Best Practices to Disinfect Businesses and Keep Occupants Safe

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Decon has received a lot inquiries and concerns to properly decontaminate and disinfect viral impacted surfaces.

Our Project Management and Health & Safety teams have perused social media and news outlets and have found unlicensed, uninsured, and unqualified contractors performing what needs to be an extremely careful procedure.

Does your plumber or window cleaner disinfect now? We encourage readers to divert to Decon’s COVID-19 Response Program.

The team have summarized 5 best practices to properly decontaminate and disinfect a surface in any commercial or residential application:

1. Define the scope of work before the project gets underway
   1. What parameters need to be measured throughout the project
   2. Are any building occupants that have special needs (immunocompromised, i.e.)?
   3. What are contingency plans and budgets?

2. Wear PPE
   1. Protective clothing [e.g., coveralls, footgear, and headgear] for travel between spaces
   2. A space or anteroom for changing clothing, PPE, and storing equipment

3. Contain and control dust
   1. Monitor negative air pressure
   2. Use plastic sheets or prefabricated plastic units to contain dust
   3. Upon completion of the project, clean the work zone according to facility procedures, and install barrier curtains to contain dust and debris before removal of rigid barriers

4. Sample and evaluate air quality
   1. To evaluate quality of dust control, monitor air pressure periodically
   2. Document results
   3. Provide ventilation to ensure ≥12 air changes per hour (“ACH”) for renovated rooms and new rooms, and ≥6 ACH for existing rooms.
   4. Direct exhaust air to the outside, away from air-intake and populated areas

5. Perform disinfection / construction activities
   1. Clean work zones and their entrances daily
   2. Use wet vacuum or mop room floors with a single-use mop and an EPA-registered disinfectant
   3. Ensure proper procedures are used for disposal of contaminated fabrics

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to Decon; we are happy to mobilize for you and your essential business.