Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 18th April 2024 Issue no. 1110
Your industry news - first
The original and best - for over 20 years!
We strongly recommend viewing Cleanzine full size in your web browser. Click our masthead above to visit our website version.
Emergency FM specialist launches Back to Business Covid-19 disinfection and testing service
SafeGroup, the independent emergency soft FM service provider, has launched a comprehensive and highly-innovative Covid-19 disinfection and testing service to support businesses as they seek to return to work safely and smoothly.
The three-step process involves a premises deep clean and a Covid-19 (Coronavirus) treat and protect service. It also includes, for the first time, Covid-19 testing of treated surfaces to allay the predicted fears of staff and customers as they return to business premises.
"Our Back to Business Clean and Safe service is a comprehensive cleaning and disinfection response to the major challenges facing businesses as they leave lockdown and reopen their premises,” explains SafeGroup CEO Steve Broughton.
"They recognise they have a duty of care to ensure their workplaces are safe and clean. They are having to address the very real wellbeing and mental health concerns of their employees and customers.
"They also want their workplace to have long-term protection against Covid-19 so staff and customers have peace of mind over the weeks to come. Our Back to Business Clean and Safe service delivers all three.
"Businesses and FM providers alike know they don't have the in-house expertise, technical capability or capacity to carry out disinfection to the standard customers, staff and regulators expect, which is why interest in our new service has been intense."
During the pandemic, SafeGroup has provided decontamination services for a wide range of businesses, including facilities management providers, hospitals, care homes, schools and manufacturers.
One of them is London Stansted Airport. Nick Henderson, the airport's business continuity and resilience manager, says: "We needed to respond quickly to reassure passengers and staff that decisive action was being taken on their behalf. SafeGroup's decontamination service has been an important component of our strategy."
Amy Harris, group health and safety and training manager for Michelmersh Bricks, says:
"We engaged SafeGroup in advance of reopening our multi-site operation. The main drivers have been to ensure a safe environment for our staff and customers while providing peace of mind that the working environment was being regularly disinfected and protected."
The new Back to Business Safe and Clean service is tailored to deliver a complete package of technically advanced cleaning and disinfection services to support businesses as the government seeks to phases out the lockdown.
Step 1 - Deep Clean: a full and thorough mechanical clean of premises using professional techniques and chemical products to create a clean and fresh workspace. Staff and employer organisations, including the CIPD, have emphasised the need to carry out deep cleans as part of a Covid-19 return to workplace strategy.
Step 2 - Treat and Protect: SafeGroup is treating premises with a broad spectrum anti-microbial chemical treatment proven to be greater than 99.99% effective against Covid-19 and which provides surface protection against the virus for up to 30 days. It is delivered as an microfine electrostatic spray, maximising coverage.
Step 3 - Testing: SafeGroup will collect multiple test samples and arrange to have them analysed for Covid-19 at a scientific laboratory, with results returned within 72 hours. The testing process is the same as the one used by Public Health England.
All three elements will be carried out to an exemplary standard, including the use of full microbiological PPE where necessary.
SafeGroup has designed its service around feedback from customers as they develop plans to leave lockdown and strategies to operate in a post-Coronavirus business environment where expectations about workplace hygiene standards are likely to be greatly raised.
SafeGroup sales director Chris Macdonald says: "Covid-19 has reframed the response to workplace cleanliness. Our discussions with businesses tell us that they see making sure employees having confidence in workplace hygiene standards as being a critical priority as the lockdown is phased out.
"This is a key reason why we're offering the Covid-19 testing service and why it has been enthusiastically welcomed by customers. It gives businesses scientific evidence that workplaces are Covid-19-free. Combined with the long-lasting effectiveness of our disinfection treatment, staff can be confident everything is being done to keep them safe."
SafeGroup expects its Back to Business Clean and Safe service to be particularly attractive to business services providers, like banks and insurance companies, operating large office spaces, as well as government agencies and retailers.
The service is also ideal for service organisations that have been working hard to protect against Covid-19 throughout the pandemic, including hospitals, care homes emergency services and transport providers.
21st May 2020