Providing a specialist service to sanitise premises

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Suri Pantas staff sanitise an office.

AS the Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs) have been relaxed in stages, many businesses are starting to reopen.

There are, of course, still SOPs to follow as the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) is in place till Aug 31.

In fact, the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) requires businesses to clean and sanitise their premises at least once a day, depending  on the nature of their trade.

This will not be much of an issue for small business premises but for the big ones or a whole office building, just a single disinfection or sanitisation will involve a lot of work, especially if done by untrained in-house staff.

That is where cleaning and sanitising companies like Suri Pantas Sdn Bhd come in to provide a specialist service to not only clean but also sanitise premises (buildings and compounds) based on client needs.

(From right) Tinno, Zenia, and Suri Pantas director Nadia Sabryeba Edris at the company office in Kuching.

Suri Pantas was set up in Kuching in 1982 and has a 200-strong staff. It provides sanitising services certified by the Ministry of Health.

According to human resource manager Tinno Noel, people often have a misconception of cleaning services.

“Nowadays, the cleaning service industry includes sanitising. Before this, people thought cleaning service just meant sweeping floors and throwing out rubbish,” he told thesundaypost.

However, he pointed out there are strict guidelines and SOPs to ensure the process is certified by the Ministry of Health, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, noting that not only the service provided but also the chemicals and methods used must be proper and certified.

 

Halal certification for J-512, one of the sanitising chemicals.

Definition of sanitising

Tinno said sanitisation refers to the process of reducing and removing viruses, bacteria, mycobacteria, fungi, and spores.

“Our fully-trained staff will spray disinfectants to kill bacteria and viruses. Clients also have to ensure basic cleaning of their premises before calling for disinfection and sanitisation to get the best results. Messy premises with debris, dust, dirt, and oil stains may prevent the chemicals from working properly.”

 

Basic walkthrough

On Suri Pantas SOP, Tinno said before starting work, the staff must first observe strict personal hygiene and be at the ready for the day’s operations.

“This will be followed by preparations of chemicals and equipment. After that, we must ensure cleaning is done on important high concentration areas like toilets, doorknobs, and tables.

“The team leader will do the final checking to make sure all areas have been covered. And finally, the client must sign Suri Pantas’ service card as an agreement that the job has completed. If the client is not satisfied, we will do over the identified area.”

 

The halal-certified chemical J-512.

Sanitising SOP

Tinno said the chemicals used by Suri Pantas were mostly sourced from third party suppliers in the peninsula, which had been approved by the Ministry of Health and certified halal.

He stressed the equipment used such as mistifiers and knapsack sprayers must be in perfect working order and each staff member on sanitising duty must wear a complete set of disposable personal protective equipment (PPE).

“First, the supervisor will inspect and survey the areas to be sanitised. Sanitising is done using ultra-low volume (ULV) misting methods. After that, the sanitised areas are to be left empty and to set for at least two hours before being occupied. Before and after each sanitising, the staff must undergo body sanitisation.”

Suri Pantas managing director Zenia Blassan said their clients varied from factories to offices and shop lots.

With the pandemic, her company is ready to do jobs in more types of premises.

“We’re also ready to sanitise places of worship and residential areas, if needed,” she added.

Zenia said their company provides competitive rates, according to the needs and wants of clients. “The rates depend on floor size in square feet, and since the company has been set up, our clients are satisfied with our work.

She said a typical office floor would take about half an hour to sanitise, not including the waiting or set-in time.

“The chemicals we use are approved by the Ministry of Health. They are water-based, non-lethal to humans, and halal-certified.

“We also use diluted Clorox when needed, but usually bleaches are not suitable for indoors as they can affect fabric colours,” she said.