The Effect of Pest Infestations and How To Prevent Them
Imagine you’ve got an important meeting. You’re pitching to a potential client. Your team has worked hard on the presentation. The meeting room is all prepared. There are nice teas, coffee and biscuits and a little mouse creeps out and scurries across the floor. Would you win the business? Maybe not.
Pest infestations can pose significant challenges to a company, affecting reputation, operations, and even profitability. The good news is is there are steps that can be put in place to mitigate infestation risks.
As experts in ensuring offices are clean and fit for purpose, we help businesses ensure their workplace is clean, hygienic and on top of any potential risk.
Understanding Pest Infestation Risks
The consequences of pest infestation from birds, rodents and insects can be significant. A business can be shut down, either temporarily or even permanently. Also there can be ongoing problems if the right measures are not implemented.
One key risk is the threat to the reputation of a business. News can get out. It might have taken years for your business to get to where it is, and so anything that can be done to protect your position is key. Any reputational damage can be hard to recover from.
As well as the risk of your operational reputation and perception, pests are a health hazard and bring with them nasty diseases and germs that can cause sickness at work. The health and wellbeing of a workforce is an important consideration when factoring in what measures your business is prepared to implement.
This is even more important if you run a food outlet. It’s absolutely crucial you have all of the measures in place to help prevent any form of infestation, simply because your business is at stake it you don’t.
Common Pests in Commercial Settings
Mice, rats, birds and insects typically are the most common pests found in commercial environments and each has different prevention and treatment methods.
Commonly rats and mice enter buildings searching for food and shelter. They can cause structural damage, such as chewing through wires which may cause electrical fires. They also spread disease.
Insects too can be a real problem in a commercial environment. These include cockroaches, flies, ants, and even bed bugs which can contaminate food sources and also carry diseases.
Cockroaches, for example, enter buildings through piping, cabling, ventilation systems and any gaps in the flooring. They spread nasty diseases such as gastro-enteritis, dysentery and salmonella, causing a serious health risk. They can spread rapidly and feed on anything from food crumbs and even cardboard.
You might have thought that bed bugs are only found in bedding, however they can come into a building on clothing and other personal belongings. They can cause infestation in fabric covered office furniture.
Impacts of Pest Infestations on Businesses
Sometimes a pest infestation might mean your business premises has to close because of the hazard to health, whilst a pest control company undertakes a targeted treatment of the areas affected. Once customers learn your premises has had to close this can cause reputation damage.
Property can also be damaged, with rodents chewing through wires and goods contaminated so they have to be disposed of. Mice droppings can damage stock, making it unsellable or unsuitable for use.
Cleanliness and Waste Management Practices
Cleanliness is vital in deterring pests. This includes eliminating any food sources, water, and shelter. Our practical tips for maintaining a clean and hygienic environment, include proper waste disposal, creating a detailed and thorough cleaning schedule, and maintaining sanitation protocols.
All employees need to be aware of what the office cleanliness standards are to be adhered to, and these can be included in training manuals and form part of the onboarding programme of your business.
Employees will also need to be made aware of how to recognise any pest activity and who to and how to report it.
Regular Inspections and Maintenance
Routine inspections of your business premises can be undertaken on a regular basis to identify and address potential entry points, where pests might be taking refuge, and assess any conditions ripe for infestation.
This will need to include both the interior and exterior of your work place, including any structural vulnerabilities, plumbing issues, and landscaping features that might make your business prone to attracting pests.
Essentially a key action for any business is to develop an integrated pest management plan tailored to their specific needs, incorporating prevention, monitoring, and control measures.
Partnering with Professional Pest Control Services
There are considerable benefits to be found in working with experienced pest control professionals because they will have developed comprehensive pest management solutions that can be tailored for any type of business.
They will conduct thorough assessments of your premises, implement targeted treatments, and provide the ongoing monitoring and support needed.
Effective Pest Prevention Strategies
Maintenance, cleanliness and waste management are the top three in effective pest prevention. It’s so important for any business to make these a priority. This could include partnering with experts such as Cleanology who can work alongside your team to ensure they remain proactive in identifying and addressing any potential entry points for pests.
Finally, if you would like to work with a professional cleaning company to help your business keep on top of their pest control plan, Cleanology would be delighted to help support you in this, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
