Handwashing has been proven to be the best way to prevent illness and infection. This simple activity can determine whether illnesses will spread in your school and how many children and/ or staff will be affected if an illness is introduced to your facility. In order to reduce, eliminate or, preferably, prevent the spread of disease-causing organisms in your school, practice frequent handwashing. Remember that hand sanitizing products do NOT replace handwashing.
The proper steps for handwashing are as follows:
1) Use liquid soap and tempered water;
2) Rub hands vigorously with soap and tempered water for 15 seconds;
3) Wash all surfaces of the hands, to include the backs of hands, palms, wrists, under fingernails and between fingers;
4) Rinse well for 10 seconds;
5) Dry hands with a paper towel or other hand- drying device; and
6) Turn off faucet with paper towel or other method without recontaminating hands.
In the absence of water, handwashing should be conducted by using a pre-moistened towelette followed by hand sanitizer. The full description of this procedure is detailed on page 5-8 of the Environmental Health Emergency Preparedness and Recovery Guidance Manual for NC, which can be found on the NC DHHS Environmental Health Section webpage under Food Service Industry Tools at
http://www.deh.enr.state.nc.us/dfp_fooddefense.htm
This time of year, many schools are experiencing a variety of student illnesses. Examples of illnesses affecting our local schools are Norovirus (stomach-bug), Pink Eye, respiratory and flu-like symptoms. Many illnesses can be easily prevented by proper handwashing, cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces and sending ill students home. Environmental Health recommends posting signs which instruct students on proper handwashing procedures at all handwashing sinks. Further, make sure custodial staff are properly trained on what cleaning products to use and how to clean/disinfect the school’s frequently touched surfaces.
For more information on illnesses and illness prevention, go to the NC Epidemiology Branch’s link at http://epi.publichealth.nc.gov/
The Importance of Handwashing
Illnesses in Chatham County Schools
School Sanitation and Safety
D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 2 N E W S L E T T E R V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 1
S P E C I A L P O I N T S O F I N T E R E S T :
• Handwashing
• Illnesses in Chatham Schools
• MRSA
• Food Safety
• Water Emergencies
• Indoor Air Quality
• Integrated Pest Management
• Chemical Storage Mission of Chatham County Public Health Department _____________
To protect and promote the health and safety of Chatham County residents.
P A G E 2
Holiday Food Safety
Water Emergency Guidelines Cleaning and Disinfecting for MRSA in Schools
What is MSRA?
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a potentially dangerous type of bacterium that is resistant to certain antibiotics and may cause skin and other infections. As with all regular bacterial skin infections, recognizing the signs and receiving treatment for MRSA in the early stages reduces the chance of the infection becoming severe. MRSA can be spread by:
*Having direct contact with another person with the infection.
*Sharing personal items, such as towels, that have touched infected skin.
*Touching surfaces or items contaminated by MRSA.
Schools are encouraged to have a water emergency plan. Water interruptions and loss can happen at any time. Being proactive and prepared is important in handling these situations. Schools should be ready to activate their water emergency plans quickly.
Water emergency plans should include provisions for drinking water, food service, handwashing and flushing toilets. Chatham County Environmental Health has developed guidelines for schools to use when developing water emergency plans.
For a comprehensive look at these guidelines, go to the Chatham County School Sanitation Program web page at http://www.chathamnc.org/Index.aspx?page=1433
It’s that time of year to celebrate the holidays with family gatherings and great food. Schools also celebrate with food. Here are some tips school staff should keep in mind year-round when preparing and serving food:
1) Wash – Make sure hands, utensils and food are clean prior to preparation.
2) Separate – Keep raw foods separate from cooked or ready-to-eat foods.
3)Cook – Be sure to cook food to a safe internal temperature.
4)Chill – Be sure to refrigerate all leftovers promptly. Thaw foods in the refrigerator.
For additional information about food safety, go to: www.foodsafety.gov
Administrators are ultimately responsible for the health and safety of the students and staff in their schools. For this reason, administrators are the key to food-safe schools. Keeping food safe is the only way to prevent foodborne illnesses. For more information about approved food in schools and for additional food safety guidance, administrators are encouraged to review the Chatham County School Food Safety Booklet/Decision Diagram on the School Sanitation Program Web page at http://www.chathamnc.org/Index.aspx?page=1433.
How to combat MRSA?
Proper cleaning and disinfecting of frequently touched surfaces are key to preventing MRSA spread. The first step is to use a cleaner/disinfectant effective against MRSA. For a list of approved EPA registered disinfectants, go to:
http://epa.gov/oppad001/chemregindex.htm.
Secondly, read the manufacturer label and follow instructions on how to use the product and how long to leave it on the surface to be effective (contact time).
Note: Please follow all manufacturer safety precautions when handling chemicals.
Shared equipment (athletic equipment, weight equipment and machines, etc) that comes in direct contact with skin should be cleaned/disinfected after each use. For CDC guidelines on cleaning and disinfecting athletic facilities for MRSA: http://
www.cdc.gov/mrsa/environment/athleticFacilities.html
“To be prepared is half
the victory.”
Miguel de Cervantes
Indoor Air Quality in Schools
P A G E 3 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 1
What is school Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)?
School IAQ is determined by how clean the air is inside the school buildings. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):
Nearly 56 million people, approximately 20 percent of the U.S. population, spend their days inside elementary and secondary schools.
By implementing good indoor air quality strategies, school administrators can promote a healthy learning environment at their school. This can result in reduction of absenteeism, improvement of test scores and enhancement of student and staff productivity. Many factors exist that contribute to poor IAQ. Some examples of these contributing factors are dust, excessive moisture, mold, insects and cleaning products, just to name a few.
For additional information on how to improve the indoor air quality at your school, the US EPA offers the Tools for Schools program, which can be accessed at www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/.
Per Rule .2415(b) of the Rules Governing the Sanitation of Public, Private and Religious Schools, “Pesticides and other toxic materials shall be used as directed on the label and handled and stored as to avoid health
hazards.” Chemicals need to be stored in such a way that they are inaccessible to children in the school.
This includes those used in classrooms as well as those used by custodial, maintenance and other staff in the school. When it is necessary for students to use any chemicals, they should be supervised by an adult.
Teachers have a responsibility to assure their students are instructed on how to properly handle and use the chemicals, as well as what to do in case of a spill or injury.
Further, Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) need to be kept on site for every chemical stored on site. Best practice is to keep the appropriate MSDS near the corresponding chemical. One of several reasons is so the MSDS is quickly and easily available in case of injury to provide first aid information specific to that chemical.
Although hand sanitizers appear at first glance to be harmless, in the wrong hands, they can cause injury.
Click this link to read why storage and handling of hand sanitizer is so important in schools:
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/04/teens-getting-drunk-on-hand-sanitizer/?fb_ref=abc-fb-recs Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a method to control pests in a facility while also addressing concerns of the impact of pesticides on human health. IPM takes into consideration if pest suppression is needed, when it is needed, where it is needed and what control tactics are appropriate for a given situation. It does not entail applying pesticides automatically on a predetermined schedule or on a broad scale. It is a more targeted method in that it tackles areas of concern, or “hot spots,” where infested sites and pest harborages are found. IPM entails determining the location of resources the pest needs to survive like water, food and shelter, as well as the environmental conditions. Knowing these items is crucial to devising a plan to prevent and control pests.
One key factor in preventing pests in your facility is to keep food items sealed and food-related areas clean. Any available or exposed food items will attract pests.
For a pamphlet containing further information on IPM in schools, visit the NC Cooperative Extension at http://schoolipm.ncsu.edu/documents/PestManagementProfessionals.pdf.
For a brief description of how the results of conventional pesticide application versus IPM can differ, visit http://schoolipm.ncsu.edu/documents/cockroachesandallergensinschools.pdf.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
Safe Chemical Storage
In an NCSU study it was found that “more cockroaches were trapped in
conventionally treated schools than IPM treated schools.”
• IPM treated schools:
0 cockroaches
• Conventionally treated schools:
83 cockroaches”
Nancy Leaver, Environmental Health Specialist _________________________
• From Ohio, has lived in NC for 20+ years
• Alumnus of NC State University
• Previously worked as a Medical Technologist and also in Genetics research
• Has worked in Chatham County for 12 years. Her program areas are Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention; Child Care & School Sanitation; Public Swimming Pools;
and Wells & Water Quality.
• What Nancy enjoys most about her job is providing education to assist clients in achieving compliance.
Lisa Morgan,
Childcare & School Program Specialist __________________________
• From Richmond County
• Alumnus of Pembroke State
• Has worked in Chatham County Environmental Health for 13 years.
Her program areas are Childcare
& School Sanitation; Food, Lodging
& Institutions; and Wells & Water Quality.
• Promoted to Childcare & School Program Specialist in 2010.
• What Lisa enjoys most about her job is helping people.
Barry Oldham, Environmental Health Specialist ___________________________
• Native of Chatham County
• Alumnus of Western Carolina
• Worked for Jackson County Environmental Health in Onsite Wastewater for 1.5 years
• Has worked in Chatham County for 6 years. His program areas are Childcare & School Sanitation;
Food, Lodging & Institutions; and Wells & Water Quality.
• What Barry enjoys most about his job is working with the public and enforcing rules.
Chatham County Public Health Department Division of Environmental Health
80 East Street, P.O. Box 130 Pittsboro, NC 27312
919-542-8208
Health Director: Holly Coleman Environmental Health Director: Anne Lowry
Getting to know your Environmental Health Specialist...
Check out our website:
www.chathamnc.org/environmentalhealth