How Trained GMP Cleaners Can Keep Your Facility Up and Running
Life sciences facilities produce valuable research and products that help cure diseases and make the world healthier and safer. They require strict adherence to the client’s standard operating procedures (SOP), good manufacturing practices (GMP), and good documentation practices (GDP) for their critical cleanroom operations.
Imagine a manufacturer’s dismay when a commercial cleaning services provider hires new cleaning technicians and leaves them on the client site without GMP training, expecting them to succeed with only the client’s SOP training. Then imagine inexperienced cleaning technicians making mistakes, getting frustrated, or realizing the work is not what they expected and quitting. Consider how this would impact your operation!
This scenario is a significant factor in why employee turnover is one of life sciences facilities’ most common and costly problems.
Since strict GMP cleaning processes must be followed at all times, there are profound consequences when procedures are done incorrectly or when a small cleanroom cleaning team member is unexpectedly absent. The result can be delayed research, failed audits, and halted production, which, in turn, could potentially ruin months or even years of research and cost the company hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not more.
Keeping life sciences facilities up and running and in compliance with regulatory requirements requires finding the right people, ensuring they are thoroughly trained in GMP cleaning protocols, and verifying compliance with the client’s SOP and GDP.
Starting Right
GMP cleaning calls for the correct, consistent execution of repetitive tasks and accurate documentation, which requires conscientious, detail-oriented people. These workers also must be able to adjust to physical clean room requirements, such as working in full PPE and being without cleanroom-prohibited items, such as cellphones, jewelry, and makeup. It is not a job for everyone, making a good recruiting, selection, and hiring process essential. At Servicon, we have a rigorous interview process that involves supervisors, managers, and senior management. We ensure candidates understand the importance and expectations of their roles and do our best to determine if the job is right for them from our and the hire’s perspectives. Getting this fit right is critical to employee satisfaction and reducing turnover.
Let the Training Begin
Even if you select the best hires, telling or even showing them how to perform a task—or worse, expecting the client to do so—and expecting them to master it is unrealistic and unfair. Thorough training and ongoing verification of cleaning compliance are required. This separates the top life sciences cleaning service providers from the competition.
At Servicon, we provide extensive, ongoing training for our cleaning technicians in all sectors, but nowhere more than in the life sciences.
Like all Servicon employees, life science hires go through a full orientation day, covering who Servicon is, our values, what we do, and most importantly, why we do it. The next day, we review the fundamentals of GMP cleaning, GDP, and compliance regulations. Once this is completed, our GMP experts explain and demonstrate how GMP cleaning is performed, allowing new hires to observe and ask questions. The new hires are now ready for hands-on training, with supervisors providing supervision and feedback as needed. Once they complete full-shift duties correctly and efficiently, the new employees are ready to clean the client’s site.
After this training is completed and the cleaning technicians’ work has been validated, the technicians work independently, with supervisors visiting the site every few days to verify that the work continues to meet our and our clients’ standards. These visits help verify that the site complies with all GMP cleaning and GDP standards. It also enables any client concerns or questions to be immediately addressed.
Quality GMP cleaning is a science and an art. Like any skill, it requires the right mindset, proper training, and a way to verify the desired outcome.
Servicon, a National Leader in GMP Cleaning Services
Are you a life sciences facility suffering from high cleaning personnel turnover or subpar service that keeps you awake at night worrying about noncompliance fines or a production shutdown? Review the life sciences section of our website or contact us to discuss our GMP expertise and your cleaning needs.
