Gyms, sport centres, swimming pools, and generally speaking in all places dedicated to physical activity, require high levels of hygiene as, being all those places for public use, they are more subject to the risk of spreading viruses and bacteria.
Because of the quantity and frequency of people passing through these environments, dirt removal is an everyday occurrence. For this same reason, disinfection and decontamination of these same environments become fundamental activities to ensure greater safety for athletes and all members of the centre.
Sports centres, as well as gyms, are frequented daily by a very large number of people. The shared use of sports equipment, lockers, showers, and locker rooms makes these areas places of possible infection.
In addition to the qualified staff, the equipment inside the centre and the other services offered, the hygiene and cleanliness of the structure are determining factors when a person decides to join the gym or the sports centre.
With the Coronavirus emergency (Covid – 19) the hygienic and sanitary risk linked to these environments was further highlighted by the Ministry of Health, which had declared that places such as gyms, sports centres, swimming pools, etc. should close and could reopen only if they were able to guarantee compliance with all the measures foreseen to limit contagions, including disinfecting the environment.
Therefore, the owner of the facility has the duty to provide for disinfection treatments in order to protect not only the health of its customers but also that of its employees, in compliance with the provisions of Italian Legislative Decree 81/08 (Consolidated text on health and safety at work) that states the responsibility of the employer for providing its employees with a healthy working environment.
Inspections to ensure compliance with health and hygiene requirements in gyms and sports centres are regularly carried out by the local health authorities.
Gyms, sport centres, swimming pools, and generally speaking in all places dedicated to physical activity, require high levels of hygiene as, being all those places for public use, they are more subject to the risk of spreading viruses and bacteria.
Because of the quantity and frequency of people passing through these environments, dirt removal is an everyday occurrence. For this same reason, disinfection and decontamination of these same environments become fundamental activities to ensure greater safety for athletes and all members of the centre.
Sports centres, as well as gyms, are frequented daily by a very large number of people. The shared use of sports equipment, lockers, showers, and locker rooms makes these areas places of possible infection.
In addition to the qualified staff, the equipment inside the centre and the other services offered, the hygiene and cleanliness of the structure are determining factors when a person decides to join the gym or the sports centre.
With the Coronavirus emergency (Covid – 19) the hygienic and sanitary risk linked to these environments was further highlighted by the Ministry of Health, which had declared that places such as gyms, sports centres, swimming pools, etc. should close and could reopen only if they were able to guarantee compliance with all the measures foreseen to limit contagions, including disinfecting the environment.
Therefore, the owner of the facility has the duty to provide for disinfection treatments in order to protect not only the health of its customers but also that of its employees, in compliance with the provisions of Italian Legislative Decree 81/08 (Consolidated text on health and safety at work) that states the responsibility of the employer for providing its employees with a healthy working environment.
Inspections to ensure compliance with health and hygiene requirements in gyms and sports centres are regularly carried out by the local health authorities.
Hygiene risks in the
fitness and sports sector
The hygiene conditions of gyms, sports centres and, generally speaking, of the entire fitness and sports sector, have always been on the radar of the ASLs (Italian Local Health Authorities) with the aim of making the owners of these facilities comply with all the current regulations targeted to guarantee greater safety to all sportsmen and women.
In order to increase the safety of all these people, besides regular maintenance activities (ensuring the proper functioning of the facilities and equipment, avoiding accidents or damage to the health of the athlete caused by their malfunctions), health is also guaranteed by disinfection activities.
The humidity present in areas such as showers, changing rooms, swimming pools, saunas, Turkish baths, toilets, as well as equipment such as dumbbells, treadmills and all those present in the weights room, make all these places ideal environments for the proliferation of viruses, germs, bacteria, fungi, moulds, spores and many other pathogens that can cause influences, infections, skin diseases (e.g. fungi and warts) and respiratory problems.
Furthermore, in indoor environments, the presence of air and water systems – sometimes not properly maintained – increases the risk of legionella infections.
Last but not least, other components can make these common areas less comfortable and welcoming: dust, chemical residues of detergents used to clean rooms, small weeping insects (e.g. mites, flies, mosquitoes), bad smells.
It is well known that an athlete is more exposed to the risk of contagion than a person who does not practice physical activity. In fact, it has been demonstrated that, following physical activity (up to 72 hours from the end), the so-called “open window” phenomenon occurs in athletes’ life, i.e. a period of time during which, due to physical effort, their immune system is unable to guarantee a correct defence against pathogens in the environment. Lymphocytes are in fact activated in the blood before and during sporting activity, but their concentration is considerably reduced when the activity is over.
In order to mitigate these risks, it is therefore very important to carry out regular disinfection operations in sports environments.
Hygiene risks in the fitness and sports sector
The hygiene conditions of gyms, sports centres and, generally speaking, of the entire fitness and sports sector, have always been on the radar of the ASLs (Italian Local Health Authorities) with the aim of making the owners of these facilities comply with all the current regulations targeted to guarantee greater safety to all sportsmen and women.
In order to increase the safety of all these people, besides regular maintenance activities (ensuring the proper functioning of the facilities and equipment, avoiding accidents or damage to the health of the athlete caused by their malfunctions), health is also guaranteed by disinfection activities.
The humidity present in areas such as showers, changing rooms, swimming pools, saunas, Turkish baths, toilets, as well as equipment such as dumbbells, treadmills and all those present in the weights room, make all these places ideal environments for the proliferation of viruses, germs, bacteria, fungi, moulds, spores and many other pathogens that can cause influences, infections, skin diseases (e.g. fungi and warts) and respiratory problems.
Furthermore, in indoor environments, the presence of air and water systems – sometimes not properly maintained – increases the risk of legionella infections.
Last but not least, other components can make these common areas less comfortable and welcoming: dust, chemical residues of detergents used to clean rooms, small weeping insects (e.g. mites, flies, mosquitoes), bad smells.
It is well known that an athlete is more exposed to the risk of contagion than a person who does not practice physical activity. In fact, it has been demonstrated that, following physical activity (up to 72 hours from the end), the so-called “open window” phenomenon occurs in athletes’ life, i.e. a period of time during which, due to physical effort, their immune system is unable to guarantee a correct defence against pathogens in the environment. Lymphocytes are in fact activated in the blood before and during sporting activity, but their concentration is considerably reduced when the activity is over.
In order to mitigate these risks, it is therefore very important to carry out regular disinfection operations in sports environments.
The benefits of disinfection treatments in sports centres
As we have seen, the risks to which a sportsperson is exposed in gyms and sports centres are numerous.
Simply cleaning rooms is not enough to guarantee health protection.
The activity of disinfecting air and surfaces leads to the following benefits:
ELIMINATION OF VIRUSES, BACTERIA, GERMS AND PATHOGENS AND/OR POLLUTANTS REDUCING THE RISK OF INFECTION AND CONTAGION.
DESTRUCTION OF BAD ODOURS PRESENT IN LOCKER ROOMS AND IN THE AIR OF FITNESS ROOMS, CAUSED BY BODY FLUIDS, SHOES AND CLOTHES WORN BY PEOPLE.
VENTILATION SYSTEMS FREE OF HARMFUL MICROORGANISMS (MOLDS, FUNGI, DUST).
CLEAN AND DISINFECTED SURFACES.
REMOVAL OF VOLATILE RESIDUES LEFT BY CHEMICAL DETERGENTS USED FOR THE DAILY CLEANING OF ROOMS.
REMOVAL OF INSECT PESTS SUCH AS: MITES, MOSQUITOES, ANTS, BUGS, FLIES, ETC.
In addition, it helps to comply with hygiene and health regulations and to guarantee healthy working environments, increasing the safety of customers and employees.
Disinfection makes it possible to offer every member of the gym or every athlete in the sports centre comfortable, deodorised and healthy environments.
How we disinfect your gym or sports centre
Disinfection must be carried out in all indoor areas of the following structures:
- Gyms
- Sports centres
- Swimming pools
- Dance schools
- Pilates and fitness centres
- Sports halls
The disinfection treatment must be applied to:
- All surfaces (floors, walls, glass, ceilings, etc.)
- Playgrounds (with pvc, reinforced concrete, resin, rubber, parquet, synthetic grass or other materials)
- Air
- The locker rooms and their furniture (lockers, benches, mirrors, etc.)
- Showers
- Toilets
- The weight rooms and rooms used for ground activities
- Sports machinery and equipment (exercise bikes, treadmills, weights, dumbbells, benches, etc.)
- The entrance, the reception, the corridors
- Saunas, Turkish baths and loungers
- Swimming pools
- Curtains and fabrics
- Food and beverage vending machines
- The ventilation systems
How does disinfection work?
Following the ordinary mechanical cleaning carried out by your cleaning company, our environmental technician will disinfect the air and surfaces of your rooms in two possible ways:
Positioning and setting the ozone generator inside the room and operating it. The size of the room will determine the duration of the intervention.
Nebulizing, through the appropriate equipment, hydrogen peroxide stabilized (H2O2) inside the ducts of the A.T.U. (Air Treatment Unit) and/or in the rooms. Here too, the size of the room will determine the duration of the intervention.
Both disinfectant solutions require the use of professional and certified devices. The products used do not leave toxic residues to be disposed of and do not damage the treated surfaces.
To demonstrate the effectiveness of the activity, our specialised technician takes samples from the surfaces (both before and after disinfecting them) in order to have them analysed by a laboratory expert in microbiological analysis.
The technical report relating to the intervention will therefore contain the results of the microbial load found on the surfaces both before and after the intervention.
For more specific information about our disinfection service do not hesitate to contact us by filling out the form below!
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