Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 27th November 2014 Issue no. 651
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International News
Products Summaries of a study on the antibacterial ingredient Triclosan grossly misrepresent what the research actually found, according to the American Cleaning Institute. IEHA and K-CP launch new recognition programme for housekeeping professionals The International Executive Housekeepers Association and Kimberly-Clark Professional have announced the launch of the Heart of Hospitality Programme, aimed at providing executive housekeepers with the tools and resources to educate, empower and recognise housekeeping staff. EU-ECHA - Restrictions on chemicals are focus of new enforcement project At its recent plenary meeting, the Forum for Exchange of Information on Enforcement decided that its next major project will focus on enforcing REACH Annex XVII restrictions, the scope of which will be determined early 2015. Inspections will then take place during 2016. The final report will become available in 2017. |
Welcome to the
Cleanzine - the original Cleaning & Hygiene industry e-news Read by industry professionals in 163 countries worldwide! It always seems to be that at this time of year I feel very tired; I don’t know whether it’s due to the lack of sunlight and fresh air, the aftermath of the clocks going back in the UK (why can’t we stick with the continental Europeans and have an extra two hours of sunlight to enjoy during the Summer evenings?) or the thought of Christmas itself, but it happens every year. Thanks then to The Ladder Association for a press release that arrived this morning, regarding its Festive Season ladder use campaign, designed to stop ‘Idiots on Ladders’ in their tracks before an accident does it instead. A visit to the Facebook page for an image soon had me in stitches; first thinking, “I’ve done that… I’d do that...” then, “Did they really do that? How stupid!” If you need a laugh and an energy boost do visit the page. Of course, it may just prevent you from having a nasty accident one day, if you take chances, as I sometimes do. Something else that gave me a boost is news that East Staffordshire Borough Council is about to shut down the public toilet block in one of its parks. Why should this fill me with cheer? Because it’s a temporary closure to enable the block to be refurbished and upgraded – one of the reasons being to make it easier to clean! It makes me so happy to be able to write about a local authority having a responsible attitude to its public washrooms, rather than grumble about these essential amenities being shut down. You can read about it below. Of course tomorrow is the day that John Austen and I will be mingling with a few hundred like-minded local authorities; suppliers of washroom fittings, fixtures, systems and disposables as well as public washroom users and associations of users, at the annual Loo of the Year Awards event. I’m looking forward to catching up on the latest news from that part of our vast industry and will be bringing you a rundown and pictures of the event in next week’s issue. Tired? Me? Of course not! Please get in touch either by emailing me or posting a comment on our Facebook page. www.facebook.com/Cleanzine You can also follow us on Twitter @cleanzine Yours, This Week's News
Hospital invests in bacteria-killing copper to reduce infections Pullman Regional Hospital, a level IV trauma centre in Washington State, has become an early adopter of antimicrobial copper after studies found that the age-old metal could continuously kill deadly bacteria.
The hospital has installed copper components throughout its facility as another way of reducing hospital-acquired infections and keeping patients safe. Outsourcing to increase globally over coming years, reveals new report Businesses are entering a new era in the way they are resourced and organised. The 'open workforce' has arrived, and it has dramatic implications for every aspect of business - particularly in terms of outsourcing, according to a new report from the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. CK Consumables success with 'Emirates 2' CKC repeats Emirates Open Day success and hosts AHCP meeting. London-based CK Consumables (CKC) has once again held its Open Day at the world famous Emirates stadium in North London, home of the Arsenal football club. Building on the success of the inaugural event held last year, the Open Day was again supported by floor cleaning machine manufacturer TASKI, chemicals specialist Diversey, and leading British steam cleaning machine manufacturer Matrix. ISSA/Interclean Central & Eastern Europe 2015 places special focus on vehicle washing ISSA/Interclean CEE, which is being held from 22nd - 24th April 2015 in Warsaw, offers all you need to know about the cleaning business and its international trends, in the space of just a couple of days - and this year it will offer a special focus on vehicle washing equipment in the 'High Pressure and Car Wash Area', where machines and techniques for this sector can be seen in action.
This show attracts an international audience of cleaning professionals from Central Europe, the Baltic states, Balkan region and South-eastern Europe. Three-in-one vacuum cleaner, carpet cleaner and warm air blower launched The Aquarius Contractor is the new, professional carpet & upholstery cleaner from Kiam Power Products. As well as being a wet & dry vacuum cleaner, it cleans and refreshes carpets and upholstery by spraying a mild detergent into the carpet pile and vacuuming it up - all in one go. The Contractor's two powerful 1200W vacuum motors, which can be switched between single motor use (economy) and twin motor use (turbo) for when more suction is required; ensure very little moisture is left after cleaning, while the variable airflow switch further enables the user to adjust the suction specifically to suit the cleaning needs. Sodexo with Unilever win international FM award Sodexo won an international FM award in partnership with Unilever at the PFM Awards this month. The company, with Unilever, scooped the 'Partners in FM Corporate - International' category for the successful launch of Unilever's European Facilities Management Transformation.
Judges recognised the worldwide FM transformation programme for its creation of best-in-class workplaces that attract and retain the best talent, improve efficiency and reduce costs. New lorry wash facilitates cleaning of smaller fleets, cost-effectively and using minimal water Morclean has launched a single brush lorry wash machine designed for use by smaller operators of coaches, vans or lorries - typically with a fleet of between five and 50 vehicles - that is highly cost-effective and which uses a minimal amount of water.
Traditionally a 3-brush rollover system would be ideal for a fleet of maybe 75 - 150 vehicles; this would be a significant investment for the smaller operator (at least £50K). Likewise, a traditional pressure washer may well be comparatively inexpensive to purchase, but for a reasonable fleet size it is also labour-intensive and can require much more water and harsher detergents than Morclean's new machine requires. Soapbox: Five personality traits for Facilities Managers Writes Peter Forshaw, managing director of Maxwell Stephens Recruitment "I attended the British Institute of Facilities Management London region event - 'Question Time' at Somerset House last month where one of the speakers made a comment which I thought was quite funny. When asked about the type of people he recruits, he said: "We like anyone who is nice."
There is a serious point to this, though. In an extremely competitive marketplace with lots of job seekers competing for the same roles - what personal attributes should job seekers show, to ensure that they are one step ahead of the rest? Karcher to relocate UK headquarters Karcher UK intends to relocate its Banbury headquarters from the present site on Beaumont Road to a purpose-built facility adjacent to Junction 11 of the M40. Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2015 with the move to commence from December 2015.
Occupying a 6.5 acre site in Banbury, the proposed three storey building almost doubles the size of the current premises and will feature modern offices, warehouse space, training and customer facilities to accommodate the growing business. Dust extraction specialist updates its offering with a redesign of its air cleaner range Dust extraction specialist, Dustcontrol UK, has launched a redesigned version of its ambient air cleaners, updating the specifications to improve efficiency and versatility.
The Dustcontrol mobile extractor range has been modified to improve its extraction capabilities, allowing the end user greater flexibility with the inclusion of a newly designed filter that helps to lessen the risk of dust being released during the course of changing the filter, whilst also allowing for an additional hose attachment. IQTimecard facilitates mass payroll changes with ease, as councils consider 'living wage' With pressure mounting for local authorities to ensure they're paying their staff the 'living wage', Lancashire and Durham County Councils have now revealed that they're considering raising their own minimum wage for some of their lowest paid workers.
As authorities all over the country look into making these changes, IQTimecard - the time and attendance and integrated payroll solution - is encouraging businesses thinking of making changes to their payroll to ensure that they have the software and the capabilities to handle such large-scale changes. Whoosh! encourages mobile phone users to keep devices clean and bacteria-free Maintaining personal cleanliness doesn't end with washing our hands anymore. Research from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine at the University of London indicates that 82% of mobile phones have some form of bacterial contamination, making it more important than ever to keep the screens of our most frequently used devices clean.
That's the idea behind 'Good Tech Hygiene', a new movement introduced by Whoosh!, maker of Whoosh! Screen Shine, the non-toxic, streak-free screen cleaning solution that keeps screens shining like new and resistant to fingerprints and smudges. It's also guaranteed to be safe for every device screen. School kitchens ready for the rigours of the academic year, thanks to Swiftclean Swiftclean Building Services has been engaged by Bootham School, in York, to oversee kitchen extract fire safety cleaning in its Junior and Primary school kitchens.
The safety of children should always be the top priority and kitchen extract fire safety cleaning has become even more important for schools, following the changes to Key Stage 1 lunchtime provision. Swiftclean was awarded the contract for regular cleaning for the highly respected independent school, because of the company's excellent reputation, good service and competitive price. The Cleanzine Archive Search We keep an extensive archive of news stories and product information that have featured in past issues of The Cleanzine. If you would like to run a search of the The Cleanzine web site using the search tool below please just go ahead by entering in the name of the person, product or company or any other key words that you are looking for. How to contact us at The Cleanzine:
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British Cleaning Council's 5th annual conference hailed a great success
The one day event was sold out well in advance and delegates were treated to superb array of keynote speeches written around the theme of the day 'changing perceptions.' Harrison Wipes scoops 'Business of the Year' and 'A Decade of Success' awards
New 2015 Living Wage rates announced
Just how much do you know about cleaning with bleach? Rafael Cobos AMIMarEST, of FutureClean Systems, writes... Recent work with a number of different (and unconnected) clients has revealed problems caused by a similar source - Bleach; Sodium Hypochlorite to be more exact. In one example, bleach was used to disinfect a large tank of water, initially through super chlorination and then to maintain clean water. Another example, which is more worrying, is the use of bleach for routine janitorial cleaning. These are just a couple of many examples we've seen, particularly in cleaning applications which is also a recurring theme amongst smaller cleaning operations. Warning: article contains graphic image FM company MAR Services launches website to showcase range of services Ahead of the company’s 30th birthday next year, Facilities Management company MAR Services has undergone a marketing overhaul, with the launch of six new websites showcasing all its services, a blog and a reinvented social media presence. |