Over the past year, the pandemic caused many businesses and industries to adapt and change. The specialist cleaning industry has been front and centre of the response to Coronavirus, developing new guidance, services and product innovations to keep people safe.
With non-essential industries starting to re-open and the outlook starting to feel more positive, we asked 33 of our frontline colleagues how the past year had been for them, and how it has shaped their roles.
Care homes saw a lot of attention throughout the pandemic. Over half (51%) of the frontline colleagues who took part in our survey delivered expert services to a care home during the past year. These jobs, as well as specialist disinfections of schools, were highlighted as the most rewarding to be part of. They were also the most challenging, and often involved the specialist disinfection of areas that had been used by individuals who had tested positive for Coronavirus. All such cases were followed up with consultations to ensure our customers’ employees knew how to implement social distancing policies, and to guide our customers as to where sanitisation stations should be located, and how regularly different areas of their premises should be cleaned.
Our sales consultants also recognised the part they have played in the national effort to help keep people safe. One member of the team recalled a supermarket clean-up where several people onsite had tested positive, and how they felt a real sense of achievement in being able to assist in the effort to get the store up and running again. It helped to provide nearby residents with access to food and other essentials at a time where local shopping was important.
The variety of a technician’s job also shone through in the responses we received. Our teams have been involved in the clean-up of anything from construction sites, to shipping vessels, schools, shops and even people’s homes. One memorable job in the past year was jet washing part of the M40 motorway following an incident, and helping to return this major road to safe use.
In response to the pandemic, Rentokil Specialist Hygiene created a new and unique critical appraisal survey to help ensure premises were kept safe. Called ‘HATS’, it means our staff assess risks and implement solutions to ensure safety and compliance, focusing on four key areas Hygiene Factors, Atmosphere, Touch and Social Distancing (HATS).
We’ll continue to use this model moving forwards, as it can be applied to any premises of any size and across any sector.
The consideration of the indoor air quality ‘atmosphere’ has become one of the most business-critical issues in helping to keep premises safe currently. According to a survey of 2,000 adults carried out by our sister company Initial Washroom Hygiene in March 2021, more than one in four (26%) Brits are worried about airborne transmission, a 19% increase from when Rentokil Initial conducted the same survey back in November 2020.
Coronavirus can be transmitted by respiratory droplets – expelled when someone with the virus coughs, sneezes, or speaks, and so addressing air quality is a vital part of the Coronavirus recovery. Our technicians are able to install VIRUSKILLER™ technology, which has been tried and tested for more than 15 years and can effectively eradicate airborne pathogens from indoor environments.
It has been an honour to be on the frontline in the battle against Coronavirus, and we have not taken this responsibility lightly. We have equipped people with hygiene knowledge, while our frontline technicians and the wider team at Rentokil Initial have collaborated to help keep the public safe. Whilst we look forward towards the return of normality, we know that our Rentokil Specialist Hygiene technicians will always strive to deliver the best service possible.