BEST PRACTICES AND TECHNOLOGY FOR KEEPING STUDENTS AND TEACHERS SAFE
Many schools and universities have had to close their doors for extended periods because of COVID-19 outbreaks. As these institutions try to reopen and maintain uninterrupted studying, it’s important for a school’s administration to be thinking about its plan for keeping students, teachers and other staff safe. A major risk to the safety of a school amidst an ongoing pandemic can be its methods for cleaning and cash handling.
The exchange and movement of cash is unavoidable in most schools and higher learning institutions. Students and employees likely purchase meals, books, equipment and other items on campus that are necessary for in-person education experiences. You can reduce the risk of COVID-19 exposure by implementing the following cash handling procedures.
Limit Points of Contact
Viruses like COVID-19 can survive on hard surfaces and other objects for varying lengths of time that can range from a few hours to several days. This includes money and the things and people that money touches. Practical safety measures when handling cash in schools can greatly improve the overall cleanliness of your institution.
Reduce Exposure by Limiting Who Touches Money
Cafeterias and other places where people buy food at a school are perhaps the most at-risk places for spreading viruses through money. Not only are people exchanging cash, but they are also consuming food and drink shortly thereafter.
During operating hours, your school may want to consider limiting the number of hands that cash touches by assigning designated individuals to the job. As an example, only have one person manage the register at the end of the cafeteria line. Inversely, you should limit the duties of the person assigned to handle cash. In other words, don’t allow that person at the register to also handle food or have contact with additional surfaces that could lead to exposure. Another effective cash handling procedure could be to create some distance between the register and the food-service area.
Automate Cash Handling Products
Schools can also reduce the number of hands that touch money daily using self-service stations. Automated payment systems allow students and staff to purchase their food and other items without having to hand their money to another person.
You may consider a product such as Deposita’s Accelerator Pay Cash. Our machine can validate up to 40 notes per minute and provide back clearance for your cash-in-transit service provider. Personnel should still be available to clean and disinfect the stations after individual use from students and employees.
Provide Cleaning Products Near Registers and Other Money Exchange Areas
The risk of spreading the COVID-19 virus when handling potentially contaminated money extends to the things people touch afterwards. Your school can reduce this risk through the best practice of ensuring cleaning products are available at points of exchange and by requiring their use.
The use of quality hand sanitisers or handwashing stations can help limit the spread of the virus after a student handles money. Be sure to watch for sanitising products that contain the necessary amount of alcohol to properly disinfect. You can also disinfect surfaces where the money could have touched in between exchanges, which includes periodic and daily cleaning of money storage areas (e.g. register drawers). Finally, install signs to remind students about cleaning their hands after touching money and don’t allow them to handle their food or other items until after they do so.
Schools Can Invest in Cash Sanitising Technology
Schools should also implement procedures for cleaning cash after handling it because of the amount of time that viruses can survive on money.
An efficient and secure method for schools to clean their money is to invest in a sanitisation product like Deposita’s Banknote Disinfection Cabinet. The cabinet is effective at removing up to 99.99% of viruses and bacteria (e.g. COVID-19) from your banknotes and other documents.
The design of the cabinet features a sturdy stainless-steel casing that promotes security while your cash undergoes the sanitisation process. It weighs 10 kilograms with the following dimensions – H650mm x W430mm x D370mm. With a capacity of 60 litres, you can store up to 16,000 notes at a time. Deposita also offers other capacities upon request.
How the Banknote Disinfection Cabinet Works
The disinfection cabinet uses the combination of an intense UV lamp and diatomic oxygen (O2) to create ozone (O3), which acts as a formidable disinfecting agent. Within the disinfectant cabinet, your cash will receive 360-degrees of detoxification during a brief 60-minute period.
How to Use Our Disinfection Cabinet
The process involves minimal steps and requires minimal guidance or training for staff that need to use it. Simply place the cash or other documents in the sterilising layer. Then, you power on the cabinet to start the 60-minute sanitising process. We recommend you wait approximately 20 minutes after the cabinet’s disinfection timer signals that the process is complete before removing cash. You can watch a short video to see the design and function of our disinfection cabinet firsthand.
The Cash Handling Experts at Deposita Are Here to Help
Finding ways to continue in-person learning at schools and universities is critical for inspiring a better world following the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the threat of viruses and bacteria spread will always be a factor to overcome. You can protect your faculty and students by following the best practices for handling cash and investing in the latest sanitising technology.
For more information about the Banknote Disinfection Cabinet and to book a free consultation with Deposita, Book here .
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