 250,000 sq. feet is difficult to apply in elementary public schools due to their generally small size however, duties of custodians may be altered or priorities changed to allow for this new need. 

I have not covered healthcare facilities in this article, but will do so in a future issue. The estimates and observations in this article are based on past experience and are not intended to only provide a starting point for evaluation of your own requirements and conditions. 

I am also very interested in any experiences or plans other are putting in place so the entire industry can be kept informed as to the best practices needed should this pandemic occur.