In The News

Decima Mullen
Vice President, Marketing & PR
Arlington Convention & Visitors Bureau
decima@arlington.org

ARLINGTON, TEXAS, FIRST CITY IN COUNTRY TO ACHIEVE GBAC STAR FACILITY ACCREDITATION FOR MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS

ARLINGTON, TEXAS (January 12, 2021) – The City of Arlington, Texas, has achieved Global Biorisk Advisory Council® (GBAC) STAR™ accreditation, the gold standard for prepared facilities. Arlington is the first city in the United States to be recognized for implementing the most stringent protocols for cleaning, disinfection and infectious disease prevention at its public facilities under the guidance of GBAC, a Division of ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association.

As the cleaning industry’s only outbreak prevention, response and recovery accreditation, GBAC STAR™ helps organizations establish protocols and procedures, offers expert-led training and assesses a facility’s readiness for biorisk situations. The program verifies that the City of Arlington implements best practices to prepare for, respond to and recover from outbreaks and pandemics. In all, the City received accreditation for 23 public facilities, including all recreation centers, golf course clubhouses and libraries, City Hall, the Municipal Court and Esports Stadium Arlington + Expo Center.

“We are thrilled to have successfully demonstrated compliance with the program’s 20 core elements in order to attain the GBAC STAR accreditation. This third-party validation process will provide a sense of comfort to our customers that we are operating at the highest levels of cleaning and disinfecting as we welcome them back to our parks and recreation facilities and other municipal buildings,” said Parks & Recreation Director Lemuel Randolph.

“Achieving the GBAC Star accreditation is a testament to the City of Arlington’s dedication to keeping our residents and staff as safe as possible. The GBAC STAR is the gold standard for ensuring our facilities have the most effective disinfection and infection prevention protocols in place as we serve our community,” said Libraries Director Norma Zuniga.

To achieve GBAC STAR™ accreditation, the City of Arlington demonstrated compliance with the program’s 20 core elements, which ranged from standard operating procedures and risk assessment strategies to personal protective equipment and emergency preparedness and response measures.

“We commend the City of Arlington for its commitment to maintaining clean and healthy environments across its municipal facilities,” said GBAC Executive Director Patricia Olinger. “With GBAC STAR accreditation in place at these venues, visitors and workers alike can access them confidently knowing that the facilities implement the proper cleaning, disinfection and infectious disease prevention work practices and protocols.”

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