MRSA
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October 22, 2007
School AdministratorsRE: MRSA
Below are steps that we as your professional building services company are implementing to provide your students, staff and the community a safe and healthy environment. These steps have been developed with recommendations from the US Center for Disease Control (CDC), and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The following common areas of frequent contact will be targeted with our preventive measures and methods, using EPA-registered and approved products.
Daily – “Spray and Wipe” method – 3M Quat disinfectant
Handrails, doorknobs, bathroom fixtures, light switches and plates, weight room equipment, exterior of lockers, public phones, drinking fountains, desks, counters, table tops and other horizontal surfaces.
Daily- disinfect completely using 3M Quat disinfectant and 3M multi-use disinfectant and cleaner
• Nurse’s rooms
• Bathrooms
• Locker areasWe recommend the computer labs be provided with sanitizing wipes for sanitization of keyboards, and computer screens. The wipes would also be recommended for sanitization of staff phones.
This is what we are doing, hope it helps.
Mike -
Fall River is doing pretty much the same as Mike wrote. We also have placed signs/posters in the bathrooms in the locker rooms. We’ve not placed sanitization wipes in the computer rooms but think it is a great idea and will implement this today. The school nurse and the city health department have been notified of what we are doing so that when they recieve calls they have answers, we feel that there is a possibility that a parent will call to ask (more complain) of the cleanliness of the facilities.
Joe Correia -
Leicester Public Schools has already implemented anti-bacterial soaps and hand misters to attempt to control any out breaks. Unfortunately this is a double edge sword, supply anti-bacterial soaps and washes and hope that you don’t add to the strains resistance to anti-bacterial cleaners or do nothing and then react when you get an outbreak.
We have also implemented in all the schools the use of the good old standby sanitizer, 10% bleach solutions that will be sprayed on all common surfaces and allowed to air dry after the normal cleaning.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we will dodge this bullet.
CARL -
The Dept of Health is issuing a memorandum. In the meantime, a great resource for all schools is http://www.tpchd.org/page.php?id=365
This has a whole tool kit for schools.
Regards,
Rory -
We’ve done about the same as everyone else. Spray and wipe, extra disinfection, hand sanitizer and we are performing heavy cleaning and disinfection in the locker rooms after fall sports close. The athletes are going to spray down their equipment 2x per week. We have sent out letters to the parents letting them know we are actively working against an outbreak as well.
Bob Souza
Freetown and Lakeville -
Just another note. after speaking in depth with our AD. No doubt you have the same issues. Kids do not shower after Gym or athletic practices, most share clothes they find in a pile in the locker room if they don’r bring in one of their own.
Aother issue is, even though we spray the mats between each use, if the floor underneath them isn’t clean and disinfected, you’re just rolling up the germs onto every surface.
Regards,
Rory -
Hi Mike,
We use the Neutral Disinfectant Pak-it from M.D.Stetson and it kills the MRSA. We have been giving out spray bottles to teachers and been spraying door knobs and letting them air dry.
To add to Bob Graham’s comment, bleach is nasty. If you wipe surfaces with a bleach solution it might cause an allergic reaction with building occupants and then you will be chasing skin rashes everywhere. Not to mention bleach solutions do have a shelf life and are not that stable. Effective kill time after mixed differs but you can lose 50% kill properties in as short as a couple days. Not great.
Good luck,
Ken Wertz
Sharon Public Schools
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