Colleges and universities across the nation have faced unprecedented challenges in the last year – challenges that have taken a toll on most athletic programs. With perseverance and determination, many Athletic Directors and Facility Managers have worked with their teams to implement guidelines from state and local health departments, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and other leading health organizations to safely welcome back athletes, their families, and even some fans.
This is no small task, especially across athletic facilities, given the complexities of managing the many shared spaces like weight rooms, locker rooms, athletic training rooms, stadiums, arenas, field houses, and more—not to mention the equipment found in them. There's also more attention on these areas as student athletes, parents, staff, and fans are more concerned than ever about the cleanliness and safety of these facilities.
One of the most essential things to help ease concerns and keep athletic facilities clean and safe is to provide quality hand soap, alcohol-based hand sanitizer, surface disinfectant, and body fluid spill kits across all athletic facilities. Here's our guidance on why these solutions are important and where to place them to create a healthier and safer environment.
A strong hand hygiene program starts with the right products
Keeping hands clean is critical to reducing germs on hands. The first step in the process is choosing the right hand hygiene products for your facility – to reinforce the practice of good hand hygiene you need safe and effective products that are also pleasing to use. We know from our 75-year history of developing products that formulation is critical to performance and user experience. When choosing a hand sanitizer – while the percentage of alcohol is significant, attributes such as antimicrobial efficacy (how fast it works and the types of germs it kills), safety, skin care (non-irritating, softening, etc.), and aesthetics (consistency, color, feel, smell) must all be designed into the formulation.
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) regulates these products as Over-the-Counter (OTC) drugs and has stringent guidelines in place to protect consumers. To avoid potentially dangerous hand sanitizers, check the FDA's list of hand sanitizers to avoid. Don't mix formulas in dispensers or bottles, and don't refill branded bottles or dispensers with other formulas. Rely on trusted brands with a history of using only the highest quality ingredients and producing the most effective formulas.
The right products in key positions
Hand sanitizer and hand soap can be made available in any facility through wall-mounted dispensers, dispenser stands, or pump bottles. Before installing dispensers, though, it's important to consider how those dispensers will be maintained. Keeping track of batteries and refills for all of your dispensers is time-consuming, so include discussions about how long batteries and refills last and how you will know when they need to be replaced. Dispensers with smart technology capabilities may be a good option.
Additionally, avoid refillable bulk dispensers, which need to be removed from the wall and disinfected often – they present a risk even if properly maintained. In a study published by the peer-reviewed journal, Applied & Environmental Microbiology, contaminated bulk soap dispensers were shown to leave 25 times more germs on hands after washing, even with proper maintenance.1 Accordingly, the CDC has recently issued guidance against the practice of refilling bulk dispensers. Using dispensers with sealed, replaceable refills eliminates this contamination risk.
Once ready to place dispensers, consider these questions:
- Where are the sinks in my facility?
- What areas are high-traffic areas where many people frequent at the same time?
- What areas are at higher risk? (Consider health/training rooms, food prep areas, trash disposal areas, restrooms, locker rooms, and other places where germs may thrive.)
- What areas have fewer occupants throughout the day but may be areas people stay longer?
Soap dispensers should be placed by every sink. For high-traffic areas, consider placing hand sanitizing stands that can be prominently positioned and moved during events to encourage use. In high-risk areas, hang a wall-mounted dispenser, so occupants develop a habit of using the readily-available product. Finally, for those areas that see less traffic, consider placing a variety of solutions to fit the space, like 2-4 pump bottles throughout the room or a smaller manual sanitizer dispenser.
Up your surface disinfection game
Surface disinfection also plays a significant role in slowing the spread of germs since germs often live on surfaces that we touch, and we can pick up those germs that may make us sick.
To break this cycle of germ transmission, the CDC recommends cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces within the facility with EPA List N disinfectants (which are expected to kill the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2) at least daily or between use as much as possible and limiting the use of shared objects when possible. 2
Surface disinfectant should be placed in any shared space to provide student athletes, faculty, and staff a solution at any time. To help pick the right product for the job, make sure to read the product label for information on contact times, directions for use, and safety precautions (like whether personal protective equipment is required or you need to wash your hands after use). It's important to note that surface disinfectants need to remain visibly wet for the contact time specified on the product label to ensure that they are effective, which means reapplying the product may be necessary if it is not fast-acting (there's a big difference between waiting 30 seconds versus 4+ minutes). Also look for the EPA’s Design for the Environment Certification to help support your school’s sustainability initiative.
Develop a schedule for increased routine cleaning and disinfecting, and make sure to include the below surfaces in your plan – download our "Athletic Facility Cleaning Checklist" to help.
Frequently touched surfaces you should be disinfecting regularly, either daily or between uses, are:
- Door handles
- Cabinet and drawer handles
- Countertops and tables between treatment areas
- Taping tables and treatment tables
- Treatment equipment
- Main therapy and exercise equipment/devices
- Hydrocollator towels
- Water bottles and coolers
- Buckets/bins used for icing
Less frequently touched surfaces you don't want to forget are:
- Ice machine door handle and ice scoop
- All weight room/exercise room equipment (yoga balls, mats, therapy bands, etc.)
- Utensils (scissors, pens, etc.)
- Floors
And rarely touched surfaces that still need attention are:
- Medical bags and supplies
- Inside and outside of all cabinets
- Trash bins, laundry bins
- Windows
- Walls
- Bookshelves, computers
- Pictures, frames, trophies
Lastly, in the event of an accident, body fluid spill kits are a great item to have to ensure a quicker, safer cleanup. To be OSHA compliant, make sure to use a kit with written instructions, disposable PPE, and a disinfectant that can effectively decontaminate the exposed area. To reduce any cross-contamination risks, use single-use products like disposable trays, mops, and disinfectants. As many hazardous spills within a facility include biohazard waste, make sure to dispose of all mess and cleaning tools properly by following the kit's disposal instructions.
The final step to a winning solution
Placing products where they can be regularly used is important when implementing a hand hygiene and surface disinfecting program, but one more simple step will help make your program more successful: education. Educating building occupants on the importance of practicing good hand hygiene and surface disinfection habits sounds like a huge undertaking, but it doesn't have to be! A study completed in athletic facilities, using PURELL® Brand HEALTHY SOAP®, PURELL® Advanced Hand Sanitizer, and PURELL® Professional Surface Disinfectant showed that placing these products in prime areas led to a 60 percent reduction in germs found within the facilities. After adding educational reminders like posters and how-to guides, germs in the facilities were decreased by 95 percent. 3
For product information, posters, placement guides, cleaning checklists, and other educational materials to use as part of your broader strategy to create a safer, cleaner athletics environment, visit www.GOJO.com/Athletics.
Read the CDC's considerations for institutes for higher education, which include providing hand hygiene and surface disinfecting products.