We are living in a bacterial world. For decades now we have been waging chemical warfare against the bacteria and viruses that are in our environment. We have been lobbing hand grenades at them in the form of disinfectants, antibiotics and antiseptic soaps. The bacteria have been throwing hand grenades back at us in the…
Questions often asked at facilities are” “Is this a waste?” and “Is the waste a hazardous waste?” The answer depends on the issue of point of generation (POG). A material becomes a waste when the owner or operator decides that it cannot be used for its original intended purpose. A good example would be a can…
A critical member of the staff at Scripps Green Hospital in La Jolla California talks about her job and the rewards it offers.
Here Betco Corporation offers a video overview of how and why we clean critical areas. This is a good video for regular review.
Paul Tarrant, Site Coordinator at Community Hospital North gives an overview explaining how Environmental Services cleans at this Indiana hospital.
Highlighting common scenarios from hand hygiene and glove use to properly cleaning patient rooms, this video will illustrate the type of precautions that housekeeping staff should take to protect themselves and patients from germs and infections that could make them sick.
According to Mitchell Schwaber, MD, from the National Center for Infection Control of the Israel Ministry of Health, bacterial infection threats are not getting the attention they deserve given that the World Health Organization and public health agencies continue to focus on the spread of the H1N1 influenza virus. While methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has…
Are “White Boards”, erasable patient information boards allowed in HIPAA? White boards, erasable patient information boards, are a means of communicating certain information about patients to the healthcare providers who care for them. One use is a board that has patient safety-related information about an individual patient. This information might include fall precautions, transfer status,…
Senator Jim DeMint states the following on his web site – In many ways, our health care system is broken. Even people satisfied with their own care are nervous about losing it, concerned about rising costs, and frustrated by the failure of government to bring about genuine reform. But the reason Congress has so far…
Statistically successful objectives are precursers to, or actual goals, that have a better than average probability to help your personal or professional outcomes. Or simply stated; things you should do to be better off. An objective is defined excellently by dictionary.com as ’something worked toward or striven for’. When we combine this definition with the…
Customer Relationship Management or CRM means developing a comprehensive picture of customer needs, expectations and behaviors. In the Environmental Services (ES) world, CRM means looking at the ES function as a customer intensive business function instead of a facility services cost center. And the management part implies an active rather than passive role in influencing…
Productivity Sq Ft cleaned by housekeeper each day Labor Cost Cost of labor per Sq Ft – Separate by building Recycling The amount of solid waste diverted Absenteeism the % of unscheduled absences per year Turnover the % of personnel replaced each year Safety Number of on the job injuries per year Productivity – Floor…
Factors that influence the choice of disinfection procedure for Environmental Surfaces: -Nature of item to be disinfected -Number of organisms present -Innate resistance of organisms -Amount of organic soil present -Type & concentration of germicide contact -Specific indications & directions for use. Consider efficacy, spectrum, versatility, ease of use, safety profile and cost. It is…
It doesn’t take much skill to spot a problem. The majority of us in Environmental Services can see the obstacles in front of us, yet only a select few see the opportunities. We need to understand the need to stop focusing on problems and look for opportunities to improve our operations. I have learned to…
I don’t remember when I first started watching Star Trek, but I loved it from day one and have watched every episode, read the books, built the plastic models of the Enterprise NC-1701, the shuttle craft, the Klingon bird of pray and hung them from my bedroom ceiling. I also had a phaser, and learned…