ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

Cleaning inspections at a group of Canadian hospitals have become much more high-tech, thanks to the use of hand-held ultraviolet lights.

Vancouver Island Health Authority staff identify and mark 10 of the 'most touched points' in a given room or area of a health facility. Inspectors return 24 hours later and shine a UV light on the areas. If the mark is still there, it is proof the area hasn't been cleaned sufficiently.

The tools are part of VIHA's strategy to improve cleanliness at its facilities, following an 11-month outbreak of C.difficile at one hospital that infected 94 people. The UV equipment, produced by Westech Systems, is initially being tested at three sites, before being rolled out across all facilities in 2013.

The device looks like a small flashlight. It emits high-energy UV light that is absorbed by the marking material - likely to be a type of phosphor - placed by VIHA inspectors on frequently touched surfaces in a given healthcare facility.

Seconds after exposure to the UV light, the electrons in the material, which become 'excited', return to a lower energy state by emitting light - that is the phosphorous glow inspectors see.