When a person becomes ill at the office, gradually, one by one the bug can spread to other employees who can also become ill. One can hear in the office areas people coughing, sneezing and blowing their nose. The workplace itself becomes “sick”, as whoever will enter it has a chance of coming down with whatever illness is going around at that particular time. In order to put a stop to it, facility managers need to invest in janitorial cleaning services in Phoenix, AZ.
Why Has Everyone Fallen Sick?
“Cross-contamination” refers to the process of bacteria or other microorganisms unintentionally transferred from one substance or object to another, with harmful effect. This can happen through normal human interaction through surfaces, food, equipment, and other high traffic touch points. It can pose a serious threat to one’s health, especially when employees work in close proximity to each other in an indoor environment. Did you know that most people spend about 90% of their time indoors? (1) These close quarters can increase the chance of cross-contamination especially during cold and flu season. It is long known that indoor environments having poor air quality can significantly contribute to the cause of illnesses.
The Cost of Cross-Contamination
Cross-contamination that leads to employee illness will result in lost time from the affected workers and a general loss of productivity. As workers take sick leave to rest and recover at home, managers are racing to meet deadlines and close projects back at the office, or even worse, deadlines are not met.
If workers come to the office ill, they may not able to perform as well as they would if they weren’t ill and risk spreading illness to others. The decrease in productivity due to an illness and accidents is estimated to cost businesses $60 billion in combined revenue each year. (2)
How Can You Decrease Cross-Contamination?
To decrease the chances of cross-contamination indoors, it is important to keep all touch points in the facility clean and disinfected. Hiring a professional janitorial cleaning service in Phoenix, AZ can ensure the workplace remains tidy, clean, and germ-free. Disinfecting these higher risk touch points in the workplace will help to reduce the chance of exposure. Even though there is no sure way to eliminate germs completely, a janitorial service can decrease the chance of contaminates spreading and infecting their employees in your facility.
The Solution: Cleaning Services
Facility Mangers should hire a professional cleaning service to clean and disinfect phones, keyboards, and shared equipment and all touch points of doors, and switches to reduce the occurrence of cross-contamination. In addition, indoor air quality can be significantly improved through the use of an intelligent cleaning program. Professional cleaning services are trained to clean thoroughly, are well versed in proper cleaning protocol, understand the chemistry of cleaning, and have the experience to clean properly compared to someone with little or no experience. After everyone leaves to go home, the cleaning staff will clean every inch of the office to eliminate the traces of bacteria and germs.
For this reason, it is important for facility managers to consider hiring a reputable janitorial cleaning service in Phoenix, AZ to make sure their workplace environment is free of germs and bacteria that can cause illnesses.
References:
(1) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air and Radiation. Report to Congress on Indoor Air Quality, Volume II: Assessment and Control of Indoor Air Pollution, pp. I, 4-14. EPA 400-1-89-001C, 1989.
(2) OSHA stats
