Did you know: people spend 90% of their time in confined spaces during the course of their working day. These spaces include locations such as office buildings and warehouses. While the scenario may appear harmless, the reality is there are many pollutants present in such spaces. These indoor pollutants contain microbial particles that can adversely affect both human health and product quality.
Certain industries such as those specializing in food and pharmaceutical goods are required by law to undergo compliance testing. This is usually conducted in the form of microbiological compressed air testing. The aim of these tests is to determine the presence
—or absence—of any factors that can negatively impact the quality of the product.
Dangers Associated with Compliance Testing
These pollutants are usually present in workflow pipelines and can therefore affect the quality of the product. The aim of these tests is to determine the cleanliness of the environment and flush out any harmful toxins. But the dangers associated with such tests include the possibility of cross contamination during the procedure.
If these pollutants are likely to be present in the pipes, it means you can’t rule out the possibility of their presence in the following places:
Air
Your clothes
Your body
Equipment
What Are the Implications of Cross Contamination?
What are the implications of cross contamination during the microbial testing procedures? The following situations are likely to occur:
False positive reading
System failure
Accumulative costs
Maintenance and retesting fees
The Solution
So how then do you curb the above-mentioned negative implications? A common method used in such cases is the antiseptic technique. Here you basically conduct the following:
Evaluate a section of the area where the compressor is located. Here you conduct a risk assessment in areas with high levels of pollutants in the air. Examples of such areas include sections where goods are sorted, cleaned and packaged. These areas will usually have an influx of dust particles etc.
The next step is to evaluate yourself. Here you need to ensure that you wear protective gear that’s designed to minimize cross contamination such as gloves, lab coats and facemasks.
You can also make use of disinfectants to sterilize the area.
What’s the Next Step?
Do you want reliable results? Why not call the experts? Contact us at 925.667.3400/sales@cdasystems.com and our experts will visit you for a site evaluation and give you feedback on how to handle this topic on your premises.