Germs can be transferred from surfaces to hands and vice-versa, and live on dry surfaces for several hours and moist surfaces for up to three days. A single germ can spread to dozens of children like wildfire. Kindergarteners all the way up to seniors in high school share just about everything with their classmates: school busses, desks, countertops, drinking fountains, bathrooms, cafeteria tables, gymnasiums, locker rooms and kitchens. All harbor bacteria and viruses in prime conditions for them to flourish.“Children aren’t just miniature adults,” . “They really are more vulnerable to environmental contaminants than adults. Pound per pound they eat, drink and breathe more than an adult, their bodies are rapidly developing, and their immune systems aren’t as developed.”
Building service contractors who take their role towards hygiene seriously can protect the health and welfare of students, teachers and other building occupants by reducing cross-contamination in a variety of ways — and in the process, amplify the importance of their role as a contractor to these stakeholders.