--- title: Simon Says.......READ (understand, interpret and follow) THE INSTRUCTIONS! description: Simon Says.......READ (understand, interpret and follow) THE INSTRUCTIONS! --- - **[SEARCH](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/search-0)** ** - **[CONTACT US](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/contact-us)** - **SDS** - [**Companion Animal**](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/companion-animal-msds) - [**Farm Animal**](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/farm-animal-msds) ## Something Powerful # Resources     ## Simon Says.......READ (understand, interpret and follow) THE INSTRUCTIONS! A few years back, my niece put a popcorn kernel in her ear which required a trip to the ER to have it removed.  While it may not have been voiced, I know we were all thinking the same thing “what on earth possessed her to do that?”  Last week, while walking down the halls at SickKids in Toronto, I came across two shadow boxes of “foreign bodies” that have been removed from either air passages or food passages of children over the years.  I suppose Rachel’s popcorn kernel would have to go in a new category of “foreign bodies removed from auditory passages”, but the same question still hangs in the air “what possesses a child to do that?”  The answer I think is that children often learn by experience or trial and error. Read and follow instructions. This sounds easy enough. It isn't. For some people, it's the key to most of their academic or workplace problems. They read or hear one set of instructions, but their teacher, supervisor or trainer has given different instructions.  Some people deliberately ignore instructions. They "wing it."  They think they can scrape by, doing any old thing they choose (or in the case of cleaning do it the way their mother taught them).  They're wrong.  It doesn't matter how good a job you do if you do the wrong job.  You're going to get a bad grade (or get fired). Doing a job well begins with understanding exactly what the job is.  In the case of cleaning and disinfecting it means reading, understanding, interpreting and following the instructions found on the product’s label.  I challenge you to complete the following drill to see how well you follow instructions.  Directions: Read the entire exercise before doing anything else. Do exactly as instructed. Under no circumstances are you to speak or ask a question. *Name: _______________________________ * *1.    Read every instruction before you do anything. * *2.    Proceed carefully and cautiously. * *3.    Write your name in the designated space provided therefore, below the paragraph that starts with the word "Directions". * *4.    Circle the word "name" in sentence three. * *5.    Draw five small squares in the supper left-hand corner of this page. * *6.    Put an "X" in each square. * *7.    Put a circle around each square. * *8.    Sign your name in the lower right-hand corner of this page. * *9.    After your name, write "yes, yes, yes!" * *10.   Put a circle around each word in sentence number 8. * *11.   Put an X in the lower left-hand corner of this page. * *12.   Draw a triangle around the X you put down. * *13.   On the reverse side of this page, multiply 703 by 1,850. * *14.   Draw a rectangle around the word "page" in sentence number 3. * *15.   Snap the fingers of your left hand. * *16.   If you think you have followed these directions, write "I have" in the space provided below. * *17.   Shut your eyes for just a few seconds. * *18.   Please ignore instructions four through seventeen, and follow the instructions in sentence number three, to complete this drill.* (Modified from the original by Prof. Howard R. Lurie, Villanova Law School) Be honest, how many of you actually read the entire list as directed before starting to answer the questions?   For once, I actually did.  Generally, I’m that person who would have started answering the questions as I went to save time.... I like to be efficient.  I mean, why read through a list when I can just answer as I go! The same holds true for choosing and using cleaning and disinfectant agents.  We have a preconceived notion that we know how to use them without truly reading and understanding (or following) the label.  We mistakenly assume that the because we use cleaning products on a daily basis we know how to use the products we use at work and we mistakenly believe that if we create infection control programs based on Health Canada or CDC Guidelines that those guidelines are written in such as away to ensure the proper use of cleaning and disinfecting agents.  They’re not.   Cleaning and disinfecting agents are designed for use on hard, non-porous surfaces.  We will NEVER have one single product that can be used on every single surface.  Do you know what surfaces your product(s) can or cannot be used on?  Do you know if they should or can be applied by spraying or should you avoid spraying and simply wipe the surface with a damp cloth?  Can you let them air dry or do you need to rinse?  Perhaps there are only specific surfaces that need to be rinsed.  Is the product intended to be use on porous surfaces (more on that next week).  Do you need to reapply to ensure disinfection contact times are met?  Do you need to clean with a separate detergent before you can disinfect the surface?  Does your housekeeping, nursing or clinical staff REALLY know and understand how to use the product(s)?   It’s all well and good that they can answer the question of the contact time should an auditor ask them, but knowing the contact time does not imply that they know how to use the product.   Do your facility policies, procedures and training programs include detailed instructions of how to use the products?  At the very least, do the policies and procedures match the instructions on the product labels or have you blindly created policies based on infection control guidelines without consideration for how the product is truly meant to be used. This leads to the next question, who does the training?  Many facilities pair people up with a more experienced member of the staff.  This does not necessarily mean the training is effective.  Generally the new person learns the bad habits of the trainer – not the most optimal way to ensure a successful Infection Control program.   I’m happy to say that Rachel who just turned 7, to my knowledge has never again stuffed something into her ear, nose or mouth.  I on the other hand, while cleaning my floors on the weekend reverted to the Glug-Glug method of diluting the product I was using (mixed with hot water I might add) and ended up with streaky floors.  Even I, an “expert” in the use of chemicals don’t always read or follow directions..... *Bugging Off! * ** * * ** *Nicole * ## Search All Resources ## Browse by Category - MSDS/SDS - [• Companion Animal →](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/companion-animal-msds) - [• Farm Animal →](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/farm-animal-msds) - [Protocols & Procedures](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/talkcleantome/2012/07/simon-saysread-understand-interpret-and.html#) - 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