Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 30th June 2011 Issue no. 478
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International News
Products Vectair launches 'Green Tea' aircare fragrance
This, as well as the company's other popular, established ranges, is available now for use with the Vectair range of aerosol / non-aerosol fragrance dispensers and systems. These include hand held aerosols, the V-Air non-aerosol continuous odour control system, Airoma and Micro Airoma automatic fragrance dispensers, the Omniscent large space fragrance unit and the Prozone ozone generator. Smell for yourself today... T: 01256 319500 Bio trunking makes a meal out of food factory bugs Strict hygiene control is a top priority in food preparation environments, making a new antimicrobial cable management system that is effective against E-Coli and Salmonella a perfect solution for assisting in ensuring the ultimate level of cleanliness is maintained at all times. Vernacare's 'Austerity Partnership' rewards loyal customers
Vernacare has launched an 'Austerity Partnership' with NHS Trusts to enable hospitals to make sustainable cost savings on medical pulp without compromising on exceptional quality standards or patient care. New pressure washers from Idrobase are going down a storm
Last month, Idrobase chose the successful Pulire 2011 exhibition to launch several new offerings and the company's Bruno Ferrarese tells us that these went down a storm with the hundreds of visitors to the stand. CSSA AGM & Annual Luncheon: informative and fun Members of the Cleaning & Support Services Association attended their AGM and annual lunch in London at the Savoy Hotel last Thursday, formally electing Doug Cooke of Principle Cleaning as Chairman of the UK cleaning industry's leading trade association. Peter Goodliffe of OCS Group was elected vice-Chairman and Michael Rutherford of Victoria General Cleaning Services was elected Honorary Treasurer. It was also agreed that Peter Goodliffe will become Chairman at the end of 2011, and Doug Cooke assume the role of vice-Chairman, to ensure a smooth handover between the two. 'Give Soap a Chance' campaign reaches South Africa
A health campaign created by Hull and East Yorkshire NHS Hospitals Trust to cut down on infections in the community has been adopted in South Africa. Higiexpo 2011, Brazil, opens in just a few weeks
PPE assessment: improving your bottom line
An assessment of personal protective equipment can identify opportunities for improvements that can positively impact the bottom line of many businesses. Rubbermaid's new Hygen clean water system turns dirty water into clean
Rubbermaid Commercial Products has introduced the new Hygen Clean Water System, which features what the company believes is the first ever integrated water filter that generates cleaner water, cleaner mops and cleaner floors. EU to start taxing road freight to contain pollution EU member states have been given final approval to start applying the 'polluter-pays' principle when setting road tolls for heavy goods vehicles. But the freight sector is complaining of an additional burden as countries are not obliged to reinvest the tax revenues in greening road transport. IPC Media chooses Principle Cleaning Principle Cleaning Services is continuing to add prestigious contracts to its growing portfolio of media companies and has recently won a three year contract for daily office cleaning for IPC Media's landmark building, Blue Fin Building. HSS Outsource: time/money-saving solution for cleaning and FM contractors HSS, the national supplier of tool and equipment hire and related services, is launching HSS Outsource, an innovative new service that offers a long-term equipment hire solution and promises to help facilities managers save time and money when it comes to equipment management. The proposition launches first in the troubled cleaning equipment sector going to the heart of FM's everyday problems. Mega I: RCM's new walk-behind scrubber-drier
Ramon Hygiene Products are adding further new products to their successful cleaning and hygiene range to provide quick and easy cleaning solutions for glass, stainless steel, ceramic tiles and mirrors. The new Glass Clean Frames and Microfibre Mini Mops offer simple and professional cleaning in just one single movement. Designed for use in any area where polished or gloss surfaces require routine maintenance. What exactly engages employees? A new Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development report published recently, delves deep into the issue of employee engagement. It acknowledges that employee engagement is an important driver of sustainable organisation performance, but goes further by exploring 'what' employees engage with and 'where' in the organisation their focus of engagement is located, or, what is their 'locus of engagement.' MITIE wins integrated FM contract in Norway MITIE, has recently been awarded a seven-year integrated facilities management contract with the Norwegian Maritime Competence Centre in Alesund, Norway. Inadequate cleaning causes unnecessary deaths in hospitals and care facilities by Steve Champion of Gloveman In this Soapbox article Steve Champion illustrates how a lackadaisical attitude can spread infections in hospitals. Testing green cleaning products for performance - IEHA/TURI programme continues expansion The International Executive Housekeepers Association has announced the continuing expansion of the High Performance Cleaning Product testing programme in conjunction with UMass Lowell's Toxics Use Reduction Institute Lab. Waste Management opens first public compressed natural gas fueling station in Camden Waste Management of New Jersey celebrated the grand opening of the first public-access compressed natural gas (CNG) fuelling station in Camden yesterday and announced plans to convert its regional fleet to this clean-burning, environmentally-friendly fuel. |
Welcome to the
Cleanzine - the original Cleaning & Hygiene industry e-news Read by industry professionals in 132 countries worldwide! The news hasn't been too good this week, has it? Ongoing protests in Greece as a result of ever tightening austerity measures have turned violent (as may yet the public sector strikes, taking place over much of the UK today - and which may be the start of many, in protest against proposed changes to their pension schemes). Yesterday's announcement that the European Commission is indeed proposing a 5% increase in the next long-term EU budget - plus an extra �58bn in extra EU expenditure outside budget, saw me with my head in my hands. What planet are our masters at the EC on? We're all struggling and we're all having to tighten our belts, so why can't the EC see that it needs to do the same? An email featured on the BBC's newsfeed covering the UK strikes says: "I'm a civil servant striking today. I have seen my food bills increase two-fold while my pay is frozen and low. I am paying stupid high fuel bills and car tax bills because my car's old and don't have the money for a fuel efficient one. Scottish Power just sent me a letter telling me they want to charge me more. I'm sick of it. I don't care if I strike forever because my life would be better on the dole." I agree with this civil servant that times are hard but they're hard for all of us - not just those in the public sector. How on earth are those 'on the dole', or even those on a low hourly rate, such as cleaners, be expected to pay for all these increases? And what about their pensions? At least if you're lucky enough to have a job, you have some hope. I've heard that the additional burden for an average family of four in Greece, from the new austerity measures, would be some at €2,795 a year, which is, I gather, about the same as one month's income. That's an awfully large chunk out of the family budget, isn't it - and not one most of us would like to stomach? According to Treasury estimates, the Commission's proposals would add £10bn to the UK's contribution to the EU budget over the seven-year period, and €100bn for all EU member states. When times are tough it becomes more important that we all pull together. I hope that those in the UK public sector see that with us struggling to get back on our feet, the disruption they cause those who have to take time off from their own jobs because of the strikes, is damaging our fragile economy. I would far rather we all work together to throw out the latest preposterous money grab proposed by the EC... that way we might all be better off in a few years' time! Yours,
 This Week's News
Germgard Lighting demonstrates two-second, bare and gloved hand sterilisation Germgard Lighting has developed, tested, and confirmed by independent testing that a small UVC dispenser - specifically designed for sterilising bare or gloved hands safely and quickly - achieves -6log10 inactivation of all relevant pathogens, including tough-to-kill Clostridium difficile spores. It has developed a simple, proprietary means to protect bare skin from UVC exposure. Sterilisation of gloved or bare hands is implemented within a few seconds including an exposure time of only two seconds. In contrast, current bare hand hygiene approaches - handwashing or use of alcohol rubs before and after patient visits, often referred to as a 'wash in, wash out' - limit the ability to sanitise and, in fact, fall somewhat short of the nominal sanitation goal of -log10 inactivation. Ecolab adopts automated hand hygiene monitoring technology for healthcare customers Ecolab announced this week that it has entered into a strategic alliance with Proventix Systems to use the nGage RFID (radio frequency identification) system to automate hand hygiene compliance monitoring for healthcare customers. The agreement with Proventix provides Ecolab customers with new options for their hand hygiene compliance monitoring initiatives. WWF and Kimberly-Clark announce new global commitment to responsible forestry Yesterday, Kimberly-Clark and World Wildlife Fund announced the expansion of Kimberly-Clark's membership in the Global Forest & Trade Network, a WWF initiative to eliminate illegal logging and conserve the world's most valuable and threatened forests. Kimberly-Clark will now include its worldwide operations in the initiative, building on its existing GFTN membership in selected countries. The participation scope now includes all wood fibres sourced for all of the company's products sold globally in the Kimberly-Clark Professional, Personal Care and Consumer Tissue businesses.. The announcement was made at the GFTN's 20th Anniversary Reception at the Forest Stewardship Council General Assembly meeting in Sabah, Malaysia. BCC announces keynote environmental speaker at Conference 2011 The British Cleaning Council has announced that Dr. Peter Redfern of Nottingham Trent University will be addressing the BCC Conference 2011 on how businesses and other institutions can implement large-scale sustainability projects. The session will take place on 11th October 2011 at Kings Place in London's Kings Cross, where up to 400 high-level delegates and 10 official exhibitors will form the audience at the award-winning conference hall and exhibition centre. Beaver Floorcare makes sure Wolverhampton Civic Hall doesn't slip up! watch the video www.youtube.commore
LCC Support Services, the UK national cleaning & support service contractor has been growing at the phenomenal rate of £1m for each of the last seven months. Increased business over the last seven months is £7.5m and growing. The new contracts are largely national programmes with fees from £1/2m to £2.9m and number of sites ranging from nine, for The Arts Council across the UK (for Vinci Facilities), to cleaning 64 Post Offices in the South East and 31 in the North for existing client The Royal Mail. Growth at The Facilities Show highlights industry optimism The Facilities Show 2011, in association with the British Institute of Facilities Managers (BIFM), has once again demonstrated growth and diversity within the facilities management industry. This valuable industry event provides a launch pad for a huge variety of innovative and pioneering products and services showcased by a multitude of industry leading exhibitors. Organised by UBM Live, it saw visitors from numerous FM sectors with the opportunity to explore the very latest in facilities services and products, resulting in a year on year increase in visitor numbers of more than 30%. RCM gears up to look after cleaning needs of Yamaha Motor Racing, Milan
One of the new issues faced by the team was the cleaning of the resin floors in the workshop on which large Yamaha trucks inevitably leave tyre tracks. It's a common problem in many environments and garages in particular where you need to use specific products and techniques to effectively remove the rubber track marks without damaging the floor. AeroGlass liquid glass technology helps prevent the spread of infection The recent E-coli outbreak in Germany - which rapidly spread to other European regions - again highlighted how air travel can be linked to the rapid spread of infection. Other than temperature monitoring, there is little that can be done to evaluate the health of the individuals who enter an aircraft, but now Frasers Aerospace is introducing a multi-award winning technology which will significantly reduce the bacterial loading present on surfaces within the aircraft and this technology is available for use in other situations too. The system is based on SiO2 - a cutting-edge Nano Technology material better known as Silicon Dioxide, which is in-fact, Liquid Quartz Glass. When applied to any surface it creates a surface barrier, said to be 500 times thinner than human hair. It is an undetecta Eco-Works, a biologicals company based in Bath, has released details of its new expanded range of green cleaning products that are suitable for environmentally conscious cleaning and facilities management companies. "Less is more," explains Scott Johnston, Director of Eco-Works. "There is an unhealthy number of manufacturers and suppliers of cleaning products selling liquids that are simply not necessary. Our range of chemical free green cleaning products is all that is required to effectively clean and maintain a facility. Four products - not 40 - are all that is required." In updating the market relating to the six months ending 30 June 2011 prior to entering its close period, Bunzl, the international distribution and outsourcing group, announced this week that overall trading is consistent with expectations at the time of the Interim Management Statement in April. At constant exchange rates group revenue is expected to have increased 6%, due to underlying growth of 3% and the positive impact from acquisitions, with a slight improvement in operating margin. After adverse currency translation movements, the revenue growth rate is expected to be 4%. DSA saves £millions on facilities management The UK Driving Standards Agency has signed a four year total facilities management contract with Interserve, the services, maintenance and building group, which will save it some £9m over the contract lifetime. The contract, worth around £12 million over its lifetime, has been signed as part of a collaborative procurement process by the DSA, for agencies across the Department for Transport (DfT) including DSA and the Vehicle & Operator Services Agency (VOSA). 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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Our weekly updated Hospital Hygiene features current developments and product solutions cleaning and hygiene industry manufacturers are coming up with. Read More. Recent UK News
Annual recruitment survey finds return of war for talent and huge skills gaps in UK Employers struggling to fill vacancies, are being inundated with unsuitable candidates, while talented individuals are staying put, concluding that the grass is greener on their own side of the fence in these volatile economic times. These are the top line findings from the annual Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development Resourcing & Talent Planning survey, produced in partnership with Hays. Living wages for London cleaners (or the Olympic city will be a filthy city)
Sandy Aird, Managing Director of London based Enhance Office Cleaning, has hit out at the many employers who do not pay the City's cleaning staff a fair day's wage. Special Offer! Need to find those high value cleaning and security contracts?
Tennant UK Cleaning Solutions celebrates opening of new Head Office
Tennant UK Cleaning Solutions, part of Tennant Company, has announced the opening of its new UK Head Office Building in Northampton. Acumen proves key in Newcastle-under-Lyme winning waste management award
The successful partnership between Acumen Distribution and Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council has led to the Council winning The Waste Management Award at the 2011 Government Business Awards. The Government Business Awards recognise effective business practice in local and central government. Tackling 'cowboy' suppliers: a day in the life of CHSA's auditor Through its Manufacturing Standard Accreditation Schemes, the Cleaning & Hygiene Suppliers Association is tackling industry cheats head on and is relying on the Schemes' auditor, Gordon Butt, to show them up. Businesses overlooking financial cost of workplace injury and illness British businesses are losing their competitive edge because of a failure to tackle the risks of injury and illness in the workplace, the UK's leading professional health and safety body has warned. Cleaners paid too little, say Britons A report by a leading think-tank has revealed that two-thirds of Britons would support government action to increase the wages of low-paid workers such as cleaners. Ramon Hygiene Products are the UK Distributor of the TTS (Tecno Trolley Systems) innovative range of professional cleaning and linen trolleys with endless solutions thanks to their modular system. Suitable for various professionals, whether it be healthcare, janitorial, cleaning contractor, hotel or maintenance sectors, the 'Magic' Trolley Systems allow users to design a bespoke trolley to suit their precise individual requirements. Cleanliness of premises 'is top priority' The cleanliness of premises in the healthcare sector is a top priority, according to the results of a new survey. Three men taken ill after cleaning toilets As if we ever need reminding that even routine cleaning can sometimes be a dangerous job, three men, aged 23, 57 and 64, were taken into hospital as a precaution last week, after two of them suffered breathing difficulties as a result of using a chemical to clean toilets at the Imperial Docks at Leith, near Edinburgh. According to a BBC report, the trio had been using an acid cleaner in a toilet block when one of them began to feel unwell. He was being treated at the scene for respiratory problems when his colleague also appeared to be overcome by the fumes. All three were taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh as a precaution. The chemical cleaner was moved outside and the toilet block was aired out. |
