UV Cleaning’s Universal Appeal

Ultraviolet disinfection has seen “astronomical” interest as businesses search for infection prevention solutions.

In 2020, public concern has grown over the risk of infection, whether it’s at an everyday location such as a grocery store, a healthcare facility, or even a veterinary clinic. Because of this, disinfection technologies have gained a tremendous amount of interest.

Proximity Systems and its no-touch ultraviolet disinfection has seen an “astronomical increase” in interest around its UV-CLEAN technology and product line during the pandemic, said Dawn Hughes, the company’s vice president of sales, North America. “We have learned so much over the past few months working with clients from various industries during COVID-19,” she said. “We have had inquiries from around the world wanting to learn more about UVC disinfection and the practicality of implementing innovative strategies to combat the virus. We are happy to continue offering guidance during these trying times and look forward to providing solutions to help combat the spread of COVID-19.”

Initially, UV-CLEAN was meant as a way for hospitals to combat Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs) using a proven automated means of disinfection. Hospital-acquired infections affect millions of people and add billions of dollars to healthcare costs in the U.S. annually. Although clinical and healthcare facilities implement rigorous cleaning and disinfection practices to prevent HAIs, harmful pathogens still spread throughout susceptible environments. “In fact, HAIs, including C. diff, MRSA and Norovirus, can affect millions of people and add billions of dollars to healthcare costs in the U.S. annually,” said Hughes.

After having worked with schools, airports, museums, warehouses, and many other industries, “we are realizing the need for this type of device is universal,” said Hughes. “When you start to think about just how often we interact with touchscreens, kiosks, and pin pads in our everyday life, the need for routine disinfection becomes very apparent. We have worked with almost every industry imaginable, and continue to offer solutions that can bring peace of mind and safety to customers and staff alike.”

Proximity’s UV-CLEAN is an automated device that provides no-touch ultraviolet disinfection with UV-C light – the most germicidal ultraviolet light. The device guards against the spread of infection, effectively inactivating 99.9% of pathogens. UV-CLEAN units feature internal working memory and USB port connectivity. The device generates audit trails and uses internal memory to store all cleaning cycle data, allowing individuals to audit and report on disinfecting cycles.

UV-CLEAN units require no time-consuming network installation, Hughes said. “UV-CLEAN’s automated operation avoids the hassles of manual scheduling of cleaning cycles,” she said. “With less to worry about, this can significantly free up your time to focus on other work tasks. When implementing UV-CLEAN, not only does it protect patients and customers, but employees as well have peace of mind knowing their workplace is being actively disinfected. UV-CLEAN is a complement to existing cleaning regimens providing an automated means of disinfection on high touch surfaces.”

Oftentimes if you ask who is responsible for cleaning in a healthcare environment you will get mixed answers. This can be concerning as it often shows there is a lack of a definitive cleaning protocol, Hughes said. “Also, traditional cleaning methods have been proven to be ineffective in the everchanging field of healthcare,” she said. “A typical liquid disinfectant or disposable wipe takes 3 to 4 minutes to completely eliminate pathogens and may take up to 10 minutes for more resistant pathogens. A quick wipe with a damp towel does not effectively clean. Knowing this, many providers are looking for alternate solutions to enhance their cleaning protocol. UV-CLEAN has become well known throughout the industry due to its automated and effective cleaning cycle. Removing human intervention lets staff focus on their patients, knowing their high touch surfaces are being disinfected.”

How UV-C disinfection can benefit public health

Reduces spread

Since UV-C disinfection kills 99.9% of germs that can linger and multiply on surfaces by destroying the DNA of bacteria, viruses, protists and fungus/mold that would otherwise grow and spread from one person to the next, this decreases the number of sick people in the population, effectively reducing the spread of illness.

Reduces downtime

We probably know all too well how fast illness can spread in the workplace. Since UV-C disinfection helps reduce the spread of illness – if installed over commonly used areas that are not constantly being wiped down such as the copier machine, projectors, and remotes that may be used by multiple people per day – it provides added protection to keep team members healthy. This reduces downtime by providing workers with more productive days per year.

Reduces fear

While social distancing is becoming commonplace among people we don’t live with, it can still be hard to attract patrons to stores or restaurants due to fear of contracting an illness from shared devices such as card readers and kiosks, even if people stay more than six feet apart. Installing UV-C disinfection products like UV-CLEAN reduces spread and reduces downtime, while also helping customers feel more at ease. By reducing fear, and easing the minds of the overall population, it promotes a better sense of well-being as more people will become comfortable interacting in public settings. This makes patrons more willing to visit a physical place of business.”

Source: Proximity Systems blog, proximitysystems.com/uv-c-disinfection-can-benefit-public-health

Photo credit: Photo courtesy of Proximity Systems