Preparing A Pandemic Plan
A well-understood plan can be the difference between the proper handling of an outbreak and mass hysteria.
CM/Spotlight: Outbreak Control
by: Aaron Baunee, managing editor
Though the chances of a communicable disease outbreak at your facility may seem slim and the notion farfetched, theprospect is all too real and many facilities are ill prepared to handle such a fiasco.
As with most aspects in life, extensive research and strategization are the foundations of any successful system — be it a cleaning regimen or a pandemic plan.
Increasing national media coverage of H1N1 Influenza A (swine flu) virus infections have caused many building service contractors and in-house operations to rethink the way they clean and disinfect their buildings.
The spread of infectious diseases is nothing new, as norovirus, vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Clostridium difficile (C. diff), shigella, listeria, etc., have caused calamity for cleaners over the years.
However, it is a general practice to “not rock the boat” unless outside stimuli warrant such action.
That tipping point has been reached — arguably during the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) scare of 2003 — and more companies and organizations are putting their ideas on paper and drafting formal pandemic preparedness plans for their facilities.
