Clean The Prairies - August 2007
(click here for full magazine in Adobe pdf format).

ON THE COVER: Hand Hygiene: A Frequently Missed Lifesaving Opportunity During Patient Care
Excerpts of an article by Dr. Andrej Trampuz and Dr. Andreas F. Widmer
Nosocomial infections affect nearly 10 per cent of hospitalized patients and represent a major problem in health care facilities, resulting in prolonged hospital stays, substantial morbidity and mortality and excessive costs. In the United States, health care associated infections contribute to the deaths of nearly 90,000 hospital patients each year and increase annual medical expenses by approximately $4.5 billion. Read more...

Compliance with Antiseptic Hand Rub Use in Intensive Care Units: The Hawthorne Effect
In the September 2006 issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology (27:931-934), medical personnel in five German hospitals were monitored in two periods regarding compliance with antiseptic hand rub (AHR) use when there were indications for AHR use. In the first period, the personnel had no knowledge of being observed. The second observation period was announced to the staff of the intensive care units in advance and information about what the observer would be monitoring was provided. Potential confounders of compliance with AHR use included occupational groups (nurses, physicians and other healthcare workers), intensive care units, and indications for AHR use before or after any procedure.  Read more...

Canadian Government to Ban or Restrict Toxic Chemicals
On Dec. 8, 2006, the Canadian government announced a strategy to clean up dangerous chemicals in the environment. A component of the strategy was the phase-out of “legacy chemicals” – those substances that don’t dissipate or that have detrimental chronic health impacts. The list of chemicals facing regulation or outright banning includes many proven harmful to animals and suspected to be harmful to human health, includes a chemical commonly used in cleaners and disinfectants.  Read more...

Setting the Standard. New management standard set for the cleaning industry
It has always been relatively easy to start a cleaning business. The tools and equipment are relatively cheap and many companies have been started on a shoe-string. While it is easy to get started, managing a cleaning operation is extremely challenging and many successful small operations run into difficulties as they expand their operations. Management skills and operating standards are what separate the successful service providers from those destined for trouble. The same difficulties are faced by in-house operations that grow as the parent body grows. While technical training and standards abound in our industry what has been lacking is a management standard that will aid in a developing well-run service operation and enhance the perception of the cleaning industry in the eyes of clients and building operators. This shortcoming has now been addressed.  Read more...

CHAPTER REPORT
Clean Atlantic 2007
Tradeshow features latest products and systems developed in response to the challenges users face today
The Canadian Sanitation Supply Association invites you to attend a trade show and seminar program dedicated to the professionals who help keep Atlantic Canada clean. With exhibitors from across Canada and the U.S. the show will feature the latest products and systems that have been developed in response to the challenges you face today.  Read more...

Ecocert Requires Service Providers to Use EcoLogo Certified Products
Ecocert, certifiers of Canadian Green cleaning service providers, has confirmed that the use of EcoLogo(M) certified products will be required as part of the process of certifying Canadian cleaning service providers as being environmentally responsible.  Read more...

Purchasing Practices are Forcing Contractor Changes
We have seen a significant number of national procurement contracts for janitorial services in Canada in the past few years, particularly in the public sector market. Price is always important, but has not been the major component of the decision in the private sector where much of the purchase decision is based on the proposal itself and the value it brings in areas such as quality programs, management and training. The public sector has also gone into national or regional contractors, and most of these are driven by a desire for quality first and price second. The very nature of some of these contracts, however, makes prices the deciding factor when everything else looks acceptable. The cleaning business is often sold on presentation as it is an intangible making the decision tougher for the purchaser.  Read more...

Bacteria Found Two Miles Beneath the Earth’s Surface
Scientists found a gold mine of bacteria almost two miles beneath the Earth’s surface.
The subterranean microorganisms, a division of Firmicutes bacteria, use radioactive uranium to convert water molecules into useable energy. Uranium is an element contained within the Earth’s crust and is an abundant source of energy. The presence of such terrestrial organism raises the potential that bacteria could live beneath the surface of other planets such as Mars.  Read more...

Reversing Natural Selection
Antibiotic drugs are a well-known test of the idea of natural selection. By killing sensitive bugs, they leave more space and nutrients for resistant ones to thrive. Genes for resistance thus spread through the population unless such drugs are used carefully and sparingly. However, as with other sorts of drug, different types of antibiotic may interact with one another in unexpected ways.  Read more...

The Green Train is Leaving the Station: Is Your Pest Management Program On Board?
By Zia Siddiqi, Ph. D., B.C.E., Director of Quality Systems, Orkin Inc.
Everyone’s “going green” – including many aspects of the sanitation and facility maintenance industries. As your facility explores environmentally friendly options, pest management is one program to consider greening. Thanks to new technologies, the pest management industry has a better understanding of pests and their habits than ever before, including methods for managing pests with minimal harm to people, products or the environment.  Read more...

Sci-Tech Engineered Chemicals Inc.
Producing conventional and environmental chemistry that exceeds market expectations
Sci-Tech Engineered Chemicals Inc. opened its doors in 2001 with a goal of producing conventional and environmental chemistry that would exceed market expectations. Today, that goal has been achieved and the company prides itself in its dedication to customer satisfaction. Located in Edmonton, Alta., Sci-Tech is a chemical manufacturing, marketing and development company that specializes in formulating cleaning products that utilize environmental technology.  Read more...

The Enviro-Solutions Disinfectant Quiz
The following quiz from Enviro-Solutions, a manufacturer of Green cleaning chemicals, is designed to help cleaning professionals better understand how to use disinfectant cleaners safely and effectively.  Read more...