How to prevent an outbreak: A comprehensive guide for hotels, restaurants & healthcare

In early 2003, a hotel in Hong Kong became the center of attention after a number of international tourists who stayed on the ninth floor contracted an unknown illness. The hotel wasn’t the source of the disease per se, but it became a key link to the spread of the disease internationally in Toronto, Singapore, and Hanoi. The disease would later be known as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS.

As public areas, hotels, restaurants, and medical establishments such as hospitals play a crucial role in preventing the spread of diseases. Thus it is important that leaders and the teams of these establishments — from the hotel general manager all the way to the housekeeping, kitchen, and laundry staff — understand ways to mitigate the risks of contagion.

There are seven key areas that should always be looked into. Under F&B, the kitchen (also called “dietary department” in hospitals) and dining areas are important. Housekeeping staff oversee the public areas, back-of-the-house areas, guestrooms, and linen rooms. Laundry can either be on-premise or outsourced; regardless, best practices should still be observed.

I’ve detailed below a list of measures to prevent the spread of microorganisms and mitigate the risks of diseases. Note, though, that even without the risk of contagion, these are best practices that can be observed and practiced to ensure the safety of employees and guests.

 

Kitchen / Dietary Department

• Always avoid wiping or using rags to dry items. Doing so only spreads bacteria and microorganisms.
• Dishmachines must be drained three times daily and descaled weekly. Chemicals should be titrated and dosed properly.
• In a properly functioning dish machine, the plates and utensils would be dried in less than a minute (thus strictly no hand wiping no wiping rags). 
• Last rinse must be chlorinated. 
• Ice machines should be cleaned and sanitized daily and descaled monthly. Scoopers are attached to the machines.
• Juice dispensers, coffee makers, and soft ice cream machines are cleaned and sanitized daily.
• Flat grills are cleaned daily and must not have carbon deposits. Exhaust filters are cleaned daily.
• Chopping boards and knives are cleaned and soaked in chlorine. Take note that separate chopping boards and knives must be used for raw food and cooked food to avoid cross-contamination. As wood is very difficult to clean and disinfect, wooden chopping boards in commercial establishments are highly discouraged.
• Counters should be cleaned and sanitized.
• Hand soap and alcogel must be present on all sinks.
• Leafy vegetables to be served as raw food should be dipped with 50-100 ppm chlorinated water.
• No holding of cigarettes to avoid cross-contamination.
• Kitchen staff and food handlers should observe proper wearing of uniform and personal protective equipment (PPE).

 

Dining Areas

• Definitely, avoid wiping or using rags to dry chinawares, flatwares, and glass wares. 
• Chinawares, glass wares, and flatwares that are still moist or wet after these are rinsed in the dishmachine are the results of improper performance of the machine. Call your Engineering and chemical suppliers immediately. Wiping is highly discouraged.
• Tables and counters should always be cleaned and sanitized. Cloth napkins, hand towels, and aprons should be washed and disinfected by the laundry service provider.
• Bars need to sanitize all glasswares after they are washed. Under-the-counter dishwashers are recommended.
• Rest rooms must have hand soap (with bactericidal properties) and alcogel. Urinals, toilets, lavatories, and fixtures should be washed and sanitized.

 

Public Areas

• Gardens should be free of trash.
• Rest rooms must be regularly checked and replenished with hand soap, antibacterial, alcogel, and tissue papers.
• Lavatories are cleaned and sanitized, along with fixtures, mirrors, and door knobs.
• Toilets and urinals are cleaned and sanitized free of stains.
• Garbage bins are cleaned and sanitized daily so as floors.
• Housekeeping staff should wear proper PPE.

 

Back of the House

• Garbage bins are cleaned and sanitized.
• Available hand soap antibacterial and alcogel.
• Rest rooms and receiving sinks are cleaned and sanitized.
• Housekeeping staff should wear proper PPE.

 

Guestrooms

• Sanitize the exposed cups, saucers, plates, and utensils inside the rooms. Assume these have been used by guests even if they look clean.
• Spray broad spectrum of sanitizers on carpet and floors.
• Rest rooms must be regularly checked and replenished with hand soap, antibacterial, alcogel, and tissue papers.
• Lavatories are cleaned and sanitized, along with fixtures, mirrors, and door knobs.
• Toilets and urinals are cleaned and sanitized free of stains.
• Garbage bins are cleaned and sanitized daily so as floors.
• Disinfect telephones, door knobs, light switches, tv remote control, key card, and other surfaces that guests use everyday.
• Housekeeping staff should wear proper PPE.

“…[H]ard surfaces that are frequently touched by multiple people provide good environments for microbes to collect. Any time you touch a lightswitch or TV remote, microbes from your hands transfer to the new object.” – These Are the Dirtiest Places in Your Hotel Room article on Time (2018)

 

Linen Room

• The room should be well ventilated and properly lit. 
• There must be no crawling or flying pests. FIFO should be observed.
• Separate areas for soiled linens/uniforms and clean ones.
• Laundry wrappers for unused (clean) and soiled items are cleaned and sanitized daily.
• If the hotel is outsourcing its laundry, regular visit to laundry service provider to check on their quality wash and finish process plant proper.
• No linens on the floor.
• Availability of hand soap with antibacterial and alcogel.
• Housekeeping staff should wear proper PPE.

 

Laundry (also applicable to laundry service providers)

• No linens on the floor.
• Laundry carts are cleaned and sanitized.
• There must be no crawling or flying pests. FIFO should be observed.
• Proper sorting process observed strictly with sorters in gloves and face mask.
• With the popularity of medical tourism, internal communications on guests’ health condition is regularly done to protect all the linen handlers and other guests.
• Questionable stains are soaked at once in detergents and disinfectant avoiding skin contacts.
• All items are steam washed with alkali application, proper bleach, and ample detergent to remove and kill microorganisms.
• Washers wear gloves and face masks.
• In cases of an outbreak, steam drying and ironing are the best for such abnormal conditions.
• A special disinfectant of a broad range characteristics is applied at the final rinse to further ensure the microorganisms are killed.
• All linens and uniforms are subjected to proper wash process. Of course, sorting diligence should be observed.
• Availability of hand soap with antibacterial and alcogel.
• Laundry staff should wear proper PPE.

 

Do you have questions or comments? Email me at rhapolega@yahoo.com

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