Biological decontamination is required in any environment involving the processing of tissue and micro-organisms. This can range from areas within hospitals to research institutions. Tecomak Environmental Services provides bio decontamination services to companies and organisations in many different sectors.

Sometimes a facility needs to be decontaminated as a matter of routine, at set intervals, to ensure it continues to have a clean-air environment. Staff often introduce a level of contamination through natural shedding of hair or skin particles during their work, so regular decontamination is needed to address this. Sometimes, however, the process needs to be carried out as a matter of urgency, following a specific contamination incident.

Routine Decontamination

There are various environments where regular bio decontamination is required as a matter of best practice at key times. These include:

Healthcare – Isolation rooms and critical care wards, as well as operating theatres, blood banks and other areas with a high requirement for cleanliness, need to be sanitised and sterilised on a regular basis. Sterilisation is also needed following treatment of specific diseases, to avoid any risk of infection for patients and staff. Test labs routinely testing for pathogens also require decontamination to prevent any hazard to the health of operators.

Research – Cleanrooms or labs processing pathogenic materials, such as those where medical conditions and illnesses are researched, as well as animal research facilities, need to maintain the highest standards. This is essential not only for operator protection, but also to protect the integrity of research findings and ensure they are not altered by the presence of contaminants.

Pharmaceutical / BioTech Facilities – These are other types of institutions with cleanrooms and laboratory areas which must maintain sterility at all times. It is important to avoid any damage to the purity of the drugs and other products being handled, as well as safeguarding staff.

Regular, routine laboratory or hospital decontamination needs to be combined with other services including cleanroom testing, monitoring, biological sampling and validation. A regime including all of these means that you will quickly become aware of any persistent problem which cannot be overcome by regular cleaning or filtering and needs to be addressed.

Tecomak offers routine biological decontamination services as part of a cleanroom services contract. On completion of a cleanroom validation visit, we effectively sterilise the area, using the latest, technologically advanced ionised Hydrogen Peroxide decontamination (iHP), to ensure the facility is left safe and ready for use.

Emergency Decontamination

Regular cleanroom maintenance and testing visits under contract will include decontamination as a matter of course. However, in addition to this, cleanrooms and other facilities may need a one-off sterilisation at short notice following a specific concern.

This could be because there has been a spillage of a known pathogenic or contaminating substance, or a breakage of equipment causing a risk of contamination. Monitoring systems may also have detected an unexpected occurrence of a pathogen, or unusually pathogenic substance, or there could be a suspicion or discovery of unusually high levels of contamination.

Water leaks or floods can cause contamination within a cleanroom, lab or operating theatre, and there could also be airborne contamination following a power outage and consequent failure of equipment. A one-off incident such as a member of personnel becoming ill could be another cause of a contamination alert.

As well as problems in a cleanroom or clean lab itself, there could be contamination in an unmonitored area nearby, such as a public area or an unmonitored general laboratory. There may also be an indication of an alarm within a facility, but where the type or extent of contamination is unknown.

In any of these instances, it is good practice to arrange for an emergency visit from Tecomak’s expert cleanroom service team. If the cause of the contamination is unknown, we will carry out tests of the area in order to diagnose the problem, so that any necessary repairs can be carried out. The facility can then be decontaminated, so it can quickly be brought back into use without unnecessary downtime.

Biological Decontamination from Tecomak

Tecomak is able to carry out routine or emergency decontamination as required, for all types of lab, cleanroom or healthcare environment. We use the latest iHP technology, which means that bio contaminants, including spores and viruses, can be reduced to below detectable levels, creating a clean and sterile environment.

IHP is a very environmentally friendly solution, because it is non-corrosive and quickly breaks down into water and oxygen after the process is completed. It is also fast-acting, working within seconds, without posing any risk of toxicity to people in the area or harming equipment.

Tecomak are also suppliers of the high-tech Phileas® hydrogen peroxide sterilisation units, which use a spinning disc system to diffuse a dry fog into the area which needs treating. This automated disinfection system is ideal for a wide range of facilities, including hospitals and labs.

Tecomak offers a regular cleanroom monitoring service, combining maintenance with validation and keeping all records to ensure regulatory compliance. By regularly visiting and keeping a close eye on how well the cleanroom is working and the performance of all systems and equipment, we can help to minimise the number of events where biological decontamination is needed. As well as offering contracts, we can also visit as needed if there is an emergency.

Biological Decontamination – Contact Tecomak to find out more about our expert cleanroom services.

The Importance of Biological Decontamination in Laboratories