A thorough vetting process is vital when choosing a cleanroom cleaning services provider. Not only will choosing the right provider ensure that your cleanroom is compliant with regulations, but it will also protect your investment.
When you use a provider that does not have proper cleanroom cleaning processes in place, you run several risks. For one, without professionals who are trained and certified in cleanroom cleaning, you will likely fail audits and quality checks due to improper cleaning. This puts your company in danger. If your products manage to pass quality checks but were manufactured in a cleanroom that isn’t up to par, you run the risk of product defects and bad consumer experiences. Both are costly issues that can hurt your reputability.
So how do you make sure that you’re hiring a cleanroom cleaning service that is trained in proper cleanroom cleaning processes? You can start by asking these six questions:
- Are You Familiar With Different International Organization For Standardization (ISO) Standards And What They Mean For Cleanroom Cleaning?
Cleanrooms can fall under nine different classifications according to their air cleanliness, surface cleanliness, and more. ISO 14644-1 outlines those classifications and the different standards for each. The standards for a pharmaceutical cleanroom, for example, differ from the standards for a cleanroom where electronics are produced. The cleaning service you hire needs to be familiar with the different classifications and standards to ensure your cleanroom is being kept compliant with the proper regulations. - What Different Types Of Cleanroom Cleaning Do You Offer?
Decontamination services for critical environments can range from micro-cleaning and sterilization to contamination control and microbial environment testing to additional services like parts cleaning and environmental monitoring. The frequency and thoroughness of the cleaning also differs according to the type of cleanroom: gray space, cold room, dry room, laboratory, gown room, etc. Make sure the company you hire to keep your controlled environments clean can provide all the services you need. - What Products Do You Use?
Just like the cleaning service you hire needs to be specifically suited for cleaning cleanrooms, so do the products they use. Cleanroom-grade solutions are a must for ensuring the sterility of your cleanroom and all surfaces within. - What Training Do You Provide To Your Employees?
When you’re hiring a cleanroom cleaning service, you’re putting your compliance in their hands. You need to be able to rest assured you’ve hired true experts in the field. At a minimum, their employee training should include an overview of the cleanroom environment, cleanroom terminology, ISO 14664-1 definitions, general cleanroom and gowning protocol, entry and exit procedures, equipment usage and care, contamination control, personal hygiene, standard operating procedures, basic microbiology, particle and sterile cleaning, static control, and documentation. - Will There Be A Supervisor Onsite?
To ensure you have all your bases covered, check to see if the cleanroom cleaning service you’re hiring will have a supervisor onsite while cleaning. This will help hold workers accountable for following procedure and give you a point of contact for any issues. - Are You Available For Emergency Cleaning?
In the event of contamination, you need to be able to contact your cleanroom cleaning service to help get your cleanroom back up and running as quickly as possible. This will help limit any damage and lost costs.
If you ask these questions, you’re sure to land on an organization that will keep your cleanroom compliant and ultimately help you avoid costly issues. For more information on what you should expect from a cleanroom cleaning service, download our free cleanroom cleaning process guide.
