For the highest level of health and safety, rely on engineering to play a major role
As campuses prepare for reopening in a COVID-19 world, many of them are placing a strong emphasis on extensive cleaning and disinfection to make spaces safer for staff, faculty, and students. But what does that mean? Even the phrase “deep cleaning” doesn’t indicate the type of multi-level, multi-stage effort that’s required to truly mitigate the risk of infection—while keeping maintenance and janitorial staff protected.
By understanding the main protocols of a comprehensive cleaning program, you can put your campus on track to develop a meaningful and effective plan for reopening.
Listed below are just some of the initiatives you should include in your preparations, based on the UG2 ReNewSM Engineering4HealthSM program:
HVAC Prep and Maintenance: Now, more than ever, indoor air quality is essential. Air filtration and safety checks are key for ensuring that returning staff, faculty, and students stay healthy. HVAC work is about far more than firing up the equipment, it involves extensive engineering expertise for upgrades, training on-site staff, and testing systems to ensure there are no potential issues like mold and bacterial growth that could pose a serious health hazard.
Electrical Work: As a campus prepares for reopening and the months afterward, electrical setup and maintenance will be a big part of achieving operational efficiency, especially if more security controls are being put in place. For example, a campus might have more access controls than in the past, to allow for better physical distancing. A comprehensive engineering plan takes into account how changes in usage can affect the overall level of efficiency and cost.
Installation of New Equipment: As part of a comprehensive engineering plan, it may be necessary to replace older equipment that’s less efficient, or that doesn’t provide higher levels of health benefits and safety. Also, campuses may consider installing more touch-free options such as entry doors in areas like restrooms or shared kitchen spaces, to make cleanliness a higher priority.
Plumbing Readiness: Similar to HVAC, campus-wide plumbing should be thoroughly inspected by engineering, especially after hot summer months that might have resulted in stagnant water—a potential health hazard that could severely sabotage a reopening plan.
How a building is maintained is crucial to the successful creation of a healthy campus environment. The Engineering4Health program offers best practices in addressing all aspects of a building’s operation, including systems like filtration, air stream disinfection, air exchange, plumbing traps, deep cleaning of cooling and heating systems, and maintenance of seasonal systems like air conditioning, among many others that maximize health and safety benefits, both now and into the future.
Expanding Your Knowledge
In previous posts, we’ve covered why colleges and universities have unique needs for reopening and what your institution will need to get ready for re-entry.
As you consider the phases of reopening and everything that needs to be put in place for short-term and long-term success, don’t hesitate to contact UG2 to talk about your specific needs. If you’re in higher education, now is the time to build capability and resources for reopening, and UG2’s extensive experience and insights have proven valuable to a range of educational clients.
Our UG2 ReNew Cleaning4Health and Engineering4Health programs are designed to ensure you have what you need, well before anyone returns to campus—and long after they’re back.