Medical TGV departing Mulhouse:Onet Cleaning and Associated Services teams mobilized to disinfect platforms and contact areas

An extraordinary system for medical evacuation of Covid-19 patients

Back to demand: urgent deadlines and unprecedented measures     

The SNCF Direction Territoriale Gares & Connexion Grand Est had to organize itself quickly to set up this exceptional operation. This medical evacuation of Covid-19 patients was organized to relieve hospital overcrowding in the Grand Est, one of the regions most severely affected by the virus. Following the train's departure, the 400m-long and 12m-wide platform had to be disinfected.

We therefore needed to identify a service provider capable of adapting and deploying a solution to ensure decontamination of the premises after patients had passed through.

Thanks to its ability to mobilize teams with proven experience in record time, Onet, expert in hospital cleaning, was commissioned to carry out this operation.

Preparation in record time to organize decontamination

Following a call from his customer, Bruno VEYNACHTER, HR Metz Branch Manager and TER Grand Est Market Manager, immediately set about preparing the service... in coordination with his counterparts at the OS Haut-Rhin and HR Strasbourg branches. As early as Saturday morning, Wesley Dos Reis, Supervisor of the HR Strasbourg agency for the South Alsace sector, was able to mobilize his agents for this intervention. The result was a real team effort, bringing together the know-how and resources of the 3 agencies.

Reactivity, agility... Teams motivated to meet the challenge

To begin with, Onet's teams had to quickly determine the feasibility of this large-scale service. They were mobilized and equipment was requisitioned between Friday evening and Sunday morning! In particular, an auto-scrubber had to be rushed to the site.

" I'd like to pay tribute to the teams' responsiveness. They were very willing. The most complex part was getting the equipment together. It wasn't easy to do in such a short space of time, " says Wesley Dos Reis.

Highly qualified agents            

Since the start of the pandemic, our agents have been hard at work responding to emergencies linked to this health crisis. The agents who took part in the operation are highly qualified and specifically trained. Onet cleanliness agents, specialized in transport cleanliness, carry out daily preventive disinfection operations in the passenger section of trains, as well as in driver's cabs. 

D-Day: What happens in the field...

7:30 am : We meet at the Onet Haut-Rhin agency to prepare all the equipment.

9:00 am : Arrival at Mulhouse station. The station has been completely sealed off for the sanitation train, to facilitate the operation and ensure passenger safety. Disinfection of the access route used by the carers (corridors, staircases, toilets) then begins, as well as disinfection of contact points (preventive protocol).

11:00 am : Departure of the train and start of disinfection of the contaminated platform. Our agents are equipped with appropriate PPE: disposable overalls, hoods, respiratory masks, goggles, gloves...
Waste is collected and a virucidal solution is sprayed to disinfect floors and furniture (different nozzles are used depending on the surfaces to be treated: scissors for floors and mist for furniture). Contact points are disinfected, then the platform is rinsed with a ride-on scrubber and furniture is sprayed with clear water.

1:00 pm : Return to the agency to clean up and put away the equipment.

Testimonials from our on-site staff

Cohesion & support, keystones to the success of an extraordinary project

The branch managers wanted to be present to support the teams.

Team pride 

" We've done something important. It's rewarding for our teams, who showed their technical know-how and human qualities," says Wesley Dos Reis.

Two protocols implemented: preventive and proven disinfection

Two protocols were used: preventive disinfection in the areas through which the carers passed, and proven disinfection for the dock itself and the street furniture on the dock.

In both cases, the disinfection process follows very strict rules, which are laid down in a protocol specifically set up for COVID-19. 

In proven cases, terminal airborne disinfection is carried out using specific technical resources.

In Angoulême too, our teams ensure disinfection after the sanitary TV has passed through.

The Onet Cleaning and Associated Services staff at the Angoulême branch were also on hand to disinfect the station after the TGV sanitary train had passed through. A fine example of their commitment in the face of the health crisis!