World Toilet Day

Today is World Toilet Day.  Millions of people around the globe don't have access to proper restroom facilities.  Often they just "go" in the bushes or along the road.  It's not only unsanitary, but also dangerous, especially for women. Check out why today is such an important day for people around the globe.  

October 15 - Global Handwashing Day

In this new age of awareness regarding disinfecting due to COVID-19, more than ever before there's a great need to wear masks, physical distance and especially wash hands.  When people don't wash their hands, the spread of disease, not just COVID-19, increases.  Cultures in the past didn't wash hands and the rate of sickness and death was much higher.  

A great example of the positive results of hand washing can be seen by the case of Ignaz Semmelweis.  He was a Hungarian physician and scientist who is now considered a pioneer of antiseptic procedures.  He noted that there was a high rate of puerperal fever occurring in mothers after giving birth, many of which died.  He discovered the cause was due to the fact that doctors were going straight from the morgue to helping mother give birth without washing their hands.  The spread of disease was rampant.  Unfortunately, many of his colleagues did not believe him and his simple step of washing hands in a solution of chlorinated lime solutions was scoffed at.  He eventually ended up dying in an insane asylum.  Only years later after the discoveries by Louis Pasteur and Joseph Lister were his hand washing techniques taken seriously.

The point is, hand washing is a very, very simple way to limit the spread of disease.  If everyone practices this regularly, outbreaks like COVID-19 might never occur.  So, pay special attention to October 15, Global Hand Washing Day.  Although it's an annual event, it highlights the important need of washing hands every day.  Be wise, stay healthy!

October 15 - Global Handwashing Day

Have COVID-19 Will Travel

So, the newest information from the CDC states that the COVID-19 virus can infect people via airborne transmission, even to people farther than six feet away or even to someone who enters the space where an infected person recently was.  Check out the full article taken from cmmonline.com.  All previous cautions to avoid catching this virus still apply.  Just be smart and wise regardless of the inconveniences.  

As a facility manager, improving your building’s ventilation and indoor air quality continues to be a priority, especially during an infectious disease pandemic. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has again updated its COVID-19 guidance website to confirm that the SARC-Cov-2 virus can be spread through airborne transmission, especially in enclosed spaces with poor ventilation, CNN reports.

The updated guidance states there is evidence that even if people space themselves six feet or farther apart, they can still become infected by small droplets and particles which remain in the air for minutes and hours. CDC said the “update acknowledges the existence of some published reports showing limited, uncommon circumstances where people with COVID-19 infected others who were more than 6 feet away or shortly after the COVID-19-positive person left an area.” As a result, the CDC recommends that people avoid crowded indoor spaces and that building managers ensure indoor spaces are properly ventilated.

Last month, the CDC first updated its guidance to say the coronavirus could spread through airborne transmission. However, the agency said a draft version of the guidance was posted in error and switched back to its earlier guidance until it could complete its scientific review process.

Although airborne transmission is possible, the CDC stresses that the main method of contracting COVID-19 is through close contact with an infected individual. Therefore, the CDC’s recommendations for avoiding COVID-19 remain the same: follow social distancing protocols, wear a mask, wash your hands frequently, clean surfaces frequently, and stay home when you are sick.

For best practices in improving your facility’s indoor air quality, register for the upcoming Identifying and Solving Indoor Air Issues  workshop on November 12. 

Do People Ever Learn?

In the midst of this COVID-19 pandemic, masks have become a common part of our wardrobe.  Although they are a nuisance and create real havoc for some, they do minimize the spread of the virus and help save lives, including that of the wearer. 

However, there are those who refuse to wear a mask for whatever reason.  Interestingly, this is not new.  During the 1918-19 outbreak of the Spanish Flu, there were those who formed an anti-mask league.  Yes, just over a hundred years ago, people did the same thing.  Check out this interesting article from mentalfloss.com reprinted here.

In January 1919, San Francisco residents received some bad news: The second wave of the 1918 influenza was rolling through the city, and masks were mandatory once again.

They already knew the drill. On October 24, 1918, Mayor James Rolph, health officer Dr. William C. Hassler, and other authorities had mandated protective masks to prevent the spread of the disease, and the general public had quickly recognized the practice as a matter of life and death.

“A week ago I laughed at the idea of the mask,“ local Red Cross chairman John A. Britton told the San Francisco Chronicle at the time. “I wanted to be independent. I did not realize that the cost of such independence was the lives of others.”

While most San Franciscans rose to the occasion and volunteers organized mask-sewing events, there were still some staunch dissenters. Law enforcement officers doled out $5 fines for anyone who went mask-less in public, and a couple hundred people who failed to comply were even carted off to jail.

“John Raggi, arrested on Columbus Avenue, said he did not wear a mask because he did not believe in masks or ordinances, or even jail,” an article in the San Francisco Chronicle read. “He now has no occasion to disbelieve in jails. He is in the city prison.”

When Rolph declared that the worst had passed and lifted the mask ordinance in November, people jubilantly tore off their various face coverings and tossed them into the air. By the time Rolph reinstated the rules in January, everyone was used to breathing freely and many were reluctant to return to a masked existence. Thus, the Anti-Mask League was born.

The league was chaired by Emma Harrington, a lawyer who also happened to have become San Francisco’s first female voter in 1911. Two thousand people attended the inaugural meeting, but city officials weren’t intimidated by the size of the opposition.

“We cannot in this matter pay any attention to any public agitators against the mask for the obvious reason that the question is one of public health and not of like or dislike of the mask,” Arthur H. Barendt, president of the San Francisco Board of Health, told the press.

Though the Anti-Mask League continued to meet throughout the month, participants never really landed on a common, actionable goal. According to The Washington Post, some people wanted to organize a petition to repeal the mask mandate, while others were simply demanding that Hassler be fired. Meanwhile, the masks did seem to be helping the city flatten the curve. On January 15, 1919—the day before health officials issued their second decree—there were 510 new flu cases and 50 deaths. On January 26, those numbers had plummeted to 12 and four, respectively.

At the league’s last gathering, having accomplished nothing, members replaced Harrington with a new chairwoman, and the meeting devolved into a state of such chaos that William Scott, who had rented the hall, simply shut off all the lights. The Anti-Mask League never recovered from that ill-fated assembly, but they didn’t need to—on February 1, city officials did away with the mask requirements for the second and final time.

BY ELLEN GUTOSKEY 

MAY 15, 2020

Drink, Sniff, Mist and Wash - NOT!

When people get scared they do some very unsafe things.  Common sense seems to fly out the window.  Sometimes it's because of ignorance or because they were never taught otherwise.  Still, if in doubt, ask someone who knows. 

The following article was found in CMM Daily News online.  Check out the statistics of things people have done during the COVID 19 pandemic in an effort to rid themselves of germs.  Scary, to say the least!

Cleaning professionals are well trained in the safe use of cleaning chemicals, such as following dilution instructions and wearing the proper personal protective equipment (PPE). However, not everyone is as careful with cleaning products. With the coronavirus pandemic leading to an increased awareness of hygiene, some consumers who are not accustomed to deep cleaning and disinfecting practices are putting their health in danger.

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) researchers analyzed data from an online survey of more than 500 U.S. adults about their general knowledge and practices related to cleaners and disinfectants. Nearly two out of five adults surveyed (39%) said they used these products in non-recommended, often dangerous ways to prevent themselves from contracting COVID-19.

Among the respondents who reported they had engaged in these high-risk cleaning product practices:

• 19% applied bleach to food items, including fruits and vegetables
• 18% used household cleaning and disinfecting products on their hands or skin
• 10% misted their body with a cleaning or disinfectant spray
• 6% inhaled vapors from household cleaners or disinfectants
• 4% drank or gargled diluted bleach solutions, soapy water, or other cleaning and disinfectant solutions.

Most of the respondents (77%) didn’t know they should use only room-temperature water to dilute bleach solutions, and 65% were unaware that they shouldn’t mix bleach with vinegar.

One-quarter of the respondents reported experiencing at least one adverse health effect, which they believed resulted from the use of disinfectants or cleaners. Among the effects they experienced:

• 11% reported nose or sinus irritation
• 8% reported skin irritation
• 8% reported eye irritation
• 8% reported dizziness, lightheadedness, or headache
• 6% reported upset stomach or nausea
• 6% reported breathing problems.

Fear and Concern Over Cleaning of Offices When Employees Return

As COVID-19 wanes to some degree, more and more people are returning to work.  This means there is the possibility that the coronavirus could begin to sicken people again.  Some who are greatly concerned about this are custodians and janitors that clean office buildings.  Note the following article regarding this concern from bizjournals.com. It behooves all of us to be vigilant in using PPE and common sense to avoid contracting or spreading this deadly virus.

Janitors across the Twin Cities are calling for workplace protections as office towers begin to welcome employees back after months of working from home.

Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 26, which represents over 4,000 janitors who clean commercial buildings, is asking for increased training, time to regularly wash hands, immediate notification of potential exposure and daily sanitization of uniforms.

"Our members have born the brunt of the virus. As more people are venturing out, we demand safety," said Local 26 President Iris Altamirano on a conference call Monday.

Even though offices emptied out in mid-March to slow the spread of the pandemic, over 100 SEIU members have been diagnosed with Covid-19. SEIU member Armano Solis, a janitor at U.S. Bank Plaza, died from Covid-19 in April.

"Imagine what will happen once these office buildings are filled up again," Altamirano said.

A survey of hundreds of SEIU members found 73% of workers are nervous about going to work. Furthermore, 1 in 5 don't have gloves, 2 in 5 don't have masks and 45% reported receiving no training around Covid-19 protection.

Altamirano said the union has given out thousands of masks and gloves, "because employers have failed miserably in providing protection."

Ernesto Garnica, a SEIU janitor who recovered from Covid-19 said it's scary thinking about office workers returning to the buildings he cleans.

"We have seen so many people get the virus even with the buildings having been mostly empty," Garnica said. "Now if the buildings begin to fill up, unless changes are made, it will be dangerous for not only us, but the people working in the buildings."

Julia Castillo, an SEIU member for 10 years, said the pandemic is pushing janitorial workers to the limit.

"We used to do a lot of work before. Now we’re working like never before, doing double if not triple more than normal," Castillo said.

By Carter Jones  – Digital Producer, Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal

Preventing Coronavirus Spread

Here's some great information from cmmonline.com regarding limiting and preventing the spread of the coronavirus outbreak which is encircling the globe.

As the number of coronavirus cases continues to increase in the United States, infection control specialists may be afraid the disease’s spread through health care facilities is inevitable once they start treating patients with COVID-19. A new study published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology will give hope to these specialists. Researchers from Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong reported than none of the hospital workers contracted COVID-19 and no hospital-acquired cases were identified, even though the hospital tested 1,275 suspected cases and treated 42 active cases, Health 24 reports.

Out of 413 healthcare workers who treated confirmed cases, 11 had unprotected exposure and were quarantined for 14 days. None of the 11 became ill.

Researchers studying the hospital credit vigilance in hand-hygiene, the wearing of surgical masks in the hospital, and appropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE) as key in preventing hospital transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Queen Mary Hospital was among Hong Kong’s 43 public hospitals that widened screening criteria to determine if patients may have come into contact with the coronavirus. When the screening process identified a patient at risk, the hospital immediately isolated the patient in an airborne infection isolation room or in a ward with at least a meter of space between patients.

Each hospital put strict infection control measures in place, including training on the use of personal protective equipment, staff forums on infection control, face-to-face education sessions, and regular hand-hygiene compliance assessments.

Learn about the latest recommendations to stop the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus such as tip sheets on appropriate PPE and disinfectants.