Exploring the best cleaning practices of Sharjah American International School

 

A glimpse into the best practices of three branches of the prestigious school and how they test their disinfection solutions.

 

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Specialised Cleaning
 
December 16, 2021
 
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Exploring the best cleaning practices of Sharjah American International School
 

According to the latest government guidelines, schools in the United Arab Emirates must carry out the general cleaning and disinfection of the premises every 24 hours. This includes cleaning and disinfecting floors, vacuuming, spot cleaning, dusting horizontal surfaces such as furniture, classroom equipment etc., and taking out the trash. Surfaces must undergo cleaning with soap or detergents and water to remove organic matter and debris, followed by a thorough disinfection (germ elimination). In fact, each Emirate of the UAE has worked on a different set of measures to ensure that the students and staff are safe in their return to school. Total sanitization of the school prior to the official opening is necessary. There are detailed guidelines about everything from cleaning techniques to approved disinfectants. 

 

To get into the details of how schools are complying with these guidelines, we spoke to the management of Sharjah American International School (SAIS) from Abu Dhabi, Umm Al Quwain and Dubai in an exclusive interview!

ban alduri

 

How important is school cleanliness and hygiene for you? 

This is an extremely important matter for us as it directly affects the health of our staff and students. We have clear policies in place with regards to face-to-face students returning including submitting health declaration forms (addressing medical issues reported directly to the school nurse), consistent PCR results are collected, etc.

Given the current pandemic, how did SAIS plan for the much-awaited "back to school"?  

Deep cleaning takes place every 24 hours by the cleaning company Zawaya General Maintenance and Cleaning services. Hourly cleaning of all high traffic areas including classrooms, hallways, and bathrooms takes place. Cleaners were trained on the updated ADEK policies for cleaning expectations and the implementation of these expectations are monitored daily by the cleaning supervisor and the facilities manager.

The NOC sent by ADEK was very detailed and SAIS followed all expectations set and communicated these through circulars with parents. Inspectors visited the school and had zero recommendations all last year, so we consistently maintained the high standards set by ADEK.  We hope to do the same this year. 

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Which disinfectants do you use to maintain school hygiene? And what factors do you take to choose the right hygiene partner?

To ensure the wellness and protection for our staff and students, it is extremely important to work with the right hygiene partner to support us in maintaining a safe environment. There are several factors we take into consideration when choosing our partner, few important factors are: ease of procurement, ease of using the product and efficiency. All our cleaning chemicals are directly chosen based on the NOC policy sent by ADEK and provided by Zawaya cleaning company through Fine Solutions. These include the sterilized paper products, hand sanitizer and hand soaps. All our disinfectants and chemicals are also procured from Fine Solutions to ensure quality and efficiency in cleaning. 

How do you ensure a hygienic environment in the school? 

We have a dedicated EOT (Emergency Operation Team) responsible for daily quality assurance of our hygienic expectations for the school campus. We also have a dedicated team of 9 cleaners from Zawaya to support the various locations throughout the school campus.

carole

 

How important is school cleanliness and hygiene for you?

Cleanliness and hygiene are very important for the safety and health of our students. Emphasis is constantly placed on cleanliness through awareness sessions and activities to educate students on their importance.

The school has devised a COVID-19 protocol for all stakeholders clearly stating the responsibilities of each category in terms of protecting themselves and the community. The school underwent deep sanitization and disinfection of the premises prior to the students’ first day.

What additional factors did the Umm Al Quwain branch take into consideration (in terms of cleaning and hygiene) post-COVID-19 to ensure student and staff safety?

  • Daily sanitization of all rooms
  • Touchless trash cans
  • Sanitizing dispensers all around the school provided by Fine Solutions
  • Thermal cameras at the entrance gates
  • Social Distancing stickers all around the school
  • Frequent sanitization of equipment

 

safetyWhich cleaning chemicals do you use to maintain school hygiene? And what factors do you take into consideration in choosing the right hygiene partner?

Zawaya General Maintenance and Cleaning Company uses the chemicals and equipment mentioned in the National Protocol for the operation of educational establishments during the pandemic that was shared by the Ministry of Education. 

Our Safety and Security Team ensures that our partner is fulfilling all responsibilities included in the COVID-19 Protocol of the school. We have also partnered with Fine Solutions for an uninterrupted supply of cleaning solutions and disinfectants. This partnership has yielded us quality as well as after-sales support. The products supplied include chemicals, toilet rolls, facial tissues, hand sanitizer and hand soaps all from Fine Solutions.

What challenges did you face in maintaining school hygiene every day? How do you overcome them?

We overcame all challenges by putting extra efforts in raising the awareness prior to the first day of school and training all stakeholders to strictly follow the COVID-19 protocol.

We devised a detailed plan for the reopening of the school including clear details about the responsibilities of stakeholders and different schedules for entering, leaving, visiting specific common areas around the school to avoid gatherings. 

 

sultan

 

What measures is SAIS taking to ensure that the students' return to school is safe (in terms of infection control)? 

The school strives to secure an adequate, skillful, and well-trained cleaning team who is responsible to clean the school facilities, furniture, and frequently used equipment. 

Desks, tables, smart boards, workstations and all student’s learning spaces and resources are cleaned and disinfected daily. Frequently used items like door handles, stair rails are cleaned and disinfected regularly throughout the school hours. 

The school premises including all classrooms, learning spaces and offices are fogged with a high-pressure disinfectant fogging on a weekly basis. Classrooms of confirmed/ positive covid-19 cases are fogged immediately. 

The fresh air unit is monitored and maintained to ensure clean air circulation in all rooms. 

In addition to the above-mentioned points, the following actions are also implemented: 

  • Body temperatures check on school entry and before boarding the school buses. 
  • Eligible students and all staff wear masks as per the protocols. 
  • Almost all staff members are fully vaccinated and whoever is not is required to present a 48-hour negative PCR 
  • Social distancing enforced across site (common areas, learning spaces and school buses) 
  • Reminders to the school community about effective hand hygiene 
  • Cleaning and sanitizing are in line with Dubai Municipality and Dubai Health Authority guidelines 
  • Adhering to a fixed seating plan to minimize interaction 
  • Installing hand sanitizers dispensers by Fine Solutions in all rooms 

Given the current pandemic, how did you plan for the much-awaited "back to school"? 

We are obviously more prepared this year. The precautions and policies we have in place have been approved by KHDA and DHA via their frequent visits, and we will continue to maintain the highest standards of health and safety practices across all school operations. The main challenge revolves around preventing a positive Covid case from spreading. 

What challenges did you face in maintaining school hygiene every day? How do you overcome them? 

Monitoring the common touchpoints is challenging; when everything should be sanitized after each person has touched it, our increased cleaning staff needs to be vigilant across site all day, prioritizing the high-traffic areas and bathrooms especially. Also, it is challenging for teachers to always be watching what students are doing, especially in classes with younger students, where children are curious about resources around them and are at an age when they want to learn to share. Clear ways of working have been implemented to ensure we proactively control these aspects as best possible, but on the rare occasion that things have not been disinfected between use, there is a second level of control in the strict hand hygiene practices in place, as well as the mask wearing protocols. 

Which factors do you take into consideration in choosing the right hygiene partner (chemical solutions provider and cleaning service providers)? 

With cleaning and disinfection being of critical importance in the school environment, staying at the forefront of new technology in this field is just as important. Cleaning and disinfection technologies, machinery, process, and products are continuously reviewed to ensure the most suitable solutions are in place. In a school environment, selection of products also includes reviews to make sure the products do not trigger asthma or allergies to children. Cleaning equipment used is color coded and purchased from a guaranteed supplier network. To maintain school hygiene, we have a rigorous cleaning and disinfection program not only for the school, but also for our own tools and equipment, so that our cleaning tools are kept clean and sanitized and we can therefore produce the best possible cleaning results and hygiene levels in schools. 

safety

Ensuring the Efficacy of Cleaning Products

In addition to Mr. Sultan’s comment about being at the forefront of new technology, SAIS revealed an interesting test they conducted to determine the efficacy of the technology in The Fine Guard PureSurfaces.

The PureSurfaces antimicrobial shield is clear/cloudy, odorless, non-leaching, environmentally safe and non-corrosive. It is completely safe for humans and animals but deadly for a wide range of microorganisms including bacteria, mold, fungi, and viruses. Additionally, the chemical components are classified by the EPA as Category IV, which is the lowest level of toxicity, which makes it ideal to be used in schools.

Testing Process

The study was performed at the Sharjah American International School (Dubai premises) on 26th August 2021. A control area was predetermined, and its bacterial levels were noted at 64 Relative Light Unit (RLU) before treatment. Soon after, the area was treated with The PureSurfaces Antimicrobial Shield and then re-evaluated at 7th, 14th and 21-day intervals.

  • 1st Day:             6 RLU (Considered Food Safe level)
  • After 7th Day:   14 RLU (Considered Food Safe level)
  • After 14th Day: 20 RLU (Considered Food Safe level)
  • On 21st Day:    11 RLU (Considered Food Safe level)

Results:

The resulting data proved that PureSurfaces, as a complement to existing best hygienic practices, delivers a superior, sustained antimicrobial result.

On an average, untreated surfaces were nearly four times more contaminated than surfaces treated with PureSurfaces, thus proving the decision of the school to be scientifically and factually correct. The addition of PureSurfaces could preserve the hygienic state of surfaces continually throughout the academic year!