Clean & Hygiene Review ( July-Aug 2013) The magazine for Cleaning Professionals.

May-June ’13

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July-Aug ’13

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E Publisher cum Editor Rajneesh Sharma Associate Editor Swarnendu Biswas Resident Editor Sharmila Chand (Delhi) Ashok Malkani (Mumbai) Layout & Design Hari Kumar. V Narender Kumar Advertising Sales Delhi: Debabrath Nath, Sumesh Sharma Mumbai: Rajesh Tupsakhre Subscription Sales Dattaram Gangurde Director Sales Sanjay Anand Director Operations & Finance Rajat Taneja Editorial & Advertising Offices: Delhi: Hammer Publishers Pvt. Ltd. 1202, Pragati Tower, 26, Rajindra Place, New Delhi-110008 Phone: 91-11-45084903, 25854103 / 05 Mumbai: Hammer Publishers Pvt. Ltd. 105, 1st Floor, Aarpee Centre, Gufic Compound, 11th Road, MIDC, Near Tunga Paradise, Andheri (E), Mumbai-400 093 Ph.: 91-22-28395833 Telefax: 91-22-28388947 Website: www.chrmag.com E-mail: hammerpublishers@vsnl.net © 2013 Hammer Publishers Pvt. Ltd.

Clean & Hygiene Review is a bi-monthly magazine, printed, owned and published by Rajneesh Sharma from 313, Himgiri Apartments, J-Block, Vikaspuri, New Delhi. Printed at Print Creations, C-112/3, Basement, Naraina Industrial Area, Phase-1, New Delhi-110 028.

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On July 16 and the following few days, the disturbing visuals of children taking ill after having their mid-day meals in their school at Dharamsati village of Bihar’s Chappra district, the delay in taking them to a nearby hospital and the subsequent death of 23 innocent lives united the nation to mourn the poor governance and callous delivery mechanism of welfare schemes in the state and in various other parts of the country. The angry parents and relatives of the children buried the dead bodies in the school premise itself as a mark of protest against the penalties that their children had to pay for no crime of their own. The television anchors shouted their lungs out demanding justice for the victims and their families, and the politicians, as usual, passed the blame to each other. If some sensed conspiracy, others demanded accountability. A modest compensation for those families who lost their children was announced. But everyone knew that the dreams that met with untimely and unjust death that day would never be fulfilled.

It later emerged from the investigation that the children died because the food that they were served was contaminated by organophosphate pesticides and monocrotophos, a poison used in agriculture to save crops from pest and in storing food. Medical practitioners opine that even the survivors of the tragedy would bear the brunt of organophosphate pesticide poisoning. They may experience permanent damage of tissues and organs in the future. The Bihar tragedy has therefore brought the danger of using the poisonous pesticides in our agriculture, and worse, not following the best practices, to light once again.

The Cover Story in this issue brings to fore the various eco-friendly alternatives to conventional pest control methods. While it discusses the importance and viability of biopesticides, which are not harmful to humans and animals, it also brings to light the necessity of adopting some preventive pest control measures to guard your home and business from intrusion and infestation by pests.

The Business Story of the issue brings to fore the emerging opportunities in duct cleaning which is gaining prominence in the country due to increasing awareness about indoor air quality and the soaring demand for international hygiene standards in the country. The story also offers a practical guide on how duct cleaning can help save energy, which is again very important not only from the point of view of profitability, but also from the point of view of being environment-friendly, and also make optimum use of your HVAC systems.

The cheers of the nation completing its 66th anniversary of Independence this August couldn’t hide the gloom arising out of the steep rupee slide and the consequent high cost of importing goods and services. Although a slight recovery of the rupee is on the sight, and one hears the reassurances of the Prime Ministers of a better economy from the ramparts of the Red Fort, the enthusiasm of the industry is low in various sectors. This issue features views of the industry leaders why the cleaning industry has largely remained insulated from the current gloom in the economy.

The issue is packed with other regular features on pest management, laundry, cleaning, and other relevant issues, besides the recent happenings in the industry through the News and Reports sections.

Happy Reading!

Editorial Policy : Editorial emphasis in Clean & Hygiene Review magazine is on educational & informational material specifically designed to assist those responsible for managing cleaning & maintenance, Laundry, Pest Control, Water & Waste Management and Environment. Articles are welcome and will be published on the sole discretion of the editor.

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July-Aug ’13

Contents

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18 COVER STORY BUSINESS

22 CLEANING

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SECTIONS 4

News Scan

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Profile

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Report

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Hygiene

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Waste Management

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IAQ

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Product Preview

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Interview

July-Aug ’13

PEST MANAGEMENT

28 LAUNDRY

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NEWS SCAN

Ion Exchange unveils new First Ever BEE Five Star Label for a corporate identity Shopping Mall Ion Exchange (India) Limited, specialists in environment management with an impressive track record of close to five decades, has recently come up with its new corporate identity. On the occasion of unveiling the new identity, Rajesh Sharma, Chairman and Managing Director, Ion Exchange (India) Ltd., said, “In sync with the environmental transformation we strive to bring about, we have changed our logo and incorporated a positioning line ‘Refreshing the planet’; a move that accentuates our commitment to assume an ever greater responsibility to the cause of ecology and everything we stand for.”

“The new Ion Exchange logo, with its hues of green and blue, celebrates the greenery and water around us and more cogently reaffirms our constant effort to make the earth a better place. The grey underlining signifies the strong foundation and base the organisation has built over decades,” Sharma articulated further.

Here it deserves a mention that Ion Exchange (India) Ltd. is today regarded as one of the premier companies in water and environment management in India. The company also has a strong international presence. Specialists in water and waste water treatment, Ion Exchange offers total water solutions for industry, homes and communities. Ion Exchange India’s comprehensive environment solutions include water treatment, liquid waste treatment & recycle, air pollution control, solid & hazardous waste management and generation of energy from waste.

Avani Riverside Shopping Mall, Kolkata, has become the first ever shopping mall in the country to get a BEE 5 star label.

It was recognised by the Government for its endeavour towards incorporating energy efficiency measures resulting in award of a 5 star label. Director General, Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) presented the 5 star label to Avani Riverside shopping Mall in a ceremony in Kolkata on August 31.

This mall has achieved an EPI (Average Annual Energy Performance Index) value of 185.62 kWh/sq. m/annum in comparison to the Business as Usual Shopping Mall EPI of 400 kwh/sq. mtr/ annum by implementing various energy efficiency measures like integration of day light, use of sensors & controllers, waste energy recovery wheel etc. It has also adopted energy management system and performance indicators for facility management staff for energy saving through awareness among renters and shopkeepers in the mall. Shopkeepers and occupiers in the mall would be benefitted by reduced electricity bills and enhancing their business profitability.

BEE, a statutory body under the Ministry of Power, has developed a voluntary Star rating programme for commercial buildings, which is based on the actual performance of a building in terms of its specific energy usage in kwh/sqm/year.

Considering that the sectoral consumption of electricity is about 34 percent of the total consumption in India, star rating programme is designed to motivate building owners to move towards efficient mode of operations, thereby resulting in reduced electricity bills and improved comforts. So far, more than 150 buildings have been awarded star label under various building categories, which has resulted in about 50 MW avoided capacity.

Considering that addition of each MW of electricity on the generation side costs Rupees 6-7 crores/ MW, merely by adopting low cost energy efficiency measures which has yielded in monitoring savings of about Rupees 350 crores.

Adoption of the scheme by all commercial buildings would have a greater impact on the overall economy in view of power supply-demand shortfall that our country is currently facing.

‘Invest in R&D in agrochemicals sector’ The government has called upon agrochemicals industry to invest in Research & Development and innovations in agrochemicals sector. Delivering the inaugural address at a two-day conference on July 30, Secretary, Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, Indrajit Pal said that in order to remain globally competitive, the industry needs to innovate in products, for which innovative state-ofthe-art R&D laboratories and financial resources would be required. Pal said that the Indian chemical sector spends 1-2 percent of their total turnover on R&D as compared to around 5-10 percent by the chemical industry in the developed countries. One of the emerging areas for R & D is green agrochemicals, he added.

The Secretary informed that for ensuring quality of agrochemicals, the government had set up 71 pesticides testing laboratories across the country that include 68 state laboratories, two regional laboratories and one central laboratory. He said manufacturing units should adopt GMP (good manufacturing practices) and take all such measures that are necessary to ensure delivery of quality products to the farmers.

Pal also informed that the Institute of Agrochemicals Formulation Technology (IPFT), an autonomous body of the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, had been developing state-of-the-art user and environment friendly formulations for the agrochemicals industry. Over the past 5-6 years, IPFT has developed many formulations and transferred them to the industries.

He urged the industry to take full advantage of the facilities offered by the institute.

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Dataserv APAC installs e-waste drop box at DU To increase awareness among the youth about the importance of safe disposal of electronic waste, dataserv APAC, a UK-based waste management company, installed a e-waste drop box at Miranda House College in Delhi University. Students of the University in the north campus can now easily walk down to Miranda House to dispose-off their unusable mobile phones, laptops, handheld computers, and computer peripherals.

Explaining the motive behind the pioneering initiative, Managing Director of dataserv APAC Amit Sardana said as India is a major contributor to the piling ewaste across the globe, it is very important to make the youth very responsible in disposing-off electronic waste.

With over 900 million mobile users across the country, irresponsible disposal of such waste could lead to serious environmental damage and health hazards. It is also important not to dispose-off such waste to illegal operators or junk dealers, Sardana said.

Promising to replicate the initiative at Miranda House in other colleges of Delhi University and other university campuses, Sardana said, “The e-waste in this box will be collected and disposed-off in line with the e-waste management and handling rules 2011 by dataserv APAC.”

Proposal for Green Building in Delhi The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) proposes to build two land mark buildings that are being designed as per green building norms. One of these two buildings will be built at Socio Cultural Centre at Dwarka and the other office-cum-record room at Gazipur.

The proposed incentives shall be based on the rating criteria prescribed by ‘Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment’ for green buildings wherein a maximum incentive up to 5 percent of extra Floor Area Ratio (FAR) and ground coverage may be given as an incentive by the local bodies.

QUALITY ASSURED COMPANY

Prominent hospitals caught flouting medical waste rules Environment and Forest Minister Jayanthi Natarajan said that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) have found five prominent city hospitals, including government hospitals, flouting the parametres prescribed under the bio-medical waste management rules.

The five hospitals are - Max Super Speciality Hospital at Indraprastha Extension, Fortis Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre Limited at Okhla, Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital at Rohini, Dr Hedgewar Arogya Sansthan, Government of NCT and Lok Nayak Hospital at Jawaharlal Nehru Marg.

“In compliance with an order of NGT, the Central Pollution Control Board had conducted a surprise inspection of the five hospitals... NGT observed that none of these five hospitals is strictly adhering to the parametres prescribed under BioMedical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules 1998,” Natarajan said in the Rajya Sabha.

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PROFILE

Housekeeping ousekeeping is Lifeline to Leading a Healthy Life Be it an economic boom or a slowdown, one can’t compromise with housekeeping, believes Dr. Sanjay Sinha, Chairman of Frontline Business Solutions (FBS) Pvt. Ltd., a total asset management and risk management enterprise. “As because of recession, we don’t stop wearing clothes or taking bath, in the same way, housekeeping cannot be compromised at work or living place at any time,” says the veteran industrialist who has over two decades of experience in the industry.

After working with some of the prominent facility management companies of the country, Dr. SS, as he is popularly known to his employees and the corporate world, established FBS in 2005. An ISO 9000:2008 organisation, FBS has pan India presence and has expertise in building & maintaining telecom infrastructure, security and facility management services.

Be it managing the housekeepers, guards, electromechanical operators or front desk management, IT assets management, disaster management & logistics management, FBS, with its interests in facilities and securities, endeavours to cater to non-core business needs of all corporate houses.

Excerpts from an interview with Dr. S.S. on his views on the current trends in India’s cleaning industry, importance of housekeeping, future plans of the FBS Group and much more…

By Jyotismita Sharma

From providing housekeeping solutions to disaster management services, your business concerns spread across various sectors. Isn’t it difficult to manage so many verticals? How do you maintain quality across the sectors?

This is a very pertinent question. The greater the spread, more stringent steps we take to maintain quality. We have a welldefined hierarchy, which is headed by the best of the talents in the industry. All the verticals are managed by a set of dedicated professionals, who are not only responsible but also accountable. This is the reason we are able to maintain the best quality across the nation.

What motivated you to enter into the cleaning industry? Do you find this industry exciting and profitable?

I nurtured a dream of providing employment to a lot of people in India. Getting into the cleaning Industry and bringing in lots of innovation was also part of my plan. I observed that this sector was more or less unorganised and needed a professional approach. With the foundation of FBS, I thought of filling up that gape.

Today, we have not only emerged as one of the best companies in India who have the best talents appointed across the country, but we are the only company where each member of the group pledges to clean at least 100 meters of the surroundings near him or her as part of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility programme. We have also started to plant two trees by every employee, every month in many states.

This industry is certainly very exciting, but

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profitability often scales down for those who comply with the labour laws of the country.

Housekeeping is a major challenge for the hospitality industry as well as for the hospitals. What are the challenges of providing quality housekeeping solutions?

Housekeeping is certainly a challenge for any industry. It is not just removing the dirt and the dust or mopping. We urge the Industries to hire the services of the best companies to manage their huge infrastructure.

These days, a variety of new stones is used while making state-of-the-art offices and hospitals. But not every company in the housekeeping industry has the trained talents to take care of these modern properties.

Hence, if they save money by hiring low cost companies, it may in turn badly damage the property, which is very costly affair. It is a classic case of being penny wise and pound foolish. You cannot stop your work and get the stones changed every year.

We are one company who have Johnson Diversey trained and certified Housekeepers who have knowledge of various stones and they are trained specifically as per the requirement of the clients and the properties they are going to manage.

Is the problem of manpower an issue with you, especially for the housekeeping segment?

Manpower has never been an issue with us as ours is the only company in India where the work environment is different from others.

We involve the entire family of our colleagues in some way or other, which makes attrition in our company almost zero.

Do you provide in-house training to the housekeeping staff or you hire only trained and experienced staff?

We provide in-house training for all our housekeeping staff across the country.

Johnson Diversey helps us in training and certifying our talents.

Has the current economic slowdown affected your business?

Not exactly. Housekeeping is such a work which cannot be stopped or compromised.

Housekeeping is the most wanted basic need of our life. We can say it’s a lifeline to lead a healthy life.

What are the current trends in the cleaning industry? Will outsourcing survive the difficult economic tide?

Cleaning is an art and it is also a science.

It can only be managed by the people who are core competent in the art. Outsourcing to a competent company in any way will save a lot rather than going in with untrained manpower who may spoil the expensive building material. As because of recession, we don’t stop wearing clothes and taking bath, in the same way, housekeeping cannot be compromised at work or living place at any time.

What are your future plans for the cleaning industry?

We are exploring business in retail, banking, airports and railways & metro rail. We are also planning to have a package for small organisations and corporate houses to give them world class cleaning at affordable rates.

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REPORT

Rural Sanita�on: Opportuni�es and Challenges

The Private sector plays an important role in the sanitation sector by making available the material required for construction of toilets, says Bharatsinh Solanki, Minister of State (Independent Charge) in the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation

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s per census 2011, only 32.7 percent of rural households are having access to toilets. One of the biggest problems facing the sanitation sector is lack of access to sanitary toilets to a large proportion of rural households.

The Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA) provides assistance for building of Individual Household Latrines (IHHLs) to eligible beneficiaries. The building of IHHLs is an activity which is not readily amenable to Public-Private-Partnership in the traditional sense of the term.

However, the private sector does play an important role in the sanitation sector by making available the material requirement for construction of toilets.

Moreover, as per NBA guidelines, corporate houses are encouraged to participate in the implementation of NBA as an essential part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) by taking up the issues of sanitation through Information Education Communication (IEC), Human Resource Development (HRD) or through direct targeted interventions.

Under Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA), Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM) is one of the key components to bring about improvement in the general quality of life in rural areas. Under this component, activities like compost pits, vermin composting, common and individual biogas plants, low cost drainage, soakage channels/ pits, reuse of waste water and system for collection, segregation and disposal of household garbage, etc., can be taken up.

Assistance for SLWM project is

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available on the basis of total number of households in each Gram Panchayat (GP), subject to a maximum of Rs.7 lakh for a GP having up to 150 households, Rs.12 lakh up to 300 households, Rs.15 lakh up to 500 households and Rs.20 lakh for GPs having more than 500 households. Funding for SLWM project under NBA is provided by the Central and State Government in the ratio of 70:30. It is up to the Gram Panchayats / State Governments including that of Maharashtra to take up SLWM projects including mini sewerage treatment plants to meet the local requirement by utilizing assistance available under NBA. Additional cost requirement can be met by convergence with Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNGREGS) or from the State/GP funds.

Government of India has accorded

As per the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA) guidelines, corporate houses are encouraged to participate in the implementation of NBA as an essential part of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) by taking up the issues of sanitation through Information Education Communication (IEC), Human Resource Development (HRD) or through direct targeted interventions.

a high priority to rural sanitation.

Efforts of the State Governments for promoting rural sanitation were supplemented from 1986 till 1999 by the Central Government under the centrally sponsored Rural Sanitation Programme (CRSP) and thereafter from 1999 under the Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC).

Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) was launched as demand driven, community led programme with major Information Education Communication (IEC) inputs to make sanitation a felt-need of the people.

To acceler ate the progress of sanitation coverage TSC was revamped as Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA) in the XIIth Five Year Plan. The objective of NBA is to achieve sustainable behavior change with provision of sanitary facilities in entire communities in a phased, saturation mode with ‘Nirmal Grams’ as outcomes. The new strategy is to transform rural India into ‘Nirmal Bharat’ by adopting community saturation approach. NBA goal is to achieve 100 percent access to sanitation for all rural households by 2022.

During the 12th five-year-plan, Government of India has allocated Rs 37159 crores for sanitation. Further, it has increased the allocation under NBA from Rs.2500 crore in the year 2012-13 to Rs. 4260 crore in 2013-14.

Minister of State (Independent Charge) in the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation Bharatsinh Solanki gave the information in reply to a question in the Lok Sabha on  August 22.

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COVER S T O R Y

Pesky Pests:

Prevention & Cure

The tragic death of 23 school children who fell ill after having mid-day meal in their school in Dharamsati village of Chappra district, 50 miles north of Patna, in Bihar, in mid July this very year has once again brought the limelight on pesticides poisoning and the need for adopting eco-friendly pest control measures.

Insects, pests, creepy crawlers, call them by any name; they are the bane of not only households but also business enterprises. A pest in the premises can be harmful for your health. And if it is a business premise, it can be harmful for the health of your business, particularly if it happens to be a restaurant or a hotel. But getting rid of these pests with chemical pesticides can also be detrimental to health. The use of pesticides in agriculture has resulted in the crop carrying the poisonous effects of the pesticides to consumer. In the hospitality industry, pesticides used in the kitchen could harm the health of the guests. No wonder, eco-friendly pest control is gaining ground and becoming popular. Ashok Malkani takes a look at the ways and means of tackling pests in an eco-friendly manner…

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ver yone is spouting eco-friend liness. But how many are seriously pr acticing it? W hen we talk of ecological balance, we implicitly refer to the need of controlling pollution caused by

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various factories and other modern inventions like automobiles, air conditioners, refrigerators, etc. But very few seem to be paying attention to pest control. When we talk of chemical warfare against pests, we like to shake our fingers at big farms and businesses for using chemicals that could taint our food and water.

Although farms are the biggest users of pesticides, their use at homes and business establishments is no less significant.

It may be mentioned that no segment of the population is completely immune to the exposure to pesticides and their effects on

health. However, it is seen that people of developing countries are more affected by their use. The horrific death of 23 school children who fell ill after having mid-day meal in their school in Dharamsati village of Chappra district, 50 miles north of Patna, in Bihar, in mid July this very year has once again brought the limelight on pesticides poisoning. “ They were ser ved food laden with organophosphate pesticide, monocrotophos - a deadly poison that is used in agriculture to save crops from pest and that is also used to store food,” wrote Dr Mira Shiva (MD) and Dr Vaibhav

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C O V E R STORY Singh (MBBS). They said that even the survivors of the tragedy “would still bear the brunt of permanent damage of tissues and organs due to organophosphate pesticide poisoning”. The endosulfan tragedy in the Kasargod district of Kerala and its subsequent ban by the Supreme Court is now too well known to repeat.

From Chemical to Biopesticides Over the years, with the growing popularity of industrial agriculture, farmers have relied on the effectiveness of chemical pesticides for improving their yield. However, it is now established that over dependence on chemical pesticides and eventual uninhibited use of them lead to soil degradation and groundwater pollution, turning the land unproductive in the long run.

Use of some pesticides may also raise food safety concerns among domestic consumers and pose trade impediments for exporters.

Biopesticides or biological pesticides, according to scientists, offer an ecologically sound alternative to chemical pesticides. They pose less threat to the environment and to human health. The most commonly used biopesticides include biofungicides (Trichoderma), b i o h e r b i c i d e s ( P hy t o p t h o r a ) and bioinsecticides (Bacillus thuringiensis).

Unlike chemical pests, biopesticides affect only the pests for which it is designed. So they do not harm the useful pests which are necessary for organic production.

With the use of biopesticides, one can easily avoid a lot of pollution related problems as it decomposes quickly,

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biodegradable and has very low residual effects. A small quantity of bio pesticides can be very effective in getting rid of pestering pest problems in agricultural production and its utility can also be realized when used as a component of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs.

Although biopesticides are costlier as compared to the readily available chemical pesticides, their use can actually cut down the expenses of the farmers as they reduce the required number of applications for pest control. Other advantages of biopesticides are that they can be used as preventive measures of pest control, easy to use and has less shelf life. However, the use of biopesticides is yet to gain popularity in India.

Eco-friendly pest control There is a continuous attempt by scientists to use eco friendly products for pest control. A lot of natural insecticides such as nicotine, pyrethrum and neem extracts are in use. They are mostly made from plants. While nicotine is a potent parasympathomimetic alkaloid found in the nightshade family of plants, the natural insecticide made from the dried flower heads of Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium and Chrysanthemum coccineum

is called Pyrethrum. The use of extracts from the neem tree is also very popular in India. However, the use of nicotine-based pesticides has come down considerably after the Second World War because advancement in scientific research has shown that it can be highly toxic.

The use of nicotine-based insecticide is completely barred in the European Union.

So, even though all plant-based insecticides need not necessarily be good for animals and environment, the research for effective ecofriendly pest control measures continues. A couple of years back, Naveen Pokhriyal, an alumnus of M S University (MSU), Vadodara, developed a farmer-friendly agro spray oil as an alternative to harmful and toxic chemicals that are otherwise used for pest control. For introducing the eco-friendly alternative for the first time in the country, Pokhriyal’s team even bagged the CSIR award for science and technology innovations for rural development (CAIRD).

The agro spray oil benefits the entire agro ecosystem as it is economical and non-detrimental for flora, fauna, human health and environment. “It gives not only insignificant residue in crops but also preserves their freshness and nutritional value,” said Pokhriyal, Some pest companies too are conducting research for eco-friendly pest control products. Pest Control of India (PCI), one of the leading pest control companies in the country, is also taking steps to promote ecofriendly pest control. According to a company spokesperson, PCI has been making concerted efforts to move towards eco-friendly and green technologies that will benefit not just

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COVER S T O R Y the customer but the environment as well. Green methods and products, the company feels, are the way forward. The Bio-Control Research Laboratory (BCRL), PCI’s research center in Bangalore, is evolving eco-friendly solutions to meet this objective.

According to people in the know, the best way to avoid pests is to discourage them from entering your premises. The smartest way to avoid pesticide use is to roll up the welcome mat before the pests infest. Caulking foundation cracks, keeping food tightly sealed, covering trash cans, and cleaning cluttered floors are effective preventive measures for controlling pest.

Pests: Ban for Businesses If pests at home give you a headache, what do you think a business owner will feel once he finds out that his precious restaurant or shop is riddled with pesky critters? Pests are extremely detrimental to growth of business in the hospitality sector.

Nothing can kill a business more quickly than negative publicity. Let’s assume that Narayan Chaturvedi has a restaurant. Unfortunately, one of his clients did not have a good experience while having his dinner there. Maybe the customer saw a cockroach scramble across the floor or he found a fly in his soup.

Whatever it is, he’ll surely tweet, blog, or chat about it. Maybe he’ll also write a short article about what happened. And, before Chaturvedi can do anything, the dinner debacle is the hottest topic not only in his town, but maybe in some other cities and possibly in other states and even other countries. That’s the power of modern technology. Information dissemination is so fast today that a person’s bad restaurant experience can become a hot trending topic in just a few hours. Can Chaturvedi’s damage control methods offset the client’s online rants? Your guess is as good as ours.

Another aspect in which pests can affect business is by damaging the property. Rats and mice, for instance, are pests that chew through walls and even plastic drainage pipes. They could also gnaw on

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wires and cables apart from eating stored food. But one of the most damaging creatures around is a tiny but incredibly terrible pest that many home and business owners fear; and that is – the termite. Why? Though they are very small, they can consume an entire structure from the inside out. They eat anything with cellulose. Even concrete buildings can become infested with termites when the bugs infest wood furniture and accessories.

Pest control in restaurants and kitchens can be tricky. Chemicals that kill pests are often harmful to humans, too. In some countries, laws for bid the use of many chemical pesticides in food service establishments, as food can get contaminated by them.

Pest control operators state that the best way to control pests in restaurants is to prevent them from entering the premises and finding food.

Eco-tips to Control Pests Here are a few tips for keeping your premises out of bounds for the pesky pests: Keep it clean: Clean all spills right away. Consistently mop floors and wipe down countertops and tables.

Isolate garbage. Use tight-fitting lids on waste receptacles. Throw out garbage promptly. Wash your garbage cans every day.

Seal points of entry: Make sure all windows and doors are tightly sealed. Do not leave open unscrewed windows or doors. Cover vents and drains with screens.

Inspect new supplies: Check incoming inventory for cockroaches, pantry moths and other insects.

Immediately dispose of anything suspect

The common pests normally found in commercial kitchen are ants, flies, cockroaches and mice.

Ants: For avoiding ants, seal the premises properly. You can also prevent or repel ants somewhat effectively with any of the following: cinnamon, cayenne pepper, black pepper, vinegar, chalk, talcum powder and bay leaves Pest control professionals state that if preventive methods don’t work, then, for red ants, the most effective eco-friendly pesticide is boric acid. Mix one teaspoon boric acid or borax with a jar of jelly or two cups of sugar water. Place the jelly or tiny cotton balls dipped in the sugarwater mixture near the ant problem, but do not block the ant trail. Place one to three pieces of bait every 25 feet. If the ants carry the boric acids back to the place where they camp that will help decimate their own members.

For large or black ants, follow the ant trail to identify the ants’ entry points. Seal the entry points with caulk or screens. You could use soda paste as a temporary seal. Sticky barriers could also be used on the legs of the table.

F lies: Pre ventive measures for keeping the flies away is to consistently clean their breeding areas like garbage cans, moist mops, sides of drains and drain traps. An easy and safe way to control fruit flies is to use fly traps like Sticky flypapers or Ultraviolet fly traps, which are readily available in the market. Some tools zap them and some trap them.

Never use zappers in food handling areas, or customers will find pieces of fly in their food. Another easy solution is the use of covered jar or bowl. Fill a large jar or bowl with bait like honey, beer or wine. Cover

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COVER S T O R Y

with plastic wrap and poke holes in the top. In such a trap, flies enter but cannot find their way out.

C o c k r o a c h e s : To p r e v e n t cockroaches from invading your kitchen, eliminate their access to food and damp, dark areas. Clean regularly and cover garbage and put wet rags and sponges in airtight containers overnight. Hang mops up to dry. Fix leaky faucets and drains. Plumbing is like a cockroach’s highway system, so cover vents and floor and sink drains with screens.

If the cockroaches have already made an entry into your establishment then usage of boric acid is considered the most effective ‘green’ way of dealing with them. It is by far the most effective safe method of cockroach control. Boric acid is considered ideal for pest control in eateries because the level of toxicity in boric acid and its salt borax is very less. One can apply 99 percent boric acid or borax to cracks and crevices, under sinks, behind and beneath cabinets and equipment and inside any wall cavities.

Mice: A full-grown rodent can pass through a hole as small as a new 1 rupee coin. So it is very important to seal their entry points to your commercial kitchen. It is also important to take swift action to deal with the rodent menace in the eateries. As soon as you spot a mouse, call an eco-friendly exterminator immediately. There are mouse traps available in the market but it is best to call in a pest control operator.

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Though Disney has created many lovable mice, don’t confuse them with the vermin in your establishment or in your house. These mice leave unsanitar y droppings and can spread serious, albeit rare, illnesses, including the infectious lung disease Hantavirus.

Howe ver, rodent baits for commercial premises and in residential places should be different to avoid any chance of putting children’s health at risk Commercial rodent baits contain anticoagulants, which lead to a slow death of the mice by internal bleeding.

If they are used at homes and children ingest them, the poison pellets can be just as lethal.

As far as mouse traps are concerned, experts estimate that one house requires about a dozen traps (not setting enough is the main reason this method fails).

Arrange them along walls and under cabinets, and keep interesting baits like uncooked rolled oats or peanut butter. To make the baits work better, change them every few days.

House Pests Fleas: They are not just a nuisance for your pets. They even suck human blood and can make you itch. Flea treatments that contain ethyl carbamates should be avoided.

Even short-term exposure to high levels of ethyl carbamate may induce vomiting, coma, or hemorrhages in humans as they can affect kidneys and livers.

To kill the fleas and their eggs,

wash all loose rugs and pet bedding in hot water. Vacuum the carpets in the house or hotels regularly and dispose off the bag outdoors.

Ter mites: O u t o f a l l t h e countless insects, rodents, critters and other pests that disturb and result in discomfort to homeowners everywhere, perhaps none is more dangerous than the termites. Termites can single-handedly destroy the foundation of a house in a very short span of time. What makes them even more dangerous is that their destructive design may not come to light for the initial five years after their infestation. And by the time one comes in terms with the termite infestation, it may be just too late.

So it is important to be vigilant. If you find the floors sagging or holes in the wood work of the building, it is time you got cautious to deal with a possible termite infestation.

To keep you property out of bounds for termites, it is important that you caulk and seal the windows, doorways and cracks around the building. Termites even use the gaps around electrical wiring to traffic themselves into the building. So they should also be properly sealed.

As termites need water to survive, they are naturally drawn to damp and moist habitats. So make sure to keep your premises dry as far as possible and do not let dirty debris gather in the gutters.

Boric acid is regarded as one of the most common and effective ways to dispatch of termites. Boric acid shuts down the termite’s nervous system while dehydrating it.

Bed Bugs: In the case of bed bugs too, prevention is the best cure. Unlike the roaches, rodents and fleas, bed bugs do not enter the premises on their own. They have to be physically brought in by a host or luggage. So, one has to be extremely careful at the time of bringing in second hand furniture.

Bug sprays are not always the right answer for getting rid of bugs. They generally contain organophosphates, chemicals that paralyze the insect by blocking nerve impulses. However, when humans get exposed to such chemicals, they can cause acute poisoning. 

July-Aug ’13

July-Aug ’13

17

BUSINESS

Opportunities in

Duct Cleaning

With growing consciousness about energy efficient and environment-friendly measures in business operations along with the importance of indoor air quality, maintenance of the air conditioning and heating systems has acquired new significance. One of the necessities of maintaining these two systems in top-notch condition, according to service providers, is duct cleaning. Though there is no concrete proof that duct cleaning ensures improved quality of indoor air, as smoking and some other indoor activities could also affect air quality, air entering the room through the HVAC systems needs to be of good quality to help maintain indoor clean air and prevent allergic diseases.

Ashok Malkani scans the pros and cons of duct cleaning and finds that more and more people are opting for duct cleaning which makes this (duct cleaning) a paying proposition for an entrepreneur looking for new avenues of business…

ancient land has not only widened the horizon of our taste buds, but also changed the way we look at the world and lead our day-to-day lives to a great extent.

And there is hardly any second opinion about the fact that with the penetration of global chains of restaurants and hotels, along with multinational companies in several other sectors, our consciousness and awareness about issues of cleanliness and hygiene have also improved to a large extent. In fact, the compulsion of serving global clients has also led many Indian companies to set international standards of cleanliness.

Many feel that the consciousness about duct cleaning too is a result of western

providing air duct cleaning solutions is that the demand for duct cleaning in India, especially in the metropolitan cities, is on the rise. Experts rush to attribute this growing demand for duct cleaners to the increasing awareness about maintaining good indoor air quality (IAQ). People now know that poor IAQ can lead to several diseases ranging from allergic bronchitis (asthma), allergic rhinitis (stuffy nose) to other breathing problems. Newspaper articles on the subject and reports by doctors in government as well as private hospitals about the increasing incidences of pollution-caused allergies now appear frequently. They have also come to realize that inadequate maintenance of

influence. Whether it is true or false is not much of our concern. But what is evident from the growing number of companies

the HVAC (Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning) give rise to most of the problems related to poor indoor air

G

lobalisation has taught us many lessons. Learning to appreciate a vintage wine from France, or developing a taste for a hamburger from Germany or craving for chunks of fine Italian pasta are some of lessons that most Indians immediately relate with globalisation.

But melting of different cultures in this

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July-Aug ’13

BUSINESS

quality.

So maintaining good indoor air quality, which causes more deaths in India than outdoor pollution, meeting international standards of hygiene and the urge to lead healthy lives are the primary motivators for shooting up demand for air duct cleaning services. Another reason which has propelled people consider air duct cleaning is the need for maintaining the HVAC systems so that they last long and provide optimum services that they are capable of.

Benefits of ducts cleaning According to energy conservationists, 25 to 40 per cent of the energy used for heating or cooling a home is wasted due to lack of proper maintenance of the heating or cooling agents. Contaminants in the heating and cooling system not only cause it to work harder but also shorten the life of your system.

The use of filters cannot guard the heating and cooling system from getting dirty through normal use.

When a heating, ventilating and air conditioning system is clean,

July-Aug ’13

it doesn’t have to work as hard to maintain the temperature you desire.

As a result, less energy is used, leading to saving in energy cost. Moreover, a newly cleaned air duct system runs more efficiently than a dirty one, resulting in lower utility bills and a cleaner, less dusty premise.

Many different organisations such as businesses, hospitals and nursing homes need to have a healthy and clean indoor environment. Harmful chemicals and gases are constantly produced in some of these places, which need to be eliminated from the building. In order to ensure the health of the inhabitants in those premises, it is absolutely essential to get the duct cleaned in those properties.

Besides being a source of unhygienic air conditions, clogging of dryer ducts may also lead to eruption of fires inside the building. Therefore, it is necessary to have these dryer ducts cleaned from time to time.

In short, we may say that air duct cleaning is important due to: • Air containing bacteria may lead to a lot of health problems.

Respiratory issues are the most common. In some cases allergies might also affect the inhabitants of a place where the air ducts are dirty.

People with heart problems can also be at risk in such an atmosphere where ducts don’t get cleaned.

• The moisture in filthy air ducts can lead to the growth of mould. The ill effects of

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BUSINESS

Checking Ducts Post Cleaning Since duct cleaning is a relatively new process, a housekeeper may not be aware of whether the service provider has done a thorough job. Here’s a check list that will help. If the answer to any of the questions is in the negative then he has definitely not done justice to the job.

Consumer Post-Cleaning Checklist

General (1) Did the service provider obtain access to, and clean the entire heating and cooling system, including duct work and all components?

(2) Has the service provider adequately demonstrated that duct work and plenums are clean? (Plenum is a space in which supply or return air is mixed or moves; can be duct, joist space, attic and crawl spaces, or wall cavity.

Heating (1) Is the heat exchanger surface visibly clean?

Cooling Components (1) Are both sides of the cooling coil visibly clean?

(2) If you point a flashlight into the cooling coil, does light shine through the other side? It should if the coil is clean.

(3) Are the coil fins straight and evenly spaced (as opposed to being bent over and smashed together?

(4) Is the coil drain pan completely clean and draining properly?

Blower (1) Are the blower blades clean and free of oil and debris?

(2) Is the blower compartment free of visible dust or debris?

Plenums (1) Is the return air plenum free of visible dust or debris?

(2) Do filters fit properly and are they the proper efficiency as recommended by HVAC system manufacturer?

(3) Is the supply air plenum (directly downstream of the air handling unit) free of moisture stains and contaminants?

Metal Ducts Are interior ductwork surfaces free of visible debris? (Select several sites at random in both the return and supply sides of the system.)

Fiber Glass Is all fiber glass material in good condition (i.e., free of tears and abrasions; well adhered to underlying materials)?

Access Doors (1) Are newly installed access doors in sheet metal ducts attached with more than just duct tape?

(2) With the system running, is air leakage through access doors or covers very slight or non-existent?

Air Vents (1) Have all registers, grilles, and diffusers been firmly reattached to the walls, floors, and/or ceilings?

(2) Are the registers, grilles, and diffusers visibly clean?

System Operation Does the system function properly in both the heating and cooling modes after cleaning?

Source: United States Environmental Protection Agency

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moulds on human health are too well known to debate. Other than leading to severe health problems, mould is highly destructive as it can spread to the walls and floors of your premise. So unless proper action is taken to clean the air ducts in time, one may have to end up spending more money in both cleaning air ducts and restoring the property.

• If the ducts are clean then your residence or your workplace will always have a fresh feeling about it. Everybody likes to reside in a clean environment devoid of unhealthy particles. An office with dirty air ducts may see more employees taking seek leaves to abstain from work than an office that ensure supply of fresh air.

However, it must be stated here that even though advantages of air duct cleaning is self-evident, the verdict of experts is still not clear on whether duct and vent cleaning actually improves indoor air quality in every situation or not. Experts do not conclusively demonstrate that the levels of dust particles at homes increase because of dirty air ducts. This is because, they say, much of the dirt in air ducts does not necessarily enter the living space.

They point out that dirty air ducts are only one of many possible sources of particles that are present in homes. Some people feel that outdoor and indoor activities such as cooking, cleaning, smoking, or just moving around can cause greater exposure to contaminants than dirty air ducts.

However, what cannot denied is that duct cleaning ultimately leads to cutting energy cost, proper maintenance of HVAC systems and at least in some cases, duct cleaning is likely to find and remove harmful molds, fungus, and/or microbes from an infected system. And this is sure that duct and vent cleaning is not going to do your property or business any harm, and there is a chance that it will actually better the quality of your indoor air.

Therefore, duct cleaning is today a priority finding for most business houses, hotels and restaurants. Manufacturing duct cleaning equipment is no rocket science; therefore it is very likely that more and more Indian manufactures will come up with duct cleaning machines, thus cutting down the high cost of imported equipment.

For the hospitality industry, commercial buildings and hospitals where a number of employees work together, air duct cleaning is an absolute necessity. This is, however, not at all an indication that air duct cleaning is not important at homes.

But as more and more star hotels come to India, the business of cleaning air conditioning and heating systems (in the case of places experiencing extreme climates) is going to rise. The use of heating and air conditioning systems is also on the rise in India because of growing urbanization and tourism.

Preventing problems arising out of air duct pollution requires a combination of proper design and dedicated inspection and  maintenance.

July-Aug ’13

BUSINESS

July-Aug ’13

21

CLEANING

The Case of the

Sparkling Dishes

By Abhay Desai

B

efore you can solve the case of the sparkling dishes, you must first wage the battle of the stuck-on, dried-up food! And that means you need a bit of insider knowledge up your sleeve.

There are four factors at work here: 1. The mechanical action of the dishwasher 2. The force and high temperature of the water 3. The chemical action of the detergent and rinse agent.

4. And you, the one in charge, putting it all together.

There’s a lot that could go wrong, unless you do it right! So are you ready to get to the bottom of it all, and close the case on getting the most out of your machine? In the immortal words of Sergeant Friday, what follows here are “just the facts…”

Automatic dishwashers represent a tremendous saving in time and effort.

They minimize breakage through reduced handling of dishes and help keep the kitchen neater and clutterfree. These are benefits that have much appeal to consumers. But the most important of these is the manner in which they sanitize dishes.

In order to ensure that public health standards are maintained, hospitals and several other food service institutions in many countries are required by law to clean dishes by automatic dishwashing methods.

However, in India, the popularity of

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When a dishwasher does not work to its optimum potential, it means that the machine is not being maintained the way it should be dishwasher is not high and almost all restaurants resort to manual washing rather than the automatic system.

The reasons for the same are: A) The initial investment, i.e. the cost of the machine. (However, this is now changing and an automatic dishwasher costs much less than what it did five years back.)

B) In most cases, when you get a reference, the dishwasher does not give the desired results (in 80 percent of cases).

When a dishwasher does not work to its optimum, it means that the machine is not being maintained the way it should be. If the dishwasher is maintained in the correct manner, it will provide the preferred optimum results.

The benefits of an automatic dishwasher and the specially formulated detergents can only be realised if they are used correctly. It is, therefore, important for the user to understand how the dishwasher works, the purpose of its features and how to load and operate it properly.

Water The role of water is to dissolve and carry detergent, wet and loosen soil and effectively rinse the soil away.

The velocity with which water is

distributed in the dishwasher provides the scrubbing action to loosen and remove soil. The temperature of the water is an important factor in dissolving detergent, removing food soils and drying dishes properly. As temperature is reduced, the removal of greasy and oily soils becomes more difficult; spotting and filming on dishes may occur as well as improper drying. The amount of hardness in minerals and other dissolved solids in water presents obstacles to good automatic dishwashing results.

Hardness in minerals can cause spotting and filming on dishware.

They must be effectively tied up or sequestered if the results are to be satisfactory. Therefore, even before starting the operation the hardness of raw water must be determined.

Detergent Automatic dishwashers require detergents with ver y special characteristics because of the conditions under which the detergent must work. One of its essential characteristics is that it must produce little or no suds or foam because too much foam can inhibit the washing action. Other important functions that a dishwasher detergent should perform are the following:

July-Aug ’13

CLEANING • Make water wetter (reduce surface tension) to penetrate and loosen soil.

• Sequester hardness in minerals to permit the detergent to do its cleaning job.

• Emulsify greasy or oily soil.

• Suppress foam caused by protein soils such as egg and milk.

• Help water to sheet off surfaces of dishes, thus minimizing water spots.

• Protect china patterns and metals from the corrosive effects of heat and water alone.

To accomplish the above mentioned functions, the following ingredients are present in the detergent specially formulated only for an automatic dishwasher: Surfactant (nonionic), Builder (complex phosphates), Corrosion Inhibitor (sodium silicate), Chlorine Compound, Special Additives (sodium aluminates, boric oxide, aluminum phosphate, etc.), Additional Alkalis (sodium carbonate, trisodium phosphate).

There is no substitute for an automatic dishwasher detergent.

July-Aug ’13

Only an automatic dishwasher detergent can be used in an automatic dishwasher. The other materials will not perform well and may damage the items being washed or the dishwasher itself.

It is vital that the detergent is dosed safely and in the right proportion.

Underuse will result in poor cleaning, re-deposition of soil, spotting, filming and possibly damage some items being washed. Over dosing will not only add up to the costs but also leave excess detergent on the plates.

It is for this reason that electronic dosing pumps are employed with each automatic dishwasher.

Rinse Agent The rinse agent allows the water to sheet off dishes rather than dry in droplets, thus helping to eliminate spotting. It is particularly helpful in hard water areas and when heat is eliminated in the dry cycle to conserve energy.

Energy Saving Tips The number one energy tip is to do it right the very first time . . . to prevent potential re-washes! For energy efficiency, follow these simple guidelines: • Run the dishwasher only when you have a full load. In between loads, use the “rinse-hold” cycle or hand rinse dirty dishes before loading them.

• Don’t overload the dishwasher.

• Dishes aren’t too dirty? Use a cycle requiring less water.

• Use the recommended amount of detergent.

• Clean the filter regularly according to manufacturer ’s recommendations.

• I f n e c e s s a r y, insulate water heater and delivery pipes to avoid heat loss between the hot water supply and the dishwasher.

The author is Regional Sector Sales Director – BSC, AMAT, Diversey India Pvt. Ltd.

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PEST MANAGEMENT

The Karma of

Cockroaches The most effective cockroach control measure is what our common sense dictates: remove their food supply and breeding sites

T

hinking of leading a healthy lif e without confronting the menace created by cockroaches in the kitchen is like trying to reduce body weight without watching your diet and doing any exercise.

Cockroaches carry food poisoning germs on their bodies. They are repulsive and objectionable to most people simply by their presence. It is now found that cockroaches are an important source of allergy in people, second only to dust. They are known to carry human pathogens, such as Salmonella and E. coli, which can

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result in human diseases, such as food poisoning or diarrhoea.

Occasionally, they will destroy fabric and paper products. When they are in large numbers, cockroaches secrete a substance which can result in stains on surfaces they contact and produce disagreeable odours. Finally, products of cockroach infestations, including saliva, faeces and cast skins, are a source of allergens and can cause allergies and asthma in people, especially children.

Cockroaches are the most common insect pests infesting food service establishments and other structures.

They can be found in premises where food is stored or handled. These pests carry food poisoning germs on their bodies and are responsible for the spread of dysentery and gastroenteritis. They are also capable of mechanically transmitting disease organisms such as bacteria, which cause food poisoning.

Cockroaches are nocturnal; they hide during the day and become active at night. The number of cockroach we see in the kitchen or pantry is usually a small percentage of a much larger population. Different species

of cockroaches prefer different habitats. German cockroaches prefer dark, warm, humid areas near sources of food and water. American and Oriental cockroaches prefer coolers areas, such as basements and crawl spaces. Brown banded cockroaches prefer drier areas, such as pantries and closets.

All cockroaches are scavengers and will survive on almost any food as well as backing glue, leather and bar soaps. They may even sample electronics and wiring in television and microwave (though infestation have to be large when this type of damage occurs). They spend most of their time in narrow, tight cracks and spaces where surfaces touch them on both sides. Cockroaches tend to congregate in corners and generally travel along the edges of walls or other surfaces. Proper control and precaution should be taken to avoid cockroach trap.

Types of Cockroaches Cockroaches are primeval pests and they are also the most ancient living pest. Depending on their species, these large insects are 10-23 mm in

July-Aug ’13

length; with long whip like antennae and two pairs of wings. Cockroaches are the only living species found all over the globe. Broadly, they can be divided into three commonly found species: • Oriental cockroach • German cockroach.

• American cockroach.

T h e s e c o c k ro a c h e s c a n b e distinguished by their size and colour.

The Oriental cockroaches are large in size (30 mm long) and dark brown in colour. The Oriental cockroaches, unlike the German variety, are unable to climb smooth vertical surfaces.

German cockroaches are light yellowish brown, and about 12mm long. The bodies of both species are divided into three sections. They have long antennae protruding from the head.

The American cockroaches are occasionally found in houses, although they are more common in restaurants, grocery stores, bakeries and other sites where food is prepared.

It favours very warm, moist places (temperatures in excess of 82° F).

The American cockroaches have a fondness for fermented foods.

The female cockroach produces up to eight purse-like egg cases at monthly intervals. The egg cases are thick walled and are 6-12 mm in length and may contain up to 30 eggs. The nymphs of the German cockroach emerge from their eggs in 2-4 weeks and those of the Oriental cockroach in 6-12 weeks. The nymphs are similar in appearance to the adult but smaller in size. As the nymph develops and grows it moults. This usually occurs 5-10 times during its development which may take up to two years to complete until the insect r e a c h e s m a t u r i t y.

Cockroaches are prolific breeders; they are capable of producing several

July-Aug ’13

thousand offspring in a year.

Essential Precautions Sanitation is very important to reduce cockroach infestations.

Cockroaches need water and food to live. By limiting their access to these resources, you reduce their ability to survive and reproduce. The most effective cockroach control measure is what our common sense dictates: remove their food supply and breeding sites.

This includes such steps as managing garbage, cleaning up spilled food, and eliminating damp conditions around the premises.

Crawling pests enter through cracks in or around the foundation or siding. An annual inspection of the foundation and siding to caulk cracks (use good quality silicone sealant) is a good idea.

Particular attention should be given to the exterior plumbing and electric outlets to avoid the unwanted arrival of cockroaches.

Door thresholds should have good weather-stripping under them and one must ensure that the door and windows seal well when shut. Screens on crawl space vents and attic vents should be intact and sealed around the edges. Empty soft drink bottles, cardboard boxes and paper bags should not be allowed to accumulate.

Food containers should be sealed and any crumbs or spillage cleaned up.

If you run a commercial food & beverage section, it is very important to ensure that the premises are clean and that there is no food source and hiding places for cockroaches. But if you continue to face cockroach infestation even after taking the common precautions, it is better to seek professional help and employ the ser vices of a reputed pest control company whose technicians will treat

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PEST MANAGEMENT

your premises with an insecticidal spray around the boundary between walls and floor, behind equipment in vents and ducting. The treated areas should be left undisturbed for as long as possible. It will be necessary for them to re-treat the premises to kill any new nymphs as they emerge from their eggs.

Get rid of Garbage Keep garbage in sturdy, tightly covered containers and wash them out regularly. This prevents cockroaches from breeding and reduces the attraction for other insects. If the kitchen food garbage can be composted daily, the trash will contain little that is attractive to insects. W here possible, composting is not tightly wrap up k i t c h e n garbage; take it out frequently to a covered trashcan, and dispose it off in sealed plastic bags. Avoid letting old clothes, newspapers and other trash accumulate in storage rooms as these provide breeding sites for cockroaches.

N o n - C h e m i c a l Management Physical Removal: Vacuuming can remove a significant number of cockroaches and egg cases from the environment. It can be more effective when combined with other methods.

When possible, use vacuums with a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter to reduce cockroach debris that may become airborne. Sticky traps help capture cockroaches. But they are generally not effective enough to completely eliminate the problem of infestation. However, they are a useful management tool to monitor the presence of cockroaches.

Cold Treat ment: Yo u c a n

26

cold treat small items, such as toasters, clocks, or boxes, to kill cockroaches that may be infesting them. Put the item in a plastic bag, close it up, and put the bag in a freezer. In winter, you could set the bag outside when temperatures are low. Leave the bag in the cold for five days and after that clean the item well before bringing it back indoors.

Insecticides To control small cockroach infestation in the kitchen, one can also make use of sprays of chemicals that are easily available in the market. Gel baits are internationally accepted as the most effective and convenient way for rapid controlling of cockroaches. While the traditional sprays kill the visible cockroaches, they may conceal an underlying problem; gel baits are carried back to the hidden cockroach population.

When the problem of infestation becomes a serious threat, it is often necessary to apply an insecticide in addition to applying the traditional a n d non-chemical measures to eliminate the problem of infestation. Insecticides, however, are much more effective when their use is combined with sanitation, harbourage reduction, and other non-chemical efforts.

In most cases, it i s better to hire experienced pest management professionals to treat them. They have the necessary experience and tools to successfully eliminate these pests. However, your cooperation with a technician in improving sanitation and reducing harbourage areas is very important in the management of cockroaches.

Though some of the traditional measures like baits, sticky pads are also very useful and economic, to get rid of the cockroach trap, insecticides should always be used.

These insecticides should be used with the guidance of the experts or with lot of cautions. One of the

common insecticides (chemical) for cockroaches is boric acid. Boric acid is acidic form of borax, which can be used as an antiseptic also.

Boric Acid People have been fighting the menace of cockroaches with boric acid for nearly a century now. Boric acid is one of the most effective cockroach control agents ever developed, provided it is used correctly. Boric acid may be used alone or in combination with the baiting techniques.

Boric acid is a white, inorganic powder chemically derived from boron and water. Boron is mined from vast mineral deposits in the ground and is used in countless consumer products, including laundry additives, toothpaste and mouthwash. The powder comes in ready-to-use packs, and therefore no mixing or dilution is required.

Formulations sold in plastic, squeezetype bottles with narrow applicator tips are the easiest to use.

It is a wonderful tool for controlling cockroaches in restaurants and other buildings. It is effective in extremely small amounts and retains its potency almost indefinitely, provided the deposit remains dry.

Unlike many insecticides, boric acid has no repellence to insects and consequently roaches return to treated areas repeatedly until they die. Boric acid is deadly to cockroaches, but is low in toxicity to people. It is also odourless and contains no volatile solvents.

Cockroaches succumb to boric acid when they crawl over treated areas.

The tiny particles of powder fi nd way to the cockroaches’ body, and the m a t e r i a l is ingested as the roach preens the powder from its legs and antennae.

Some boric acid is also absorbed through the greasy outer covering of the insect’s body. All species of cockroaches are susceptible to boric acid provided the powder is applied into areas where the roaches are living. Boric acid is a fine powder with low-toxicity to humans, yet it is a stomach poison to insects. 

July-Aug ’13

July-Aug ’13

27

LAUNDRY

New Age Solutions, Age Old Challenges The use of latest equipment and technology in the laundry system has considerably reduced the workload of the laundry workers, but still the biggest issue in the operation of a laundry facility in a hotel or hospital is manpower, says Ashok Malkani

J

ust as a smile spreads affections, clean linens in the hospitality industry and in the hospitals clear a lot of confusion.

They are not simple clothes, but a clear statement of how much a property cares for hygiene and sensibilities of the customers. In fact, in the hospitality industry, the image building exercise is intricately linked to offering consistently clean linens to its customers. A room does not look spic and span unless the bed linen is sparkling white. The uniforms of the employees also have to be immaculate.

In the case of hospitals, it becomes a case more of maintaining hygiene. Bed linens, which are often not disposable, at least in India, generally get stained with blood and other body uids. This is more so in the case of intense care units (ICUs) that take care of very serious patients.

In keeping the linen and the uniforms clean and make the properties habitable and hospitable, the laundry

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July-Aug ’13

services of the hotels and hospitals play a crucial part. One can say that keeping the linen clean is washing out competition.

But the task of keeping the linens in hotels or hospital clean comes with its own challenges. The first choice that such properties need to make is whether to install in-house laundry services or go for outsourcing.

Both services come with their own advantages and challenges; therefore it is up to the managers to decide which services would suit their properties most.

Generally, large hotels prefer inhouse laundry services, while the smaller hotels opt for outsourcing.

However, many housekeepers agree that in case of outsourcing, there is little check on the quality of washing. They complain that on many occasions the linen is returned without adopting the entire cleaning process. As the linens which come from hotels generally appear clean, the vendors sometimes return them just after rinsing and ironing. This creates a serious problem in the hotels in terms of keeping hygiene and sanitation.

The job, however, does not become automatically easier even when one decides to install in-house laundry facilities. Keeping laundry facilities efficient is one of the toughest jobs in the hospitality industry. In the process of installing in-house laundry facilities, one needs to consider a number of things, including manpower, equipment and products, training, absenteeism, remuneration, etc.

New equipment and technology are being created to minimise the workload and to better suit the needs of the laundry workers, but still the

July-Aug ’13

biggest issue in the operation of a laundry facility in a hotel or hospital is manpower. To be more specific, getting trained workers and retaining the good workers appear to be a pretty difficult job for the laundry managers.

Despite all these practical difficulties, many hotels still go for in-house laundry facilities, especially those for who are the quality of the service is of utmost priority and longevity of the linens is also a big concern.

In the case of outsourced laundry services, it is difficult to monitor the treatment that the vendors provide to the linen. This is especially relevant to the hotel owners as the vendors tend to use stronger chemicals, acids, alkaline and bleach in order to increase their productivity. However, unchecked use of such chemicals may weaken the fabrics, leading to an increase in the quantity of discards. But in case the hotels have their own laundry facilities, it is quite easy to control and monitor the chemicals that are being used.

The idea that an in-house laundry – in hotels as well as hospitals – would be expensive is also poohpoohed by many. They point out that laundry installation expenses are actually dependent on the particular requirements and if one wishes to keep the process simple, the expenses need not be astronomical.

Laundry in Hospitals In the case of hospitals, it becomes imperative to have in-house laundry because the linen is often blood stained or it may be infected. And there has to be a continuous change of linen in hospitals. Without proper and timely supply of clean and disinfected linen, there may be delay in delivering various

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LAUNDRY services in a hospital which may often prove fatal to the patients. Clean and disinfected linen in healthcare facilities not only contributes to comfort and aesthetics, but also assists in infection control.

Because of its high-level of energy, chemical and water consumption, laundr y processing also has a significant impact on hospitals’ environmental and financial bottom line. A study by American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) showed that when laundered properly, reusable garments and drapes are 70 percent more effective in providing barrier protection. Like any department, laundry services must continuously find ways to increase efficiency and decrease costs. Today, several developments in laundry technologies and products have enabled laundry managers to reduce energy consumption, water-use and the impact of laundry chemicals on the environment.

Proper Handling Linen can get contaminated via blood and any other body fluids, as well as by improper handling and storage. Clean linen does not need to be sterile (free from all microbes), but correct handling can help prevent the growth of micro-organisms that can develop under poor conditions.

It is now acknowledged that transmission of diseases from linen can be brought to the minimum when they are laundered properly and transportation and handling is done with care. However, the choice of linen at the time of purchase also plays a crucial role in patient care as well as in controlling healthcare costs.

Many hospitals in major cities of India today are concentrating upgrade of their equipment embracing the use of information tec hnolog y in var ious areas of operation such as supply chain management, inventor y management, etc. What they have also

30

given importance to is training of the staff effectively handling the latest laundry system and also in the right use of chemicals.

Triumph of Technology The use of ozone as a primary disinfectant in water treatment across the world is well-known. Now, thanks to increasing concerns about environment, cost-saving and energy consumption, most institutional and commercial laundries are also using ozone. Besides its role in improving operational efficiency and saving cost, ozone is also used in laundry for its ability to perform as a powerful disinfectant.

“Ozone is a powerful biocide allowing it to control odours, kill viruses and wipe out bacteria. Studies confirm a 99+ percent bacterial and viral kill count from ozone

laundering. Ozone, in fact, when used in the laundering environment, is 150% more powerful in disinfecting than chlorine, killing bacteria up to 3000 times faster. Ozone whitens and leaves fabrics noticeably superior over conventional laundry methods,” says the Ozone Industries, a leading international provider of natural solutions to control odours and micro-organisms in air and water.

W ith ozone treatment, the usage of hot water can be cut down significantly as due to its high solubility, ozone works better in water of lower temperature, as compared to high temperature water used in conventional laundry system.

Ozone laundry systems provide an effective improvement over traditional system of using hot water in all the rinsing cycles and over the detergent system. Ozone is a significantly more effective sanitizing agent than chlorine. It kills all the harmful bacteria and viruses instantly, without creating harmful by-products. It also appears that quite significant savings can be realized as a result of using ozone as an alternative to chemical-only laundry treatment. This is primarily because ozone laundry systems require a lot less hot water than in the conventional laundry system.

With the use of ozone, the amount of chemical usage in washing can be reduced significantly. With lesser chemicals, rinse cycles can be cut

July-Aug ’13

LAUNDRY down and so the laundry operators can cut down water usage and wash time. An obvious consequence of such a process is extended life of linen. Besides providing

The Ozone Edge

There are a lot of advantages of adapting ozone treatment in institutional laundry. Some of them are: • Drastically reduces hot water usage and thus cuts down energy consumption.

• It also helps save energy as ozone treatment reduces the prescribed drying time.

• Reduces usage of chemicals.

• Helps save water by cutting down rinse cycles.

• Improves workers safety by reducing the usage of harsh chemicals.

• Improves machine productivity.

• By discouraging the usage of a lot of chemicals, it also helps reduce the incidence of bedsores.

• Thoroughly disinfects wash water.

• Helps improve fabric quality and extend the life of linen.

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environmental benefits, there are economic benefits of using the ozone in the laundry system as well. As a powerful oxidant and biocide, ozone eliminates or alleviates a variety of laundry problems.

Ozone laundry systems work by injecting ozone into wash water.

The ozone molecule breaks down rapidly, oxidising the fatty oils that cause dirt to bind to cloth, disinfecting water and bleaching linens in the process. The only breakdown by-products of ozone are oxygen and water. Because it involves no chemical residues in fabrics, it requires less rinsing than other bleaching agents. The use of ozone in commercial or institutional laundry also leads to destruction of odour causing microbes, shorter laundry cycles and improved sanitation.

The use of information technology has also skyrocketed

in the modern laundry systems.

Now many institutional laundries are not alien to the concepts of computer programmable washer hydro-extractors or Programmable Logical Controllers or PLCs (‘keys’ used to control operation).

Such programmes collect and transmit information to a central computer regarding the actual processing, qualit y and any disturbances which occur.

For its effectiveness in improving efficiency and cost savings, the tunnel washing system, or the use of continuous batch processing systems, has also gained currency.

Modular finishing machines with automated feeders, ironers, folders and stackers are coming into use for their ability to provide the linen a more hygienic and acceptable look.

In areas of quality control, the use of electronic camera has led to a lot of improvement. It is often observed that the laundry operators cannot detect holes or a stain in the linen with their naked eye because of the speed at which the linen passes through an ironer. But with electronic cameras in operation, the laundry operators can easily have a better re-look.

Thus technology has come in the aid of laundry services to provide an efficient supply of clean and disinfected linens. The urge of the star hotels and hospitals to set up their own laundry facilities, in spite of the evident troubles in maintaining them also point towards the fact that services of the third party laundry facilities are crying for immense improvement. 

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HYGIENE

Prevent, Protect and Verify Effective hygiene monitoring systems that provide instant results can help prevent the spread of food borne illnesses by prompting us to take corrective action, says Dr. J.P.S. Bakshi

E

ach year, the countr y suffers huge human resource loss due to foodborne illnesses. What can be done to prevent this?

Food production standards and food manufacturing practices should ensure that impeccable standards are being adhered to during food handling and preparation. However, this is not always the case. In fact, in India seldom is the concern for food hygiene is being addressed.

In the developed west also we have seen two major outbreaks of E-Coli 0157 in the recent times, resulting in 17 deaths in Scotland and 1 death in Wales.

Lethal Stuff Campylobacter is the single largest cause of bacterial food poisoning.

According to the report titled UK Research and Innovation Strategy for Campylobacter “in the food chain, Campylobacter accounted for a third of the cost of foodborne illness in England and Wales, estimated at £583 million in 2008.

They are rampant in poultry but also in red meat, unpasteurised milk and untreated water. Poultry is the main source of Campylobacter. Part of the Food Standards Agency’s (an independent government department responsible for food safety and hygiene across the UK) strategy is to work with the primary producers to reduce the incidence of

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Campylobacter in poultry.

However, Campylobacter is not the only menace behind food poisoning. Listeria causes fewer food poisoning incidents but it is a deadly pathogen with 35 percent mortality rate. New superbugs also represent another problem to the food industry. Cases of food poisoning due to the antibiotic resistant Salmonella typhimuium DT 193 have increased from 71 500 during the past seven years.

Facilitating Food Safety The main causes of food poisoning incidents are inadequate processing, handling and storage of foodstuff, and cross-contamination (see Figure).

Preventing food poisoning and ensuring safe food can be achieved through following comprehensive food hygiene practices, which in turn is supported by sound management and training for the control of risks.

The Pennington Report following the Scottish outbreak concluded, “It is small food producers/processors in Britain that have the greatest difficulty in achieving and maintaining the safety standards that are required to prevent the contamination of readyto-eat products with E.coli 0157.”

Maintaining cleanliness and minimising cross-contamination is a fundamental pre-requisite and critical control point of any food safety program, and the principles of HACCP require effective monitoring systems. The visual assessment of cleanliness is unscientific, subjective, unreliable and of questionable value. Simple rapid methods for assessing cleanliness are available and are used by both food processors and inspectors. The advice from UKmeat.org is to use monitoring methods. An FSA funded study showed that alternative rapid methods offered advantages over traditional microbiology testing

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HYGIENE by reducing costs and providing almost instant results for immediate corrective action.

The use of simple rapid test systems for hygiene monitoring has the following advantages; • Preventing cross-contamination, improving quality and reducing risk by assessing hazards • Protecting consumers and the company’s reputation • Verifying and proving that high standards of cleaning and hygiene are achieved and maintained.

• Demonstrating best practice • Identifying potential high risk locations or vulnerable practices.

This enables enforcement samples to be collected with confidence thus optimising efficiency and saving on costs.

The combination of rapid hygiene test results with other process monitoring data is powerful evidence of sound hygienic practices and control of food safety risks.

Simple Rapid Methods There are two types of single-shot disposable tests generating results in 1 to 10 minutes in the form of visible colour change that do not require any sophisticated instrument. The test format is an all-in-one, readyto-use swab device that is activated by a simple snap and squeeze action; nothing else is required. The greater the contamination the faster the colour change occurs and the more intense the colour change.

ProClean detects the presence of protein residues and provides results in 10 minutes. If the surface is clean then a green colour is displayed, if the surface is unclean various shades of purple are displayed. This test is primarily intended for meat processors and butchers but can also be used for catering applications.

High sensitivity protein tests such as AllerSnap can be used as part of an allergen control program.

SpotCheck Plus detects the presence of simple sugars (specifically glucose and lactose) that are present in most foodstuffs. Results are obtained in 60 seconds and the colour changes from colourless (clean) to green (dirty). This test is faster, more sensitive and detects a broader range

July-Aug ’13

of foodstuffs than protein tests such as ProClean. The test can be used by food processors, caterers, restaurants and supermarkets.

ATP (adenosine triphosphate) monitoring has been used by the food industry for more than 30 years and it is a well accepted method, giving almost instant quantitative results in 15 seconds.

The technology employed is called bioluminescence because it uses a light emitting enzyme reaction.

The test systems consist of all-inone, ready-to-use test devices and a small portable instrument to convert the light signal into a numerical output. Modern electronics and design have made ATP systems affordable to a wide range of users.

This system is calibrated and has a quantitative output that is directly proportional to both food residues and micro-organisms. The greater the numerical output and ATP content of the sample, the greater the level of contamination and potential risk.

ATP bioluminescence is the most sensitive hygiene testing system that detects a wider range of foodstuffs than colour tests. The results are date stamped and traceable and can be downloaded to computer for further data analysis and/or report writing.

The latest development of the ATP technology is a more sensitive instrument named EnSURE and more specific tests that can all be performed on the same system e.g.

SuperSnap, MicroSnap, ZymoSnap,

and CrossCheck. These enable the detection of specific residues (giving results in minutes) as well as the detection and enumeration of specific bacteria; giving results within a working day or a shift of seven hours.

Cleaning and environmental monitoring are critical for allergen control. A combination of three high sensitivity detection methods (ATP, protein and specific allergen tests) provides a more comprehensive, sensitive and rapid result that in turn delivers a timely cost-effective solution. The regular use of high sensitivity ATP and high sensitivity protein tests enable high standards of cleaning to be maintained that can be supplemented with specific allergen tests less frequently and as required.

It is accepted that rapid testing methods that detect food product residues on product contact surfaces provide for a direct, objective and relevant measurement of cleaning efficiency, hygiene and risk. Rapid results from hygiene monitoring systems mean instant corrective action can be taken to avoid potential compromises to food quality, food safety and also to minimise the risk of food poisoning.

The author is Group Managing Director, Global Excellence Group.

You can reach him at j.bakshi@globale xcellence.in

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WASTE MANAGEMENT

Managing Waste in

Hospitality

By Jyotismita Sharma

I

n the world of five-star hospitality in the country, the concept of sustainability entered as an unwelcome guest. Many thought that embracing practices associated with sustainability would mean compromise on the comfort of their guests and this would adversely impact their image as premium properties. But gradually, increasing awareness about the environmental

34

impacts of human intervention in all areas of development made the hospitality industry reflect on the utility of such a concept. Soon the reflections were turning into a trend, and now the trend is now evolving as a practice.

Today, thankfully many hotel managers of premium hospitality properties in the country are taking special measures to make space for ‘sustainability’ in their properties.

With sustainable practices entering into the realm of hotel management, the importance of waste management, along with water and energy conservation, as well as other ‘green’ practices in hotels, has gained significant prominence. In fact, many hotels have today realised that embracing the green practices not only make them responsible players in the industr y, but also provides an

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WASTE MANAGEMENT

edge over others in attracting environment-sensitive guests coming from across the world.

More importantly, sustainable practices can cut operational costs of hotel to a large extent in the long-run, thereby facilitating to improve their bottom lines in a positive way.

Green Money Santosh Sonawane, the Director of Engineering, Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel and Lakeside Chalet, Mumbai — Marriott Executive Apartments, Powai, Mumbai, says that the innovative waste management practices adopted by the hotels have enabled them to save cost. “The hotels segregate the wet and dry garbage. Wet garbage along with oil waste from the kitchen is used to produce bio-diesel. The green waste is used to produce manure.

We have been following the above practices successfully for many years now,” he confirmed.

The Renaissance Mumbai Conv ention Centre Hotel & Lakeside Chalet, Mumbai — Marriott Executive Apartments, which produce around 1500 kg of waste every day, have their waste management’s focus on recycling the waste that the properties generate. “Recycling of the waste has proved to be the best and the safest disposal measure of the waste.

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What is Waste Management?

“ Waste management is a comprehensive waste prevention, recycling and disposal programme. It involves local need, conditions and stakeholders and then selecting and combining the most appropriate activities.

The most preferred method for managing waste is reducing at source through reduction and reuse, which also reduces costs. The objective is to reduce the waste to landfill as much as possible.”

- Ecotel Hotels The wet garbage is sent to the dumping ground for recycling and creating of manure. The dry garbage which include paper, cardboard, glass, plastic bottles, etc. is recycled too,” added Sonaware.

The Ecotel hotels, be it The Orchid, Rodas and Meluha in Mumbai, The Uppal ’s Orchid in New Delhi, the Beaumonde the Fern in Kochi, and other

The Fern hotels in Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Jaipur, also believe that going green is a good idea as cut in waste generation and augmenting operational efficiencies will only help swell the coffers of the properties. “For hotels, a good waste management strategy not only results in greater operational efficiencies but also helps keeping the proper t y c leaner and the finances healthier as we encourage properties to earn from waste,” the Ecotels say.

The Ecotel certification, managed

by HVS Sustainability, is based on the range, scope and result of the environment-friendly practices of the hotels across ‘The Five Globes’, or the five parameters. They are sustainability commitment, waste management, energy management, water management, and employee education and community involvement.

Waste Management Measures The Raintree Hotel in the city centre of Chennai, which believes in saving through proper utilisation of its resources, including water, has its focus on conservation of natural resources and providing trained staff and innovative, eco-conscious accommodation and services.

As part of its innovative approach, the hotel has also installed a water saving device called the George Fisher concealed cistern, which uses only six liters of water per flush compared to the 15-20 liters in a conventional flush. To recycle the waste water, the hotel has put in place a sewage treatment plant. The treated water is then used in the airconditioners of the hotel. The heat generated by the air-conditioners in turn warms the water in the bathroom.

Floatel, an eco-friendly floating hotel in Kolkata, has also successfully reduced the use of water per flush to six litres. It uses aerators and flow restrictions to reduce the flow of water. The hotel, which is designed, constructed and built by

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WASTE MANAGEMENT

Manab Pal, MD, Manor Floatel Limited, recycles 15 kg of solid waste everyday through vermincomposting. For successfull y implementing its 3R policy of waste management — reduce, reuse and recycle — the hotel uses the 4 bin method in kitchen for segregation of garbage: green bin for recycled material; white bin for dry garbage, black bin for wet garbage; and red bin for non recyclable garbage.

One of the innovative initiatives of the hotel is the formation of a green team that has the responsibility of educating the hotel employees, guests and the local community on the importance of implementing the waste management practices.

The guests in the hotel get to know about the eco-facts through the specially prepared ‘Save our Planet’ tent cards in the rooms. To make its waste management practices effective, the hotel also conducts eco-audits from time to time.

In adopting innovative ways of waste management, the big players in Bangalore are not far behind.

Hotel LaLiT Ashok Bangalore at Kumara Krupa road makes it a point to segregate the biodegradable waste from the non-

36

biodegradable wastes. It also has a vermin-compost unit within its premises so that the wet waste generated in the hotel can be

Managing Waste – the Ecotel Way

 Identify waste generating areas in different departments and the composition of the waste stream in each.  Reduce waste generation through source reduction, which includes strategies like reducing consumption and packaging, substituting by products that are designed to last longer, reusing products and materials recovered from the waste stream in their current forms.  Recycle, compost or recover material for use as direct or indirect input to new products that can be utilised in the hotel or the community.

composted. Among its dry waste, the hotel stores the recyclable waste separately and sells it as scrap. It also sells the unused cooking oil which can then be used for various purposes. Being a responsible and environment-conscious property, Hotel LaLiT Ashok Bngalore uses bio-degradable material in its floor mates and in all products possible.

Since its inception in 2009, ITC Gardenia, Bangalore has worked towards emerging as a zero solid waste hotel. Besides segregating the dry and wet waste, it also generates manure from its kitchen waste through an organic waste converter.

The manure thus generated from the waste is then used as fertilizers in the gardens of the hotel.

With the waste management mantra of ‘reduce, reuse and recycle,’ ITC hotels across the country take active interest in eliciting participation from their employees and guests in their efforts towards giving back to the environment.

The Leela Palace Bangalore, located at the Old Airport Road transports over two tonnes of wet waste that it generates to a poultry farm for feed and sells the dry waste for recycling. It recycles the waste papers for printing in-house reports.

At Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur, a premier hotel in Rajasthan, the focus is on not affecting the lake water and the marine life of the lake. The hotel therefore recycles the waste water for irrigation. Instead of boats operated by gasoline, the hotel uses battery operated boats.

As the Taj Garden Retreat at Kumarakom is located near the Vembanad Lake in Kerala, it treats the waste water before discharging so that the lake water does not get contaminated. And due to its proximity to the Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary, the hotel uses special lighting with reduced glare so that the animal life does not get disturbed.

With 32 five-star hotels in the capital signing a memorandum of understanding with the Delhi

July-Aug ’13

WASTE MANAGEMENT

government recently (3rd June 2013), green waste management practices are set to rule the roost in Delhi. As per the MoU, the hotels would leave no stone unturned to set up a dedicated sewage treatment plant. With an aim to achieve zero waste, they would re-utilise treated waste water wherever possible and those hotels which do not have facilities for conversion of organic solid waste into compost would install such facilities.

It thus emerges that the hotels that give priority to out of the b ox t h i n k i n g a n d e n c o u r a g e

July-Aug ’13

innovation no longer consider waste management a burden.

Instead, they consider the waste also as a resource and have found ways to make use of it. Some have even realised savings in their resources and cost through the implementation of their innovative waste management practices.

From Waste to Welfare A f e w hotels, through their innovative approaches to waste management, have gone to the extent of helping the poor and the needy without adding any additional

burden on their budget.

According to reports, while in Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh, many hotels now provide their unused food to the street kids, 12 ďŹ ve-star hotels in Delhi have joined hands to provide food to orphanages. Some hotels have gone a step further. They concentrate on controlling the food waste with strict monitoring and channelise this saving to serve fresh food to the needy children. The Hyderabad Marriott Hotel & Convention Centre is a case in the point in this regard.

Such innovative approaches to waste management that are in perfect harmony with the locality of the property, help in the conservation of natural resources, cost cutting in operations and at the same time help the poor and the needy, are the need of the hour. ď Ž

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IAQ

D

ealing with ampness

In the dictionary of dampness, the word disease has a profound standing. Here Jyotismita Sharma finds out how indoor dampness at homes, hotels and in any large building adversely affects indoor air quality, posing serious threats to the health of occupants of such buildings

R

ecognising a damp building may not be a child’s play, but it involves no rocket science either. And given India’s climatic conditions and poor attention to the planning part of building constructions, as is the case in numerous other sectors, checking in to a damp hotel room, even while on a holiday or entering a damp corner of a mall while on a shopping spree during an otherwise rejuvenating sojourn, is hardly an aberration in the experience of a domestic or foreign traveler. Dampness that causes material damage to a building can be easily recognised from the growth of mould in the basements or crawl spaces and other interior surfaces of

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a building. In some cases, the mould growth can be hidden inside walls and air conditioning systems. “Indicators of dampness and microbial growth include the presence of condensation on surfaces or in structures, visible mould, perceived mould odour and a history of water damage, leakage or penetration,” says a report of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

However, a damp building is not just an eyesore. Although we do not often regognise, living or working in such a building regularly for long hours is very likely to add to our medical bills. This is primarily because the dampness in the building that spurts the growth of mould and bacteria

also contaminates the indoor air that we breathe and results in several diseases. According to a WHO report, dampness in buildings exacerbates upper respiratory symptoms, cough, wheeze, breathing difficulty, asthma exacerbation, development of new asthma, bronchitis, allergic rhinitis (allergy-caused inflammation of the nasal passages with runny nose or congestion), and eczema. Researchers from University of Otago, Wellington (UOW)in a study involving 46,000 children in 20 countries has found that children living in damp homes are more likely to get allergic as the level of house dust mites in damp buildings are higher. Dampness and mould in the home makes children

July-Aug ’13

IAQ with asthma more vulnerable and expose them to several other illnesses like allergies, hay fever and eczema.

The danger that dampness in buildings poses, be it a hotel, house, office building, school or a shopping mall, is therefore a matter that needs greater attention, especially in India where we do not yet have any stadardised prescribed norm for maintaining indoor air quality.

However, there is no one reason that causes dampness in buildings. A. R. Santhakumar, Emeritus Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras, in an article published in a leading Indian newspaper say there are at least five primary reasons that cause dampness. When the bricks and masonry walls absorb ground moisture, it may result in dampness. Defective brick walls and poor mortar joints can also result in dampness as rain water can easily seep through them. It is not very difficult to understand how leaking gutters, flushes or pipes and defective roofing can result in dampness in an otherwise beautiful home. Floor dampness is a common sight in all places where common sense is a bit uncommon.

It is a result of poor drainage. When sloppy ground or build-up garden beds direct water under the house, it can easily result in floor dampness.

To give dampness the dig, one will also have pay attention to adequate ventilation and check humidity in bathrooms. Large variation in temperature inside the room and outside the building may lead to condensation and mould growth.

How Dampness Affects Indoor Air Quality According to a study by the Indian Council of Medical Research, 130,000 Indians die every air because of diseases arising out of indoor air pollution, far more than the 620,000 who die of diseases resulting out of outdoor air pollution.

Therefore, although the problems caused by indoor air pollution are subtle and people often do n o t re c o g n i s e the danger that

July-Aug ’13

indoor air pollution poses, an attempt to understate the importance of indoor air quality will only add to the number of deaths resulting from indoor air pollution.

While there are several factors that may contribute to indoor air pollution, dampness in buildings that offers a fertile environment for mould and bacteria to grow, is certainly one of them. The microscopic particles that moulds and bacteria can release into the air include spores, besides the fragments and moulds that they release in much higher numbers. Spores are reproductive agents produced by some bacteria and moulds. These particles that people can inhale may contain toxic chemicals that can cause inflammation in respiratory tissues and may also adversely affect the functioning of the immune system

The danger that dampness in buildings poses, be it a hotel, house, office building, school or a shopping mall, is a matter that deserves lot of attention, especially in India where we do not yet have any stadardised prescribed norm for maintaining indoor air quality and the central nervous system. The mould odour in damp buildings may lead to the release of microbial volatile organic compounds into the air.

Due to dampness, the levels of indoor air humidity increases significantly inside the room, leading to a rise in the levels of house dust mites and house dust mite allergens.

Carpets, beddings and upholstered furniture are the places where dust mites that feed on skin flakes and

other organic compounds in the dust love to live. When such allergens are airborne, people residing in a damp building have no option but to inhale them and invite unwanted complications in the functioning of their health and lifestyle, often unknowingly.

The wood products and floor products containing polyvinyl chloride in a room may release nonmicrobial gaseous chemicals and volatile organic chemicals into the air under the influence of dampness.

When inhaled, these non-microbial gaseous chemicals may prove harmful to human bodies.

Although not yet established conclusively, scientists believe that damp indoor and high humidity lead to a prolonged survival of respiratory viruses, putting the occupants at greater risks of embracing respiratory infections and allergic diseases.

Some moulds and bacteria in damp buildings can also produce highly toxic chemicals called mycotoxins, which scientists believe may have adverse implications for living beings.

Better Prevent than Cure Design, construction and maintenance are three critical aspects that can prevent and control excess moisture and microbial growth due to dampness in buildings. Making provisions for effective distribution of ventilation and having measures for proper control of temperature can help avoid moisture in materials, condensation in surfaces and excess humidity.

According to a WHO report, while mould has the capacity to grow on all materials, proper selection of materials can check the growth of mould, besides preventing dirt accumulation and moisture penetration.

As a healthy workplace and living environment is critical for enhanced performance and productivity of workers, it is the responsibility of building owners to provide space free of excess moisture or mould odour. However, the occupants and workers of the buildings too need to act responsibly so as

39

IAQ

Due to dampness, the levels of indoor air humidity increases significantly inside the room, leading to a rise in the levels of house dust mites and house dust mite allergens. Carpets, beddings and upholstered furniture are the places where dust mites that feed on skin flakes and other organic compounds in the dust love to live to avoid water leakage suffocation due to lack of ventilation. They should also bear the responsibility of managing heating and other appliances in such a way that does not encourage growth of dampness and mould.

As mentioned in the Indoor Air Quality Resource Bank of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory of the U.S., an Institute of Medicine Committee reviewing the risks of damp and mouldy buildings also drew attention to the importance of design, construction and maintenance of buildings.

“When water intrusion or moisture accumulation is discovered, the source should be identified and eliminated as soon as practicable to reduce the possibility of problematic microbial growth and building material degradation. The most effective way to manage microbial contaminants, such as mould, that are the result

40

of damp indoor environments is to eliminate or limit the conditions that foster its establishment and growth,” it said.

Maintaining proper ventilation is of utmost importance for having high indoor air quality. It is now observed that increasing the rate of outdoor air supply is a very easy and cost-effective measure to diminish the concentration of many indoor air pollutants emitted by sources such as dampness inside the building. With the improved indoor air quality,

the comfort level of workers in an office building or hotels goes up significantly, leading to lower rate of absence from work and higher level of work performance. Preventing dampness and maintaining good indoor air quality in a commercial building, be it an office or hotel, is therefore intricately linked to increasing productivity of employees and profitability of an organisation, besides of course, offering the workers and occupants of the building an opportunity to lead a healthy life. 

Best Practices • Ensure that there are no water leaks in roofs, walls and plumbing systems. Regular building maintenance should be performed to ensure that chances of developing water leaks are minimal so that mould does not find enough moisture to grow.

• Whenever any water leak is identified, it should be fixed without any delay.

• Ensure that rain can’t damage building construction material.

• In case of flooding, make sure that that the affected rooms are cleaned and dried meticulously within as short span of time as possible and without any delay. The cleaning and drying activities should be preferably over before 48 hours after flooding.

• Ensure that all exhaust fans are working in kitchens, bathrooms, washrooms, laundry rooms and in all such areas that produce moisture. Activities like cooking, showering and laundry produce maximum moisture.

• To prevent floor dampness, it is important to direct the drainage from roofs and groundwater as far away from building foundation as possible.

• Maintaining the right level of humidity, especially in coastal areas and in other areas during the summer is very important.

Having the right equipment for dehumidification is therefore necessary to avoid dampness.

• Proper ventilation can also help reduce mould growth.

• Adding mould inhibitors to paints before painting the building can also help prevent mould growth.

• Soaked carpets and upholstery that can’t be dried should be replaced at the earliest. It is better to not use carpets at all in areas where there is lot of moisture, especially in bathrooms and basements.

• Housekeeping staff may use mould-killing products to clean bathrooms.

• Soap, water and bleach solution mixed with water in right quantity can be used to remove moulds from hard surfaces.

Bleach solution should not be mixed with ammonia or other house cleaning products.

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July-Aug ’13

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PRODUC T P R E V I E W NEW POLISHING MACHINE FROM ROOTS MULTICLEAN

The Roots PD 43 Single Disc machine is a highquality, high torque belt-driven machine from Roots Multiclean (RMCL). It comes with a 320 RPM motor which offers quiet and vibrationfree operation. The chassis is strong and fitted with large wheels for easy transportation. The handle is fitted with multiple safety features like dead man switch, vertical handle lock and Switch locking bottom. Working with PD 43 is a pleasure because of its simple loading and unloading of brushes. It is an ideal suit for dry buffing and polishing. It is an able work horse for daily cleaning too. The PD 43 also comes with a solution tank and a pad holder in a standard package. RMCL is one of the largest manufacturers and exporters of cleaning equipment in India.

Roots Multiclean Ltd. rmclsales@roots.co.in

DARING THE DUST MITES

Brainchild of three young entrepreneurs, 3H, an innovative cleaning and sanitizing system, using proven, state-of-theart technology assists you in winning the battle against dust mites. 3H helps in reduction of dust mites, allergens, pet dander, flea eggs, etc. from all upholstery, especially mattress, sofas and carpets, thus helping the both pet owners and the pets.

It uses a three-step cleaning and sanitizing process, i.e. specialized and custom made hefa filter high power vacuuming, treatment with UVC sterilization, and an antiallergen non-toxic natural sanitizing spray that is not harmful to humans or pets. The service is simple, dry, chemical-free, non-toxic, colour safe and does not require any drying time.

3H draws samples and test the same with Allergen Test Kits to show the level of contamination in your mattress. It is ideal for use at home, work and recreational spaces.

Dust mites are microscopic insects that live off human skin scales and form part of the dust in our homes. The climate and conditions inside our houses are ideal for their survival.

Dust mites breed on shed skin cells by humans and pets.

Symptoms of the allergies caused by dust mite can include a runny or blocked nose, itchy, red or watering eyes and wheezing. Dust mite allergies are extremely common among dogs and cats, but because house dust mites are microscopic, many pet owners think they couldn’t possibly present much of a problem. But the reality is something else.

Unless they are controlled these microscopic insects can pose serious health problems.

3H Health & Hygiene Pvt. Ltd. info@3HIndia.com

CLEANING KITCHENS AND DISHES, IMPECCABLY

Pioneer Softeners and Chemicals is an important player in the field of softeners and chemicals, with an impressive track record of 25 years.

Available at competent prices, the product range of the company includes

handy care wash products, hard fix surface sanitisers, disinfectant hand sanitisers, descalers, chemicals for fabric stiffness, and amino silicon based softeners, which are specialised in removal of oil and grease stains from spa towels, fabric and linen. The company has set its international standards with much determination and perseverance. The products of Pioneer Softeners and Chemicals cater to hospitality, housekeeping, food/beverage processing, dairy farming, poultry farms and various other sectors and sub-sectors.

One such product is Rollogs, which is used for cleaning grills, ovens, hot plates, fryers & coils, etc. Another of the high quality kitchen chemical with Pioneer Softeners and Chemicals is Duran Kleanex (XL-100), which is a light green colour detergent-cum-santiser with Quat MBA, which makes the chemical appropriate for hard surfaces like kitchen floors, tiles, baking areas, etc.

Similarly Pioneer Softeners and Chemicals’ Duran Trolley Wash is a light green colour detergent used for cleaning and disinfection of stainless steel trolley carrying food & beverages. Its Duran Rinse is a crystal clear blue liquid used for automatic dish washing machine. This low foam liquid detergent is eco-friendly, ph balanced, neutral and has no sedimentation.

There are many, many more such impressive kitchen cleaning and dish washing products introduced by Pioneer Softeners and Chemicals, over the years, which have attracted popularity in the Indian food & beverage industry.

Pioneer Softeners and Chemicals psc@pioneersofteners.com

HACCP MANAGER KIT

The HACCP Manager Kit provides the software, hardware and PC interface for the collecting, reporting, analyzing and storing of product temperature records and checklist documentation. The Handheld is a datacollecting instrument designed to simplify the gathering of temperatures and the documentation of corrective actions as well as managing standard checklist processes. The database software allows for customizing up to 300 menu items and the Handheld can store up to 3000 temperature readings. The handheld also holds up to 1500 checklist records (150 questions) with yes/no or numeric answers, and corresponding corrective actions.

The HACCP Manager software is the most important and powerful component of your HACCP Manager system. Data can be quickly transferred between the Handheld and a PC. The database is fully customizable. Critical control points and corrective actions can be defined to ensure a detailed and solid HACCP workflow tailored to your facility.

Mittal International sales@mitalin.com

T

he information published in this section is as per the details furnished by the r e s p e c t i v e m a n u f a c t u r e r / d i s t r i b u t o r. I n a n y c a s e , i t d o e s n o t r e p r e s e n t t h e v i e w s o f Hammer Publishers Pvt. Ltd.

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July-Aug ’13

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

A D V E R T I S E R S COMPANY

PAGE NO.

I N D E X

COMPANY

PAGE NO.

AMAN CLEANING EQUIPMENTS PVT. LTD.

......................37

MIRACLEAN TOOLS (P) LIMITED

......................27

APPLIANCES EMPORIUM

......................29

NAVIN POLYCON

......................06

ATLANTIC PASTE & GLUE CO., INC.

......................05

PEST CONTROL (INDIA) PVT. LTD.

......................09

BORGHI BRUSH MACHINERY PVT. LTD.

......................19

COSMIC HEALERS PVT. LTD.

......................15

DIVERSEY INDIA PVT. LTD.

......................01

GRAND CHEMICAL WORKS

......................31

IFB INDUSTRIES LTD.

......................BIC

INDOLITE DEVICES PVT. LTD.

......................43

JMR CHEMICAL (WORLD) KARCHER CLEANING SYSTEM PVT. LTD.

* BC - BACK COVER

July-Aug ’13

RAMSONS GARMENTS FINISHING EQUIPMENT PVT. LTD. ................FIC

SINTEX INDUSTRIES LIMITED

......................17

SNOOZER BEDDING LTD.

......................11

SUPESHINE LAUNDRY SYSTEMS PVT. LTD.

......................07

UNIQUE TRADING COMPANY

......................25

......................23

WASHROOM HYGIENE CONCEPTS PVT. LTD.

......................21

......................BC

PRODUCT PREVIEW

......................42

* GF-GATE FOLD

* FIC - FRONT INSIDE COVER

* BIC - BACK INSIDE COVER

43

INTERVIEW

Perseverance Pays A

ct with integrity and lead by example. This is the philosophy that Avadhesh Singh Kushwah, Executive Housekeeper of Radisson Blu Hotel, Jaipur Airport, applies in his work. A graduate in hotel management, Kushwah is a competent professional with 17 years of rich experience. He is a focused professional and is endowed with excellent interpersonal and leadership skills besides good customer service knowledge.

In his present role, Kushwah has responsibilities primarily in general administration, housekeeping and personnel management. He brings with him the rich experience of working with some of the prestigious properties of the country: Rajputana Palace Sheraton, Taj Residency Indore, Holiday Inn Jaipur, Jaypee Palace Hotel &Convention Centre Agra and Le Meridien Jaipur.

By Sharmila Chand

How important in your opinion is housekeeping to hospitality?

Housekeeping is the spinal cord of a hotel. It is not just about cleaning; it involves a greater responsibility of ensuring comfortable and hassle free stay for every guest in the hotel. Housekeeping plays a greater role than any other department in ensuring that the product which the guests need and expect meets the standard.

No other feature or service provided by a property will impress the guest more than spic and span and comfortable guest room and public areas.

Do you perceive any new trends in housekeeping? Please share your views on the current housekeeping scenario.

Today housekeeping is not only about cleaning; it is more about the presentation, hygiene, safety & security. It is also about understanding the guest needs & acting proactively towards fulfilling them. Guest interaction plays a vital role in improving housekeeping services and can be a common answer to many of the guest complaints.

How significant is the role of training in this area of management?

Training is an answer to several issues. It not only helps us increase guest satisfaction but also helps us tackle and pay heed to problems experienced by our guests. Training

44

also helps motivate housekeeping associates to improve their performance, boosts their confidence levels and prepares them for a brighter future.

What elements do you take into account to recruit staff in the housekeeping department?

While selecting the staff we take the following factors into considerations: • Technical expertise • Customer focus • Willingness to learn • Communication skills • Ability to work in a team • Adaptability to change What are the challenges you face in your job responsibilities?

Getting qualified and experienced staff is the biggest challenge.

As guest expectation is high in terms of value for money, we have to be more focused and careful about every detail all the time.

What is your work philosophy?

Support your colleagues - give them a chance to shine, listen to them and allow them time to get trained. Be a good role model – be considerate, act calmly, act with integrity and lead by example.

Understand your colleagues – reward them, set them goals, give feedback on their performance and communicate with them.

How do you like to de-stress?

At work place I never feel that I have done something extra or I am feeling stressed. On my off days, I like to spend time with my family and friends. I enjoy my work; that is the reason why I do not get stressed.

What are your future plans for the property?

I have recently joined Radisson Blu Hotel, Jaipur Airport. It will be my endeavour to improve the service standards and guest satisfaction level at the hotel, besides, of course, working towards improving several other parametres.

Any message for other housekeeping executives?

Perseverance pays. Housekeeping is a roundthe-clock commitment and requires discipline to ensure you have a great work/life balance. I have found that balance. And surrounding myself with a committed and disciplined team means we can all enjoy life as much as our careers.

First of all, lots of patience is needed in this career. Secondly, show your staff what you have done and that you can do the job yourself. It is important that you are on the same page.Thirdly, make sure you have high visibility. Don’t just sit in your office; you must walk around the property.

That will abreast you with what’s actually going on in the property and will also send a message that you are accessible to your staff.

July-Aug ’13

May-June ’13

53

Regd. No. R.N. DELENG/2001/7213

May-June ’13

53