Laboratory Guidance on COVID-19 Disinfection
For questions on the following guidance, please call Environmental Health & Safety on the BUMC at 617-358-7840, on the CRC at 617-353-4094, or email oehs@bu.edu.
Purpose and Scope
To provide guidance in COVID-19 cleaning and disinfection in areas including, but not limited to; commons spaces, offices, laboratories, classrooms, and dorm rooms. This guidance document provides guidance for general cleaning in all areas and after someone is suspected of/or confirmed to have been infected by COVID-19. This guidance is for anyone who may perform cleaning, including; facilities staff, laboratory staff, other employees or students. In some situations, cleaning may be performed by external vendors.
This procedure has been reviewed by Occupational Health and Environmental Health and Safety following relevant CDC and BPHC rules and guidelines regarding COVID 19 cleaning and disinfecting protocols.
Reporting and Communications
Employees who believe they may have been exposed to COVID-19, should contact Occupational Health (OH) at 617-353-6630.
Students who believe they may have been exposed to COVID-19, should contact Student Health Services (SHS) at 617-353-3575.
In the event of a presumptive positive or confirmed case is determined, OH or SHS will contact Facilities Management Operations (FMO) and EHS to provide details, if available, of any on-campus visits and potential affected areas.
Guidance and Instructions
Areas not known to have contamination. Staff will continue to perform routine cleaning and disinfection.
Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces including, but not limited to; tables, chairs and seats, doorknobs, light switches, remotes, handles, desks, workstations, toilets, sinks, etc…
Laboratory areas including bench tops and equipment should be cleaned by laboratory staff familiar with the materials used.
Dispose of cleaning materials in regular trash.
Cleaning and Disinfection
If surfaces are dirty, they should be cleaned using a detergent or soap and water prior to disinfection.
Products for disinfection:
- Envirox 117
- Oxivir TB
- Or a cleaner with at least 70% alcohol, or EPA-registered household disinfectants should be effective, see list of registered products in resources below
- A Bleach Solution using five (5) tablespoons (1/3rd cup) bleach per gallon of water, or four (4) teaspoons bleach per quart of water.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Hand Hygiene
Those conducting cleaning activities should wear disposable gloves including when handling trash.
Be sure to clean hands after removing gloves, with soap and water.
Cleaning and Disinfection After Persons Suspected/Confirmed COVID-19 Have Been in the Facility
Suspected and confirmed cases must be reported to OH or SHS. In the event of a presumptive positive or confirmed case is determined, OH or SHS will contact FMO and EHS to provide details, if available, of any on-campus visits and potential affected areas. Based on available information, FMO and EHS will develop a cleaning and disinfection plan as necessary. FMO will communicate the cleaning and disinfection plan to building occupants for operational coordination. In some cases, the cleaning will be performed by external cleaning vendors.