TLC's High-Tech Solution to Combat COVID-19: UV-C Light Disinfection - August, 2020

TLC Engineering, Inc. has provided exponential aid in every presidentially declared disaster to hit the City of Houston since Hurricane Ike in 2008. As a City of Houston-certified Minority, Small, Disadvantaged Business Enterprise and state of Texas registered Historically Underutilized Business, they specialize in customized services in the areas of engineering, environmental services, construction management and inspections and, of course, disaster management.
While the majority of TLC’s past work was focused on the clean up from natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods, the clean up for the COVID-19 pandemic is not so different. TLC’s team is already equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to provide work that focuses on getting the City of Houston reopened and back on its feet. For this disaster, however, they have shifted their focus to a more high-tech form of cleaning.
“[This pandemic] is just an offshoot of those disasters,” Tony Council, president of TLC, said. “Now, instead of it being a hurricane or flood, it’s a pandemic. So, one thing that we must do in all those situations is clean up and reinvigorate the city. It just seemed natural for us to go into the Coronavirus disinfecting.”
Through countless hours of research, testing and trial and error, TLC has created a top-notch system focused on the use of Ultraviolet light to help places of business disinfected and get to a point of reopening. Instead of relying on the standard spraying, fogging and wiping down method of cleaning, TLC’s UV-C light machines offer a deeper level of cleaning that reaches the point of actually sterilizing items. This is especially necessary for sensitive items such as keyboards and computers, which cannot be thoroughly cleaned by the standard methods.
“Cleaning up for a hurricane or flood is really focused on more physical work,” Council said. “But, here, what we have is airborne bacteria that we cannot see. Therefore, the cleanup needed to be more high-tech. When this pandemic first occurred, we started with a lot of research, seeing what was available to get this done, and we found this particular UV system that is the top technological system available. So, I decided to invest in some of the equipment and do our part in getting this city back open.”
Although this is a new form of technology for TLC, that required a lot of trial and error to perfect, Council says he is confident they have mastered the system and can offer their clients a safe and sterile place of business upon the completion of their services.
Shanti Vann, Senior Technician at TLC, says their team has gone through several hours of training and certification, including the Hazwoper 40 hour training, to ensure they are offering the best services. Once the technicians are trained, completing the actual process is relatively straightforward.
“We typically start with the UV wand and go over what the big machine will not be able to get to,” Vann said. “Then, we set the machine on a timer, and it cleans with whole space within that time. We use a dosimeter card so our clients can have a visual representation that the space is legally disinfected. We also swab as a second verification. We swab before and then again after the cleaning, and we send that to a lab that tests for bacteria as well as viruses like COVID-19.”
Once the cleaning is complete, clients are given a certificate to display in their window as well as a digital version to share online that shows they have been legally disinfected and are safe to resume business.
Whether it is mold, lead, asbestos or other illnesses, environmental analysis and mitigation is a significant aspect of TLC’s operations. TLC has spent years cultivating a strong relationship with the City of Houston and has sent proposals in the hopes of becoming engaged in the work to help this city overcome the COVID-19 pandemic and get the Houston’s economy and quality of life back to its best.
“As a team, we are committed to restoring a healthy work environment and getting this city back on its feet,” Council said. “And as the only company offering this high-tech form of cleaning, I think we could play a major part in the fast and safe reopening of Houston.”