Follow-up on personal protective equipment for bed bug heat treatments

by Tom Costello, Technical Director
May 28, 2020

The reality of today’s world in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, I’m going to suggest a few additional personal protective measures. I spoke to a client a few months ago who had an employee who left his protective eyewear in the truck while conducting a heat treatment. “Your truck doesn’t need any more eye protection. You do!” In the new world we find ourselves in, correct application of personal protective equipment is just as important as ever during a heat treatment.

A few things to keep in mind each time we do a bed bug heat treatment:

• We don’t know what we are walking into. Unlike when working with bed bugs, we cannot see if a danger lurks in the treatment area.
• While heat inactivates the coronavirus, a microbial treatment will not achieve lethal deactivation levels until sufficient exposure once treatment temperatures have been achieved. Whenever you or your team enter the treatment zone, it is safest to assume you will be exposed to any active microbes until the treatment is complete.
• Your general liability insurance policy that covers pest control and bed bugs will not cover microbial treatments.
• Some states may require additional licenses for microbial treatments.

Now is the time for additional safety diligence

Let’s assume this was a blog from six months ago and no one had heard of the coronavirus. The swirling, heated air inside a heat treatment is still a hazardous environment.

For those who wear regular eyeglasses: regular eyeglasses are not enough. Firstly, most eyeglass lenses are not made from high-impact materials. Normal eyewear also does nothing to protect the wearer’s eyes from flying material around the sides of the face. In a convected environment, the eye hazards may be swirling all around you.

A casual attitude towards jobsite safety can be detrimental to both yourself and everyone around you.

GreenTech Heat technology is 100% effective for bed bugs, cockroaches, and other insects. Heat treatments can be done by a professional or you can self-treat with heat on your schedule and as your needs demand. Our certified training lets you do it right and do it safely the first time. Regardless of whether you self-treat with heat, or contract a heat professional, heat safely kills insects and their eggs everywhere they may be found in a single one-day treatment. Call us at 888-699-3944 to get started with heat today.