Range of Services

Infection Control in the Work Place

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DEFINITION:

The removal of visible soil, debris, microorganisms and organic substances from surfaces, will not eliminate germs, but reduces their numbers by removing some contaminated matter.

DEFINITION:

The reduction of bacteria to safe levels (Set by Public Health Standards) to decrease the risk of infection, may not kill all viruses.

Sanitising is a step beyond Cleaning, killing a greater amount of bacteria and is required for any surface that comes in to contact with food. The CDC (Centre for Disease Control USA) explains that a Sanitiser that kills 99.999% of the specific bacteria in 30 seconds. Therefore while sanitisers can kill the majority of certain kinds of bacteria, sanitisation products and techniques alone cannot eliminate all viruses.

DEFINITION:

The elimination of pathogens and disease-causing microorganisms, except bacterial spores. Generally Disinfection is a stronger decontamination method used for healthcare facilities than sanitisation alone because of its ability to destroy pathogens.

As a Professional Cleaning Provider, ServiceMaster Clean typically disinfects surfaces using a liquid chemical agent, its range of Disinfectants comes from its parent company in the USA, ServiceMaster Global Holdings under its Healthcare Cleaning Services.

COVID-19

ServiceMaster Clean by Deeland carried out extensive Infection Control Cleaning Services for its contract cleaning customers 

during the COVID 19 pandemic.  This work included infection control for many schools and sheltered housing schemes.

Emerging and Infectious Diseases

The CDC (The Centre for Disease Control USA) defines infectious diseases as illnesses caused by germs (such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi) that enter the body, multiply and cause an infection. Depending on the disease, there are different ways that it can be spread:

  1. From one person to another
  2. Through germs carried in air, water, food or soil
  3. By insects, ticks, or animals


Emerging diseases are infections that have increased recently or are threatening to increase in the near future. These infections could be:

  1. Newly discovered
  2. Completely new to an area
  3. Reappearing in an area
  4. Caused by bacteria that have become resistant to antibiotics
There are various pathogenic microorganisms that can be infectious, which have differing levels of difficulty to inactivate. Many of the recent emerging pathogens we have seen are enveloped viruses, including Corona viruses (SARS-CoV-2). Enveloped viruses are more susceptible to disinfectants, so they are less difficult to inactivate. This also means, however, that they are easier to spread and re-contaminate.
If you need help setting up or maintaining routine cleanliness conditions within a contract cleaning service or if you believe you or your facility has been exposed to someone with an infectious disease, ServiceMaster Clean Newbury will be able to provide you with the necessary help and advice.
  1. Our Commercial Cleaning Technicians are trained firstly to clean the organic matter and gross soiling. Then they Sanitise or Disinfect as appropriate.
  2. When we do this, we follow the guidelines set in place by ServiceMaster our Franchisor in line with CDC, EPA, FDA, WHO, and other regulatory bodies as appropriate. There are many methods of disinfection and you can be assured that our ServiceMaster Clean Technicians are trained to do each in the recommended manner. Our Cleaning Technicians when carrying out Infection Control will use the appropriate PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) with your Safety and Security of paramount importance.
Though we disinfect using the recommended products and protocols, someone entering the space can then re-contaminate after the disinfection.
  1. Follow CDC (Centre for Disease Control) recommendations to help break the cycle of infection including using appropriate hand hygiene, respiratory etiquette, and social distancing.
  2. Maintain general preparedness: Hand Hygiene, Respiratory etiquette, and maintaining routine cleanliness are great ways to keep yourself healthy, not just when infectious diseases are spreading.
  3. If you need help and advice on Infection Control, please do not hesitate to contact ServiceMaster Clean Newbury.