Like so many other industries, the education industry has seen an emphasis on cleaning high touch-point areas and using disinfecting chemicals more frequently. There is also a larger focus on air ventilation in classrooms and shared spaces across many industries.
Dr Gavin Macgregor-Skinner, senior director of the Global Biorisk Advisory Council, a division of the ISSA in the United States, has more than 30 years of experience with responding to infectious disease outbreaks and emergency management. He believes that greater education is required for ventilation with indoor air-quality and cleaning processes.
Streamline cleaning processes
Dr Gavin Macgregor-Skinner suggests providing cleaners and staff with training videos and clear instruction checklists for cleaning and disinfecting areas on a regular basis. This will allow staff to learn by seeing and doing and will keep everything streamlined, plus avoid supplies being over-used and cutting into profits. At the very least, he urges cleaners to read labels on disinfectants, read Safety Data Sheets and product instructions to best understand what is being used and how.
In areas such as commercial kitchens, office spaces and storage areas there has been a growth in the use of electric sprayers for hard-to-reach areas, which allows cleaners to disinfect and sanitise areas quickly and efficiently. Front of business areas have all played a part by introducing hand sanitising stations and regular disinfecting of high-traffic touch-point areas such as entry areas, washrooms and hand rails. While these new practices are now a standard within cleaning procedures, it is vital that businesses stay vigilant with cleaning procedures in order to prevent another pandemic spike.
Higher cleaning budgets
With higher cleaning standards, comes a higher cost to budgets. It has been predicted that some businesses and even schools may start to reduce the amount of deep cleaning as restrictions ease up, motivated by an effort to reduce their cleaning budgets.
The reality is that budgets, especially in schools are already tight. And even though cleaning systems and technologies may help cleaners streamline cleaning processes, it has been left up to the cleaners to find efficiencies to meet cleaning standards within the budgets they are provided with. To relieve the pressure on cleaners, it has been recommended by many industry leaders, that higher cleaning budgets are expected to be a new-normal moving forward.
Air purification is the next step
Health officials worldwide are stressing the importance of the use of air purification systems. They are ideal for hospitality settings, hotels, conference venues, classrooms and office spaces.
Researchers are still learning about the long-term effects and emerging variants of Covid-19. What we do know is that the main way it spreads is airborne; via droplets and particles from breathing out, coughing, sneezing and even speaking.
Exhaled droplets spread out in the air faster than they evaporate. Small droplets remain suspended in the air for longer. Ultra-fine droplets can stay suspended in the air for as long as a few hours. The risk is highest when in close contact to an infectious person or in the same space as an infectious person where surfaces are touched by many. Transmission is more likely to occurs in indoor areas that are poorly-ventilated or crowded, as droplets can stay suspended in the air for longer.
Adequate ventilation
Providing an adequate supply of fresh ventilated air to enclosed areas dilutes the number of airborne virus particles and lowers the risk of transmission. Improving ventilation alone will not reduce the risk of transmission via droplets, it needs to be considered as a part of controlled measures to prevent spread.
Adequate ventilation can be achieved using natural or mechanical ventilation, or a combination of the two. Natural ventilation is fresh air coming through open windows, doors or air vents. Natural ventilation varies depending on weather conditions, wind speed, direction and window sizes etc.
Mechanical ventilation is forced air-handling that brings in fresh air from outside. Better ventilation can be achieved by increasing the rate that air is supplied or increasing the supply of fresh outdoor air. Or improving filtration for air re-circulated by air purification systems. In areas where it is not possible to maintain adequate ventilation, portable air purification systems are ideal.
The solution for indoor environments
The i-air Pro is one easy solution to cleaner indoor environments. A high-quality air healer that improves indoor air quality in medial to large spaces of up to 500m2.
Create a continuous stream of fresh air, which benefits the mood and productivity of people present. Air purification filters aerosols out of the air, resulting in a perfectly clean, healthy and fresh indoor environment.
Designed to filter out solid containments, breaking down VOCs and neutralising all living harmful microbes. Tested to GB/T 18801-2015 standard in a 30m2 test room. It takes one hour to remove 99.99% of bacterial and 99.9% of viral pathogens.
The only stand-alone unit on the market
The I-air Pro is the only stand-alone unit on the market that delivers MERV19 class air to medium to large spaces. Great for hospitals, fitness venues, office spaces, schools, hotels and restaurants. It weighs 75kg with a metal casing and measures 1273x684x334/1328x794x444mm.
It works with a carbon pre-filter. Air enters and goes through the pre-filter with active carbon. It takes out large particles, also known as PM10: dust, pollen, mould etc. The air stays for a full 2 seconds in a UV-A & UV-C neutralization chamber. Which destroys and neutralises all microbes and viruses with a neutralisation rate of 99.9999% and 95-97% for microbes. The second filter is a high-grade self cleaning (H14) HEPA filter. It collects all the neutralised residue of bacteria, viruses and other micro-organism. A powerful fan creates a perfect air flow through the machine and blows cleaned air back into your environment.
Call the Virtue Plus team on 1300 255 546 to order an i-air Pro for your business.
