Reporter: Stacy Clarke – Advertorial
A leading emergency soft FM specialist has launched a disinfection and testing service that aims to deliver industry-leading Covid-19 protection and help employers reduce the anxiety of staff and clients as workplaces reopen after lockdown.
The three-step process, developed by SafeGroup Services Ltd, involves a premises deep clean and a revolutionary Covid-19 (Coronavirus) treat and protect service. It also includes, for the first time, Covid-19 testing of treated surfaces to allay the predicted fears of staff and customers as they return to the workplace.
The service is being taken up by organisations and companies across the public and private sectors, including schools and care providers, where a wide range of stakeholders, some in high risk groups, need assurance that all efforts are being made to make premises safe.
Cygnet Healthcare, which provides mental health care, is one customer. Regional Facilities Manager Craig Keates said: “Our environments are high risk. SafeGroup provides the best in market disinfection services that we need 24/7 and our staff and clients have full peace of mind.”
Schools see the service as a way to underpin other measures to make classrooms Covid-19-secure, such as social distancing, by greatly reducing the risk of transmission from person to surface to person, while tackling the concerns of parents, pupils and teachers.
SafeGroup Chief Executive Office Steve Broughton said: “Our Covid-19 Back to Business Clean and Safe service is a comprehensive cleaning and disinfection response to the major challenges facing businesses as they leave lockdown and reopen their premises.
“They recognise they have a duty of care to ensure their workplaces are safe and clean. They are having to address the very real wellbeing and mental health concerns of their employees and customers.
“They also want their workplace to have long-term protection against Covid-19 so staff and customers have peace of mind over the weeks to come. Our Back to Business Clean and Safe service delivers all three.
“Businesses and FM providers alike know they don’t have the in-house expertise, technical capability or capacity to carry out disinfection to the standard customers, staff and regulators expect, which is why interest in our new service has been intense.”
During the pandemic, SafeGroup has provided Covid-19 decontamination services for a wide range of businesses, including facilities management providers, hospitals, care homes, schools and manufacturers.
One of them is London Stansted Airport. Nick Henderson, the airport’s Business Continuity and Resilience Manager, said: “We needed to respond quickly to reassure passengers and staff that decisive action was being taken on their behalf. SafeGroup’s decontamination service has been an important component of our strategy.”
The new Back to Business Safe and Clean service is tailored to deliver a complete package of technically advanced cleaning and disinfection services to support businesses as the government seeks to phases out the Covid-19 lockdown.
Step 1 – Deep Clean: a full and thorough mechanical clean of premises using professional techniques and chemical products to create a clean and fresh workspace. Staff and employer organisations, including the CIPD, have emphasised the need to carry out deep cleans as part of a Covid-19 return to workplace strategy.
Step 2 – Treat and Protect: SafeGroup is treating premises with a revolutionary broad spectrum anti-microbial chemical treatment proven to be greater than 99.99% effective against Covid-19 and which provides surface protection against the virus for up to 30 days. It is delivered as an microfine electrostatic spray, maximising coverage.
Step 3 – Testing: SafeGroup will collect multiple test samples and arrange to have them analysed for Covid-19 at a scientific laboratory, with results returned within 72 hours. The testing process is the same as the one used by Public Health England.
All three elements will be carried out to an exemplar standard, including the use of full microbiological PPE where necessary.
SafeGroup Strategic Business Director Chris Macdonald said: “Covid-19 has reframed the response to workplace cleanliness. Our discussions with businesses tell us that they see making sure employees having confidence in workplace hygiene standards as being a critical priority as the Covid-19 lockdown is phased out.
“This is a key reason why we’re offering the Covid-19 testing service and why it has been enthusiastically welcomed by customers. It gives businesses scientific evidence that workplaces are Covid-19-free. Combined with the long-lasting effectiveness of our disinfection treatment, staff can be confident everything is being done to keep them safe.”
SafeGroup expects its Back to Business Clean and Safe service to be particularly attractive to business services providers, like banks and insurance companies, operating large office spaces, as well as government agencies and retailers.
The service is also ideal for service organisations that have been working hard to protect against Covid-19 throughout the pandemic, including hospitals, care homes emergency services and transport providers.
For more information, contact SafeGroup: backtobusiness@thesafegroup.co.uk
Tel: 0800 668 1268. www.thesafegroup.co.uk.
Recent Comments