Cleaning for health is the new standard
Now more than ever, it is critical that businesses embrace the public health lessons of the pandemic and adopt comprehensive cleaning protocols that are proven to reduce the spread of viruses and keep people healthier.
Contact us at info@CleaningCoalition.org for more information.
About the coalition
Founded in 2020 by the nation’s leading facilities services companies, the Cleaning Coalition of America advocates on behalf of professional cleaners nationwide to shape and advance balanced, common-sense policies and cleanliness standards that promote a safe and healthy workplace.
Keeping us clean, keeping us safe
1,000,000 dedicated cleaning service workers across all 50 states.
The spread of pathogens in the workplace
Offices are breeding grounds for disease-causing pathogens — not only COVID-19, but influenza, the common cold, and other viruses — as people congregate in small spaces and frequently touch shared objects and surfaces.
Studies show that contamination of a single commonly touched surface in an office can impact 40 percent to 60 percent of other surfaces in less than half a day. Indeed, offices are among the places where one is most likely to get sick. According to one estimate, an average of 16.2 percent of flu cases — approximately 5,670,000 people based on 2018-2019 figures — are contracted in the workplace.
For information on how to reduce the spread of pathogens, download the Coalition’s latest white paper.
The impact of infectious diseases on U.S. productivity
Beyond serious public health impacts, office-borne illnesses pose significant financial challenges to businesses and commercial landlords. In fact, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, infectious diseases cost the U.S. economy billions in lost productivity on an annual basis.
-
- Influenza: The flu creates an economic burden for the healthcare system and society of $11.2 billion per year while costing the U.S. approximately 20 million workdays per year.
- Cold: The common cold costs the economy an estimated $40 billion every single year. Colds amount to 40 percent of all lost time from jobs, according to one study.
Workplace disease transmission is further exacerbated by a high proportion of workers who continue to attend work while feeling sick — a phenomenon known as presenteeism. Presenteeism may result in a productivity loss of approximately 77 percent and cost the U.S. economy about $180 billion annually.