ONTARIO CONVENTION CENTER AND TOYOTA ARENA TO SEEK GBAC STAR™ ACCREDITATION

Southern California’s Ontario venues prepare for opening

ONTARIO, California – (June 9, 2020) The Ontario Convention Center and Toyota Arena have announced their commitment to becoming safe environments to welcome guests back to the venues.  The Global Biorisk Advisory Council® (GBAC) STAR™ accreditation on outbreak prevention, response and recovery is recognized as the gold standard of safe venues, GBAC STAR™ provides third-party validation to ensure the implementation of rigorous protocols in response to biorisk situations. 
 
As a division of the International Sanitary Supply Association (ISSA), GBAC STAR™ is an industry accreditation focused on ensuring a clean, safe and healthy environment. The program establishes requirements to assist venues by providing best practices, protocols and procedures to control risks associated with infectious agents, such as SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. 
 
“As we face these unprecedented times, it is vital that we take the necessary steps in order to recover from this crisis,” said Michael Krouse, President and CEO. “With the GBAC STAR accreditation, we are incorporating some of the most stringent protocols into our recovery and resiliency plan to safeguard our guests, employees and community to instill a sense of confidence at our venues. When guests, clients, exhibitors and attendees return to Ontario Convention Center and Toyota Arena, we want them to have the peace of mind that they are safe and protected”. 
The decision to pursue GBAC STAR™ accreditation coincides with the guidelines created by an internal committee at each venue to keep guests, employees and the community safe. The guidelines rely on the best available science and research on sanitation methods per Centers for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organizations (WHO), California Department of Public Health, San Bernardino County Department of Public Health and the City of Ontario Fire Department Emergency Manager.  
 
In pursuit of the GBAC STAR™ accreditation, Ontario Convention Center and Toyota Arena will complete 20 program elements with specific performance and guidance criteria. The comprehensive program will enable the venues to:

• Establish and maintain a cleaning, disinfection, and infectious disease prevention program to control and/or minimize risk associated with infectious agents for employees, guests, the community and the environment.
• Provide assurance and establish confidence that proper cleaning, disinfection and infectious disease prevention work practices are in place and implemented.
• Establish a framework for communication and raising awareness of best practices as they relate to cleaning, disinfection and infectious disease prevention.

As an important element of recovery guidelines, the City of Ontario venues will continue to collaborate with credible industry resources and experts to provide employees with vital training in biorisk prevention.