COVID-19 Cleaning and Disinfecting Guidance from the CDC for Reopening Businesses and Institutions

Many of the millions of businesses and institutions that were temporarily shut down earlier this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic have reopened or are planning to in the next few weeks. With restrictions being lifted in states across the country, employers face challenges ensuring the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) of their facilities are safe for workers, customers and the public due to coronavirus and other exposure concerns.
 
A key component of reopening, and preventing a second surge of infections, is cleaning and disinfecting buildings and public spaces. To address this issue, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released Guidance for Cleaning and Disinfecting – Public Spaces, Workplaces, Businesses, Schools and Homes.
 
According to the agency, the guidance document is intended for all Americans, whether they own a business, run a school or want to ensure the cleanliness and safety of their home. It states that cleaning and disinfecting requires:

• Developing a plan
• Implementing the plan
• Maintaining and revising the plan

 
“Reducing the risk of illnesses due to COVID-19 with cleaning and disinfecting protocols is a critical part of reopening businesses and institutions following the unprecedented closures so many experienced earlier this year,” said Zahid Iqbal, MPH, CIH and Technical Director at Clark Seif Clark (CSC). “Employers need to develop a plan by evaluating spaces to determine factors such as the different kinds of surfaces and materials that make up each area. Some surfaces can be handled with routine cleaning, while others, particularly frequently touched surfaces and objects, will also require frequent disinfection. These plans also need to be maintained for the foreseeable future and revised as new guidance is released. At CSC, we are proud to support these efforts with 3^rd party verification of cleaning and disinfection protocols, along with other environmental testing. In addition, our industrial hygiene and IEQ professionals provide employee training, personal protective equipment education, emergency response planning and building assessments.”
 
CSC also recently sponsored an educational video about the CDC’s cleaning and disinfecting guidance that can be seen at: https://youtu.be/ti7QnbFjCSI

To learn more about this or other building science, infection control, industrial hygiene, indoor air quality, environmental, health and safety services, please visit www.csceng.com, email csc@csceng.com or call (800) 807-1118. 
 

About Clark Seif Clark
CSC was established in 1989 to help clients in both public and private sectors address indoor air quality, occupational, environmental, and health and safety (EH&S) issues.  CSC is a leading provider of these services with multiple offices along the western seaboard and southwest. The company believes in science-based protocols and has a strong background in engineering, making them the preferred environmental consultants to industrial clients, healthcare facilities, architects, schools, builders, contractors, developers and real estate professionals.

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Paul Cochrane

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Cochrane & Associates, LLC

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