Tips for Custodial Workers and Employers

Below are a few guidelines from the CDC when cleaning and disinfecting facilities. For more information, visit cdc.gov/coronavirus.

When Cleaning

  • Wear disposable gloves and gowns for all cleaning, including handling trash.
    • All personal protective equipment (PPE) should be removed carefully to avoid contamination of the wearer and the surrounding area.
  • Wash hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds.
    • Always wash hands immediately after removing gloves.
    • In addition, wash hands immediately after blowing one’s nose, coughing, or sneezing; after using the restroom; and before eating or preparing food.

Additional Considerations for Employers

  • Educate custodial workers to recognize the symptoms of COVID-19.
  • Provide instructions on what to do if workers develop symptoms within 14 days after their last possible exposure to the virus.
  • Develop policies for worker protection and provide training to all cleaning staff on site prior to providing cleaning tasks. Training should include when to use PPE, what PPE is necessary, how to properly put on, use and take off PPE, and how to properly dispose of PPE.

This article originally appeared in the March/April 2020 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Hawaii Elementary School Reopens Following $25M Campus Modernization

    Haʻaheo Elementary School in Hilo, Hawaii, has reopened to students following a three-year, $25-million campus modernization and expansion project that significantly increases the school's instructional space while preserving one of the island's oldest educational institutions, according to local news.

  • Cleveland High School Breaks Ground on Modernization

    Portland Public Schools in Portland, Ore., recently announced that construction has begun on a modernization project for Cleveland High School, according to a news release. The existing building will be replaced with a new, 300,000-square-foot facility at the same site.

  • Minnesota District Opens New PreK–12 School

    Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop Schools in Gibbon, Minn., recently announced that construction is complete on a new, $68.9-million school for students in grades PreK–12, according to a news release.

  • St. John Fisher University

    Classroom Revitalization – Basil Hall Room 216

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. St. John Fisher University's Basil Hall Room 216 Classroom Revitalization has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Project of Distinction award in the category of Spaces.