Blog

Manufacturing facilities are critical to the U.S. supply chain, cybersecurity, and National Defense--underscoring the importance of maintaining a smooth operation by providing a clean, safe, and healthy work environment for employees.

The Importance of Infection Prevention for Manufacturing Workplaces
The COVID-19 health crisis demonstrated the importance of the manufacturing industry to U.S. consumer, corporate, and government interests--underscored by the wide swath of sectors listed by the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) as critical, including:

Iron Mills
Steel Mills
Medical Devices and Chemical Manufacturing
Alloy Manufacturing, Production, and Processing
Engine and Turbine Manufacturing
Earth Moving, Mining, Agriculture and Construction Equipment Manufacturing
Electric Motor Manufacturing
Vehicles and Commercial Ships Manufacturing
Aerospace Products and Parts Manufacturing
Locomotives, Railroad and Transit Cars, and Rail Track Equipment Manufacturing

Interruptions to these areas of the economy create supply chain issues, leading to facility closures and disruptions to the distribution of vital resources to downstream consumers and businesses--resulting in unemployment, additional health issues, and potential national security challenges.

COVID-19 has consumed the focus of cleaning efforts in healthcare facilities, but the threat of superbugs remains--especially for those already exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The Spread of Candida Auris Among COVID-19 Patients Raises Concerns Regarding PPE Use and Cleaning Consistency
Prior to the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2, the prevalence and spread of antibiotic-resistant superbugs in healthcare facilities across the U.S. was a major concern.

As the COVID-19 vaccine becomes widespread, more schools and businesses will reopen and return to--ideally--an improved version of business as usual that focuses on worker health, safety, and wellness.

Promoting Post-Pandemic Workplace Wellness
Reopening a facility after a long hiatus due to a pandemic-forced closure is no small matter.

The rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 and the difficulty of effectively sanitizing large open-area facilities has piqued interest in advanced disinfection technologies, such as electrostatic disinfection sprayers, which are now registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency against COVID-19 for hard, non-porous surfaces.

Mass transit systems have remained in service for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, but have suffered huge financial losses due to poor public perception of cleanliness and safety, and massively reduced capacity leading many travelers to switch to other forms of transportation, representing potentially greater risks.

Maintaining teachers and students' safety and wellness during the ongoing health emergency is a top priority for school administrators and janitorial service providers in educational facilities throughout the country.

Maintaining Classroom Cleanliness and Safety During COVID-19
Schools and classrooms are hotbeds for pathogens, which can spread rapidly, even with an introduction point of one or two contaminated individuals--a fact recently made painfully clear in a classroom hygiene experiment conducted by YouTuber Mark Rober.

Recently, speculation has begun to circulate regarding a correlation between increased cases of COVID-19 and colder temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere.

The Correlation Between Increased COVID-19 Cases and Cold Weather
Does cold weather impact the spread of influenza, norovirus, the common cold, and COVID-19?

Yes, but also no.

Hospital-acquired infections affect approximately one in every thirty-one U.S. healthcare patients--a statistic that may be profoundly affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The Potential Impact of COVID-19 on Hospital-Acquired Infections
Prior to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, HAI's were a serious issue plaguing U.S. healthcare facilities, affecting one in every thirty-one patients, resulting in more than six hundred thousand hospitalizations and seventy thousand deaths in a single year.

Schools provide vital infrastructure services to surrounding communities and students--underscoring the importance of keeping them clean, safe, healthy, and open during the ongoing public health emergency.

Clean Schools Serve the Local Community
Schools provide critical services to their communities, including:

Student meals
Employment opportunities
Support programs, including meals, social services, and mental health support services
The equivalent of daycare services, allowing parents and guardians to go to work during the day

These services cannot be provided or effectively managed outside of a face-to-face learning environment, which means classrooms must be open, teachers and supporting faculty and staff must be in attendance, meals must be prepared, and facilities must be available.

Due to the social distancing requirements put in place to combat the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, many "we" designed office spaces, which focused on open and shared spaces to encourage worker collaboration, will be upgraded or retrofitted in line with the "me," or individual workspace design.