Situation

A large German pharmaceutical manufacturer had a contamination event caused by microorganisms that were spreading quickly throughout the facility. Efforts to reclaim the space failed as the company could not determine the origin of the contamination.

Production had to be drastically reduced until the entire facility was disinfected. The process was estimated to be a 10-day manual disinfection effort involving multiple cleaning methods. The locations requiring attention included production areas with difficult to reach spots and complex shapes. With no guarantee that every exposed surface could be disinfected and a lengthy shutdown period, alternative methods were explored.

Solution

Ecolab’s Bioquell Rapid Bio Decontamination Service (RBDS) was selected to disinfect the area. Ecolab’s Bioquell RBDS is an all-inclusive fully managed service that provides a 6-log sporicidal kill on all exposed surfaces with automated hydrogen peroxide vapour. The process delivers a sterilant into enclosed areas and can be verified instantly with chemical indicators and validated through biological indicators with a quick turnaround time. These factors, along with Ecolab’s Bioquell RBDS established expertise, all played a pivotal role in the selection process.

After selecting Ecolab’s service, more than 30 Bioquell RBDS generators, that provide the bio-decontamination, were expedited on-site and readied with a one-day response time. The scope of the area receiving disinfection was able to be expanded as well. Initially cleanrooms were only to receive attention, but the automated service included the stairs, elevator areas, and HVAC surfaces.

Results

After three days of downtime, which included the additional zones, the area was deemed ready to resume operations. With seven days of downtime avoided, the impact to the client was over £1.6M including accounting for the costs of the Ecolab Bioquell RBDS.

The facility remains within its acceptable operational environmental limits and has taken steps to help reduce the risk of a contamination event in the future, through preventative actions such as using Ecolab’s Sterishield Delivery System (SDS) spray bottles and sporicidal, and implementing an annual Bioquell RBDS service plan.