The latest coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, that causes the infectious disease COVID-19, has created a new questions for organizations including:
And
- What questions should we ask a virus decontamination company to make sure they’re qualified?
While it’s not difficult to find a company willing to provide these services, finding the ones that actually know what they are doing can be time consuming and difficult. This service requires certain qualifications, certifications, the appropriate cleaning procedures, and the use of EPA registered disinfectants. Failure to choose the right company could increase the risk to the people in your organzation as well as ruin the company’s reputation. Before hiring a company for this important service, here are 5 questions we recommend you ask.
1. What type of training and certifications do you have for virus decontamination?
Company employees performing virus decontamination should at a minimum have the recommended training according OSHA guidelines, including Respiratory Protection training, Blood Borne Pathogen, and HAZWOPER training and certifications. You should also what type of personal protective equipment (PPE) including respirators the company would use, if they have a respiratory protection program in place, and whether team members have been fit tested.
2. What chemicals are you using to disinfect?
According to the CDC and EPA, a virus can be physically removed by proper cleaning or de-activated with disinfectants, but if they are claiming to use a magic serum to kill viruses, this could be a red flag. Or, even worse, they could be mixing chemicals together, which could lead to the release of chemicals much more deadly than the virus they are suppose to be treating.
If the company tells you the name of the chemical or disinfectant they are utlizing for virus decontamination, ask them to send you the safety data sheet (SDS). They should be able to send this to you, and the disinfectant should be on the EPA list N, which is the approved list of disinfectants for products that meet EPA’s criteria for use against SARS-CoV-2. The SDS will also explain the potential hazards and health effects of the chemical. If you do not understand the SDS, we highly recommend you seek the opinion of someone qualified to explain it prior to use.
3. What is your process for disinfecting?
While ULV fogging or Electro Static Application using Binary Technology sounds cool, it doesn’t include the initial CDC recommended steps at the time this article was written, which basically say if you are providing virus decontamination services to make sure a surface is clean, then to let the disinfectant dwell for a specified amount of time per the product label, and then wipe it off with a clean rag or let dry. If the company is not following the basic steps, you might not be getting the desired results.
4. How long will the disinfectant work for before I need to reapply?
This is a trick question. There is no approved product that will continually disinfect and decontaminate surfaces after the cleaning. As soon as the process is completed, it is immediately subject to further contamination or recontamination.
5. What type of insurance do you have to complete these services? Can you add my company as a certificate holder?
Beyond general liability and workers compensation insurance, the company should have pollution liability coverage to add additional protection. It’s also important to check for any types of exclusions for infectious diseases. Contact an insurance agent or broker for more information as it relates to your organization.
These questions should help narrow your search for finding the right disinfection or decontamination company. Feel free to reach out to us for more information about our disinfection and decontamination services. National Hotline (844)863-3297