Is anybody safe????What is our role as a cleaning staff? Mission statement: We provide a clean, safe, SANITARY, and aesthetically pleasing environment….

Germ/Bacteria stats

• 1 in 18 patients catch infections IN hospitals—some are fatal ! Tremendous costs to hospitals! Most infections caught are pneumonia and infections of the bloodstream.

1 out of 4 commuters have fecal matter in their hands!

ONLY 1 out of 10 people wash their hands after going to the

toilet. Flushing without putting the lid down can spread germs as far

as 6 feet away!

FACT- Women’s workspaces have more germs than men! WHY?

• MORE STUFF!

Elevator buttons have MILLIONS of germs! Healthier to take stairs.

There are more germs in the water fountain than in toilet water. The

spigot can have 2.7 million bacteria per square inch!

What are Germs? Microbes? Bugs? Pathogens?

• Bacteria- single-celled microorganisms that exist as independent (free-living) organisms or as parasites ( dependent on another organism for life). Are most vulnerable during their vegetative stage (the period when they reproduce). As vegetative cells multiply in colonies, the begin to form a BIOFILM (protective slime) which requires active scrubbing or other disruption – NOT just a chemical!

Bacteria

Fungi- single or multicelled. Feed on organic material

• Molds, mildews, yeast, and mushrooms are common examples of fungi. Fungi can be life- threatening to very sick people.

Viruses- Even smaller than bacteria, MUST borrow components from a host in order to live.

They live and reproduce ONLY inside cells.

May reproduce with mutations—mutations can be responsible for the ability of some viruses to change slightly in each infected person, making treatment more difficult.

The Good, Bad, and Ugly

• Bacteria- Not all bacteria are bad! We need bacteria! We need bacteria to fight disease, digest food, and stay healthy. “Good germs” crowd out bad germs much like a nice thick lawn crowds out weeds.

• Selective poisons called anti-biotics (penicillin) stop the bacteria from reproducing.

• You have more bacteria in your gut right now-100 trillion or 3 pounds!

Viruses

• A single drop of blood contains over six billion virus cells.

• About 250 viruses can infect humans.• Anti-biotics DO NOT work on viruses- in order

to stop a virus without killing the host, we use vaccines.

Top 10 Human Viruses1. Common Cold- Rhinovirus2. Influenza-3. Chicken Pox4. Rotavirus-diarrheal disease in children5. Herpes-sexually transmitted 1in 5 in US6. Hepatitis- A thru E7. Yellow Fever8. Encephalitis- mosquito bite9. Hiv/aids10.Human papillomavirus-sexually transmitted

Bacterial Infectious diseases

1. Gonorrhea2. Whooping cough3. Hepatitis4. Viral Pneumonia5. Athlete’s Foot

Fungal Diseases

1. Aspergillosis- if you are sick it can kill you2. Coccidiodomycosis- Dry regions of the

country or world.3. Histoplasmosis- caused by bat and bird

droppings- Mississippi and Ohio River Valley area.

How do I get sick?

• Person to person

Object to person

Borne on Blood

What to do? Lions and Tigers and Bears– Oh My!

• Preventing germs from getting a foothold is our FIRST line of defense! Removing food and moisture (two essentials for sustaining living organisms) may, in the long-term be as effective as a chemical disinfectant. Cleaning versus disinfecting.

• Remember overuse of a disinfectant can cause germs to mutate.

What to do?

• Wear PPE ( Personal Protective Equipment) when cleaning. Gloves.

• Most germs get into your body because you touch something (or someone) contaminated, then touch your nose, mouth, or eyes. We touch our face 3.6 times per hour!!!

• WASH your hands!!!!20 seconds per wash- don’t overuse hand sanitizer. Germs are small and get into the cracks of our skin- Wash aggressively!

Kaivac

• From “ Infection Prevention for Dummies” page 12-

• Some great tools to battle microbes include: Spray-and-vac technology, which removes, rather than kills, microbes. (Why kill them when you can physically remove them?)

• Physical action attacks Bio-Film

Use Microfiber !

• Use microfiber to physically dislodge (remove) the food and moisture necessary for germs to survive.

• Again, physical action attacks bio-film

Germ HOTSPOTS at ICC

• Offices: A list of most to least germs1.Phone- virus germs last 2 to 3 days.2.Desktop-over 10 million germs where you rest

your hand3.Water Fountain Handle4.Microwave door handle5.Keyboard• Office work areas have 400 times more bacteria

than a toilet bowl.

Germs at Home

• 44% of wash machines tested had high traces of fecal matter. Once a month run an empty cycle with hot water and diluted bleach. Always leave the lid to the washer OPEN between loads to let the tub dry out

Measuring clean or How do we cover our Department when an

outbreak occurs at ICCWhat you can’t see can hurt you!We have a responsibility to make sure we are following our mission statement- clean, sanitary.How do we do that? ATP measurements and UV check (blacklight)

UV – Ultraviolet light

• Optical brightener loaded, disposable swab and a black light to validate your cleaning and education effectiveness.

• Verify cleaning of high touch points• Evidence-based accountability• Training tool that validates cleaning

procedures to reduce the spread of infection

ATP meter

• Measures levels of contamination on surfaces.• Is a indicator of surface cleanliness.

UV and ATP testing

• A way to validate that we are one of the outstanding green cleaning programs in the country. We are the ONLY community college in Illinois to receive a GOLD rating on Green cleaning from AMSAN!!

Don’t panic!

• Our mission is most important- we protect the health of all who enter our buildings.

• You’re the front line fighters for a clean, safe, sanitary, and aesthetically pleasing environment.

• Thanks for all you do!