COVID-19 Mitigation: Disinfection + Sanitization Services
BLOG
COVID-19 has shaken the roots of every conceivable industry, business, and household around the globe. Our economy has suffered while we have been forced to retreat away and indoors. However, mitigation efforts make it possible for a slow comeback as schools, government, industry and businesses begin to reopen. Preparation for things to resume as it once was requires us to prepare, function and operate under a new norm. It’s vital that areas where human contact connects with environments that they be clean and free from COVID-19. This is where professional coronavirus disinfecting services come in!
Mitigation Is a Necessity During COVID-19
The hazards of contracting COVID-19 is a reality, regardless of where you go. Employers are to provide their employees with a safe and healthy work environment. Failing to provide such results in considerable liability on your part.
OSHA’s Act of 1970 (Public Law 91-596) requires employers to provide employees a “safe and healthful” working environment free from hazards that incur death or serious harm to health. OSHA reserves the right to enter a facility for inspection and/or investigation of conditions. Employers in breach of the Act of 1970 face violations resulting in a citation.
We have embraced the necessary changes to protect our employees. Measures to prevent infection while servicing contaminated environments is something we take seriously.
Thompson’s Approach to Ensuring Your Safety and Ours
Maintaining personnel safety while providing superior quality in services is a priority at Thompson Industrial Services. Both must go hand-in-hand to ensure every job is performed efficiently, safely, per government guidelines and with your best interest at heart. Training is an ever-evolving part of the industry. We incorporate cutting state-of-the-art technology and innovations with our disinfecting and sanitizing practices to remove COVID-19 from an environment.
We have a team of hundreds of professionals who are on call 24/7/365 standby for on-demand emergency services. Places such as schools, childcare, and healthcare facilities come with unexpected contamination from positive COVID cases. In these situations, our team is ready to deploy and treat all affected areas to provide you, your employees, students, or visitors a healthier environment.
Our Safety Track Record Speaks for Itself
Thompson Industrial Services has a proven track record of safety measures and initiatives in place that protects our employees. Over the past year, our total recordable incident rate (0.3) was at its lowest in history. Currently, we have passed a 6-month marker as incident-free, which is something we are quite proud of. This is due to the adoption of measures to reduce risk through automation, such as water blasting. The risk reduction initiatives also include vehicle safety. Adherence to strict driving policies is enforced through GeoTab vehicle tracking, a DriveCam weekly review, and driver training for equipment.
Layers of Protection
OSHA developed a “layer” system by which COVID-19 should be approached in prevention, disinfection, and sanitization. We strictly adhere to this “layer” system to employ attacks on COVID-19 “hot” environments.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Wear protective face masks, eyewear, gloves, and/or gowns for the appropriate environment. Every one of our team members wear hazard-specific PPE to perform our job effectively while preventing any compromise to our respiratory system, skin, or eyes.
Administrative Controls
We have implemented the below controls while also suggesting them to our customers.
- Developing a preparedness/response plan for COVID-19 is recommended.
- Implementation of preventative measures should be put in place through training, memos, etc. Encouraging hand washing, disinfecting work surfaces, and sneeze/cough etiquette.
Be sure your employees have access to hand soap, hand sanitizer, paper towels, and waste cans. Insist if they are sick to stay home.
Behavior and Human Performance
We encourage our employees to be proactive in monitoring themselves for any signs/symptoms of COVID-19. We strive to create this awareness among everyone. The appropriate measures are in place for screening every individual under our employ.
- Monitor employees for compliance in preventative measures.
- ID those who are sick, isolate if appropriate, or send them home.
- Enforce screening measures such as questionnaires and temperature checks.
Engineering Controls and Automation
Below are a few things that you might consider implementing in your area.
- Such things as barriers are used to protect employees who are unable to socially distance themselves from others (retail, public transportation, food/beverage drive-throughs, check-in desks at hotels, etc.)
- Better ventilation with filters or negative airflow should be installed.
- Enforce social distancing through markers on floors, seating, number of people allowed in, etc.
- Encourage telecommuting or a flexible work schedule.
A great example of automation includes how we provide a snapshot of a job with digital images we take. Front-line leaders go out and take pictures of jobs. These pictures are then brought back to the office, where our automation team discusses what we can do to get the job done. It may require us to engineer special equipment.
Elimination of Hazard
This is what our business is all about!
- Disinfection and sanitizing of all contaminated surfaces and areas.
- Closure of facility/business.
New Protocols Require New Measures of Disinfecting
The days of using an all-purpose cleaner and paper towels to clean surfaces are gone. Because of COVID-19, the whole way we clean has been turned upside down. We almost have to take a systematic approach to cleaning to ensure we have adequately removed the potential of infection. COVID-19 has no preference, when it comes to surfaces.
Commercial and Industrial Mitigation
Disinfecting and sanitizing is required for businesses and schools to reopen. We specialize in cleaning all areas (including contaminated) where an environment has hard or soft surfaces. Our experts are skilled in using the appropriate equipment and chemicals to eradicate COVID-19 in an environment. All cleaning solutions we use are EPA registered.
We service:
- Restaurants
- Bars
- Workplaces
- Retail
- Residential
- Vehicle fleets
- Public transportation
- Healthcare facilities
- Laboratories
- Schools
- Colleges/Universities
- Childcare facilities
- Recreational facilities
- Churches
- Public Safety facilities
- Correctional/Detention facilities
- Food Industries
- Critical Governmental Infrastructures
Why Choose Thompson Industrial Services?
You have peace of mind in selecting us to disinfect and sanitize your environment for COVID-19. Every professional on our team is an expert in industrial cleaning, disinfecting, and sanitization.
We will work closely with you to develop a plan of disinfecting/sanitizing based on your specific needs. Follow up routine cleaning can be done as needed to ensure you have an ongoing barrier of protection against COVID-19.
Conclusion
As COVID-19 regains momentum as schools and businesses reopen, the need for disinfecting and sanitizing will increase once again. Include our services as part of your preparedness and response plan.
A few of our other services include:
- Dustless cleaning through our wet/dry vacuuming for removal of mucky sludge that conventional methods won’t even touch!
- Cryogenic cleaning for machinery with dry ice blasting.
- High-pressure advanced water jet cleaning with hydro blasting.
Give us a call at 803-934-0138 today.
Press Contact
- Emily Martin
- Marketing Manager
- 100 N. Main Street
- Sumter, SC 29150
- (803) 773-8005
- emartin@thompsonind.com