Pandemic Helps Move EVS to Center Stage

Keeping hospitals clean and sanitized is where concerns of health and safety overlap

By Dan Hounsell, Senior Editor, Facility Market


The COVID-19 pandemic has created a lengthy list of challenges and problems for healthcare facilities managers and their staffs. If there is such a thing as an upside of the last 17 months, it’s the recognition that many environmental services (EVS) workers in hospitals have received.

Many patients are admitted to hospitals because of infectious bacteria and viruses. They are contagious, and their illness can be transmitted to others. Hospitals work hard to contain and eliminate pathogens, but the risk remains. One of the greatest dangers patients face is health care-associated infections (HAIs). Preventing HAIs is a daily battle for both clinical and environmental services EVS staff, according to Health Facilities Management.

While patients are preeminent, the health of hospital employees and guests is also important. For EVS technicians, this is where the concerns of health and safety overlap. Hospital employees and visitors are susceptible to infections, too, so EVS staff are trained to disinfect as well as clean. EVS staff also focus on the safety of others; they must be mindful of slippery surfaces and trip hazards, exposure to chemical products and sharps, and many other dangers associated with cleaning and maintenance.



July 20, 2021


Topic Area: Environmental Services


Recent Posts

Designing for Access: Addressing Pharmacy Deserts with Flexible Solutions

Design is an increasingly important consideration for closing the gap in pharmaceutical access.


Baylor Scott & White Health Set to Open New Texas Medical CenterĀ 

The new 40-acre campus will offer communal green spaces, more than two miles of trails, health and wellness events and activities for everyone to enjoy.


The Future of Backup Power Systems in Healthcare Facilities

Manufacturers discuss what trends are shaping the future of backup power systems in healthcare.


Infection Control is Key to Ongoing Measles Outbreak

Infection control is essential to protecting both patients and staff from contracting measles.


Kaiser Permanente to Open New Parker Medical Offices

It also announced it's in the early stages of planning a rebuild and expansion of its Westminster Medical Offices.


 
 


FREE Newsletter Signup Form

News & Updates | Webcast Alerts
Building Technologies | & More!

 
 
 


All fields are required. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.