Case StudiesEnvironmentFacilities ManagementPublic SectorSecurity & Safety

Protecting the Public Sector and General Public with Coatings

Listen to this article

24.02.2021, 19:18

Protecting the Public Sector and General Public with Coatings

G4S has invested in “constant kill” surface coating techology used to protect against SARS CoV-2.

Throughout the pandemic, the company’s UK operations has responded quickly to meet the needs of the government and public by setting up hundreds of COVID-19 testing sites, securing a number of NHS Nightingale hospitals, and providing discreet security for COVID 19 ventilator testers.

Management teams have been equally quick to source new technologies to help combat SARS CoV-2 in their workplaces. Many of the facilities that they run are ‘essential sites’ providing necessary services such as power, security and healthcare, all with the limited ability to allow employees to work from home, but still needing to ensure staff safety.

Whilst person to person transmission can be tackled through use of masks – social distancing – one-way systems – Perspex screens and online meeting tools, the transmission of viruses and bacteria through hand-surface-hand transmission is more difficult to control. During the pandemic we have become much more conscious of what we touch sub-consciously throughout the working day.

Advertisement

As part of the offensive against surface transmitted SARS CoV-2 (and MRSA, E.coil, Salmonella, Staphylococcus and Streptococcus to name a few) G4S has supplied and applied Liquid Guard®, a permanent bond anti-microbial coating, to high-touch points within a number of key buildings in the UK.

The results of combining nano-coating technology with a long-acting antimicrobial agent is a permanently bonded coating that facilitates a physical ‘kill’ of microbes that meet the surface. Liquid Guard has been independently proven to be effective against a wide range of bacteria and enveloped viruses, including SARS CoV-2 and influenza A. Due to its long-term antimicrobial activity (recommended to recoat every 12 months) and ease of application, it is an ideal coating for workstations, communal areas, touch screens, door /elevator keypads and IT equipment.

Before its widespread use within their facilities management portfolio, it was comprehensively tested using real life ATP swab testing, carried out by G4S in conjunction with Liquid Guard manufacturer Signo Nano-Care UK Ltd.

Through the controlled measurement of microbial activity across a range of hard surfaces and textiles before and after the coating application, G4S’s in-house health and safety team was able to present verification to their clients that Liquid Guard® had met the claims of its manufacturer.

As many ‘non-essential’ businesses look forward to the return of their employees in varying bubbles and work groups, maintaining a Covid secure environment will be a necessity for many months to come. By adopting new technologies, such as Liquid Guard, that continue to be evaluated and proven in the field, facilities managers and businesses can have confidence that their surfaces are not a source of recontamination.

Simon Mercer, managing director of Signo-Nanocare which manufactures the Liquid Guard product, describes the role of the product as invaluable as “it helps to break the transfer of transient microbes via hand-surface-hand contact, especially in high touch areas that are hard to clean between touches.

He adds: “By using Liquid Guard extensively G4S have been able to reduce the excessive extraordinary cost of moment-in-time multiple surface cleans and fogging that had been employed in large facilities , as it delivers a constant background kill of SARS CoV-2 and its variants.”

G4s One Company Logo 180x136
G4S PLC

In 2021, G4S, a London-based global security company, was acquired by Allied Universal, a leading security and facility services company that provides proactive security services and cutting-edge smart technology to deliver tailored, integrated security solutions. This acquisition expands Allied Universal’s footprint and infrastructure on a global and local level. Through the company’s vast network of more than 800,000 employees, we leverage global best practices in communities all over the world. With revenues of US $18 billion, we are supported by efficient processes and systems that can only come with scale to help deliver our promise locally: keeping people safe so our communities can thrive.

Author

  • FM Industry

    In 2021, G4S, a London-based global security company, was acquired by Allied Universal, a leading security and facility services company that provides proactive security services and cutting-edge smart technology to deliver tailored, integrated security solutions. This acquisition expands Allied Universal’s footprint and infrastructure on a global and local level. Through the company’s vast network of more than 800,000 employees, we leverage global best practices in communities all over the world. With revenues of US $18 billion, we are supported by efficient processes and systems that can only come with scale to help deliver our promise locally: keeping people safe so our communities can thrive.

    View all posts

CAMFIL HVAC Filtration Solutions

You may like

We've noticed you are using an ad blocker

Advertising helps bring you fresh independent content. Please disable the adblock plugin or settings in your web browser to access the content you are trying to reach on www.fmindustry.com.