Standard Guide for Cleaning and Disinfection at a Cannabis Cultivation Center

Importancia y uso:

5.1 Cleaning and disinfecting are referred to as preventative actions. For example, washing hands prevents illnesses and the spread of infections to others (2) . There are even laws written around this. In the United States under federal law, you are entitled to a safe workplace. Your employer must provide a workplace free of known health and safety hazards (3) . In Canada, the Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) indicates that poor housekeeping practices frequently contribute to incidents (4) . More directly, it is very intuitive that a clean environment is advantageous regardless of the task at hand. Within a cultivation setting, cleaning and disinfection can also be used to prevent hazards such as: disease, pests, and contamination.

5.2 Cleaning and disinfecting are essential for cultivation biosecurity and can be utilized in many ways. For example, cleaning and disinfection can be incorporated into integrated pest management (IPM) programs, as scheduled maintenance (weekly floor cleaning), for specific events (prior to filling dry and cure spaces), or at critical control points (CCP) (elevated fungal spore counts). This is an efficient, low-cost way to get rid of current pests and disease issues and to help prevent future issues or carry over between crop cycles (5) .

5.3 This guide presents information on techniques and products used for cleaning, disinfection, and mitigation of hazards.

5.4 There are many important steps to any cleaning and disinfecting process. Those steps and some important concepts will be discussed. Biosecurity is an integral investment. Costs associated with labor, chemicals, and loss in crop yield are many times greater than the cost of prevention through cleaning and disinfecting a cultivation facility. Without proper measures, pest pressures increase, which can lead to unnecessary pesticide use. Prevention is also easier than addressing an outbreak situation. The goal is not necessarily to completely sterilize the environment, but rather to decrease hazards to a point at which outbreaks and disease transmissions do not occur.

Subcomité:

D37.01

Referida por:

D8439-22, D8439-22

Volúmen:

15.10

Número ICS:

65.020.20 (Plant growing)

Palabras clave:

cannabis; cleaning; contamination; disease prevention; disinfectants; disinfection; fungi; sanitation; SOP;