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COVID-19 Operating Standards

COVID-19 Operating Standards

Objective

To provide safe ground transportation services whilst doing everything practicable to prevent the spread of Covid 19 infection to our chauffeurs and passengers.

 

In addition to the usual rigorous cleaning routine expected of a Carey vehicle, the following additional steps must be taken at all times:

 

  • All vehicles are professionally disinfected every 28 days using electrostatic disinfectant (See full details below), this is a highly effective long lasting process which is sprayed in the car to dissinfect every serfuce including all hidden and difficult to reach areas.
  • Carey has contracted with https://electroclean.co.uk/ to provide our professional dissinfectant treatments.
  • All vehicles to be fully sanitized after each service. All touchable surfaces to be thoroughly cleaned and then re-dissinfected using the electrostatic dissinfectant process.
  • Hand Sanitiser to be available for both passenger and chauffeur.
  • Passenger to avoid touching surfaces in the vehicle where possible
  • When able, luggage should be handled by the passenger. In cases where help is required from the chauffeur, they should sanitise their hands immediately afterwards and avoid touching their face until this is done.
  • Passenger to wait for chauffeur to open and close doors before and after each journey

What is Electrostatic Cleaning?

What electrostatic cleaning is — and ISN’T

 

Well, let’s start off by clearing up a common misconception. The question to ask is, “What is electrostatic disinfecting?” In the cleaning and hygiene industry, “electrostatic cleaning” actually refers to electrostatic disinfecting. While these terms are often used interchangeably, in reality they refer to two very different infection control processes.

Electrostatics provide no mechanical cleaning action, i.e., they do not remove physical soil. Rather, the electrostatic device is used to disinfect mechanically pre-cleaned surfaces. Let’s look into this in a bit more detail.

 

Why Do We Need Electrostatic Disinfecting?

Using a little elbow grease and cleaning solution are a great first step in disinfecting, but it is virtually impossible to disinfect every square inch of surface area in a building this way. Not only is it prohibitively expensive in terms of labour, but also unrealistic in terms of time available. In reality, germs and bacteria spread into hard-to-reach surfaces faster than we can clean them away. In fact, colony-forming units of bacteria and viruses are hiding in many areas that we cannot access with current methodologies and equipment.

Imagine trying to apply a disinfecting solution to all the nooks and crannies that exist in a hospital, including wheelchairs, walkers, beds and other medical equipment. Additionally, let’s take a look at offices, which is another critical cleaning environment. There are a vast number of hard-to-reach areas that are potentially covered in pathogenic bacteria, like keyboards, phones, and desks — just to name a few! Remember that we are disinfecting to have a positive impact on workplace absenteeism as well as the overall health of a facility.

Electrostatic disinfection is the magic bullet that healthcare and public infection control has been waiting for. Electrostatics provide a step that can now effectively augment the current processes that facilities use to protect the public from nosocomial and community based pathogens. They can also augment SOPs for facilities that are building out infection control programs, in light of the evolutionary response that microbiology continues to present. Successful infection control programs rely not just on good process but the right tools to manage facility health.

 

What is Electrostatic Disinfecting and How Does it Work?

Electrostatic disinfecting is a way of quickly and evenly coating a surface with a disinfecting solution. This is done by using an electrostatic applicator that gives a negative charge to the disinfecting solution as it exits the nozzle. The charged molecules will repel each other, meaning they will be an even distance from each other, but will be attracted to the surface they are applied to. The charged particles have a charge strength greater than gravity allowing them to directionally target a selected surface very quickly providing near immediate room reentry.

The science behind it is detailed, but in the simplest of terms, electrostatic disinfecting works by providing a charge to a solution so that it electromagnetically sticks to a targeted surface, providing 360-degree coverage.

In most instances, surfaces are neutral. So when an electrostatic disinfecting system, like the www.electroclean.com provides a negative charge to the solution, said solution will be attracted to a surface with a different polarity. If you want to get even more technical, this is an example of Coulomb’s Law. It’s also how the automotive industry has evenly and accurately spread spray paint onto cars for decades.

 

Why Is Electrostatic Disinfecting So Effective?

Harmful pathogens can live on surfaces for days, and will potentially double every 20 minutes given the right food source and ambient temperature. This provides ample opportunity to create situations for cross contamination. Conventional cleaning and disinfecting does a fine job of managing microbiological load on common touch points. However, the evolutionary flexibility of modern pathogens is such that we need to add new strategies to manage cross contamination and microbial load in many types of facilities well beyond acute care. Electrostatic disinfecting provides a broad-spectrum approach to disinfecting a complete surface area and an entire room as we have never seen before.

Source: https://www.bunzlcanada.ca/resources/knowledge-centre/what-is-electrostatic-cleaning

Testing & Quarantine Protocols

  • Carey International follows established CDC quarantine and testing procedures.
  • Carey Chauffeurs complete a mandatory daily health monitor survey assessing:
    • Body temperature measurement
    • vaccination status
    • COVID-19 symptom indications
    • Known COVID-19 exposure risks
  • In the event of a positive test result, Carey will follow The CDC policy on quarantine and disclosure
    • Immediate removal or chauffeur or employee from service
    • Immediate disinfection and deep cleaning of vehicle, equipment or workstation
    • Immediate contact tracing in event of positive test
  • Chauffeurs and employees may return to work once the following qualifications are met:
    • They have completed a 10 day quarantine protocol
    • Achieved two negative Covid-19 PCR tests within 10 days

Service Standards

Social Distancing

  • Chauffeurs must maintain a 6-foot distance from the passenger outside the vehicle
  • For a contactless greet, chauffeurs will not shake hands and avoid all physical contact with the passenger
  • Chauffeurs must ask passenger permission before helping with bags and luggage

Air Circulation

  • All vehicles must set AC/heat circulation to outside air.  Carey chauffeurs are not use recirculated air
  • Chauffeurs will keep at least one window slightly cracked at all times to improve air circulation
  • Chauffeurs have been instructed to avoid excess conversation to limit the amount of particles emitted

Service Amenities

  • All candies, magazines, and consumables have been removed from vehicles
  • During the pandemic, Carey will no longer provide water or other beverages
  • Carey will provide hand sanitizer or sanitizer wipes to all passengers
  • Carey will also provide CDC-approved surgical masks to passengers as needed

Cleaning and Disinfecting Standards

  • Daily commercial treating of vehicles with CDC and EPA certified VIREX II 256 disinfectant.
  • Each evening vehicle interiors are “fogged” with a commercial-grade E-Mist EPI 360  electrostatic sprayer using CDC and EPA certified, VIREX II 256 Vital Oxcide cleaning agent
  • In the field, a Carey Chauffeur will perform a 35-point field sanitation checklist between each trip where all shared surfaces (door handles, seats, consoles) are wiped down with a CDC and EPA approved commercial disinfecting agent, either Lysol Ammonia Wipes, Clorox Bleach Wipes, or concentrated VIREX II 256 Vital Oxcide Liquid
  • Each vehicle will be physically inspected at least once every seven days and maintain a detailed sanitation log which will be subjected to random audits and reviewed weekly by management

Distancing Procedures

  • Carey chauffeurs and staff will maintain a distance of at least 6 feet from passengers at all times
  • Passengers will be queued for loading in orderly lines and asked to maintain a distance of at least 6 feet from other passengers while outside the vehicle
  • Passengers will be loaded and unloaded according to an orderly “first on/last off” plan–seating interior and rear seats first upon loading, and unloading exterior and front seats first
  • Carey will not allow passengers to be seated in front seat opposite of the chauffeur of any vehicle type
  • Safe passenger capacities in our vehicles using a staggered seating plan based on configuration and capacity