The university is gradually reopening, and Estates Facilities is working hard to get all of the necessary hygiene measures in place for returning employees. Disinfectant for everyone is on the way, and cleaning has been systematised. But we all share a responsibility to maintain a high level of hygiene.

2020.05.29 | Camilla Schrøder

[Translate to English:] Foto: Unsplash

Estates Facilities has good news for AU employees. There’s disinfectant on the way for everyone. Niels Jørgen Rasmussen, deputy director for  AU Finance and Estates Projects and Development, would like to reassure everyone that disinfectant is on the way to all of the reopened buildings that haven’t been supplied yet.

“It’s a big job to distribute disinfectant to so many different locations at all of the faculties and in the administration, so there may be delays. But we haven’t forgotten any locations. We are working hard and doing everything we can to keep up with the deliveries as more and more employees return,” Rasmussen said.

Two kinds of disinfectant

Two kinds of disinfectant are being provided: hand disinfectant and disinfectant for cleaning surfaces. Both will be made available in communal areas in all buildings.

The hand disinfectant will be distributed to all faculties. As soon as they are delivered, AU will install dispensers at locations that don’t have them yet.

The disinfectant for cleaning is to be used by employees for wiping down contact surfaces in meeting rooms, kitchens offices and so on. This disinfectant will be supplied to all reopened locations along with paper towels. There may be a slight delay in delivery for this type of disinfectant, but it’s on the way.

Hygiene is a shared responsibility

Normal cleaning routines have been resumed at the buildings that have been reopened at the faculties and in the administration. Contact surfaces in communal areas and some restrooms are being cleaned more often.

However, Rasmussen emphasises that we all have a shared responsibility to help keep contact surfaces clean after using communal areas – for example, after meetings, in labs, in lunchrooms and so on.

“Extra cleaning will be performed in all of the buildings that are open. But it will also be necessary for each one of us to disinfect contact surfaces like tables, chairs and so on before leaving a communal area. This is how we can all contribute to watching out for one another and reducing the spread of infection in our society,” he said.  

Guidelines for cleaning during the reopening

• Generally speaking, cleaners at the faculties and in the administration’s buildings will follow the usual routines for cleaning, with an extra focus on cleaning contact surfaces in communal areas.
• There are also areas where extra cleaning will be provided as needed. This is possible because there are other areas that require less cleaning than usual right now (for example classrooms that are not in use). In other words, the extra cleaning will not require extra staff.
• A decision has not been made to upgrade the general cleaning standard in all locations. Certain restrooms will be cleaned twice daily instead of once daily if there is a need.
• The prioritisation of where there is the greatest need for extra cleaning is based on a number of factors:
  • How many employees use the building.
  • Increased use of facilities, for example because of exams, or special hygiene requirements (several locations at HE, NAT and TECH).