The spaces pet friendly have gained popularity because more and more pets they become part of people’s lives; however, the entry of these friends to properties, whether corporate or shopping centers, could represent a risk that generates a sick building.
The concept of sick building It is attributed to a property where the quality of the indoor air affects the health and well-being of its occupants, either due to poor ventilation, the presence of toxic substances in the air, humidity problems, noise pollution or lighting problems.
For Emmanuel Rosales, a specialist in protocols for the integrated management of harmful fauna from the SIFSA firm, this concept also covers when they are detected pests who arrive at building thanks to pets, such as mites, fleas, bedbugs, among others.
“Although the concept originated, mainly, in the need to verify that the ventilation systems in offices and factories were free of polluting agents and toxic substances such as those emitted by photocopiers, insecticides and disinfectants, now human beings spend more than 80% of their time in environments where they are also exposed to mites, fleas, bed bugs and other bacteria pests who carry the pets that enter the buildings under the concept ‘pet friendly‘ without covering updated health protocols,” Rosales said.
According to the specialist of the specialized firm in pest control, the growing presence of pets in buildings and shopping centers makes it necessary for spaces to have better sanitization protocols and integrated management of this type of bacteria.
That is why it suggests strengthening environmental health awareness, surveillance, monitoring and control measures.
“Today, at buildings and shopping centers, not only various types of animals, but also their food, feces and parasites enter the air, water and garbage circulation cycles of the building or shopping center and it is very easy, for example, for a hotel to become infested with bedbugs . For this reason, better disinfection protocols and integrated management of pests”, he commented.
Prevention and action
Rosales stressed that sanitation programs are currently necessary and pest controlwhich must have different phases such as diagnosis, measurement, training, personnel participation, control measures and blocking access of harmful fauna, controlled use of pesticides, among others.
For the specialist, the owners of the buildings They must take into account the points that the Sustainability for Mexico association highlights for the sustainable certification of spaces, which are:
- Identification of a team for the integrated management of pests.
- Provisions to identify and monitor pests.
- Action thresholds for all pests which are probably in the building.
- prevention measures pests non-chemical.
- control methods pests to be used when the action thresholds are exceeded.
- A mechanism for the documentation, inspection, monitoring, prevention and control methods and evaluation of the plan for the integrated management of pests.
- A communication strategy between the MIP team and the occupants of the building. Including the service staff.
