3 Key Areas of Your Facility Maintenance & Safety Programs as Buildings Re-Open

​As America starts to re-open its physical spaces, facility and maintenance professionals will be faced with new safety and sanitation challenges. There are three key areas that will need extra vigilance and new protocols in order to increase the safety of everyone inside buildings and schools going forward. 

1. Cleaning protocols
The CDC is leading the way with providing best practices as it pertains to cleaning and disinfecting  buildings. These practices will generally increase the frequency and extensiveness that maintenance staff typically put towards their cleaning protocols. Facility managers need to take this into account when planning and managing their day to day operations. Below are some of the guidelines.

• High Touch Surfaces 

The CDC lists tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets and sinks as high touch surfaces. These should be wiped down constantly throughout the day and it may be necessary to involve the teaching staff to do the disinfecting of high touch surfaces throughout the day in their classrooms. Always wear gloves and let high touch surfaces air dry.

• Soft Surfaces

Soft surfaces include carpeted floors, rugs, drapes or fabric chairs and sofas. The CDC recommends cleaning these surfaces with soap and water or with specific fabric cleaners. If possible, launder items frequently, using the warmest water setting and make sure items are completely dry. If that’s not possible, disinfect with EPA-registered household disinfectant.

• Electronics

If possible, consider putting a wipe-able cover over any electronic screen that will make it easy to clean. If you don’t have electronic cleaning supplies on hand, the CDC recommends using alcohol-based wipes or sprays containing at least 70% alcohol. Be sure all surfaces are dried thoroughly.

• Outdoor areas

These include areas like playgrounds and parks. They require general routine cleaning, but do not require disinfection. Do not use disinfectant spray on outdoor playgrounds as it has not been proven to reduce the risk of COVID-19 and would not be an efficient use of the supplies. High touch areas like monkey bars and railings should be cleaned throughout the day.

2. Safety protocols
New safety protocols will be required for most buildings as we enter into the re-opening. Safety protocols should follow your state and local guidelines and should be discussed and planned together with all of the key stakeholders in your facility. Some of the additional safety precautions could include the following.

• Increasing hand sanitation stations

In an effort promote regular and thorough handwashing, place hand sanitation dispensers in high traffic areas around your building. You will have to add a maintenance task to regularly check and refill the dispensers. You may also choose to place more signage around your building reminding folks to wash their hands regularly.

• Temperature checks

In an effort to keep sick people home and away from others, temperature checks as people come in the building are becoming a new normal procedure. In order to create this protocol, think through the thermometers or other supplies you may need and a new process in which someone is designated to check temperatures. You may also need to anticipate lines forming as people wait and ways to communicate to stay six feet apart.

• Face masks

Face masks are being required in most states in areas where people are unable to stay socially distant from one another. Be sure you have adequate supplies of facemasks in case someone does not have one and provide covered trash receptacles for people to hygienically dispose of them.

3. HVAC and Air Filtration
Because COVID 19 is an airborne virus, maintaining very high levels of air ventilation and filtration is recommended. Here are a few tips.

• Increase ventilation

According to the Center for Active Design, ventilating outdoor air is crucial to diluting airborne contaminants and decreasing transmission rates. A recent Facilities.net article recommends increasing the ventilation with more outdoor air in times of low occupancy. They suggest going to full economizer mode to increase outside air delivery and eliminate any re-circulation, increasing outdoor air damper positions and disabling any demand control ventilation.

• Filtration

The Center for Active Design also notes that filtration of re-circulated air may be effective in reducing the transmission of airborne infectious diseases. Move to the highest grade HEPA air filters, which can remove 99.97% of particles that are 0.3 microns or larger. In high traffic areas, it may also be smart to have portable air purifiers running  to provide some additional filtration power.

This list is a recommended list, but always check with your state and local authorities for specific guidance in your area. If you are still a ways out from re-opening your facility, it’s never too early to start planning new protocols and procedures and anticipating inventories of new or additional disinfecting supplies and PPE. If you do not currently have an efficient way to track, manage, and report on these new protocols, look into work order systems for schools, like ML Work Orders. A work order system is a cost-effective way help you be more  prepared and report on your cleaning and sanitation protocols when your building re-opens.
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