Surface disinfectants are one of our main weapons in the fight against infections. We use them at home and at work to eliminate pathogens such as viruses and bacteria from surfaces. They help us break the chain of infection and prevent the spread of illnesses. During the COVID-19 pandemic they have played a key role as businesses have sought to create safe environments for their customers and employees. But in professional settings disinfectants are subject to rules and regulations that dictate, among other things, the type of personal protective equipment (PPE) that users must wear. All of this can add complexity and costs for businesses that could be avoided if a disinfectant existed that can be used with few, or even no, special precautions.
Despite the good work they do in protecting us from infections, many disinfectants incorporate chemicals that can be potentially harmful if they are used in the wrong way. Disinfectants used in professional settings and the workplace are covered by laws, regulations, and rules which manufacturers and businesses using their products must follow. These include parts of the Health and Safety at Work Act, CLP (Classification, Labelling, Packaging) Regulations, and COSHH (Care of Substances Hazardous to Health) Regulations.
Manufacturers must label their products with correct safety, hazard, and classification information. This labelling includes the familiar red, white, and black diamond-shaped pictograms found on disinfectants and other cleaning and hygiene products. Information on the label is useful but manufacturers must also provide professional users with additional details about how to store, handle, and use their products. This is often supplied in documentation such as product information or safety data sheets.
Many disinfectants are classified as hazardous. Anyone who uses them at work must understand how to use them correctly. Businesses should train their employees so that they know how to use products correctly and understand the rules and regulations they must follow. On top of this, manufacturers will often make additional recommendations about the correct use of their products to ensure users achieve the best possible results. Training should cover this too.
Some disinfectants require more care than others. This will depend on factors such as the ingredients in the formulation, how and where the product will be used, and whether it will be stored or used undiluted or in a solution. It is not unusual for a product to have one classification (and require one set of precautions) when it is concentrated and another (and hence different precautions) when it has been diluted.
Packaging and documentation should explain the correct handling, storage, preparation, and use of the disinfectant. Precautions often include the wearing of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves, goggles, or face masks. Some products can require additional equipment such as aprons, overalls, or special footwear. None of this is particularly difficult. But it can make a disinfectant with a high classification more time-consuming and complicated to use than one with a lower – or even no - classification. This is quite normal and products available on the market will be safe if users follow the regulations and manufacturer’s instructions.
Nevertheless, more rules and regulations usually mean more time, more costs, and more restrictions on who can clean and where and when. Cleaning product manufacturers put a lot of effort into making their products simple to use to ensure they can be used correctly.
But what if there was a disinfectant that could be used anywhere any time without special precautions or having to wear PPE? Such a product would remove these limitations and make it much easier for everyone to clean and disinfect a surface whenever they wanted. Well, now there is: Oxivir Excel Wipes.
Oxivir Excel Wipes are non-classified which means that they are 100 percent safe to use without personal protective equipment (PPE). They are the only wipes on the market that kill all viruses – including coronavirus and norovirus - in 30 seconds in dirty conditions. Anyone can safely and quickly clean and disinfect a surface in one pass of the wipe.
The active ingredient in the wipes is called AHP or accelerated hydrogen peroxide. This is an innovative and patented formulation that can be used safely on a wide range of surfaces. The fast action and all-round cleaning and disinfection performance of the wipes means they can be used at any time with no preparation, rinsing, or clean-up.
We all want a product that we can trust to protect and reassure our customers, our staff, and ourselves. At Diversey, our aim is to protect and care for people every day through leading infection prevention technologies and cleaning solutions. Oxivir Excel Wipes are just one example of the advanced and innovative products that we offer to enable effective surface disinfection and hand hygiene.