ON THE COVER: Cockroaches: An
Old FoeHardy pests will buckle under a good sanitation
program
By ZIA SIDDIQI,
Ph.D., BCE, Director of Quality Assurance, Orkin Inc.
Cockroaches.
Approximately 350 million years old, they’re one of Earth’s oldest and most
common pests. And though cockroaches are active year-round, late winter is the
perfect time to begin protecting your facility from these pests, as they will
become even more active as the weather turns warmer.
The fact is
cockroaches can inhabit any environment that a human can. Not only can the
pests be a nuisance, but they are a well-known public health risk due to their
ability to carry disease and their connection with the development of asthma.
Through frequent contact with contaminated material, cockroaches become vectors
for a number of organisms and bacteria that can cause food poisoning, diarrhoea
and dysentery. And, cockroach droppings and exoskeletons contain allergens,
which have been found to contribute to the development of asthma, especially in
children. Read more...
The Contract
Cleaners Association of Alberta
Excerpts from a
speech given by Brian King to the Edmonton Chapter of BOMA (Spring 2006)
Randy Burke,
currently of Daylight Cleaning Services and Brian King, with Omni Facility
Services, formed the Contract Cleaners Association of Alberta as a non-profit
society in the early 90s. In these days there were many reasons why we needed
such an association, but one of the prime motivation factors was to counter the
very stringent and well-funded UNION advertising campaign against using
CONTRACT custodial services by: province, municipalities, university’s,
colleges, schools and major commercial industries. We were able to tell the
contract cleaners side of the story through press releases, media interviews
and by doing the job. No individual cleaning company could have hoped to fight
against the strengths of the Unions at that time but collectively we were able
to make an impact. Our association went into hiatus in the late 90s but
currently, Fred Edwards, president of the Calgary Chapter, and Brian King,
president of the Edmonton Chapter, have collectively in excess of 60 active
members. Read more...
Keeping You Informed
On behalf of the members of the Canadian
Sanitation Supply Association (CSSA) Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba
Chapter, I would like to welcome you to our premier edition of Clean The
Prairies, a marketing publication geared towards the individuals who maintain
high standards of cleanliness in commercial, industrial and institutional
facilities.
In conjunction with Perks Publications
Inc., we have utilized this format to present to our customers, the end users
of sanitary maintenance products, issues and information pertaining to their
facilities and their vocation. Read more...
Educating
Environmental Services Personnel About Infection
Control and Prevention
Derived from a
study by Jennifer Schraag
The Environmental
Services department is possibly the most mobile group of staff in the average
hospital. They can be seen daily in every patient room (even those under
contact precautions), every washroom, every common area, every lunchroom and
cafeteria, every staff lounge, elevator, operating room and laboratory. They
are at the bottom of the hierarchical pecking order, and they often work
without ongoing infection control education. Herein lies a problem. Read more...
How To Buy An
Upright Vacuum
Think Quality,
Durability
By ALLEN RATHEY
Dr. W. Edwards
Deming, the statistician and quality control expert who taught the Japanese –
namely companies like Toyota – about quality, was once asked the price of his
new shoes. His answer? “How could I know? I haven’t finished wearing them yet.”
The true cost of a
product depends on its long-term performance – that is, the value provided over
time. Vacuum cleaners are no exception. Read more...
Maxim Chemical International Ltd.
“Formulas For Your Success”
Maxim Chemical International Ltd. has been providing the “Formulas For Your Success” for almost 40 years.“Quality products and dependable service throughout our 38 year history has always been a significant aspect of Maxim’s success in the chemical business,” a company spokesperson said. “Maxim is the largest manufacturer of industrial, institutional and sanitation products in Saskatchewan.”
The company opened its doors for business in 1968 under the name Saskem. Four years later, it was purchased by Don Punga who took the company to the next level. With a small facility in Regina, Sask., the company’s main product focus included boiler treatment products, bowl clean and drain opener. Read more...
GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL CHOICE PROGRAM
Many people do not realize that there are actually two non-profit, independent, third-party entities in North America involved in Green certification. One is Green Seal. The other is the Environmental Choice Program (ECP), Ottawa, Ont., which is stewarded by TerraChoice Environmental Marketing.ECP is older than Green Seal and major jansan chemical manufacturers are turning to ECP for Green certification. Without question, ECP is playing a much larger role in Green certification, especially for the professional cleaning industry.
ECP was started in 1988 to provide a market incentive for manufacturers and suppliers to promote environmentally preferable products and services. It was also established to help the consumer identify products and services that are safer to use and protective of the environment. Read more...
Spring Tune-up?
Your operation can
also benefit from a regular check-up
By COLLIN
BUTTERFIELD,
President, Group B
Services Ltd.
I recently
overheard a person talking about his philosophy regarding his vehicle. He said,
“I just drive it ‘till the wheels fall off, then get another.” My first thought
was, ‘at least it’s only a truck’, but then it occurred to me that, as a
consultant, I’ve met cleaning managers that ran their operations that way. As
long as nothing unexpected happened, their life was just fine. Unfortunately
the unexpected does happen, usually when it’s most inconvenient. That’s when
“leaving well alone” and “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it” attitudes can cause
a cleaning operation to become unmanageable. Read more...
Jim Darling
My friend Jim,
The sudden death of Jim Darling, president of Hunnisett Chemicals Ltd. has caught everyone by surprise and leaves a very large empty space, but the spirit and the way Jim conducted his personal and business affairs will remain with us.Jim was a devoted and caring parent and friend. He loved, cared and made sure that everyone within range was O.K. One did not work “for” Jim but rather worked “with” Jim, as he left a lot of space to make sure that everyone was comfortable in developing a personal way of doing what had to be done. Personally, for more than 25 years, I was in daily contact – except when travelling or during holidays – chatting, joking and discussing business over the telephone or the Internet. Jim loved to laugh and joking was always the best way to bring the pressure down. I never considered Jim as a boss, but rather as a friend from the start. Read more...
