ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

Professional cleaners should be involved in developing hygiene policies and emergency response protocols, according to a Nigerian health expert.

And he describes the contributions of professional cleaners as critical to preventing the spread of infections in hospitals, schools, hotels, airports and other public spaces.

Cleaning practitioners are pivotal in the fight against disease transmission, says founder and convener of the Pan-African Industrial Cleaning Academy Olubunmi Fagbuyiro. "They are the first line of defence in preventing the spread of Ebola or any kind of diseases and the last line of protection of our community," he said.

"Professionally-trained practitioners know the difference between soap and disinfectant. They know the required contact time for chemicals to work, which PPE to wear, how to wear it and how to remove it without infecting themselves.

"You cannot make policies that have to do with hygiene, disease response and preparedness without calling the real people who are supposed to work and make those policies happen, which are the cleaning practitioners."

A second Nigerian health expert adds that frequently-touched surfaces require proper cleaning because several people come into contact with them every day.

"When you are climbing the staircase of an office you hold the rail, and about 10 other persons have held the same rail while climbing up," said head of the Institute for Humanitarian Studies and Social Development Professor Prince Origa.

"You cannot talk about the issues of epidemiology, outbreaks of diseases and epidemics without linking them to cleanliness. So it becomes imperative that an organisation such as this begins to raise awareness and marry some of the health challenges that we are having with the issues of cleanliness."

Pic: Ebola virus, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.