Environmental Education

Are Your Lockers Safe...
Why take that risk?
Now you can specify Lyon lockers that are
protected with an antimicrobial finish that
suppresses the growth of these dangerous
agents on locker surfaces, as well as the
touch transfer of microbes on locker
handles and doors.
The important thing is this: Our antimicrobial
finish works 24 hours a day. It will
continue to work for more than 20 years.
And it is affordable, adding only 10% to the
initial cost of your lockers.
In the interest of safety, please specify
that an antimicrobial compound must be
applied to all new locker surfaces in your
facilities.
We look at it this way: The cost is small.
The peace of mind, immeasurable.
in partnership with DuPont and
1-800-323-0082
www.lyonworkspace.com
© Athletic Business, Dec. 2007. Reprinted with Permission.
A BUG WORTH
BUGGING ABOUT
By Nicholas Brown
Clean your room. Do your laundry. Wash your hands.
Nagging parents everywhere may be on to something —
specifically, the formula for protecting athletics and fitness
facilities from an antibiotics-resistant strain of staph.
Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, has
been making headlines recently as reports of the potentially
deadly infection have focused on schools and, in particular,
their locker rooms and other often germ-heavy athletics environments.
The MRSA-related death of a high school senior in Virginia in
early October heightened awareness of the bug nationwide, and
schools in several states with reported MRSA outbreaks went so
far as to shut down in order to perform thorough cleanings.
MRSA has even become the stuff of lawsuits aimed at education
institutions. A former Iona College football player is suing the
school, claiming a MRSA infection caused by what he calls
“unsanitary” locker room conditions and an unresponsive medical
staff nearly caused him to lose a leg.
Often marked by boils and pus-producing skin lesions, MRSA
infections very rarely require emergency hospitalizations and can
typically be remedied with proper skin care, the draining of pus
and/or antibiotic treatments. Still, an infection that enters the
bloodstream and infiltrates internal organs can spread rapidly
and become life-threatening — prospects that certainly warrant
consideration from athletics and fitness facility operators looking
to shield themselves from liability and protect their athletes’ and
patrons’ health. The following are tips from health organizations
for protecting the spread of MRSA in active environments:
• Encourage athletes or club patrons to wash their hands
thoroughly with soap and warm water or an alcohol-based hand
sanitizer upon entering and leaving the premises or after skin-toskin
contact with other people. Provide sanitary hand-drying
solutions, such as air-dryers or disposable paper towels.
• Clean and cover cuts and scrapes until they are fully
healed. Discourage secondhand contact with bandages that have
dressed skin wounds.
• Discourage skin-to-skin contact. While this may be an
impractical solution for, say, a football or wrestling coach, direct
contact with infected wounds is the most frequent means of
MRSA transmission. Still, it is also recommended to discourage
the sharing of unclean items that typically have direct contact
with skin, such as uniforms or equipment padding.
• Avoid sharing personal items such as towels and razors.
• Promote shower use immediately after workouts, games or
practices.
• Wash sheets, towels and clothing in water that is at least
160 degrees. Use a hot-dry rather than an air-dry cycle, and
make sure washed items are completely dry before distribution.
• Educate users of shared exercise equipment about the
importance of using clean towels as barriers between equipment
and bare skin, and of using sanitizing spray before and after the
use of a piece of equipment. ●