The Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC), a Division of ISSA, has announced that a number of Major League Baseball (MLB) facilities have achieved GBAC STAR Facility Accreditation.
The accredited facilities are Ballpark of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, FL, home to the Houston Astros and Washington Nationals during spring training; American Family Field in Milwaukee, WI, home to the Milwaukee Brewers; Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, OH, home to the Cincinnati Reds; and T-Mobile Park in Seattle, WA, home of the Seattle Mariners.
GBAC Executive Director. Patricia Olinger, said: “GBAC is proud to be working closely with many MLB stadiums so their teams know how to prepare, respond, and recover from infectious disease risks. Spectators, players, and employees can rest assured that accredited facilities prioritise cleanliness at every opportunity to enable safer sports.”
With the MLB regular season returning on 1 April, many fans will have been wondering what a day at the ballpark will be like this season. These stadiums join Oracle Park in San Francisco, home of the San Francisco Giants, in completing the performance-based program, with four other stadiums currently in the process of accreditation.
Accredited facilities follow GBAC STAR’s strict 20-step program, which includes the proper cleaning protocols, disinfection techniques, and best practices to combat biohazards and infectious diseases, such as the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19.
Target Center in Minneapolis and Phoenix Suns Arena in Phoenix, both with seating capacity for nearly 20,000 attendees, also join the list of newly accredited stadiums and arenas. Additionally, GBAC STAR welcomes another airport to its growing list, Portland International Airport, among other facilities this week.
Other facilities also recently achieving GBAC STAR accreditation include numerous Hyatt properties, The Earth School in Kigali, Rwanda, Roosevelt Shops Collection in Chicago, IL, Colliers International Columbia in Bogota, Columbia, and Lotte Hotel Moscow in Moscow, Russia.
ISSA Executive Director, John Barrett, added: “GBAC STAR accredited facilities have the proper procedures, training, chemistry, equipment, tools, personal protective equipment, and infection control in place. Organisations around the world, including many professional sports venues, have found value in the program and are making facilities safer for everyone who walks through their doors.”
