Commercial properties and public places are always held to a higher standard. Of course, this means that a clean and well-maintained environment is critical to public health. Not to mention necessary for avoiding potential liability issues.
One of the ways this is assessed is with ATP tests. This is a specialized type of testing that is used for detecting the presence of bacteria, viruses, and potentially harmful organic matter. ATP tests are thought of as the industry standard for a variety of different facilities, commercial properties, and places of public accommodation.
There’s for good reason for this. When ATP tests are performed correctly, they have been consistently proven as an effective way of ensuring cleanliness.
If you are concerned about maintaining the health and safety requirements for your commercial property or a public venue that you manage, then it’s wise to avail yourself of the fine-point details of ATP testing procedures. At Building Services Inc. we have trained and certified specialists who can conduct ATP testing as a part of our promise to ensure the highest level of safety is restored.
How ATP Tests Are Used For Health & Safety
ATP is an acronym for “Adenosine Triphosphate.” Biologically this is an energy-carrying molecular component that is found within cellular mitochondria. When a test shows up positive for ATP it implies the presence of active organic matter that is metabolizing.
ATP test procedures are designed to be sensitive enough to detect the presence of viruses and measure the amount of harmful bacteria or organic matter present on a surface. Though this phase of the testing process usually requires the use of a luminometer.
This luminometer is essentially a gauge engineered to measure the presence of adenosine triphosphate levels in a sampled area. It is based on the specific amount of light generated from a collected swab sample.
A certified ATP specialist will start the process by using a laboratory-grade swab to collect a sample from an area or surface and place it on the Luminometer, which measures ATP levels in Relative Light Units (RLU). If the samples are unclean, the RLU will give them a score from 0-100. The higher the RLU, the higher the level of biological contamination in the sampled area.
This type of ATP testing is very popular in commercial kitchens. Manufacturers and suppliers in the food prep industry often use ATP Luminometers to ensure food is safe for consumption by measuring the microbial load of samples taken from food prep surfaces and equipment.
What Makes ATP Testing An Industry Standard?
ATP testing uses a scientific process to return testable data on the presence of organic matter that goes far beyond what any sort of visual inspection can detect. This includes critical factors such as:
Providing Immediate Results
Time is often of the essence when an ATP test is required for something like a crime scene, a case of an unattended death, a criminal meth lab seizure, or some other type of potential biohazard discovery. In a time like this, property owners and stakeholders often want to restore the hygiene of the area as soon as possible.
Using ATP testing with a luminometer helps accelerate the process by displaying the results of all harmful bacteria and organic matter, both organic and inorganic immediately. Often within 5 seconds or less.
Building Services offers ATP testing services that can examine all potentially contaminated surfaces to ensure that they have been thoroughly cleaned. This is a crucial part of our service menu to help detect all contaminated surfaces that might still contain things like bloodborne pathogens and other infectious bodily fluids.
The Accuracy of ATP Testing
The margin of error needs to be as narrow as possible when it comes to detecting the presence of biological matter. This includes potentially dangerous areas like unattended death scenes and violent crime scenes that can hold severely dangerous pathogens like HIV and hepatitis B.
Safety Of Testing
Laboratory-grade cotton swabs can be used to test a variety of surfaces, including machines, food prep surfaces, living spaces, and tools. ATP testing technicians can collect samples without leaving behind harmful residue or surfactants. This is one of the main reasons why it’s often used in the food industry.
A lot of manufacturers in the food sector are required by law to rigorously test their products to ensure that they are free of biological, chemical, and physical hazards. If they use an unreliable technique it puts their customers at a high risk of being exposed to potentially harmful substances. In a severe case, it could even cause fatal food poisoning!
The fact that ATP tests do not affect the sample in any way, ensures that any inherently safe food remains that way. Yet it can also quickly, safely, and accurately detect food items that are affected by potentially harmful bacteria and viruses.
ATP Tests Reduce The Risk Of Liability Issues
Commercial properties and places of public accommodation are held to very high health and safety standards. When ATP testing is used for biological clean-up, you want to only work with a certified and trained crew like the technicians at Building Services Inc.
By testing before and after a cleanup project, you ensure that all biological matter has been detected and professionally eliminated. Afterward, we can provide you with all the necessary documentation to demonstrate what was contaminated, how it was professionally sanitized, and that it tested free of biological contamination.
ATP testing results can also help you determine whether or not your staff needs more training on hygienic procedures. It can also be used to ensure that food is safe after an event like an unexpected power failure,
A Trusted Industry Leader In ATP Testing & Cleanup
Building Services Inc. has technicians with the special training and equipment to perform rigorous ATP testing, that returns immediate results. Our years of experience in this area enable us to identify areas that need testing.
We can then help you understand what measures need to be taken to safely clean or completely eliminate the presence of harmful biological contaminants. Follow-up ATP testing ensures that the affected area is truly clean, meeting all health and safety standards.
