Dubai, United Arabi Emirates, 11th August 2020: Leading UAE-based technology and sustainability-driven facilities management (FM) company Farnek, has achieved GBAC STAR™ accreditation for its head office facility in Dubai, the first FM facility to be accredited by the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC), a division of ISSA, the global cleaning industry trade association, in the Middle East.
Farnek has established a cleaning, disinfection, and infection prevention programme that minimises risks associated with infectious agents like the novel coronavirus. GBAC STAR facility accreditation illustrates that Farnek employs the proper cleaning protocols, disinfection techniques, and work practices to combat biohazards and infectious disease in its own space.
Additionally, through its experience in completing the accreditation process for its own facility, Farnek is uniquely prepared to assist its facility customers as they pursue GBAC STAR accreditation. For example, Farnek assisted The Dubai Mall to achieve GBAC STAR facility accreditation in August 2020.
Julian Khalil, Director of Soft Services at Farnek, said: “This accreditation proves that we can quickly address biological threats and real-time crises at our head office here in Dubai and with this knowledge, we can support our customers to recover from such events. Other cleaning standards do not cover this level of detail.
“Therefore, it will be reassuring for visitors to our head office, our customers and the public at large, to know that this accreditation is performance-based and relies on comprehensive and ongoing training, covering disinfection techniques and cleaning best practices for biohazard situations.”
In addition, Farnek’s skilled cleaning professionals are empowered to carry out their jobs safely and effectively. They are trained for the outbreak and infectious disease preparation and response, assessing risk, and understanding the latest guidelines for the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
Moreover, Farnek has secured new contract wins within the educational sector. Scholars International Group (SIG), has awarded Farnek cleaning and disinfecting contracts for all three of its schools in Dubai and Sharjah.
“The Clarion School, Al Quoz, Dubai Scholars in Al Qusais, and Scholars International Academy in Sharjah will now benefit from Farnek’s unique cleaning and disinfecting solution, which will be embedded into a new daily sanitising routine. Along with fogging services, our comprehensive programme will bring each of the three schools up to the very highest international standards of cleanliness.
“In fact, SIG is so committed to maintaining the highest standards of cleaning and disinfection that it is applying for GBAC STAR accreditation for all of its school facilities,” said Markus Oberlin, CEO, Farnek.
“Compliance with GBAC STAR will help instil the utmost confidence among parents and students, as they prepare to return to school for the new academic year in September. Society, in general, will need to embrace the positive change required as we move towards the ‘new normal,” he added.
Composed of international leaders in the field of microbial-pathogenic threat analysis, mitigation, response, and recovery, GBAC provides training, guidance, accreditation, certification, crisis management assistance, and leadership to government, commercial, and private entities looking to mitigate, quickly address, and recover from biological threats and real-time crises.
“Now is the time for businesses of every size to be transparent about the measures they’re taking to protect customers and employees, including proper cleaning and disinfection,” said ISSA Executive Director John Barrett.
“GBAC STAR programme participants demonstrate their commitment to going the extra mile by implementing prevention and response best practices that support health and safety,” he added.
Organisations from more than 68 countries in America, Europe, Middle East, and Asia have committed to accredit their facilities to GBAC STAR, including tourism bureaus, airports, convention centres, hotels, cultural institutions, professional sports parks, and stadiums.
Additional international industry groups that have already announced their support of GBAC STAR include the International Facility Management Association (23,000 members), Informa Markets (500 brands and exhibitions), International Association of Exhibitions and Events (12,000 members), International Association of Venue Managers (7,000 members), and the Global Market Development Centre (400+ retail members).
For more information, log on to www.farnek.com
About Farnek: Farnek is the leading provider of sustainable and technology-driven Facilities Management in the United Arab Emirates. Established in the UAE since 1980, Farnek Services LLC is a Swiss-owned independent total facilities management company. With a skilled workforce of more than 8,000 employees, Farnek delivers professional Facilities Management services across several sectors: Aviation, Hospitality, Banking, Retail, Shopping Malls, Telecom, Residential, Commercial, Infrastructure, Government, Education, Leisure, and Entertainment.