Wiping is one of the fundamental actions in any manual cleaning process. However, it is terrifying to find out that there is almost no published research on what wiping process works to clean a surface. Is the wiping action the most important aspect, or is it the wipe itself that does the work? If your wiping is more swiping, then the bugs on the surface will remain untouched. If your wiping is really smearing, then the bugs will simply spread out as a smudge on the surface or even jump onto the wipe and get a free ride on to the next surface and cross contamination is guaranteed. Cleaning is defined as ‘the removal of unwanted soil’ so if your wiping is just a swipe or a smear, then your cleaning process has failed. With fears of multi-drug-resistant organisms and the failure of antibiotics, there has never been a more important time to reconsider your basic cleaning processes.
This talk will:
- Review the latest science on wiping, wipes, and cleaning methods,
- Review the materials used in an effective cleaning process,
- Challenge you to think about this fundamental cleaning process in a new way to truly improve cleanliness, reduce cleaning failure and minimise cross contamination.
Dr Greg Whiteley, Executive Chairman, Whiteley Corporation
- App. Sc. (HAC), M. Safety. Sc. (UNSW), Dip. ACID (UNE) Ph.D. (WSU)
Greg first graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Science (Environmental Health) Hawkesbury Agricultural College, 1983. Following a few years’ experience as an Environmental Health officer he took up a leadership role in Whiteley Corporation, where he is now the Executive Chairman, with direct responsibility for the Research and Development function. Greg has also completed several post graduate qualifications including a PhD examining the use and validation of ATP testing used for cleanliness monitoring within healthcare settings.
Whiteley Corporation, under the direction of Dr Whiteley, in addition to their in-house research team, have an array of collaborative research programs at several Australian universities including Macquarie University (through the Australian School for Advanced Medicine) Western Sydney University, Sydney University and the Queensland University of Technology. The research arising over the past 25 years, from both the Whiteley research team and the collaborative research groups have resulted in dozens of highly cited and international publications and engagement in international standards setting bodies.
Under Greg’s leadership, the company has grown to be recognised as one of the global leaders in the innovation of products and technology for cleaning, disinfection and sterilisation of clinical instruments and surfaces. The company has offices throughout Australia and New Zealand, exports throughout Asia and the Pacific, and licenses technology into the USA and Europe. Over the past 25 years, the company turnover has lifted by over 1400% and is now the largest manufacturing business in its sector within the southern hemisphere.
Dr Whiteley continues to have an active engagement through industry associations including ACCORD Australasia, the Australian Dental Industry Association Infection, Environmental Health Australia, and the ADA Infection Control Committee to name a few.
