By
Rebecca Gibson |
Cruise operators face the ongoing challenge of infection control as they strive to make facilities safe for passengers. Infectious agents can be spread in a variety of ways and the basis of good infection control in the workplace is to assume that everyone is potentially infectious. Many infections are transmitted most easily by person-to-person contact or by touching contaminated surfaces. Disciplined and consistent cleaning therefore reduces the potential for outbreaks where there are high concentrations of people who pose substantial risk of cross-contamination.
Disinfectants do not reduce the risk of infection unless proper application methods are followed. Methodical personal hygiene, especially hand hygiene, and thorough cleaning and disinfection of frequently-touched surfaces are therefore the most effective strategies to help prevent outbreaks. Priority should be given to surfaces such as door handles, light switches and telephones. Staff and passengers must clean and disinfect their hands regularly and as a matter of routine to reduce the potential spread of infections through these surfaces. Two more potential sources of cross-contamination on cruise ships are bedroom and bathroom linen and food and beverage services. They must be taken seriously.
Diversey, now a part of Sealed Air, is the only integrated supplier of chemicals, utensils and cleaning machines to the global cleaning and sanitation customer base. We are uniquely capable of understanding how chemicals, machines and utensils interact to deliver superior cleaning efficacy and efficiency. We have the most global footprint in the industry, with presence in more than175 countries, more than 6,500 customer-facing sales and service personnel, and significant penetration in faster-growth emerging markets.
Helping customers and partners attain high standards of cleanliness on their ships while seizing the benefits of a sustainability strategy is key to our approach. Like many businesses around the world, we recognise sustainability as a competitive advantage and are committed to establishing sustainable practices.
Sustainability has the added benefit of providing savings through the reduction of operational costs associated with energy and water conservation, waste reduction, regulatory and legal compliance, positive labour relations, a healthy and safe workforce and reduced liability, benefiting profitability as well as people and the planet. Some cost reduction efforts have direct and obvious financial returns, while others have less tangible but no less powerful effects on the long-term viability of an enterprise.
We help our customers reduce the environmental and operational impact of their businesses. Our expertise and superior solutions help customers save water, lower energy consumption and reduce labour costs while making their facilities safer, cleaner and more hygienic. And our innovations protect the crew, saving water and energy while reducing operating costs. Innovations in product packaging, floor and carpet care equipment, dispensing and dosing are just some examples of how we are doing that.