Just saying…

New columnist Delia Cannings shines her torch on auditing, room checking and inspection of cleanliness in pandemic situations

As many of you return to work and open your doors to the public, our hotels are starting to buzz again. This is a wonderful feeling; however, we are only post lockdown ¬ – we are not post COVID-19. We are still fighting the fight, and cleaning standards will have a major focus as we strive to ensure the environment is safe.

Auditing of cleaning standards is an activity which requires fundamental association with minimising the risk factor. This is particularly crucial now as our audit must have a robust focus on that which the naked eye can’t see. Therefore, if a contaminant was present on a surface, has it been removed. Would you really know?

It is easy to identify visible soiling and take the required action. Invisible soilage such as the Coronavirus is the problem we now have, and we must ensure we have the knowledge, skills set and tools to address the matter. Furthermore, we must ensure our auditors, room checkers and inspection teams are safe as they carry out their duties, and risk factors must be addressed through a robust assessment of potential risks.

A simple solution is as follows:

• Your company Personal Hygiene policy must reflect the needs of cleansing in suspected or confirmed contaminated environments, including a PPE and handwashing focus.
• A robust risk assessment for auditing, room checking or inspecting in pandemic situations is vital since individuals checking will be entering a range of environments. This will include the avoidance of direct hand touching of surfaces when checking. The likes of long handled mirrors, ultraviolet torches, and disposable gloves are just a few such objective measures.
• Efficacy checks is a valuable method of reviewing the process used for cleansing enabling real time observations of work in progress. This identifies any shortfalls, such as technique not being systematic, a product not diluted correctly, colour coding not used correctly, touch point routine not rigorous, or adherence to the clean to dirty procedure.

As well as acknowledgement of safe disposal of waste matter, safe use care and decontamination of equipment.

If you would like more information or to arrange a short, sharp workshop or presentation at your hotel covering this topic, contact: customerservice@3ees.uk.com Call 0121 574 0688 www.3ees.uk.com