Executive Housekeeping Today - October 2008 - (Page 18)

spray-and-VaC systEm (continued from page 13) Robert-Koch-Institut has issued completely revised recommendations on Household Cleaning and Surface Disinfection. With respect to these recommendations, we developed a new test method, which allows comparison of the efficacy of disinfection in reducing the microbial loads and their dissemination with that of cleaning procedures under practical conditions. In a multi-factor approach, mechanical properties (wet mop technique), utensils (different mop materials), and active agents (disinfectant, detergent) were taken into consideration. We found that under the given conditions, dissemination of the test organism, Staphylococcus aureus, did not take place when using aldehydes and peroxides, it did take place, however, when water, surfactants, and the disinfectants glycol derivatives, quaternary ammonium compounds, and alkylamines were used. (PMID: 15110127 [Pubmed-indexed for MEDLINE]) 2. Am J Infect Control. 2006 Oct;34(8):513-9. An evaluation of patient area cleaning in three hospitals using a novel targeting methodology. Carling PC, Briggs J, Hylander D, Perkins J. Department of Hospital Epidemiology, Carney Hospital, Boston 02124, USA. pcarling@cchcs.org Background: Although environmental cleaning and disinfecting practices have become a cornerstone of patient care, assessment of actual compliance with such procedures has not been reported. Using a novel methodology, we developed a means to monitor directly such activities. Methods: A nontoxic target solution, which intensely fluoresces with a black light, was formulated to be inconspicuous, yet readily removed by housekeeping products. Small volumes of material were confidentially applied to 12 target sites in patient rooms in three hospitals, following terminal cleaning. The targets were reevaluated following terminal cleaning after several patients had occupied the room. Results: One hundred fifty-seven rooms and 1,404 targets were evaluated. In the three hospitals studied, only 45 percent, 42 percent, and 56 percent of targets were removed by routine terminal cleaning/disinfecting activities. The frequency with which various individual sites were cleaned varied widely, but was similar in all hospitals. The use of a novel target compound to evaluate housekeeping practices confirmed high rates of cleaning of traditional sites, but poor cleaning of many sites that have significant potential for harboring and transmitting microbial pathogens. This methodology has the potential for being used to evaluate objectively the cleaning/ disinfecting activities in various health care settings. PMID: 17015157 [Pubmed - indexed for MEDLINE] 3: “Cleaning agents make bug strong’”, BBC News Online, 3 April 2006. Retrieved on 2007-06-04. W Dr. Paul S. Darby graduated from Furman University with a B.S. in Chemistry in 1981, and went on to earn a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry at the University of Georgia. He served in the U.S. Army as a Clinical Chemist before attending medical school on an Army scholarship. He received his M.D. from Georgetown University in 1993 and completed a clinical internship at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, WA. He served as a staff Emergency Medicine physician at a level II trauma center and as a staff Family Practice physician at various Army hospitals around the world. He left the active Army in 2000 to pursue civilian residency training at the University of Washington, where he also earned his Master of Public Health degree in Occupational Health. He is board-certified in Occupational and Environmental Medicine and is in full-time practice in a major seaport, specializing in acute industrial trauma, chemically-related illness, and maritime medicine. He has a particular interest in the chemistry and toxicology of household products, and in encouraging the development of safe, practical, and environmentallyresponsible cleaning agents. He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel from the Army National Guard. He is a Senior FAA Aviation Medical Examiner, a Certified Medical Review Officer, a Certified Independent Medical Examiner, and a Fellow of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. He is on the clinical faculty of two departments at the University of Washington: the Department of Family Medicine (School of Medicine) and the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences (School of Public Health). He is a member of the American Chemical Society, the American College of Clinical Toxicology, the Washington State Medical Association, and the Pierce County Medical Society. He maintains an active consulting practice in medicinal chemistry and biotechnology through his company MD_PhD Services, PLLC. Send us your E-mail Address! When you supply the Association office with your e-mail address, you can receive such benefits as the new virtual edition of EHT, our weekly Job News publication, the trimonthly International Newsletter, and e-mail news blasts. Many Web sites, such as www.mail.yahoo.com, www.hotmail.com, and www.mail.lycos.com, offer e-mail services, are easy to set up, and FREE! Please send your most current e-mail address to excel@ieha.org and ask to start receiving these benefits today! 8 Executive Housekeeping Today/October 2008 http://www.mail.yahoo.com http://www.hotmail.com http://www.hotmail.com http://mail.lycos.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Executive Housekeeping Today - October 2008

Executive Housekeeping Today - October 2008� Contents Executive Corner An Easier, Greener, and Healthier Approach to Floor Care Caring for Carpets in 24-Hour Facilities Frugal Housekeeper Case Study: University of Miami My Experiences with High-Speed Machines vs. Spray Buffers Vacuum Floor Care Q&A with Andre Motta Is a Spray-and-Vac System Really Better at Cleaning and Reducing the Risk of Disease? CEU Article The IEHA/CRI Partnership The Green Scene USGBC Green Tip What's in YOUR Janitor Closet? Inside the Industry Product Highlights New Members Joint IEHA/ISSA Members REH/CEH Members Advertisers' Index Calendar of Events Inside IEHA What IEHA Has Done for Me

Executive Housekeeping Today - October 2008

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