ORLANDO — The Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) in Orlando, Florida, recently became the first convention center to receive a new accreditation from the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC), a division of ISSA, the global cleaning association. GBAC STAR Facility accreditation is an annual process and the cleaning industry’s only accreditation for outbreak prevention, response, and recovery.
More than 1,000 facilities achieved GBAC STAR accreditation in 2020, and many are now in the process of reaccreditation, according to GBAC CEO Patty Olinger, who anticipates a reaccreditation rate of 80 to 90 per cent. The OCCC, which has served as a model for the industry, has hosted more than 100 live events since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and has completed 52 more for the remainder of the year.
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GBAC STAR Facility reaccreditation builds on the initial accreditation to ensure that facilities continue to improve their processes as new information is released and best practices are introduced. Among the many developments over the past year are antiviral rather than antimicrobial surface protection products, new spraying techniques and the use of robotics.
“Their core commitment won’t change, but we do ask them what has changed,” Olinger said. “It’s not mandatory, but we do see that facilities have added things like electrostatic sprayers or robotic systems or implemented some kind of improvement to their indoor air quality systems. We encourage them to look for continuous improvement.”
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Since the program launched, GBAC has also added accreditation for service providers and a destination program, in addition to facilities. “What we’ve seen over the last year is there’s not a single sector that isn’t impacted by what we’re offering,” Olinger said. “I’ve been encouraged by the community that it really takes everyone to be successful through COVID, and whatever comes next.”
To learn more about the GBAC STAR™ Facility Reaccreditation process, click here. Search for accredited facilities and those seeking accreditation through the GBAC STAR Facility Directory.
Contact Patty Olinger at (847) 982-0800 or pattyo@issa.com