ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association, on June 24 announced its immediate merger with the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC). GBAC will be known as "GBAC, a Division of ISSA."
"ISSA and GBAC have come together to make the world a safer, healthier and better place. The merger clearly complements ISSA's mission to change the way the world views cleaning and advance the professionalism of the cleaning industry," says ISSA Executive Director John Barrett. "We are incredibly excited about the positive impact GBAC will have on our members and our industry overall."
GBAC offers training, education and certification in Forensic Restoration biorisk management, decontamination and infection-control disciplines. The merger of GBAC into ISSA addresses a market need for advanced knowledge and application of science-based cleaning, disinfection and infection-control practices worldwide, the associations said in a statement announcing the merger.
Effective September 1, GBAC Executive Director Patricia Olinger will become a full-time ISSA staff member. At that time, she will lead the GBAC division and its advisory council members while developing and delivering new training, certification programs, company accreditation and licensing programs under ISSA's worldwide platform.
"Merging with ISSA is a truly exciting milestone for GBAC," Olinger says. "Being able to augment GBAC programs with ISSA's global network will allow us to increase awareness, interface with industry leaders, and deliver biorisk management services. The merger is especially timely as facilities and cleaning professionals face challenges in preparing for and preventing public health outbreaks such as measles, influenza, hand-foot-and-mouth disease and more."
