When is Water Just Enough?

Get a Grip on Slips

This article was originally published in EHS Today

What's the best way to prevent slips and falls? Based on the number of injuries in the workplace due to slippery floor conditions, there is no simple answer.

Any one solution -- be it slip-resistant shoes, mats or worker awareness -- will not eliminate the hazard. EHS professionals who want to implement, upgrade or review their slip-prevention programs need to ensure that they consider all aspects of what causes a slip and what can be done to reduce or eliminate one of the workplace's most common hazards. One key solution is proper floor care.

Keeping floors clean and clutter-free is one of the best ways to reduce hazards. Here are several common-sense tips to keeping floors clean and free of contaminants:

• Clean up spilled liquids or tracked-in water immediately by mopping or using an absorbent material.
• Sweep up loose debris.
• Inspect flooring surfaces for holes, chips or other trip hazards and make necessary repairs.
• Eliminate chronic hazards by implementing design changes, such as machine guards, and frequent equipment inspection and servicing.
• Select a floor cleaner that enhances slip resistance and does not leave a slippery residue.

Unless all floor surfaces can be inspected constantly, it is impractical to assume that contaminants will always be cleaned up immediately. Even hourly inspections, for example, may not be often enough.

When leaks and spills are unavoidable, keep contaminants away from walkways by using absorbent materials, nonabsorbent barriers and containment decking. Once liquid is contained, retrieve it with a vacuum or pump for reuse or recycling. Use warning signs, safety cones or barricade tape if you notice hazards such as broken, protruding or loose debris in walkways, or newly waxed or mopped floors not cordoned off.

Read the full article to learn about other tips to reduce slips and falls.

BSW 28 Sweeper

Designed to be rugged and versatile, Clarke’s new BSW 28 Sweeper has the performance for both hard floors and carpets. Featuring a 28 inch sweeping path, gel batteries, self propelled traction and an active side broom that sweeps even the smallest debris and dust from the walls edge. The BSW 28 is very quiet and allows sweeping in noise sensitive areas.

Selecting Floor Cleaning Machines: Satisfying Requirements & Budgets

This article was originally published in American School & Hospital Facility

As more cleaning standards are put in place, and maintenance budgets decrease, facility managers struggle to find effective methods to clean floors without increasing costs. Facilities such as hospitals and schools are subject to daily, continuous foot traffic, which can result in floors becoming heavily soiled very quickly. Soiled floors not only detract from the overall appearance of the facility, but slick dirt and grime can cause slip and fall hazards while dust and other particles can impact indoor air quality.

To overcome these challenges and meet current sustainable cleaning requirements, healthcare and education facilities should utilize cleaning equipment that maximizes soil removal without increasing labor or affecting the environment—satisfying industry standards while keeping the cost of cleaning within budgets.

Today, cleaning professionals can select from a variety of cleaning equipment that is designed to provide flexibility and meet cleaning needs. By understanding and identifying their cleaning challenges, facility managers can select the ideal cleaning solution(s) that promote facility sustainability—minimizing labor, chemical and water requirements without sacrificing results.

Ensuring education and healthcare facilities maintain a certain level of cleanliness is important to preserve the health and well-being of building occupants. In order to ascertain their cleaning equipment needs, facility managers must be able to identify their exact cleaning requirements and implement solutions designed to satisfy these needs. Read the full article here to learn about cleaning requirements in education and healthcare facilities.

Cleaning The Right Way Makes You Smarter

This article was originally published in Cleaning & Maintenance Management. 

By Roni Barker

According to the best-selling book, Spark, by Dr. John Ratey of Harvard Medical School and a member of the Healthy Facilities Institute (HFI) Advisory Board, brain growth happens as a result of regular exercise.

That growth is especially pronounced when the exercise includes activities requiring an acquisition of skills. Thus, Ratey explains, learning to play the piano can make you smarter for performing algebra because developing the skills needed to play the piano creates brain connections that can be used to perform other tasks.

What does this have to do with cleaning? Simply put: Everything.

Learning the precise and well-orchestrated movements and skills needed for cleaning and disinfection tasks that produce repeatable results — a great example is Process Cleaning for Healthy Schools (PC4HS) — builds brain cells for other activities. The bottom line is that, process-based cleaners and, indeed, any skilled custodial professionals, are smarter than their unskilled counterparts.

Per Dr. Ratey, for maximum brain development, you need both aerobic and skill-based exercise. Building upon this, cleaning and learning better, faster, healthier ways of executing tasks should aid in brain growth.

Dust Magnet™ Dry Mopping System

The Dust Magnet™ dry mopping system is the preferred way to remove dust and light dirt from hard surfaces at major hospitals, schools, nursing homes, health care and other facilities.

The standard Dust Magnet floor tool and shaft has single or multiple sheets that easily attach to the aluminum frame. The telescopic handle extends to 79 inches (201 cm) making it ideal for hard-to-reach and overhead areas. The entire unit weighs less than 2 lb (0.91 kg)

Reduce Costs And Improve Perception With Quality Floor Finishes

This article was originally published in Housekeeping Solutions. 

We abuse them and walk all over them—and are quick to pass judgment if they aren't pristine. Whether they're in an office building, a school or a supermarket, floors bare the brunt of unrelenting traffic—abuse that can leave them looking lackluster and reflect poorly on the facility.

In conjunction with a daily floor maintenance program, custodians rely on sealers and finishes to not only improve and maintain the appearance of flooring but, more importantly, protect it from daily wear and tear.

The most common type of flooring that requires the use of sealers and finishes is vinyl composition tile (VCT), which is found in many public buildings and institutions, such as schools, hospitals and commercial facilities. Newer synthetic flooring is also becoming more popular and requires a similar floor care regimen.

When it comes to applying floor finishes and sealers, experts generally recommend two coats of sealer to fill in porous surfaces and prevent staining. But today's products have come a long way; new floor finishes on the market often preclude the need for a separate sealer.

Read the full article here to learn more about quality floor finishes.