IEHA.orgMore men are carrying the load when it comes to diaper duty and other child-rearing responsibilities. But when the majority of baby changing stations are located in women’s restrooms, fathers are often left empty-handed when it comes to finding a clean and safe place to change a diaper.
To help improve men’s access to diaper changing stations, the Bathrooms Accessible in Every Situation Act or BABIES Act, recently signed by President Obama, requires changing facilities in male and female restrooms in all government facilities, such as court houses and post offices. If changing stations aren’t available, signs must direct parents or caregivers to the nearest facility.
A Cleanliness Issue
According to supporters, the BABIES Act is aimed at improving sanitation in restroom and reducing potential health risks.
“The lack of adequate baby-changing facilities in publicly-accessible federal buildings has forced some parents to change their children on the floor or on the countertop of a public restroom. Not only does this put the health and safety of the baby at risk, it also puts the health of other restroom patrons at risk,” Rep. David Cicilline from Rhode Island posted on his website. “Equal access to baby changing stations in federal buildings in both men’s and women’s bathrooms across the country is essential to protecting the health and safety of children and encouraging a family friendly environment.”
The bill reads: "This bill requires male and female restrooms in a public building to be equipped with baby changing facilities that the General Services Administration determines are physically safe, sanitary, and appropriate."
So How Does It Impact Cleaning Departments?
If you work in one of the 900,000 federal buildings across the U.S., you will likely be responsible for selecting new baby changing facilities within the next two years.
A number of manufacturers provide these stations, including Koala Kare, Rubbermaid, Bradley Baby and many others. Most manufacturers provide different options to fit the size of the restroom, including units that open either horizontally or vertically.
When it comes to cleaning the baby changing stations, experts recommend including them in restroom cleaning inventory.
“In most operations, baby changing stations will receive a daily cleaning frequency or a per shift cleaning assignment,” said Ben Walker, Director of Business Development for ManageMen, Inc., a leading cleaning industry consultancy specializing in training, transitions, auditing and educational materials. “Since most restroom workloads are determined using a task average per fixture (sink, toilet, urinal or shower head) count, this shouldn’t affect overall cleaning times greatly.”
“I would recommend that no matter what, the custodial department should spray and wipe down using an germicidal detergent and cleaning cloth at least once per shift. Treat it like any other fixture in the restroom that needs to be cleaned and disinfected.”
The Healthy Facilities Institute is an Educational Center and Website that strives to provide authoritative information for creating and maintaining clean, healthy indoor environments. It offers the following standard steps for cleaning and disinfecting changing stations:
1. Close the restroom for service with appropriate signage.
2. When using standard cleaners and disinfectants for BCS sanitizing, clean first, then disinfect, as you cannot disinfect a dirty surface.
3. When disinfecting by using a chemical solution, be sure it is EPA-registered, then carefully follow the manufacturer’s directions for application and wet dwell (or soak) time to ensure proper disinfecting.
4. Next, rinse and wipe the surface thoroughly. This step is vital to remove irritating or harmful chemical residues, as babies and young children are more vulnerable than adults to such exposures.
5. Use good ventilation to clear the air before returning the restroom to service as product fragrances (ironically) are often harmful to inhale.
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