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The problem of accessing inside of LST radiators for cleaning and maintenance has been an issue for service providers for many years.
Budgets cuts and understaffing make it difficult to maintain recommended cleaning schedules, with internal cleaning rarely taking place. This creates a greater risk to both end users and providers, with potentially higher infection rates.
The Association of Healthcare Cleaning Professionals (AHCP) recommends that minimum cleaning frequencies for radiators are:
· Very High Risk Areas - Daily
· High Risk Areas – Daily
· Significant Risk Areas - Daily
· Low Risk Areas – Monthly
An undisturbed casing provides ideal conditions for the growth and distribution of dirt, spores and bacteria, greatly increasing the risk of infection. As "Superbugs" such as MRSA can survive in a desiccated state in the dust for long periods of time, up to 175 days, environments such as hospitals, care homes and schools, require a product that allows for fast and effective cleaning.
(Source: Long-term-in-vitro survival of an epidemic MRSA phage-group III-29 strain J.H.T Wagenvoort and R.J.R Penders).
Traditional LST radiator casing designs are fixed boxes and are difficult to access, with internal cleaning involving complete disassembly. Many current radiator guards are heavy and awkward to lift, cleaning staff require the assistance of several maintenance personnel and the whole process of cleaning radiator casings is slow and costly.
One guard alone can take up to 30 minutes to disassemble, remove, clean, reassemble and refit. |