COVID-19 restrictions are easing and as a nation we are heading back to school, university and work.
Moving forward, the requirements for cleanliness and sanitisation in the classroom and playground will be vastly different. As a result, it’s imperative to ensure the best procedures and practices are in place to protect everyone.
To all educators, we know how important it is to you to keep your students and employees safe. Safe from all germs and all bacteria. This is why we have put all the information you need to thrive in the post-pandemic world right here.
In this article we discuss:
- Creating a culture of clean hands
- Developing a low-touch environment in your classroom
- Social distancing in the classroom
- Keeping up with the latest school sanitisation guidelines
- Determining what commercial cleaning chemicals are safest for your students
- Final considerations
Download your free “Back to School” A4 infographic to put up in your classroom HERE
Creating a culture of clean hands
When it comes to keeping your hands free from harmful bacteria, there are two things you need. These are a good-quality hand soap and a great hand sanitiser.
As we step forward into life after COVID-19, there will be a new focus on hand hygiene. As a result, knowing the fundamentals will not only be beneficial, but necessary.
Did you know washing your hands with a high-quality soap is the very best way to protect yourself from germs? Sure Shield Medicated Hand Soap is made with antibacterial ingredients. It is also formulated to soothe and moisturise your skin, as well as wash thoroughly.
What about when you don’t have a basin and hand soap handy? Hand sanitiser will quickly become a handbag staple, a classroom necessity and an imperative tool for achieving peace of mind. Therefore, knowing the difference between a good hand sanitiser and a great one will serve you well long into the future.
Sure Shield Hand Sanitiser is made with Quaternary Ammonium Compound (QAC). This has been used for decades in hospitals for its antimicrobial and disinfectant properties. It is widely acknowledged as a perfectly acceptable alternative to alcohol.
Being alcohol-free, this hand sanitiser is very gentle on hands, even children’s. Where an alcohol-based sanitiser would dry and crack skin, ours has been specially formulated to soften and moisturise. It has also been tested and proven to kill 99.9% of harmful germs.
Encouraging your students to get into good habits of hand hygiene is the best thing you can do to ensure lower the risk of another outbreak of COVID-19.
Developing a low-touch environment in your classroom
What is touch tracking? Think of it this way: How many surfaces do you touch between entering your workplace and sitting down to work, without thinking twice about it? Now imagine how many other co-workers and students touch those same surfaces every time they enter the classroom. What if the very first person into the classroom had germs on their hands? How many people have those germs now spread to?
Being aware of the surfaces you are touching, as well as who else is touching them is becoming increasingly important. Equally as important is ensuring there are measures in place to keep those surfaces clean. This is the first step in ensuring the classroom remains a safe and clean space as students are returning to school.
Here are some of the most common school surfaces that everyone touches multiple times a day, mostly without even thinking about it! How many have you touched today? How many times?
- Light switches
- Bannisters
- Door handles
- Library books
- Taps
- Toilet flush buttons
- Monkey bars
- Computer keyboards
- Sand Pits
Now you know what surfaces you need to be thinking about, how can you be sure they were clean when you touched them? This is a key area where new workplace procedures need to be developed to stop the spread of germs.
Sure Shield Surface Sanitiser is one fantastic product you can use in the workplace to achieve total peace of mind. When it comes to ensuring your surfaces stay clean and germ free, this will give students peace of mind as they are returning to school.
This product has been purpose designed to kill all germs and bacteria on every type of surface, including fabrics! Simply spray and wipe those high impact touch points in your workplace regularly throughout the day with 360. This will ensure that better than 99.9% of germs and bacteria will be killed PRONTO!
Social distancing in the classroom
Social distancing: it’s become perhaps the most commonly cited phrase across Australia in 2020. But what does it really mean? And how can you ensure you are doing everything in your power to ensure the safety of yourself and others as you are returning to school?
If you follow these simple guidelines, you are doing your part to stop the spread of germs and bacteria:
- Stay 1.5 metres away from other people where possible
- Avoid shaking hands, hugging and kissing
- When making purchases, use tap and go instead of cash where you can
- Avoid crowds by travelling at quiet times
- Ensure you are washing and sanitising your hands regularly throughout the day
- If you have any cold or flu symptoms, STAY HOME and seek medical advice
In a post-pandemic world as we are returning to school, social distancing will quickly become standard practice. So how can you ensure you are maintaining these safe practices without generating fear among your students?
Making sure all new procedures are practical in an operation sense is key. This means students and staff can adhere to them without changing the flow of the classroom too dramatically.
Keeping up with the latest school sanitisation guidelines
New advice from The Healthy Kids Association suggests that moving forward, the frequency of cleaning and sanitising in the canteen environment needs to be increased.
This means if your school canteen is still hand washing and drying dishes and kitchen equipment with reusable clothes and tea towels, it’s time to upgrade. Unfortunately, the old-fashioned way just doesn’t cut it anymore.
Not sure what this means for your school canteen? Here’s a breakdown of the Government Standard for Sanitisation:
- The only way to sanitise equipment effectively is with a chemical treatment or heat, or a combination of both
- For adequate sanitisation to occur, the rinse water in a dishwasher must be maintained at a minimum of 82c for 13 seconds.
How can you be sure your canteen is meeting this safety standard? By installing a quality commercial dishwasher and using the best Australian-made non-hazardous child safe dishwashing chemicals!
The AP500 Underbench Commercial Dishwasher has been developed specially, with the education industry in mind. This industry leading product also boasts:
- Cold water connection
- Halves machine power use
- Available in both 10amp + 15amp
- Cleans and sanitises dishes and plastics in super-fast 1-2 minute wash cycles
Determining what commercial cleaning chemicals are safest for your students
If you have a commercial dishwasher on site, using the highest quality, safest dishwashing detergent is imperative in keeping your students safe from COVID 19. Zexa Ultra Detergent is non-dangerous and non-hazardous.
Zexa Ultra has been formulated specially to meet the exacting requirements demanded in the education industry for effective cleaning and sanitisation in a safe, reliable manner for both the end user and the environment.
The product contains no harsh caustics or chlorine that can damage crockery and utensils and constitute health risk if used incorrectly. It accelerates washing, prevents scale build-up and comes in a concentrated formula for sustainability.
Final considerations
As COVID-19 lockdown restrictions ease around the country, and, as a nation, we are returning to the classroom, there are a number of important considerations that not just teachers and staff, but students as well, need to keep at the forefront of their focus, surrounding cleanliness and sanitisation.
As we navigate this new post-pandemic world, it is the duty and responsibility of every person to ensure they are maintaining social distancing practices, considering touch tracking and cleaning and social distancing.
How can you be sure you’re shielded from germs and bacteria as you are returning to work? With Sure Shield of course! With a broad range of cleaning and sanitising products, Sure Shield has everything you need to head back to the office with total peace of mind. Order your cleaners and sanitisers here.
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