Staying Sharp

September 4, 2023/in Janitorial, News

5 Tips for the Safe Handling of Sharps and Bloodborne Pathogens

The statistics on sharps and bloodborne pathogens in healthcare settings are scary:

385,000 injuries—or 1,000 per day—from contaminated needles and other sharps devices occur in the United States annually among hospital-based healthcare personnel.
Approximately three million healthcare workers worldwide are exposed to bloodborne viruses each year.
8,000-10,000 people die in the United States annually from bloodborne pathogens.
An estimated one-third of nurses believe sharps injuries and bloodborne pathogens present a significant risk in their work environment.
13% of nurses have sustained at least one sharps injury within the last five years.
71.2% of bloodborne pathogen exposure incidents involve less experienced workers.

Perhaps scarier still is that sharps and bloodborne pathogen incidents continue to rise in many healthcare facilities. The good news? The right environmental services (EVS) partner can help reduce these incidents while helping healthcare facilities save money and reduce their carbon footprint.

A Major Source of HAIs

As the statistics above indicate, sharps and bloodborne pathogens are both a significant concern for healthcare institutions in their own right. However, bloodborne pathogens, and in rarer cases, sharps, can also cause healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).

The CDC estimates that 5 percent of all hospital admissions result in a HAI, culminating in approximately 722,000 infections and 75,000 deaths annually. Moreover, Medicare and Medicaid funding is tied directly to the number of HAIs reported at a facility. Added to this is the expense of workers’ compensation claims, healthcare workers’ absences, and patient and employee lawsuits. The CDC estimates HAIs to cost healthcare facilities $28 to $33 billion in excess costs.

5 Steps to Safety

A major opportunity for healthcare facilities looking to protect their workers from sharps injuries and bloodborne pathogen exposure, mishandling, and disposal in improper containers is often overlooked, according to Luis Ramirez, president of Shine Facility Services, a leading provider of commercial cleaning services for healthcare facilities.

“The right EVS partner can significantly lessen the chance of sharps and bloodborne pathogen exposure and accidents, thereby reducing the number of HAIs,” says Ramirez. “The best EVS teams are thoroughly trained in the handling of these medical materials. They also offer training in these areas for nurses, nurse practitioners, and other healthcare workers—including doctors—as part of their EVS commitment to maintain a clean, healthy, and safe environment for healthcare facility workers, patients, and visitors.”

The five steps below are the minimum Ramirez believes an EVS partner should be providing.

Start right. To improve the handling of sharps and biohazardous material, a facility must have a starting point. “We suggest customers let us help them monitor their current practices, including material handling and landfill tonnage and costs,” Ramirez says. “Sometimes we find improvements can be made by something as easy as moving the red bin used for biohazardous waste closer to the point of use or the ‘regular’ trash bin farther away to eliminate potential misclassification. It can also help identify wasteful practices, such as exchanging red bins based on a schedule versus when they are full.”

Set goals. “This step is often overlooked but can greatly enhance buy-in from team members, especially in medical facilities where many who enter the field are goal-driven by nature,” Ramirez says. He suggests the goals can be as simple as decreasing the current number of sharp injuries, bloodborne pathogen exposure incidents by “X.” As for reducing landfill amounts, “This should only be done if the first step has been thoroughly performed and there is a solid understanding of how much is currently erroneously being sent to landfills, so that waste that needs to go to landfills is not overlooked just to reach a goal,” he warns.

Create a program. Like most, if not all, new plans, Ramirez says expecting team members to adhere to proper medical waste handling practices requires developing a program that includes input from all stakeholders. “This is where the right EVS provider can shine, ensuring the plan meets all compliance regulations, follows best practices, and meets all the various teams’ needs,” he says.

Educate and train. Proper medical waste handling and disposal into appropriate containers can require increased interdepartmental awareness, education, and training to ensure the “how” and “why” are clearly understood. This is another area where contracting with the right EVS provider can make a huge difference. “At a minimum, EVS technicians should receive classroom, simulated, and real-life training to ensure a clear understanding of sharps and the vast array of bloodborne pathogens in a healthcare setting, Ramirez says. “This must be followed by a thorough training of best practices for its safe handling in accordance with state and federal laws. The best providers also offer this same in-depth training for other healthcare workers on site as needed.”

Monitor and record. “Data is king and nowhere more so than in the healthcare sector,” Ramirez says. “Ensuring progress mandates a systematic, data-driven method for monitoring results. It requires tracking everything from red bag and sharp container purchases to reported injuries or exposure incidences to waste disposal fees—and lots in between. The tracking should be done by facility, department, and area to showcase improvement and discover where additional education and training may be needed to reach the desired results.”

Ramirez is confident: “Making healthcare facilities healthier, safer, and kinder to the environment while operating with fiscal responsibility takes teamwork. The right EVS provider can lead the charge.”

EVS Provider With Medical Waste Handling Experience

Is your EVS provider helping keep your healthcare facility workers, occupants, and visitors safe from sharps and biohazardous waste? If you are unsure, or they skipped a step above, we invite you to experience the Shine difference. Bbrowse our website or contact us for more information.

Cleanroom Cleaning: Where Expertise Pays Off

September 4, 2023/in Janitorial, JANITORIAL SERVICES, News

As anyone involved with cleanrooms knows, efficient and effective maintenance of these spaces is critical in healthcare and life sciences manufacturing, including biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and medical device manufacturing—and no wonder! Even the tiniest foreign particulate can cause a breach, compromising product quality and leading to potential health hazards, production delays, plant shutdowns, or even expensive class action and other product liability lawsuits. This is why the cleanliness of cleanrooms is heavily regulated. It is also why having a commercial cleaning services provider with cleanroom cleaning expertise is essential.

Cleanroom Defined

According to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14644, the standard that regulates cleanrooms, a cleanroom is “a room in which the concentration of airborne particles is controlled and which is constructed and used in a manner to minimize the introduction, generation, and retention of particles inside the room.” In other words, cleanrooms are spaces where even submicron-sized particles and microbes cannot be allowed to remain. Hospitals and healthcare settings have cleanrooms to protect patients with compromised immune systems. Cleanrooms are also found in food, life sciences, electronic, medical device, and other manufacturing facilities.

Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) are vital to manufacturing, and proper sanitation and hygiene play an enormous role in GMP. So, too, does the cleanroom’s International Organization of Standardization (ISO) number, which determines the level of cleanliness required.

The Good of GMP

GMP is a system of processes, procedures, and documentation designed to ensure products are consistently manufactured according to set quality standards. GMP protects consumers from defective, potentially dangerous products, and while GMP standards can vary by sector and even facility, strict adherence to them cannot.

ISO Levels of Cleanliness

A cleanroom’s ISO level of cleanliness is based on the amount of particulate allowed in the room per cubic meter. ISO levels range from 1 through 9, depending on the room’s usage, with 9 being the “dirtiest” cleanroom and 1 the cleanest. An ISO 9 standard can harbor up to one million micron-sized particles per cubic meter. ISO 1 demands 1,000 or fewer micron-sized particles per cubic meter. Most cleanrooms fall between ISO 5 and 8, with ISO 7 and 8 being the most common.

The Right Stuff

Meeting the strict GMP and ISO requirements for cleanrooms—and avoiding the costly consequences of not following them—requires a cleaning team familiar with proper cleanroom protocol. With this in mind, below are five areas where an experienced cleanroom cleaning service provider can prove invaluable.

Product knowledge. “Servicing a clean room requires knowing what equipment and products to use, such as the special wipers or the right formula mix,” explains Luis Ramirez, president of Shine Facility Services. “This is especially important when there is a breach. The cleaning product that must be used depends on the type of breach; the cleaning formula needs to work against the specific bacteria or substance that has entered the clean room. The scientists test the cleanrooms and let us know if there is a breach and what it is. Then we work with our supplier to ensure we get the right product. And even if you use the right product, if you don’t mix it correctly, you may not remove the breach.”

According to Ramirez, a breach can be caused by anything as seemingly simple as a person entering the room with jewelry, a cell phone, or an unauthorized cleaning product to an employee wiping perspiration from his/her forehead and touching a surface.

Processes. Another reason cleanroom cleaning is considered a specialty is that it requires a specific cleaning sequence. “Our GMP cleaners know where to start and end with their cleaning procedures to prevent cross and recontamination of surfaces,” Ramirez says. “Using the right sequence gets a cleanroom up and running faster after a product switch or breach and avoids the time and expense of do-overs.”

Staffing. Ramirez says clean rooms are usually serviced by teams of two or four. “Suppose there are not enough trained employees to cover an unforeseen employee absence,” Ramirez says. In such cases, manufacturing facilities can be forced to halt production, which can prove expensive and trigger long-term effects including supply chain shortages and canceled orders. At Shine, we have created a culture where people want to work, which breeds loyalty and reduces employee absenteeism and turnover.”

PPE and lifestyle. Ensuring all individuals entering a cleanroom wear full personal protective equipment (PPE), such as gloves, gowns, safety glasses, bonnets, and booties, is vital. Proper procedures for donning and removing PPE also must be strictly followed by all who enter the room, including cleanroom cleaners. “It takes a certain type of person who doesn’t mind working in full PPE,” Ramirez says. “Some people find it too restrictive, even claustrophobic. Some say it causes them to perspire, or they don’t like the feel of it. Others don’t want to remove their jewelry or give up wearing makeup or carrying their cell phones. We make sure to select technicians who are comfortable with these demands while possessing the temperament and patience to don and remove PPE often multiple times per shift.”

Attention to detail. Cleaning every centimeter of the same space, sometimes numerous times during a breach or product switch, can be tedious and monotonous. So, too, is the detailed reporting required every time a cleanroom is cleaned. “GMP requires a record of any actions taken, and it must be kept current at all times,” Ramirez says. “If an impromptu audit is conducted, and the records aren’t 100% up-to-date, the production can and will be shut down. It takes a special kind of person to perform these duties accurately and consistently.”

These are just five reasons hiring a commercial cleaning services provider well-versed in cleanroom processes and protocols saves time, money, and potential headaches. Contact us to find out more!

The Shine Difference: California’s Experienced Cleanroom Cleaning Service Provider

Are you seeking a cleanroom cleaning provider in the San Francisco Bay area with GMP and ISO-level knowledge and experience? We are experts in cleanrooms for healthcare, life sciences, and other manufacturing industries. Discover the Shine difference. Browse our website and contact us for more information or to get answers to your cleanroom or other facility maintenance questions. At Shine Facility Services, we take care of the cleaning so you can concentrate on running your business.

Health Risks of an Unclean Workplace

October 7, 2019/in Green Cleaning, Janitorial

The average person spends 90,000 hours at work during their lifetime. For many of us, those hours are spent in an office, and the environment of that space has a profound impact on our happiness and health. There’s no denying that when you gather large groups of people together in a relatively small space, things can get grimy in a hurry.

The health dangers of a dirty office are many, and most people don’t know just how unclean their workplace is or what to do about it. We’ll take a closer look at the germiest places in the office and the danger they present, as well as give you some tips on keeping those health risk hot spots sanitary.

Health Risks Associated With Unclean Workspaces

When an office space hasn’t been thoroughly cleaned and sanitized in a while, health risks multiply at an alarming rate. These are just three of the most common health risks in an office environment where cleanliness and hygiene are falling by the wayside.

1. Clutter

It’s easy for unnecessary clutter to accumulate in an office, but most people don’t know it’s one of the health risks of an unclean work environment. There are two main sources of clutter: personal items and work-related materials. While having a few personal effects can make an employee’s space more comfortable and inviting, excess items can quickly start to become an issue. Add that to stacks of work-related materials like files and electronic devices, and you’ve got clutter.

Multiple studies on clutter have concluded that it’s bad for our mental health. The majority of studies look at the clutter we have in our homes, but it stands to reason that if it’s bad for us at home, it’s also damaging in the office. Some of the detrimental effects of clutter include:

Lower self-reported well-being
Unhealthier eating
Increased stress
Less efficient visual processing
Less efficient thinking

We know that stress weakens the immune system, leading to increased incidences of illness. Especially during cold and flu season, clutter is a significant office health risk that’s often overlooked.

2. Viruses and Bacteria

Both viruses and bacteria — more commonly known as germs — are in abundant supply on office surfaces, making them one of the most widespread dangers of an unclean workspace. A major study of more than 1,000 office workers found that two-thirds of employees who didn’t clean or sanitize their workspace regularly were exposed to harmful bacteria including:

Escherichia coli
Helicobacter pylori
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Staphylococcus aureus

These bacteria cause a variety of illnesses, all of which are unpleasant for employees and lead to the headache of excess sick days for employers.

3. Mold

If questioned, most people would probably assert their workplace is mold-free. However, not all mold is visible as it tends to hide in places we don’t make contact with every day. Mold is a serious concern and can be a major hidden factor in “sick building syndrome.”

Sick building syndrome is the name given to the phenomenon of multiple people experiencing nonspecific symptoms that are alleviated when they leave the building. The most common symptoms are:

Nausea
Headaches
Mental fatigue
Skin irritation
Dizziness

If an office space has a case of mold or other fungi, employees are much more likely to get sick from the spores that are released into the air. Mold is most common in areas with high moisture and exposure to water. Behind toilets and under sinks are common places to find it, making it one of the harder health risks of a dirty office to encounter.

Common Problematic Areas

So, where are the germiest areas in an office? You might be inclined to think it’s the bathroom, but that’s not the case. While the bathroom may have the most obvious gross factor, plenty of other hot spots deserve attention for their levels of contamination.

The largest study on this subject was carried out in consultation with researchers from the University of Arizona. Researchers swabbed almost 5,000 common office surfaces in buildings that were home to around 3,000 employees. They measured contamination with adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is found in the cells of all living things. The higher the ATP level, the more likely the surface is to be crawling with germs. The dirtiest surfaces, with ATP counts of 300 or higher were:

75% of sink handles in break rooms
48% of microwave door handles
27% of keyboards
26% of refrigerator door handles
23% of water fountain buttons
21% of vending machine buttons

You may have noticed that the dirtiest places in the office are the ones where employees prepare and eat their food. Given that more than two-thirds of employees eat at their desk, it’s no surprise that these surfaces can be quite contaminated by just one person. The swabs from 51% of desk phones and 51% of computer mice had readings of over 100 ATP, indicating the need for better hygiene even in less communal spaces.

Carpets can quickly become one of the overlooked areas of an office that need cleaning. Although industrial carpeting is more durable than the carpet you’d have at home, it can still build up mold, allergens and dirt if it is not properly taken care of. Because office carpeting is often in neutral tones and patterns, it is often better-than-average at hiding dirt and contributing to health risks.

Benefits of a Clean Office

Aside from pure aesthetics, there are plenty of reasons to love a spotless office. These are five of the best clean workplace benefits.

1. Better Air Quality

Upholstered furniture, dusty hard-to-reach corners and carpets can result in significant decreases in air quality over time. Employees may not notice it consciously, but the allergens and irritants found in dirty offices can cause real issues. Once workers get in the habit of dusting or wiping down services and see the benefits of regular professional cleaning, the difference will be palpable.

Better air quality reduces symptoms like runny noses and coughs, and it can leave employees feeling more refreshed and clear-headed.

2. Improved Productivity

Employees in a clean office are simply happier. The physical environment someone works in has a profound effect on how they feel, which, in turn, affects how they work. Someone sitting in a cluttered and dusty cubicle won’t be able to breathe or think clearly, leading to reductions in productivity and increased stress.

One study found that people who feel overwhelmed by the clutter around them are more likely to procrastinate. Anyone who has tidied up a messy desk is familiar with the feeling of relief you get from having a fresh slate.

3. Fewer Sick Days

When one person gets sick in the office, a clean environment can help ensure their illness doesn’t spread. Given how often any one person touches the many handles and buttons necessary to do their job (or just get their morning coffee), it’s no surprise that workplace illnesses can spread so quickly. One study found that when someone comes in sick, around half of the most frequently-touched office surfaces will already be infected with the virus by lunchtime.

If a virus isn’t removed with a routine sanitization, it will continue to live on the surface for days — thereby increasing the chances of transmission to coworkers. Cleaning that includes wiping down door handles, the kitchen and the bathroom can reduce the number of transmissions and, therefore, the number of sick days employees need to take. This basic maintenance offers one of the most valuable health benefits of a clean office.

4. Better Public Image

Every office has visitors who need to be impressed. Dusty air, faint odors and general lack of cleanliness are surefire ways to keep your space from creating a good first impression. A clutter-free, fresh-smelling workspace will give clients and executives greater confidence in your business and create an inviting environment for building crucial relationships.

5. Better Mental Health

Every employer wants their employees to be happy and healthy on the psychological end of the spectrum as well as physical. It’s known that dirty environments can create or exacerbate symptoms of depression and anxiety, which isn’t good for the employee or their ability to work. Employees who are satisfied with the cleanliness of the office are more likely to contribute meaningfully and engage with their work. Being happy to walk into a healthy environment every day can increase employee loyalty, too.

How to Keep Your Office as Germ-Free as Possible

It’s impossible to remove all viruses and bacteria from any surface, but there are several things you can do to encourage a culture of cleanliness in the office and improve hygiene overall in the germiest places in the office. These tips can help if you’re wondering how to reduce germs in the office.

1. Bring in the Professionals

There’s nothing like a thorough office cleaning from a high-quality professional company. There are so many surfaces in an office that are overlooked for cleaning simply because there is not enough time for employees to complete it, or it’s simply impractical. For example, employees shouldn’t be expected to pull out a fridge to clean behind it or crawl into cabinets to make sure they’re spotless.

Professional cleaners know what it takes to make office surfaces sanitized and sparkling, and the difference will be clear.

2. Implement a Cleaning Schedule

Everyone in the office has a responsibility to help keep the space clean. Some employees may resent the idea of having to clean up after themselves and maintain basic cleanliness, but it’s essential for keeping germs and contaminants at the lowest levels possible.

While regular professional cleanings will give you the best results, having employees participate in basic maintenance and upkeep between cleanings makes a big difference. Develop a cleaning schedule that has each person complete a basic cleaning task like wiping down the kitchen or bathroom or sweeping the floors on a set schedule. In offices with many employees, not everyone may need to have a weekly task. Rotating tasks from week to week ensures no one feels unduly burdened, and everyone is doing their fair share.

3. Restrict Eating Areas

With so many people feeling the need to stay at their desk and eat so often, it may be challenging to change this habit. It helps if employees understand the amount of dirt and grime that can accumulate just from eating a couple of meals a week at their desk. Encourage employees to use the break or lunch room for meals and snack times to help reduce germs in the office.

This concept may be controversial at first, but it has benefits beyond decreasing the contamination risks for individual desks. Workers who eat cooped up in their cubicles are less likely to build rapport with coworkers. Eating in approved areas can increase face time between coworkers and possibly improve morale in the long run.

4. Empty the Trash

Trash is something that often gets neglected in offices, especially when professional cleaners are slated to collect trash on certain days. While that may be okay for the larger receptacles, there are usually countless smaller trash bins that can pose a health risk if they’re left to pile up.

People will often throw away bits of food as well as things like gum, which can become a breeding ground for bacteria incredibly quickly. Emptying the trash should be a daily occurrence. If there are an excessive number of trash cans and you find that most of them aren’t anywhere near full at the end of the day, it may be necessary to consolidate your collection. Reducing the number of trash cans is a good way to keep potential contamination in a limited number of areas and ensure they can be emptied without undue burden.

5. Have a De-clutter Day

A lot of times, people need some encouragement to reduce the clutter in their personal space at work. Much of the time, reluctance is due to the feeling that they don’t have enough time to sort through and remove items because they have so much to do. Making an event of it can be a great way to gently push employees toward de-cluttering their desks.

Scheduling a de-clutter day or half-day every quarter or at least once a year helps employees understand the importance of keeping a clean desk and work environment, and takes the pressure off them to do it themselves during small bits of downtime.

If you desire, you can increase the positive reinforcement by incorporating a reward into the practice. Giving out movie tickets or ordering lunch in might be just the motivation people need to refresh and clear their space.

Revitalize Your Office With Shine Facility Services

If your office cleaning solution is not meeting your needs or standards, Shine Facility Services is here to help. We bring our eco-friendly cleaning technology to all areas of your workspace, large and small. With third-party certified green services and supplies, you can feel confident knowing you’re getting all of the cleaning power without any of the harsh chemicals.

At Shine Facility Services, customer satisfaction is key. You’ll get a dedicated service representative, and you can contact us via phone call, email or text for your convenience. Our team understands the importance of professionalism and will always treat your workplace with the utmost respect.

When you need the utmost confidence in your janitorial services, turn to Shine. We are also proud to offer expansive facility management services for complete care of your business’ space. Call Shine Facility Services at (800) 698-3662, or contact us for a custom quote today.