Standards and Certifications: What should you be looking for?
11.11.2020
When sourcing hygiene products for your workplace it is vital to know which standards and certifications to look out for, but with so many products and standards out there, how do you know which are right for you?
In simple terms, to ensure effectiveness against viruses, products must meet the EN 14476 testing criteria. This is a European certification and products must go through strict testing to achieve it.
What is EN 14476?
- EN 14476 specifies a test method and the minimum requirements for virucidal activity of chemical disinfectant and antiseptic products.
- The test ensures the product contains antiviral ingredients and is effective in killing viruses.
- However, merely passing EN14476 testing does not in itself guarantee effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2, the virus known to cause COVID-19.
- To make sure the product you use will definitely kill this virus, the test must be undertaken using a ‘surrogate’ for the SARs-CoV-2 virus strain such as Feline Coronavirus.
- This is a very similar coronavirus to SARs-CoV-2, such that efficacy against the surrogate is sufficient to indicate the tested product will be effective in killing the actual SARs-CoV-2 strain.
Which standards apply to which environments?
- The necessary standards will ultimately depend on the environment the product is used within.
- The British Standards Institution states that the EN 14476 standard applies to areas and situations where disinfection is medically indicated including hospitals, medical facilities, schools and nursing homes.
- For food and hospitality industries, the Food Standards Agency recommends that disinfection products should meet BS EN standards advising to check product labels for BS EN 1276 or BS EN 13697. The Association of Scotland’s Self – Caterers has also recommended that to be sure of killing viruses you should use a disinfecting agent certified for EN 14476.