MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Hard Rock Stadium and the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC), a Division of ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association, today announced that the global sports and entertainment venue has committed to become the first public facility to receive GBAC STAR™ accreditation. This initiative will serve as the gold standard for facilities to implement cleaning, disinfection and infectious disease prevention work practices to control risks associated with infectious agents.
"When our fans, players and staff are able to return to Hard Rock Stadium, we want them to have peace of mind that we're doing everything we can to create the safest and healthiest environment possible," said Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium Vice Chairman and CEO Tom Garfinkel. "We didn't want to create our own standard, we wanted to be accountable to the most credible third-party standard that exists. Working with GBAC ensures compliance with critical guidelines for the highest standard of cleanliness and it is our hope that other venues will follow suit as we navigate through these unprecedented times."
In order to earn GBAC STAR™ accreditation, Hard Rock Stadium will complete 20 program elements with specific performance and guidance criteria. The program will enable Hard Rock Stadium to:
- Establish and maintain a cleaning, disinfection, and infectious disease prevention program to control and/or minimize risk associated with infectious agents such as SARS-CoV-2 (responsible for COVID-19 disease) for employees, customers, 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.
"We commend Hard Rock Stadium and the Miami Dolphins organization for their leadership in pursuing GBAC STAR™ accreditation," said GBAC Executive Director Patty Olinger. "Through the accreditation process, Hard Rock Stadium will illustrate that it has a comprehensive program in place to ensure a clean, safe, and healthy environment for its numerous constituents. We look forward to supporting the organization and many others as facilities open following the COVID-19 pandemic."
The GBAC STAR™ accreditation is part of an ongoing commitment by Garfinkel to make Hard Rock Stadium the leader in sustainability efforts with a focus on health and safety. Recently, he led the charge to phase out 99.4% (2.8 million) of fan facing single-use plastics in the food and beverage operation at Hard Rock Stadium starting with Super Bowl LIV.
For more information about GBAC, please visit gbac.org.
About Hard Rock Stadium
Hard Rock Stadium is a global entertainment destination that recently completed a $755 million, multi-year renovation privately funded by Managing General Partner & Chairman of the Board Stephen Ross to transform the iconic venue into the best Miami has to offer in world-class fare, art, culture and an elevated guest experience. Home to the Miami Dolphins, University of Miami college football, the Capital One Orange Bowl game, Jazz in the Gardens, Rolling Loud and the Miami Open presented by Itau, Hard Rock Stadium features world-class entertainment and demonstrates its versatility in hosting a wide variety of events. The stadium has hosted six Super Bowls (XXIII, XXIX, XXXIII, XLI, XLIV and LIV), the 2010 NFL Pro Bowl and four BCS National Championship Games (2001, 2005, 2009 and 2013). El Clasico Miami, the first meeting of soccer giants Real Madrid and Barcelona in North America, was hosted at the venue in 2017. Hard Rock Stadium regularly hosts the Brazil Men's National Soccer Team for a series of matches, and the venue has showcased Drone Racing League since the launch of the franchise. In 2021, the venue will host the College Football Playoff National Championship.
About GBAC
Composed of international leaders in the field of microbial-pathogenic threat analysis, mitigation, response, and recovery, the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC), a Division of ISSA, provides training, guidance, accreditation, certification, crisis management assistance, and leadership to government, commercial and private entities looking to mitigate, quickly address, and/or recover from biological threats and real-time crises. The organization's services include biorisk management program assessment and training, Forensic Restoration® response and remediation, the GBAC STAR™ facility accreditation program, training and certification of individuals, and consulting for building owners and facility managers. For more information, visit www.gbac.org.
