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Of Note...

H1N1 Outbreak Spotlights Role Of Cleaning, Education
By Lisa Ridgely, correspondent
Cleaning professionals clean all types of facilities from airports to hospitals to schools, so when the threat of a pandemic occurs — such as what happened in late April when a strain of flu that emerged in Mexico had a rapid geographic spread throughout the United States and the world — they're working overtime to make sure customers and employees are getting the information they need.

Hundreds of human cases of swine flu, or H1N1 flu, have now been identified worldwide, including more than 100 in the U.S., and the virus has caused one death in Texas in addition to a number in Mexico. Swine flu is a newer strain of flu virus that originated in pigs and had previously been passed to farm workers from the animals rather than from human to human.

The virus evolved, as many flu strains do, in human hosts and is now spread human-to-human. It is an influenza type A virus, the same as common flu bugs. This particular strain, however, worries health officials because it is sickening healthy, young and middle-aged adults and it is contagious before hosts are showing symptoms. While cleaning professionals' plans of attack are essentially the same as they would be for any flu outbreak or pandemic, because the illness has a name unfamiliar to many, their role as educators has taken center stage.

In-house service providers are turning to their distributors for education on the best products and practices to use in combating H1N1. During any health scare, communication is one of the most vital pieces of the business puzzle, and manufacturers and distributors are providing much needed information that managers can use to educate their own employees and building occupants.

Cleaning professionals have also been sending out letters and e-mail bulletins full of general flu prevention information, as well as specified pandemic contingency plans to building occupants. Information about cleaning products and procedures provided by disinfectant and hand sanitizer manufacturers and distributors is helping as well — especially for those working in education and healthcare markets.

Concerns from cleaning managers pertain mainly to availability of product, as well as the best way to disinfect large areas such as workspaces and classrooms that do not have the same frequencies as restrooms and cafeterias.

Cleaning professionals are consulting the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Web site, which updates consistently with any new cases or information about the swine flu outbreak, and recommending that customers do the same. The basics of good human hygiene need to be stressed with customers, and though some will want a deep clean and disinfection, if cleaning professionals are cleaning correctly, procedures and frequencies should not have to change much.

Read additional coverage of H1N1

Ask Your Peers...

How do you benchmark your cleaning standards?

• On the academic custodial side we benchmark using two methods: 1) ATP meters with the limiting number of 100; and 2) we use quality inspection software that allows supervisors to inspect work quality in the field — as for standards we use the APPA and ISSA standards. —Michael Smith
• ...we base all of our benchmarking on surveys and relationship status. We are in 'customer contact' mode now, email surveys, tent cards, mail in surveys, etc... —Ken Galo
• I agree 100 percent that trying to build a great customer relationship is a great way to go. I also believe that having a documented "piece of paper showing little checks" goes along way too. The combination of both is the way to go. —mjg1979

Click here to read additional feedback on this and other questions facing the industry.

July Question:
What actions are you taking to help building occupants better understand and prevent a potential pandemic?

E-mail Housekeeping Solutions your response and look for the results in the July issue of the HS Update.

Editors Note

Expanding Your Industry Knowledge
In any industry, knowledge is key. Some experts say that it isn't about what you know, but who you know. I disagree. To be successful, you need both.

Who you know and networking with other industry experts can result in a wealth of knowledge found nowhere else. These relationships become a sounding board for bouncing ideas and drive industry innovation forward. Two minds are always better than one.

Like I said, though, who you know wont get you to the finish line on its own. Knowledge on products, policies, regulations, best practices, etc. will result in an efficient and effective cleaning department. To get there, benchmark existing cleaning practices with industry standards to determine where your department stands in regards to efficiencies. Constantly evaluating the performance of the department will result in elevated productivity and budget savings.

For industry benchmarking, watch for our annual Reader Survey available in the June issue. Also, if you are interested in expanding your networking with other professionals in the jan/san industry, check out myCleanLink and join the discussion.