--- title: Do engineering and cleaning have anything in common? description: Do engineering and cleaning have anything in common? --- - **[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     ## Do engineering and cleaning have anything in common? Regardless of the fact that we are into the second month of 2017, for some the concept of cleaning has not progressed much past [Florence Nightingale’s](https://britishheritage.com/florence-nightingale/) introduction to the concept of hygienic needs during the Crimean war in 1854.  For others however, we are looking past the mop and bucket, the cotton versus microfiber cloths, or the difference between disinfectant chemistries. Instead, we are considering [change management](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Change_management) and [implementation science](http://nirn.fpg.unc.edu/) as ways to improve our cleaning and disinfecting practices. Being someone who actively seeks to learn and develop processes or behaviors to improve our cleaning practices and perhaps more importantly ways that we can elevate the importance of the environmental services department from the CEO downward, I was most excited to read an [article from Health Facilities Management](http://www.hfmmagazine.com/articles/2735-researchers-explore-ways-to-improve-room-cleaning) about a new three year study that has just begun.  I am dismayed of course that I will have to wait three years to learn of the outcomes, but the fact that the study is using [human factors engineering](http://humanfactors.ca/work/human-factors-101-workshop/) as a way to improve and optimize cleaning and disinfection practices is extremely exciting to me! The study is aimed at using a human factors engineering approach to measure and improve patient room cleaning and disinfection processes. The study will explore work systems, tools and technologies that environmental services staff use as they go about their day.  However, the study will go beyond just the methods and process of how the work is done, it will also look at training, education and how environmental staff are valued within the hospitals organization. After auditing 7 environmental staff clean a total of 70 rooms, the researchers noted that many surfaces were only cleaned about half of the time (or less).  They were quick to point out that missing these surfaces was not an issue of the staff being inattentive or careless, but in many cases the missed items were in use during the time they were cleaning the room and/or staff would be asked to vacate the room before they had completed their work. While it is still in the early days of the study, it’s exciting to see that unlike the focus of many studies where the assumption is that housekeeping staff are simply not doing their jobs, this study is looking at why the job is not getting done and realizing that that there are extenuating circumstances that makes achieving 100% compliance virtually impossible…..at least by today’s methods and by today’s organization standards.  The focus on the need to have multidisciplinary collaboration at a unit level is also exciting.  If we think of the adage “it takes a village to raise a child” perhaps at the end of the three years we will realize that “it takes everyone on a unit working together” to keep the area clean. It reminds me of my favorite definition of insanity – doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.  Perhaps through this out-of-the-box approach to investigating the processes, tools or materials used, the training and the collaboration between disciplines working on a unit will finally get us to nirvana…..or at least a place where cleaning and disinfection can happen 100% of the time. *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/2017/02/do-engineering-and-cleaning-have.html#) - [• Companion Animal →](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/topic/protocols-and-procedures-companion-animal) - • Farm Animal → [CDN](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/topic/farm-animal-canada) | [USA](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/topic/protocols-and-procedures-farm-animal) - [Technical Bulletins](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/talkcleantome/2017/02/do-engineering-and-cleaning-have.html#) - [• Companion Animal →](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/topic/techncial-bulletins-companion-animal) - [• Farm Animal →](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/topic/technical-bulletins-farm-animal) - [Pathogen Fact Sheets](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/pathogen-fact-sheets) - [Industry Guidelines](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/topic/industry-guidelines) - [Industry Publications](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/talkcleantome/2017/02/do-engineering-and-cleaning-have.html#) - [• Companion Animal →](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/topic/industry-publications-companion-animal) - [• Farm Animal →](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/topic/industry-publications-farm-animal) - [Product Use Information](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/talkcleantome/2017/02/do-engineering-and-cleaning-have.html#) - [• Companion Animal →](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/topic/product-use-information-companion-animal) - [• Farm Animal →](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/topic/product-use-information-farm-animal) - [Reference Sheets](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/talkcleantome/2017/02/do-engineering-and-cleaning-have.html#) - [• Companion Animal →](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/topic/reference-sheets-companion-animal) - [• Farm Animal →](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/topic/reference-sheets-farm-animal) - [AHP® Abstracts & Research Posters](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/talkcleantome/2017/02/do-engineering-and-cleaning-have.html#) - [• Companion Animal →](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/topic/ahp-abstracts-research-posters-companion-animal) - [• Farm Animal →](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/topic/ahp-abstracts-research-posters-farm-animal) - [AHP® Peer Reviewed Articles](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/talkcleantome/2017/02/do-engineering-and-cleaning-have.html#) - [• Companion Animal →](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/topic/ahp-peer-reviewed-articles-companion-animal) - [• Farm Animal →](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/topic/ahp-peer-reviewed-articles-farm-animal) - [AHP® vs Competitive Chemistries ](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/topic/ahp-vs-competitive-chemistries) - [ AHP® Compatibility ](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/ahp-compatibility) - [ Testimonials ](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/testimonials) - [ Videos ](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/videos) - [ Fear Free](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/fear-free-and-ahp) - [ Blog](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/blog)       [![BottomLogoGrey-VAH](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ViroxAnimalHealth/Logos/BottomLogoGrey-VAH.jpg?width=100&name=BottomLogoGrey-VAH.jpg "BottomLogoGrey-VAH")](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/) [CONTACT US](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/contact-us)  |  [PRIVACY POLICY](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/privacy-policy)  |  [TERMS OF USE](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/terms-of-use) [** ** (open in a new window)](https://www.youtube.com/user/ViroxAHP) [** ** (open in a new window)](https://www.linkedin.com/company/virox-animal-health) [** ** (open in a new window)](https://twitter.com/AHPbiosecurity) [** ** (open in a new window)](https://www.facebook.com/ViroxAnimalHealth/)   © 2003-2022 VIROX TECHNOLOGIES INC [Virox® Animal Health is a division of Virox® Technologies Inc.](http://www.virox.com/) Website by [BOLD](http://www.boldinternet.com/) AHP® and Design and Accelerated Hydrogen Peroxide® and Design are trademarks of Diversey, Inc.