Everyone has a role to play in preventing the spread of Ebola, including facilities departments, according to an article on the FaciltyCare website.
Facilities managers (FMs) must help ensure that a plan is in place for disinfecting contaminated areas and disposing of hazardous waste as well as alerting staff and visitors to proper protocols.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said that physicians and nurses should be cleaning the rooms of confirmed Ebola patients in order to limit the exposure to healthcare workers, but the environmental services team is still key to limiting exposure to Ebola.
Environmental services will need to train nurses about proper patient-room cleaning and cleaning supplies. Facilities managers should confirm with their suppliers the effectiveness of their typical products against Ebola.
The CDC has said to check for EPA-registered effectiveness against any one of four nonenveloped viruses, including norovirus, adenovirus, poliovirus or rotavirus, the article said.
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