COVID-19 Update

To our valued partners,

As you are aware, there is currently worldwide concern over an outbreak of the virus “SARS-CoV-2” that causes the disease, “coronavirus disease 2019,” abbreviated COVID-19.   As part of our preparedness plan, Controlled Contamination Services (CCS) is closely monitoring the situation and ensuring that we communicate best practices to both our clients and employees to reduce the risk of contracting the flu,  and other respiratory diseases. There is currently no definitive cure, vaccine, nor eradication plan available for COVID-19, however, CCS is recommending that our partners to refer to the CDC website to determine best practices to reduce the potential risk of spreading the disease in their facilities. (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/index.html)

Per the CDC, the best way to prevent illness it to avoid being exposed to the virus.  In addition to avoiding exposure, there are other preventative measures to help prevent the spread of the respiratory diseases:

1. Frequent and/or increased handwashing with soap and implementation of antibacterial hand sanitizing stations
   1. The CDC recommends 5 steps to properly wash your hands (https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/when-how-handwashing.html)
      1. Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap.
      2. Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
      3. Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds.
      4. Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
      5. Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.
   2. When using Hand Sanitizers, it’s important to understand that sanitizers can reduce the number of germs but it’s important to note the following:
      1. Sanitizers do not get rid of all types of germs.
      2. Hand sanitizers may not be as effective when hands are visibly dirty or greasy.
      3. Hand sanitizers might not remove harmful chemicals from hands like pesticides and heavy metals.
      4. How to use hand sanitizer
         1. Apply the gel product to the palm of one hand (read the label to learn the correct amount).
         2. Rub your hands together.
         3. Rub the gel over all the surfaces of your hands and fingers until your hands are dry. This should take around 20 seconds
      5. Encouraging sick employees to stay home, and communicate when a household member is sick
      6. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
      7. Avoid contact with people who are sick
      8. Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash
      9. Routine surface cleaning helps to eliminate the flu virus from frequently touched surfaces and objects (doorknobs, work surfaces, keyboards, remote controls, etc). These surfaces should be cleaned using disinfecting/sanitizing cleaning agents.
      10. Provide disposable wipes for employees to use on their frequently touched surfaces throughout the day
      11. Advise employees who are traveling of certain steps that can be taken to mitigate the risk of contracting the disease

Controlled Contamination Services is here to assist with implementation of any of these CDC/FDA/WHO-recommendations to prevent the spread of illness. Please reach out to your local site contact or info@cleanroomcleaning.com with any questions or concerns about assisting with executing any of the above items or other procedures.