Business View Civil and Municipal | Volume 2, Issue 6

5 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 2, ISSUE 6 O p e n i n g L i n e s THE GLOBAL BIORISK ADVISORY COUNCIL CELEBRATES ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF GBAC STAR FACILITY ACCREDITATION 365 Days of Helping the World Safely Open Public Facilities Again I n the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Global Biorisk Advisory Council™, (GBAC), a Division of ISSA, launched its GBAC STAR™ Facility Accreditation to assist facilities in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from infectious disease risks. The first facilities to earn accreditation were Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta and Dinner in a Dash in Monroe, Ga. One year later, over 1,900 facilities in more than 80 countries across six continents have earned accreditation, and more than 3,000 facilities are in the process of pursuing accreditation. Additionally, cleaning service provider CCS Facility Services was the first to achieve GBAC STAR™ Service Accreditation in March to support its cleaning, disinfection, and infection prevention protocols and procedures. “Over the course of the last year, we have helped many organizations better understand the complexities of cleaning effectively for infectious diseases like the SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. This has been especially crucial as guidance from public health agencies has changed throughout the pandemic,” said GBAC Executive Director Patricia Olinger. “We are beyond excited to see the benefits that participating facilities have realized and look forward to making even more progress in changing the way the world views cleaning.” Since launching on May 7, 2020, GBAC STAR has attracted worldwide interest from facilities of all types and sizes. The accreditation is enabling safer travel due to adoption by American Airlines; Dallas Fort Worth International Airport; the five airports operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ): John F. Kennedy International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, New York Stewart International Airport, and Teterboro Airport; and other regional and international airports. Additionally, all Hyatt