What you should know about disinfection

During the coronavirus crisis, disinfection is one of the most important measures for keeping businesses and services safe from infectious pathogens.

Coronavirus and other pathogens such as bacteria and viruses can survive on surfaces from a few hours to a few days. This gives them ample time to transfer between people using a building, vehicles or transport networks when we touch “hotspots” such as door handles, toilet flush handles, payment terminal keypads, shopping trolleys, handrails, or shared equipment.

Rentokil has many years’ experience in providing disinfection services for specialist customers who demand the highest level of protection, safety and efficiency. We’re offering a range of services to businesses that need to protect their essential operations during the COVID-19 crisis or are planning to re-open buildings affected by a lockdown and wish to ensure the safety of staff, customers and visitors.

Rentokil Initial clarifies five essential questions about disinfection misting.

What are the disinfection and sanitisation services available?

Rentokil Initial utilises disinfection services approved by the local regulatory bodies in the countries where we provide surface disinfection for the required premise. For example, in Europe, they fully comply with national approvals or the European Biocides Directive and, in the US, with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations. In Singapore, Rentokil Pest Control is registered as one of the approved vendor with National Environment Agency (NEA) to perform surface sanitisation.

Our solutions can vary according to local approvals and supply, but formulated to eliminate a wide range of microorganisms and ensure safety for all the facilities where they are applied. The highly efficacious solutions have proven to reduce not only bacteria but also viruses and fungi. We analyse the environment and business needs, and work with the customers to ensure we recommend relevant and professional sanitising services for the businesses.

What safety measures do we take during treatment?

As a pest control specialist, we have extensive safety procedures in place that is developed by our highly experienced team of experts. We undertake disinfection in a wide range of business sectors including high dependency sectors or critical COVID-19 related environments. We apply safe and effective disinfection services in facilities that include offices, shopping malls, educational institutions, hotels, care homes, industrial and manufacturing and health care providers.

Our technicians wear the most suitable personal protective equipment (PPE) for the disinfection service they are carrying out. This includes respirators, N95 masks, goggles, coveralls, nitrile gloves, and rubber boots, as appropriate. All specialists undergo intensive and stringent training in procedures and practices to minimise risks in exposed environments, including:

• Personal protection and proper use of personal protective equipment
• Protecting themselves from injury in handling risky objects
• Carrying out appropriate decontamination procedures
• Practice basic good hygiene practices such as regular, thorough handwashing
• Perform a site risk assessment to ensure health and safety checks in place

Compliance and precautions in disinfection treatments

At all stages of our service, our local team of consultants will ensure suitable safety procedures are applied at every stage, including for compliance with legislative requirements such as disinfection handling.

We use an eight-stage process to carry out our services effectively and safely while ensuring your premises can operate as soon as possible.

• Survey: survey, risk assessment and customer proposal
• Customer acceptance: disinfection service prepared
• Site preparation: protective clothing, equipment and products, pre-entry checks
• Quarantine: quarantine area on site, preparation of quarantine area, preparation of products to be used
• Treatment: disinfection treatment, application of products, post-application procedures
• Clean down: exiting post-treatment, removal of contaminated items, shut down of quarantined area
• Waste: disposal of waste, removal of equipment
• Customer handback: re-entry time minimum 30 minutes after treatment, customer briefing on the service carried out, handback of premises

After treatment, we work with you to ensure your facility continues to have the highest level of hygiene and you can reassure your employees, customers and visitors you are doing everything to protect them.

How long does a disinfection service take?

The time taken to disinfect an area or a building depends on the size and type of the building and treatment area, but your premises will be safe to use again 30 minutes after the service or as soon as the disinfection products are dry (whichever is the greater).

Our specialist will let you know the duration of the treatment after conducting a survey to determine the recommended level of service. We offer four types of service for dealing with exposure viruses such as coronavirus, which have different levels of preparation, disinfection procedures and safety requirements.

• High-level disinfection – for recently confirmed contamination
• Intermediate-level disinfection – for suspected contamination
• Precautionary disinfection – to prepare your premises for re-opening
• Contingency survey – to help you make contingency plans for disinfection in case of future contamination

The specialist can discuss the right service for your premises according to your business needs.

How much does a disinfection service cost?

The cost varies according to the size of building or area to be treated, the type of facility and the type of service required. We will carry out a full site survey of your premises first and discuss the service level that is right for you before being able to provide an estimate of the cost. Some of the factors include:

• Number of treatments and service required
• Size of the treatment coverage
• The type of disinfection and sanitisation treatment
• Nature of the premise, i.e. confirmed or suspected COVID premise
• Additional services required to integrate the solutions
• Hours and manpower resources required

Contact our local office to arrange a meeting with one of our expert

How often does a disinfection service is required?

Again, this depends on the type of business and the use of building. Buildings with large numbers of people visiting or that are more likely to have infected people bringing the virus into it (and other associated risks). They will need more frequent treatments to ensure the safety of users.

Public organisations should have their properties disinfected before re-opening. Further treatments will depend on local government guidance and requirements for public health. We follow these as a matter of course so that all our services comply fully with advice from local public health authorities.

Most businesses are resuming their operations. With increased activities and interactions, conducting regular disinfection is recommended. Particularly in protecting your employees, users and customers, there should be ongoing protection. This is because; there is a possible risk of cross contamination through inadequate hygiene or negligible actions. For example, sneezing or coughing without a tissue covering, leaving soiled tissue around or not washing hands after using a washroom.

Speak to a pest control company to discuss what is the best and effective approach to ensure adequate sanitisation measures is in place as we start to reopen our service to public.

Why is it necessary to carry out disinfection treatment

Firstly, there is still an ongoing pandemic of the coronavirus happening globally and locally. Secondly, we business resume their reopening of business there is an increased risk of bacteria and viruses transmission. Thirdly, cross contamination can take place as we expose ourselves to various interactions and engagements. Fourthly, there is an ongoing dengue transmission that raises our health and safety concerns. Finally, it requires a community effort to minimise any virus transmission and pose any additional pressure to the medical care facility.

You may also like: Why disinfection misting is helpful during COVID-19 period

What additional safety initiatives is required to enhance protection

Besides disinfection and sanitisation measures, pest management is another essential checklist to ensure safety. It should complement and integrate with disinfection coverage, hygiene solutions with pest control to ensure there is optimal protection.

• Pest infestation caused by cockroaches, ants or rats cause diseases such as Salmonella and E. Coli
• Dengue cases are still on the rise with large number of dengue clusters and breeding ground
• Food safety remains top priority for public’s consumption safety by controlling flies
• Remove pest harbourage in vacated premises during lockdown
• Cross infestation may occur as more units and shops reopen cause pests to travel around

Ensure there is adequate and proper pest control services carried out at the premises regularly and consistently. Firstly, you should make sure common pests treatments covering cockroaches and ants are included. This is because they are easily attracted to food ingredients and waste. Secondly, as more construction and manufacturing resumes, rats are forced out of their habitats to enter into your premise for food. Thirdly, mosquitoes fly from locations to locations and with the climates changes, this heightens their activities. This causes an increased risk of contracting dengue fever. Fourthly, food business will get busier with food preparations and delivery and flies infestation may occur more. Finally, not forgetting the disrupting pest that is silently eating away your home. It is best to protect your property from termite infestation.

Read also: Essential pest control services you need to know

Learn more about Rentokil COVID-19 recovery programme

As part of the commercial pest control, Rentokil Singapore offers a COVID-19 recovery programme to support businesses to reopen their business in a safe and hygienic manner. There is a long checklist for businesses to consider. From facility maintenance to safety protocol, the recovery programme typically covers the following:

• Pest flush out programme to ensure thorough and adequate elimination of breeding and physical pests lurking in the vacated premise
• Reinstate common pests treatment, rat and flies control to control recurring pest activities
• Proofing recommendation of the place to minimise pest entry that increase infestation risks
• Hygiene and washroom facilities such as hand soap, hand sanitiser and toilet seat cleaner is available
• Improving the indoor air quality by eliminating pathogens and particles with Air Purification and Clean Air Sanitiser
• Placement of outdoor and indoor mosquito trap to control mosquito population
• Surface sanitisation and disinfection that removes 99.99% of viruses and bacteria, and wipe down at critical touchpoints

Call Rentokil Singapore at (65) 6347 8138 for a disinfection and sanitisation services today.