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Cleaning and Disinfection Quality | Guidance Standards

Cleaning and Disinfection Quality

Guidance standards for establishing and assessing cleaning and disinfection in UK hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

Authors: 

Dr Andrew Kemp PhD: Head of BICSc Scientific Advisory Board 

Dr Mathew Diggle FRCP: University of Alberta Hospital, Canada 

Dr Katie Laird PhD: De Montfort University, Leicester

 

Preface 

This guidance is intended to set environmental cleaning and disinfection standards for healthcare facilities in the UK. It is the result of a collaborative effort, with representatives from, public and private healthcare providers, research institutes, cleaning contractors and medical device companies in the UK, North America and the Republic of South Africa. 

The decision to develop joint healthcare guidance and standards for a system to describe and evaluate disinfection and cleaning quality arose after the Environmental Network SIG meeting lead by Dr Elaine Cloutman-Green in London on the 30th May 2017.

This guidance is intended to reflect and improve UK practice, but should be available for any similar group anywhere in the world. It is intended for use to help achieve pre-determined standards for their own healthcare facilities. 

It also takes into account the fact that healthcare providers may have different cleaning and disinfection challenges due to local circumstance.

It is essential that all cleaning operatives and their supervisors understand the Health and Safety and Control of Substances Hazardous to Health implications of the chemicals they are using. All cleaning operatives and their supervisors should be fully aware of the manufacturers recommendations for suitable Personal Protective Equipment that is to be worn with their individual chemistries. 

This information should be available to all based on the local requirements and protocols/ procedures. 

Risk assessments should be carried out prior to exposure to any chemical disinfectants.

Our Mission

The British Institute of Cleaning Science is the largest independent, professional and educational body within the cleaning industry with over 40,000 Individual and Corporate Members in the UK and Internationally.

To raise the standards of education and to build awareness of the cleaning industry through professional standards and accredited training, thereby; 

  • Protecting the Operative
 
  • Providing a Clean and Safe Environment
 
  • Preserving Assets
 
  • Promoting Sustainability
 
  • Producing Best Practice
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