Towards the end of December 2020, ISSA, the worldwide cleaning association, announced that more than 150 facilities and organizations have been certified and accredited by GBAC, the Global Biorisk Advisory Council, a division of ISSA.
This includes such facilities as hotels and convention centers worldwide, airports, airline fleets (American Airlines as of January 2021), gyms, medical centers, shopping malls, and a bit closer to home, Service Keepers.
Most of our staff have attended the workshops and classes required to earn GBAC certification. As GBAC Executive Director Patricia Olinger explains, GBAC accredited facilities “make proper cleaning and disinfection an ongoing priority.”
The program is designed “to guide facilities on cleaning, disinfection, and infection prevention,” to help protect the health of “employees and the public, now and in the future.”
This gives a general idea of what the GBAC program is all about. However, let’s explore the program in greater detail and explain why Service Keepers got behind it so early and so wholeheartedly.
Here are some of the key aspects of the program and its requirements:
- GBAC was created in response to the coronavirus pandemic but is designed to help prevent the spread of many other types of infections going forward.
- This is a performance-based program based on proven, expert-endorsed cleaning, disinfection, and infectious disease prevention “best practices.” It is designed to help organizations and cleaning professionals recover from outbreaks, biohazards, and pandemics such as the coronavirus.
- To become certified, cleaning professionals must take online courses, each approximately two to three hours long, instructing them on how to prepare, respond, and recover from different types of outbreaks or biohazards.
- Emphasized is on the importance of proper cleaning and disinfecting to protect human health.
- The proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is also covered in the coursework.
- A thorough understanding of the EPA’s Emerging Viral Pathogens Guidance program. This program is designed to educate cleaning professionals on the proper use of cleaning solutions and disinfectants so they can adequately address “emerging infectious diseases that have newly appeared in a population or have existed but are rapidly increasing in incidence or geographic range.” It also highlights steps to take to effectively deal with such outbreaks, minimizing the spread of infection.
- Once they have completed all the program courses, cleaning professionals must pass a post-course test. If they pass the test, they will receive a Certificate of Completion from the Global Biorisk Advisory Council and can use the term “GBAC-Trained Technician” to distinguish themselves from other cleaning contractors and cleaning professionals who have not earned this crucial designation. *
These details highlight the rigor and professionalism of the program, but still do not address the reason for Service Keepers’ enthusiastic support. The reason is simple: we have always been here for health.
We now feel the professional cleaning industry falls under the umbrella of the healthcare industry. While our job is to continue to keep our client’s facilities looking their absolute best, our foremost duty to our clients is to protect the health of people using those facilities. Fortunately, with GBAC training, other custodial training programs in place, and the use of the most advanced cleaning technologies, we can do both.
Interested in learning more? Then get in touch today. We’re Service Keepers and we’re here for you.
*Facilities that are GBAC certified achieve what is called GBAC STAR accreditation. Cleaning contractors such as Service Keepers and their certified staff are recognized as GBAC-TRAINED TECHNICIANS™ and receive a Certification of Completion from GBAC once they have completed the program and passed related tests.
