April/May 2019

The pan-European magazine for the professional cleaning sector

APRIL/MAY 2019

SPECIAL REPORT

TECHNOLOGY

BUSINESS

Pulire exhibition Verona - special preview Page 50

Washrooms for children

The benefits of apps

Difficult clients

Page 27

Page 38

Page 48

CONTENTS

April/May 2019 | Vol.27, No.2

BUSINESS

SPECIAL REPORTS

48 Dealing with hellish clients

27 The little boy’s room

Hartley Milner shares some of his experiences with extremely difficult customers.

The issues around equipping a washroom for children.

36 Ultimate high-tech toilets The Japanese are investing in latest technology to makes cleaners’ jobs easier.

38 Why apps make sense More and more cleaning businesses are run with the help of digital apps.

44 Many shapes and sizes Which battery suits which cleaning environments, and how to choose.

03 News

50 Pulire A look ahead to the Italian cleaning exhibition taking place in May.

12 European reports

58 Slip-sliding away Just how popular are shiny, high-gloss floors in modern buildings?

21 ECH Award winners

61 Pads for the planet What have floor pad producers done to make their pads more sustainable?

63 Preventing terminal illness Airports are now significant vectors of disease and viral infection.

Criterion Publishing Ltd PO Box 299, Chesham, Buckinghamshire HP5 1FP UK T +44 (0)1494 791222 F +44 (0)1494 792223 info@europeancleaningjournal.com www. europeancleaningjournal.com Subscriptions UK - £60 / Continental Europe - £70 / International - £80

Editor Michelle Marshall Features Writer Ann Laffeaty Advertisement director Chris Godman Advertisement sales executive Laura Bell

Circulation Marie Payne

Italy, Spain & Switzerland Fabio Potesta Mediapoint & Communications Corte Lambruschini, Corso Buenos Aires, 8 V0 Piano, Interno 7 16129 Genova, Italy T +39 010 570 4948 F +39 010 553 0088 info@mediapointsrl.it www. mediapointsrl.it

European Cleaning Journal is published six times a year by Criterion Publishing Ltd. Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy and reliability of material published in European Cleaning, Criterion Publishing Ltd and its agents can accept no responsibility for the veracity of claims made by contributors, manufacturers or advertisers. Copyright for all material published in European Cleaning remains with Criterion Publishing Ltd and its agents.

ISSN 0968-901X ©Criterion Publishing 2019

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NEWS & EVENTS

Latest News & Events from ECJ

European Cleaning & Hygiene Awards 2019 - closing date June 17 The closing date for the European Cleaning & Hygiene Awards 2019 is rapidly approaching. Service providers, manufacturers and distributors across Europe have until June 17 to submit their entries.

The awards, which recognise standards of excellence in the professional cleaning industry, are the only pan-European awards for the sector and are organised by European Cleaning Journal (ECJ).

• Leader of the year • Rising star award The awards are now in their fourth year. Michelle Marshall, ECJ editor said: “Building on the success of the past three years, we are thrilled to be hosting the European Cleaning & Hygiene Awards in London for the first time. Last year we received over 100 entries and we’re looking forward to hearing more about the great achievements from across the sector this year.

London ceremony

Open to all businesses

This year’s winners will be revealed at a ceremony and gala dinner on October 17 in London, at The Church House in Westminster. There are 10 categories designed to recognise success and reward excellence in the cleaning and hygiene sectors. They are: • Best use of smart solutions by service providers • Investment in training • Excellence in client/ contractor partnerships • Added value excellence by distributors • Sustainability - best practice • Commitment to diversity in the workforce • Best initiative raising the profile of the cleaning sector • Technological innovation of the year

“The awards are open to businesses from across Europe so if you can demonstrate excellence in any of the categories, we’d encourage you to enter.”

Tom Lloyd of Principle Cleaning Services, which won two awards in 2018, added: “To be recognised as leaders in our industry across Europe is the greatest reward. It motivates us to continue to invest in our people to deliver outstanding quality through innovation.”

Another 2018 award winner was Dutch cleaning company CSU. Marketing and communications manager Erwin Vos told ECJ: “The European Cleaning & Hygiene Awards are a great way to

share the best examples across the industry. Winning an award acknowledges that we are taking the right steps forward to always improve.”

Sponsors for 2019 include Tana Chemie, Ceris Burns International, Jangro, Vectair Systems, Vermop Salmon, Principle Cleaning, Greenspeed,

Diversey, RAI Amsterdam, and Truvox International.

The awards are also being supported by the UK Cleaning & Support Services Association (CSSA).

The entry form and further information can be found on the Award website. Visit www.echawards.com

EVENTS May 21-23

October 17

Pulire

European Cleaning & Hygiene Awards

Verona, Italy www.pulire-it.com

London, UK www.echawards.com

June 4-6

November 12-14

ISSA Cleantex South Africa

Hygienalia Pulire Madrid

Johannesburg, South Africa www.issacleantex.com

Madrid, Spain www.hygienalia-pulire.com

June 28

November 18-21

EFCI Conference 2019

ISSA North America

Brussels, Belgium www.efci.eu/conference2019

Las Vegas, USA www.issa.com

September 24-27

May 12-15 2020

CMS

Interclean Amsterdam

Berlin, Germany www.cms-berlin.com

Amsterdam, Netherlands www.intercleanshow.com

September 25-26

CMS World Summit Berlin, Germany www.cms-berlin.com October 15-17

Middle East Cleaning Tech Week Dubai, UAE mectw.com

To have your event included in Events, contact ECJ via email at: michelle@europeancleaningjournal.com

L’édition 2019 des Prix européens de propreté et d’hygiène aura lieu le 17 octobre à Londres. Visitez echawards.com pour des précisions d’inscription.

Die European Cleaning & Hygiene Awards 2019 werden am 17. Oktober in London stattfinden.

Besuchen Sie echawards.com, wenn Sie mehr über eine Teilnahme erfahren möchten.

L’evento European Cleaning & Hygiene Awards 2019 si terrà a Londra il 17 ottobre. Si prega di visitare il sito echawards.com per avere informazioni su come partecipare.

April/May 2019 | ECJ | 3

NEWS Australian cleaning trial reduces hospital infections A major trial of a bundle of hospital cleaning practices in 11 Australian hospitals has resulted in significant reductions in hospital-acquired infections.

The study was titled ‘An environmental cleaning bundle and healthcare-associated infection in hospitals (REACH): a multi-centre randomised trial’ and led by by Queensland University of Technology (QUT) health economist Professor Nick Graves from the Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation (AusHSI) at the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation (IHBI).

Its aim - to investigate whether a change in cleaning practices was effective in reducing the 165,000 healthcare-associated

infections in Australia each year.

Professor Graves said the REACH (Researching Effective Approaches to Cleaning Hospitals) project introduced a bundle of cleaning initiatives, tailored to each hospital, to improve routine and discharge hospital room cleaning.

Hospital-wide promotion of the importance of cleaning in reducing infections was undertaken to support a culture shift in the profile of environmental services staff, Professor Graves said.

“Cleaning was audited using fluorescent marker technology - markers are removed only by a thorough cleaning technique.”

Hospitals in the study improved their cleaning practices

Par suite d’un essai de grande envergure sur les pratiques de nettoyage de 11 hôpitaux australiens, les infections iatrogéniques y ont baissé sensiblement.

4 | April/May 2019 | ECJ

from 55 to 76 per cent in washroom areas and from 64 to 86 per cent in bedroom areas.

This resulted in a 37 per cent reduction in the major healthcare-associated infection, vancomycin-resistance enterococci (VRE), and a 5.8 per cent decrease overall in three types of infections.

Evidence-based strategy “In contrast to previous research, the cleaning bundle development prioritised evidence-based strategies that were easy to implement and lower cost, over newer expensive technologies.”

The REACH cleaning bundle was successful at improving cleaning thoroughness and

Im Rahmen eines Großversuchs, bei dem ein Bündel von Reinigungspraktiken in Krankenhäusern in 11 australischen Krankenhäusern getestet wurden, wurde eine erhebliche Senkung von Krankenhausinfektion erzielt.

showed great promise in reducing vancomycin-resistant enterococci infections. It also demonstrated cost-savings and increased health benefits from infections prevented.

Dr Greg Whiteley, chairman of Whiteley Corporation and adjunct fellow at the School of Medicine at Western Sydney University, said the study is a very relevant piece of research as healthcare facilities face the challenge of increasing antimicrobial resistance, pressure to reduce costs and the high turnover of cleaning staff.

“One of the key learnings from this research is the importance of surface cleaning as part of the overall infection prevention toolkit” he said.

Un importante test sulle pratiche di pulizia in 11 ospedali australiani ha rivelato una significativa riduzione delle infezioni nosocomiali.

NEWS Applying hand rub with three steps for 15 seconds is enough A shortened 15-second application time and a simpler three-step technique for use of alcohol-based hand rub is as effective in reducing bacteria as the 30-second application and six-step technique recommended by WHO, and could improve compliance.

That’s according to new research presented at this year’s European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) in Amsterdam recently.

WHO recommends a six-step ‘how to hand rub’ technique for using alcohol-based hand rub. However adherence to all six steps is low and previous research indicates that a

simplified three-step hand rub technique is superior to the six-step technique in terms of compliance and killing bacteria.

The current recommended application time for hand rubs is 30 seconds. But recent research suggests that 15 seconds of hand rubbing could be just as effective at reducing bacteria.

In this randomised crossover trial, Dr Sarah Tschudin-Sutter and colleagues from University Hospital Basel, Switzerland investigated combining the simpler three-step technique with a shorter application time of 15 seconds.

Twenty healthy volunteers were randomly assigned to rub their hands by following

De nouvelles recherches donnent à penser que les rince-mains à base d’alcool, appliqués plus brièvement par une technique plus simple, pourraient être aussi efficaces que le procédé recommandé par l’OMS.

four different techniques: the six-step hand hygiene technique for 30 seconds; the six-step hand hygiene technique for 15 seconds; the three-step hand hygiene technique for 30 seconds; and the threestep hand hygiene technique for 15 seconds.

Because this was a randomised

Aus einer neuen Untersuchung geht hervor, dass die Anwendung eines alkoholischen Einreibepräparats mit kürzerer Anwendungszeit und einfacherer Technik genauso wirkungsvoll sein könnte wie die von der WHO empfohlene Methode.

crossover trial, each participant was assigned to all four groups.

Results showed that a shorter application time of 15-second rubs was as effective at reducing bacterial counts on the hands of participants compared to the recommended 30-second hand rub, irrespective of the hand hygiene technique.

Delle ricerche recenti rivelano che applicare un prodotto a base di alcool sulle mani con un tempo di applicazione più breve e con una tecnica più semplice potrebbe essere efficace come il metodo consigliato WHO.

April/May 2019 | ECJ | 5

NEWS Soap dispensers hiding deadly bacteria?

Tests carried out at the University of Arizona have suggested that soap dispensers could be harbouring potentially dangerous bacteria.

Germ specialist Dr Charles Gerba analysed soap dispensers in 296 food establishments across Arizona, Ohio and New Jersey. And he discovered that 15 per cent tested positive for harmful bacteria including E. coli and salmonella.

Also found in the dispensers was klebsiella oxytoca, a superbug that attacks the skin and flesh and can even be deadly. The bug also causes fevers, coughs, chills, pneumonia and flu-like symptoms.

“Liquid soap can become contaminated with bacteria and poses a recognised health risk in healthcare settings,” states Gerba in his report. “In particular, bulk-soap dispensers are prone to bacterial contamination, and several outbreaks linked to the use of contaminated soap in healthcare settings have been reported.”

He says the US-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises people not to add soap to a partially empty soap dispenser. “This practice of ‘topping off’ dispensers can lead to the bacterial contamination of soap,” he said. “Sealed soap dispensing systems, in contrast,

• D’après des essais menés par l’université de l’Arizona, il se peut que des distributeurs de savon abritent des bactéries potentiellement dangereuses.

• Les organisateurs du salon allemand de la propreté CMS mettront l’accent sur les soins de santé, thème auquel ils consacreront un forum spécial le 26 septembre.

CMS forum

are typically refilled by inserting into the dispenser a new bag or cartridge of soap that usually includes a new nozzle.”

However, he adds the public risk to health associated with contaminated bulk-soap dispensers remains unclear.

“It would be very difficult if not impossible to trace the source of a community-acquired infection back to contaminated soap in a public restroom,” he said. “Therefore a greater understanding of the potential for bacteria from contaminated soap to remain on the hands and to be transferred to secondary surfaces after washing with contaminated soap is needed.”

• Aus Tests, die an der University of Arizona durchgeführt wurden, ging hervor, dass Seifenspender potenziell gefährliche Bakterien beherbergen könnten.

• Die Organisatoren der deutschen Reinigungsmesse CMS legen den Schwerpunkt auf das Gesundheitswesen, und ein spezielles Forum wird am 26. September stattfinden

The German cleaning exhibition CMS takes place in Berlin from September 24-27, also featuring the CMS World Summit from September 25-26 There will be a special focus on hygiene in healthcare too, with the addition of a Practical Forum on Healthcare on September 26. This is aimed at all those with responsibility for cleaning and hygiene in the healthcare system.

“Health is certainly a megatrend, and one that will continue to exert a powerful influence on us. We should take advantage of this enormous market,” said Markus Asch on behalf of trade body VDMA.

• Dei test eseguiti dalla Università dell’Arizona hanno evidenziato che i dispenser di sapone potrebbero ospitare dei batteri potenzialmente pericolosi.

• Gli organizzatori della fiera del cleaning tedesca CMS si stanno concentrando sulla sanità, con un forum speciale che si terrà il 26 settembre, durante la fiera

NEWS Self-cleaning walls make the cleaner’s job easier A new hotel in Copenhagen is easing the cleaner’s burden - because the guest rooms disinfect themselves.

Hotel Ottilia has treated the interior walls of its guest rooms with an antibacterial spray said to be effective against germs and mould spores.

“We’ve been testing this system for two years and what really sold us on it was that it would make life so much easier for our staff,” says Karim Nielsen, chief executive officer of Ottilia’s parent company Brockner Hotels.

Likened to Teflon, CleanCoat is a transparent, odourless, invisible coating which is

activated by sunlight. It is said to break down a range of microbes that are commonly found in hotel rooms such as influenza, salmonella, mould spores and allergens. And it can also remove contaminants such as cigarette smoke and other odours, according to Danish developer ACT.Global.

Expensive technology “The technology is expensive but we’ve reduced the labour load by 50 per cent,” said Nielsen.

“And it’s giving our staff a much easier day while also reducing our water consumption.”

The main ingredient of the spray is titanium dioxide, which

• La tâche des agents de nettoyage a été grandement allégée dans un nouvel hôtel à Copenhague, car ses chambres sont à autodésinfection.

• Les savonnettes sont de nouveau à la mode au Royaume-Uni, après avoir subi des années de déclin.

8 | April/May 2019 | ECJ

is often a component of sunscreen. Once it has been applied, housekeeping staff simply need to wipe down surfaces and vacuum the floors while CleanCoat does the rest.

“This means housekeepers don’t have to apply chemical detergents or breathe in fumes, and guests also benefit since their rooms are cleaned more quickly and without using chemicals that can cause allergic reactions,” said Nielsen.

However, a room has to be completely cleared of furniture before it can be sprayed with CleanCoat - and the formula needs to be reapplied every year.

• Ein neues Hotel in Kopenhagen erleichtert dem Reinigungspersonal die Arbeit – die Gästezimmer desinfizieren sich selbst.

• Das Stück Seife kommt in Großbritannien wieder in Mode, nachdem die Verkaufszahlen jahrzehntelang rückläufig waren.

Soap bars rise Soap bars are coming back into fashion in the UK after decades in decline.

Environmentally conscious customers appear to be turning their backs on today’s plastic soap dispensers in a bid to avoid creating excess waste.

Soap bar sales have risen by nearly three per cent over the past 12 months, claim consumer experts Kantar Worldpanel.

UK shoppers spent €77.8 million on soap bars in the year to September 2018 - up from €75.6 million the previous year. And soap bar sales grew faster than liquid soaps and shower gel products over the same period.

• Un nuovo hotel a Copenhagen sta alleggerendo il lavoro degli addetti alle pulizie in quanto le camere degli ospiti si auto-disinfettano.

• Nel Regno Unito il sapone in barre sta ritornando di moda dopo decenni di declino.

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EFCI NEWS 2019 EFCI conference to be held in the capital of Europe EFCI, the organisation representing the cleaning and facility services sector at EU level, is hosting its 2019 conference in Brussels on June 28. The event will be held at The Square under the title ‘Cleaning and Facility Services: Shaping the Industry for the Future’.

The event has been relaunched with the renovation of the EFCI itself, the ‘final touch’ of the modernisation process the Federation has gone through in recent months - with a new team, new corporate identity and revised strategy.

The conference will be a reflection point for the industry and intends to give its stakeholders a number of tools

to prepare for the challenges ahead, without forgetting to look back at the successful history of the sector.

It targets both small-sized enterprises and the large cleaning and facility groups, who can learn from each other when it comes to innovation and sustainability. The event will be attended by representatives from the European institutions and EFCI’s stakeholders as well as cleaning professionals from throughout Europe.

It will also be an opportunity for the EFCI to introduce its stakeholders to the developments and challenges of the sector in a crucial year of change at the EU political level.

L’EFCI, l’organisation représentant le secteur des services de propreté et d’installation au niveau de l’UE, sera l’hôte d’une conférence prévue à Bruxelles le 28 juin. Celle-ci sera placée sous le thème « Services de propreté et d’installation : Façonner le secteur pour l’avenir ».

This year, EFCI’s focus will be on innovation. In four different panels speakers and delegates will analyse the evolution of the sector and how the industry is innovating across its value chain, in social affairs and to further integrate into circular economy.

Driving change The panels bring together a collection of industry leaders, disruptors, experts and EU policy-makers to encourage debate around innovation and the future of the industry, with the aim of understanding the main issues at stake and finding solutions accordingly.

The first panel will include the presentation of a trend study of

Die EFCI, die Organisation, die die Reinigungs- und FacilityManagement-Branchen auf EU-Ebene repräsentiert, veranstaltet am 28. Juni eine Konferenz in Brüssel. Sie steht unter dem Motto: „Cleaning and Facility Services: Shaping the Industry for the Future“ (Reinigungsdienste und FacilityManagement: Vorbereiten der Branche auf die Zukunft).

the evolution of the sector in the last 30 years.

Speakers include the secretary general of SMEunited Véronique Willems, who will address issues regarding the digital and innovation challenges for SMEs; Emmanuelle Maire (head of unit in the team in charge of EU Ecolabel in DG EMPL) who will explain the Commission’s policy views on sustainability in the industry; and representatives from Samsic, Ilunion, Ferrovial, Werner & Mertz Professional and Essity.

More information (programme, registration, sponsorship opportunities) is available on EFCI’s website: www.efci.eu/ conference2019.

• L’organizzazione EFCI, che rappresenta il settore delle pulizie professionali e dei servizi alle struttute a livello comunitario, terrà una conferenza a Bruxelles il 28 giugno.

Il tema sarà ‘Pulizie e Servizi alle Strutture: Plasmare il Settore per il Futuro’.

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April/May 2019 | ECJ | 11

UPDATE: UK Modern slavery - keep out of jail!

The disturbing issue of modern slavery is relevant to the cleaning sector, reports Lynn Webster in the UK.

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One presentation at The Cleaning Show recently featured the disturbing topic of modern slavery. We benefitted from the expertise from Ben DouglasJones QC and a team of his barrister colleagues who spoke about its potential impact in the cleaning and facilities sector.

Modern slavery can be defined as the recruitment, movement, harbouring or receiving of children, women or men through the use of force, coercion, abuse of vulnerability, deception or other means for the purpose of exploitation. It is this angle of exploitation that clearly resonated with the audience.

Slavery may be historically portrayed with images of people in distant countries chained up, being beaten and forced to work, however the issue of modern slavery is much closer to home.

Although the chains of modern slaves may not be physical, they are still there, financially and emotionally.

An estimate of the scale of modern slavery in the UK by the Home Office in 2014 suggested that there were between 10,000 and 13,000 potential victims of modern slavery in the UK in 2013. This remains on the increase and is likely to continue to do so over the next few years.

In 2017, 5,143 potential victims were referred to the NRM (National Referral Mechanism) a 35 per cent increase from 2016.

These comprised 2,454 females (47 per cent) and 2,686 males (52 per cent), with three (less than one per cent) recorded as transgender. The majority of potential victims (3,022; 59 per cent) reported that they were exploited as an adult.

Examples of forced labour and domestic servitude are highlighted as examples of modern L’esclavage moderne est en hausse au RoyaumeUni et les employeurs comme leurs clients ont à devenir plus conscients des abus commis contre les droits de l’homme.

Lynn Webster en rend compte du Royaume-Uni.

slavery so it is imperative that the cleaning industry and facilities sector as a whole take responsibility for safeguarding employees against this injustice.

Whilst the best companies are compliant there are unscrupulous firms that are not. Everyone has the right to work in secure and safe environments; we should be certain cleaning staff are who they say they, and have the right to legally work in the UK. However robust the processes are in place there is always the potential for rogue operational managers who could be exploiting individuals.

It is not only applicable to employees but sits clearly in the whole supply chain of goods and services. If slavery, servitude or forced or compulsory labour comes to light in a company’s supply chain then they ought to have known and could face both civil and criminal charges with serious custodial consequences. It is also important to ensure each stage of the supply chain is slavery free; consider which company is supplying which product, and to locate the county of origin for each product so areas of risk can be identified.

Customers and clients are becoming more aware of human rights abuse and slavery in the supply chain. Failure to act responsibly in the supply chain can cause brand value destruction, litigation and, with recent legislation, fines and custodial sentences. Understanding the current status of the slaveryfree movement and how to manage a slavery-free supply chain is essential in securing an ethical supply chain and retaining brand loyalty.

It makes sense to have a policy. Be prepared with your ‘Keep out of Jail’ card ready.

In Großbritannien nimmt die moderne Sklaverei zu, und sowohl Arbeitgeber als auch Kunden müssen auf Menschenrechtsverletzungen aufmerksam werden.

Lynn Webster berichtet.

Nel Regno Unito, la schiavitù moderna è in aumento e sia i datori di lavoro che i clienti devono acquisire maggiore consapevolezza della violazione dei diritti umani. Ce ne parla Lynn Webster.

UPDATE: DENMARK Champion cleaning - it’s contagious!

Four hospitals in Aarhus, Denmark have been merged. Lotte Printz met up with the cleaning team.

In December 2018 Aarhus University Hospital was appointed Denmark’s best hospital in the category of highly specialised hospitals for the eleventh year running. In a time when beds have been closed, costs reduced and the hospital, situated in Skejby, an Aarhus suburb, has undergone gigantic construction work to prepare for the merged hospital activities of the three hospitals in Aarhus and the city’s psychiatric hospital, effective as of March this year, that is quite an achievement.

An honour that couldn’t have been bestowed on the hospital without the work done by orderlies and the cleaning staff, the management acknowledges.

Lone Gabel, controller in the hospital cleaning and service unit, will not, however, settle for a first place on a national scale when it comes to cleaning. She doesn’t mind proclaiming that the hospital should be European champion in the cleaning department operated by an in-house cleaning unit and an external facility service partner.

A non-existent championship, but the attitude is contagious she believes.

“The system works well for both parties and I’m over the moon with satisfaction with what we deliver every day. We promote ourselves by saying: ‘we make a difference’,” Gabel says.

Nevertheless, once in a while, she still overhears some of the 825 or so cleaners, who also undertake other non-medical work as orderlies, saying: “But we’re just cleaners!”

“No, you are not. You make a huge difference and this hospital wouldn’t function without you, is what we then tell them. Research shows that the more we clean, the lower the risk of infections spreading. A virus can knock down Quatre hôpitaux de la ville d’Aarhus, au Danemark, ont récemment été regroupés.

Notre correspondante Lotte Printz a visité le service de nettoyage de ce nouveau groupe hospitalier.

a hospital in a nanosecond,” Gabel says.

According to a 2018 study by European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, 8.9 million people contract infections in European hospitals and healthcare centres each year.

Combatting all hospital-acquired infections through cleaning, is a “wild-goose chase”. But the right cleaning should keep the risk at an absolute minimum.

Government funding to clean properly is vital. The other key words to ensure high standards of cleaning in a huge hospital like this are, in Lone Gabel’s opinion, monitoring and control. Visible control. At Aarhus University Hospital they clean in compliance with Nordic quality standard INSTA 800 and the national guidelines for prevention of hospitalacquired infections that regulate how and how often a room must be cleaned. And Lone Gabel does daily random control rounds at the hospital herself.

For the past 10 years, she and her colleagues in the cleaning department have faced extra challenges, however, with construction work taking place.

Even though doors into the open hospital have been hermetically sealed, a construction site is still ”dirty business”, which can be fatal in a hospital. ”Almost 300,000 extra square metres have been built and the largest part of that had to be cleaned clinically – not just once, but three to five times. The biggest challenge we’ve had is making sure the builders did NOT enter the premises after a clinical clean. If they did, we had to clean it all over again,” Gabel explains.

More construction work will follow, but Lone Gabel is relieved the major part is over.

In der dänischen Stadt Aarhus wurden vor Kurzem vier Krankenhäuser zusammengeführt. Die ECJKorrespondentin Lotte Printz besuchte die Reinigungsabteilung.

Quattro ospedali a Aarhus in Danimarca sono stati recentemente trasferiti in un’ unica struttura. La corrispondente di ECJ Lotte Printz ha visitato la sezione delle pulizie.

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UPDATE: GERMANY rm-suttner.com

Food production hygiene standards Alexandra Lachner reports on the stringent hygiene standards at a white sausage factory in Bavaria.

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14 | April/May 2019 | ECJ

White sausage has been part of the WOLF group’s range of products since 1925 and today it produces 13 million of them a year. These boiled sausages made from fresh pork, bacon, pigskin, onions, parsley and seasonings are enjoyed both in Germany and all over the world.

“To ensure our customers everywhere are satisfied and can consume our products with confidence, cleaning and disinfection procedures are crucial in supporting our hygiene barrier concept,” explains Bernhard Oeller, WOLF’s pso director. This means those responsible for hygiene check the daily deep cleaning process meticulously.

During production intermediate cleaning is carried out which involves manual cleaning of the cutters, tables and filling area with single-use cloths and disinfecting them with alcohol. Two eight-hour production shifts are then followed by a single shift reserved solely for cleaning.

Cleaning and disinfection are always completed in separate stages, since only a process of deep cleaning can guarantee the subsequent disinfection stage will achieve the necessary level of pathogen reduction or removal of allergens and animal matter. Before this work begins, the plant is stripped down and the machines are partially dismantled. Larger product residues are removed. During the pre-rinse stage, water soluble and lightly attached impurities can be rinsed off from top to bottom in the direction of the outlets. Larger debris is then removed from the inlets and gulley inserts.

“We can then apply cleaning foam to the previously cleaned surfaces with the help La saucisse blanche traditionnelle est l’un des symboles les plus connus de la Bavière.

Notre correspondante en Allemagne, Alexandra Lachner, fait rapport sur l’usine qui la produit et sur les strictes procédures d’hygiène qu’elle a mises en place.

of medium pressure hygiene systems,” says Oeller. At 25 bar pressure aerosol formation is reduced which protects against recontamination. “This procedure is also less damaging to the machinery, safer to use and needs less water than high pressure cleaning.” At the end of this treatment stage, the active cleaning agents have penetrated into the dirt so it can be rinsed away with drinking water.

A particular challenge is also presented by the fact the plant has to be cleaned at relatively low temperatures. “We are dealing with both fat and protein”, explains Oeller. “If we cleaned at too high a temperature the protein would solidify and stick. But if the water is too cold, the fat would not dissolve”.

This is why it is important to use a cleaning foam which can completely dissolve both fat and protein residues – in accordance with the type and amount of residue, the condition and size of the work surfaces and the treatment time available.

When the cleaning process has been completed, the plant is lathered with disinfectant. “The effectiveness of this product is rigorously tested”, says Oeller.

It must reduce the bacterial flora in compliance with the established criteria. And it must not cause any health hazards or impair the quality of our foodstuffs.” The information supplied by the manufacturer regarding concentration, treatment time and temperature is key to the proper use of the product. Since WOLF complies with these standards, the company is certified to IFS and QS. And its share of the boiled sausage market rose by 20 per cent between 2016 and 2017.

Die Weißwurst ist eines der bekanntesten Symbole Bayerns.

Die DeutschlandKorrespondentin Alexandra Lachner berichtet aus dem Werk, in der sie hergestellt wird, über die geltenden strengen Hygienevorschriften.

Il wurstel bianco è uno dei simboli meglio noti della Baviera. La corrispondente tedesca Alexandra Lachner, in visita alla fabbrica dove si producono i wurstel, ci informa su quali sono le rigorose procedure igieniche in atto.

UPDATE: NETHERLANDS A guarantee of cleaning quality ECJ’s Dutch correspondent John Griep looks at the country’s quality monitoring system VSR-KMS. There are few companies that do their own cleaning. This is generally outsourced to professionals; to a cleaning company.

The cleaning company follows a cleaning schedule agreed with the client. This schedule states what must be cleaned and how often.

In some cases, there is simply a description of the intended result.

How can the client know whether the cleaning is actually being carried out in accordance with these contractual agreements?

In the Netherlands and Belgium, there is a system on the market which objectively measures the quality of cleaning. The VSR Quality Measurement System (VSR-KMS) was developed by the Association of Cleaning Research (VSR).

VSR-KMS is a measurement system and is described in a national standard by the Standards institute; the NEN 2075. VSR-KMS is a transparent, replicable, independent and scientifically-based system. The quality measurement system establishes the quality of cleaning according to objective technical cleaning criteria. VSR-KMS is the leading system for the measurement of cleaning quality and is used extensively in the market by clients, cleaning companies and cleaning advisors/intermediaries.

It is also the only cleaning measurement system to provide guarantees for the client. VSR-KMS is a fully certified system, and secured in training right through to management.

Only certified controllers and inspectors may carry out a quality measurement using VSR-KMS. To qualify for certification, they are required to have completed and passed the VSR-KMS Quality Control training and/or VSR-KMS Quality Inspection training. In addition, they must have at least Dans son compterendu des Pays-Bas, John Griep examine le système qui y a été mis au point par VSR pour mesurer objectivement la qualité du nettoyage.

two years of work experience.

The knowledge of these controllers and inspectors is formally assessed every five years. This means they must pass a socalled “General Periodical Inspection (APK)” along with a theoretical test.

There is also an annual meeting when all (800!) certified controllers and inspectors come together to discuss their thoughts in practice, namely to initiate improvements to the VSR Quality Measurement System based on practical experience.

The annual meeting of controllers and inspectors took place in March. A significant percentage of the profession attended. The main topic was “do’s and don’t’s“ in reports: what to include in measured cleaning quality and what not to?

The aim is to continue making controllers and inspectors more professional, and also their reports. So not a standard report but an objective, complete and transparent report on the measurement of cleaning quality. This will improve reliability and lead to fewer doubts about interpretation by the clients and the cleaning company.

A clear report is a great bonus in mutual understanding, the relationship and a common perception of “clean” between clients, cleaning companies and quality inspectors. And therefore also in the quality of cleaning.

A well-trained and certified VSR-KMS-Inspector therefore plays a key role throughout the professional cleaning process.

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In seinem Bericht aus den Niederlanden wirft John Griep einen Blick auf das von VSR entwickelte System zur objektiven Messung der Reinigungsqualität.

Dai Paesi Bassi, il corrispondente John Griep prende in esame il sistema sviluppato dalla VSR che misura oggettivamente la qualità delle pulizie.

April/May 2019 | ECJ | 15

UPDATE: ITALY A new award at Pulire Italian reporter Anna Garbagna brings news of a new prize being awarded at the Pulire show in May. It is almost time for the debut of the new award created by the organisers of the Pulire exhibition, whichwill take place in Verona from May 21-23.

The organisers specifically wanted this award to recognise |research activity carried out by companies operating in the professional cleaning sector and to ratify the effectiveness of the products that have been launched.

For this reason the award Product of the Year was created and it will be presented for the first time during the show.

Only those who are taking part in this edition of Pulire as an exhibitor have been included in the shortlist of candidates for the award: Italian companies as well as foreign, producers of machines, accessories, mechanical, electric and electronic devices, equipment, chemical products, paper, fibres, cloths, systems and services for the professional cleaning sector.

The values characterising the products on which the award is determined are: quality, reliability, environmental friendliness, performance, ergonomics and cost-effectiveness.

Market acceptance is critical because it measures the effectiveness of products; nominees for prizes must have been introduced to the market between January 1 and December 31 2018.

“After 10 editions of the innovation award, it was time to change the concept but not the objective. Our organisation has always had an interest in stimulating, incentivising and promoting companies’ study and commitment into research and results. This year the market will Cette année le salon de la propreté Pulire, qui aura lieu à Vérone en mai, comportera un nouveau prix, celui du Produit de l’Année.

Anna Garbagna en rend compte.

16 | April/May 2019 | ECJ

also have a say in the matter because nowadays focussing only on the innovation of a product is limiting if this is not also seen in the aspects of use and approval,” declared Toni D’Andrea, managing director of Afidamp Servizi, the creator of the award.

Products that have already participated in other awards organised in previous trade events can also compete for the prize Product of the Year 2019. Products will be judged by a jury of influential personalities, experts of the sector and international institutions. They will evaluate everything being presented on the basis of analysis and as well as the documentation provided. Each exhibitor can present three products.

The cleaning market is certainly becoming more and more important. There was evidence of this in a recent speech by Roberto Galli, president of AfidampCOM (the association of Italian distributors of equipment, machines and products for the cleaning sector) during ‘Mi manda Rai tre’, a programme with a large audience from the Italian National TV RAI operator. During the programme there was an update on materials, objects and products which clean better than other the different types of surfaces and in particular the concept of cleanliness was discussed.

And if the data shows that the professional cleaning market in Italy is worth €13 billion, these television opportunities and the trade exhibition scheduled for May prove that they are ideal opportunity to obtain information on relevant topics.

Bei der diesjährigen Reinigungsmesse Pulire, die im Mai in Verona stattfinden wird, wird ein neuer Preis vergeben – Produkt des Jahres. Ein Bericht von Anna Garbagna.

La corrispondente italiana Anna Garbagna ci informa che l’edizione di quest’anno della fiera del cleaning professionale Pulire, che si terrà a Verona in maggio, includerà il nuovo premio “Prodotto dell’Anno”.

UPDATE: FRANCE Drones enter the world of cleaning Christian Bouzols reports from France on how the use of drones for high and low pressure of cleaning high-rise buildings is now a reality.

Samsic Facility, a major provider of services to companies based in Rennes, Britanny, has just acquired a specialist in communication systems, Technic’Art Drone, based in the Paris area. This company had recently diversified into the development of inspection systems for buildings and other hardly accessible areas where drones promised to offer solutions, particularly for cleaning tasks.

“This acquisition will allow Samsic Facility to consolidate its position as a leader in the provision of services to companies and give its clients novel and flexible solutions enabing them to intervene very safely on sites that are often difficult to reach,” said Guy Roulleau, president of the company.

Having acquired Technic’Art Drones (subsequently renamed as Sam’Drones), Samsic Facility will be able to use state-of-theart equipment to apply novel solutions in the various areas of its service offering, particularly for the high pressure cleaning of high rise buildings.

The main innovation brought about by the inclusion of Sam’Drones into the Samsic group will be the deployment of

drones capable of carrying out high and low pressure cleaning tasks on buildings. Developed by Vivien Consulting, a specialist firm based in Paris, these drone based machines can perform spraying and cleaning tasks at pressures of 130 bars and temperatures of 90°C at heights of 40 metres of more. “The use of drones on sensitive areas also presents great advantages in terms of health and safety by reducing risky situations,” adds Roulleau.

A number of partnerships are currently being discussed and the drone based systems are being put into operation. The cleaning division of the Samsic group is fully confident of the success of these systems as the number of high rise and difficult to access buildings is on the increase in France, as well as in the rest of Europe and the world.

However, the handling drones for cleaning tasks will require well trained people and specific permits. Indeed, the use of drones in France is highly regulated, particularly in urban areas, and it is necessary to obtain exemptions from the civil air authorities before being allowed to launch a single drone.

The closing date for entries to the European Cleaning & Hygiene Awards 2019 - organised

by ECJ - is June 17. There are 10 categories, relevant to cleaning companies, distributors and manufacturers. The winners will be announced on October 17 in London. Visit the website now and submit your entry! echawards.com

Dans son compterendu de la France, Christian Bouzols parle de l’entrée en service de drones pour le nettoyage haute et basse pression d’immeubles en hauteur.

Christian Bouzols berichtet aus Frankreich, wo der Einsatz von Drohnen zur Hoch- und Niederdruckreinigung von Hochhäusern jetzt Wirklichkeit geworden ist.

Dalla Francia, il corrispondente Christian Bouzols ci informa su come l’utilizzo dei droni per la pulizia ad alta e a bassa pressione dei grattacieli sia ora una realtà

April/May 2019 | ECJ | 17

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EUROPEAN CLEANING & HYGIENE AWARDS

Commitment to people Derrycourt Cleaning Specialists won its fourth ever European Cleaning & Hygiene Award in Berlin in November 2018. Ann Laffeaty asks the company’s Anne Heather what she thinks earned the company the coveted Commitment to and Investment in Training award.

As we all know, the lifeblood of the cleaning industry is its people. Millions of cleaners are employed across the world and cleaning companies need to rely heavily on their workforce.

So the success of any cleaning company comes down to its employees. And in order to be truly successful a cleaning company needs to have a properly-trained and highly skilled team.

Derrycourt has always placed strong emphasis on its training programme according to learning and development manager Anna Heather. Topics covered in its training scheme range from supervisory development to specialist skills such as trauma clean-ups from the National Academy of Crime Scene Cleaning.

“We also have a designated state-ofthe-art training centre at our head office where we carry out all our in-house training,” said Heather. “This is equipped with three different floor surfaces and has built-in chemical dispensers, a bathroom and all the up-to-date cleaning equipment that might be required for cleaning on site.

“We also have an e-learning centre and we offer a suite of online courses for all levels of employees on disciplines such

as Infection Control and Managing Driving Safely at Work.”

Derrycourt uses external companies to teach specific cleaning skills, says Heather.

“However, when it comes to soft skills training we design the modules ourselves to suit our needs,” she said. “We also engage with local education training boards who provide our employees with English classes at beginner, intermediate and advanced level on-site where required.”

Dublin-based Derrycourt was founded in 1992 by Martin and Ann O’Hanlon and the family-managed business relies heavily on its partnerships with clients, suppliers and employees.

“What sets Derrycourt apart from other companies in terms of training is the fact that we are continually looking at innovative ways of providing a service which in turn leads to bespoke training programmes,” said Heather. “We are also committed to providing British Institute of Cleaning Science (BICSc) cleaning standards and have a team of BICSc assessors who can assess the level of cleaning standards on site.”

The company is currently in the process of rolling out a series of supervisory and management development courses for 2019, she adds. “This will allow us to develop our future leaders and identify new talent in preparation for the next steps in their development,” said Heather. “We also frequently use e-learning training opportunities, particularly for those employees who work in remote areas, but also to introduce new systems such as employee clock-in and clock-out services.”

Derrycourt would not be able to meet its clients’ expectations or grow its business

without well-trained staff, she says. “Our employees are critical to the success of the business. They are also very appreciative of the investment we make in them and in return the company is rewarded with loyal, committed employees.”

Staff members are often promoted to fulfil different roles within the company, adds Heather. “For example, we have healthcare cleaners who go on to become site supervisors, and site managers who are promoted to area manager,” she said.

“These opportunities are open to all our employees and serve to showcase the learning and development culture within the company.”

Derrycourt is very proud of receiving a European Cleaning & Hygiene Award, she adds. “Competing against other great companies is what drives the industry to continually improve,” says Heather.

In 2016 Derrycourt won the Greatest Individual Contribution to Driving Up Standards Within a Cleaning Operation award. Two more awards followed in 2017 – the first for Excellence in Client and Contractor Partnership in conjunction with FBD, and the second for the Greatest Individual Contribution to Driving Up Standards of Excellence.

“Winning a European Cleaning & Hygiene Award is a huge achievement as it identifies our company as being one of the best cleaning contractors in Europe,” said Heather. “And this in turns helps with the growth of our business and enables us to win new clients “We’re looking forward to the London event this year- it is sure to be another wonderful event.”

Visit www.echawards.com

April/May 2019 | ECJ | 21

EUROPEAN CLEANING & HYGIENE AWARDS

Working smarter A package of high-tech innovations at London’s Blue Fin building was an award-winning formula for Principle Cleaning Services. Ann Laffeaty finds out about the strategy that earned the company the 2018 European Cleaning and Hygiene Award for the Best use of Smart Technological Solutions.

The 2,000 aluminium fins that cover the façade of London’s Blue Fin building give the iconic structure a futuristic look.

So it was entirely fitting that service provider Principle Cleaning decided to use high-tech solutions throughout the facility.

The decision to do so arose from a number of key challenges according to operations director Tom Lloyd.

“The Blue Fin building has a vast reception floor space with a high footfall every day,” he said. “To keep this area clean we needed an efficient maintenance strategy that didn’t involve any increase in labour.

“The building also receives more than 10,000 washroom visits a day which meant the washrooms were constantly needing to be checked. And keeping track of information on a day-to-day basis was another challenge.”

A Robo2 automated scrubber dryer was deployed in order to keep the reception area clean on an ongoing basis. “This uses a laser navigation system and sensor technology to detect its surroundings and automatically clean the entire floor with minimal human input,” said Lloyd. “We are also able to select different maps for either

a full clean or for a more focused maintenance clean during office hours.”

Principle then installed the Tork EasyCube washroom management system to help cope with high washroom use. “This gives us a needs-based cleaning solution for servicing the washrooms throughout the day,” said Lloyd. “Using this data-driven technology enables us to target busier washrooms and provide a consistent level of service throughout the building.”

The company has also introduced its bespoke YourPrinciple online portal to enable it to keep track of information more effectively. “This acts as a central hub for all of contract information and provides management and on-site teams with data that allows them to make meaningful decisions at a click of a button in real time.”

And also in use at the Blue Fin building is Window Cleaning Drop Mapping. “This clearly shows how many drops have been completed each day and how long each drop has taken, while also providing details of any fabric defects and marking them with a time and date stamp,” said Lloyd.

“Our team has mapped the entire external facade of the building over the past year and installed NFC tags at the top and bottom of each of the 97 drops.

This means that when the site team pass the tags in the cradle they can scan the barcodes and send back data in real time to the YourPrinciple portal.”

The system ensures that weather, wind and cradle conditions are set to specific parameters so that all work may be completed safely. “This information enables us to identify trends such as weather conditions, problem drops and issues with cradles,” said Lloyd. “In fact it provides a

level of transparency previously unseen in this sector.”

The 500,000 sq ft Blue Fin Building on London’s South Bank incorporates offices, conference facilities and a shopping arcade. Managers of the building have welcomed the implementation of datadriven cleaning, says Lloyd.

“They feel that the data provides a higher level of needs-based cleaning throughout the building,” he said.

Founded in 1989, family-owned Principle Cleaning employs more than 2,200 people. This is its second 2018 prize: account manager Ben Swinbourne won the Rising Star award. “We were very proud to win both awards and we see them as a reflection of the dedication and hard work of our people,” said Lloyd.

Principle is continually assessing how the latest technology may be used to provide further benefits for customers and on-site teams. “We will be bringing more innovations to the Blue Fin building and the rest of our portfolio,” he said.

European Cleaning & Hygiene Award judge and ECJ editor Michelle Marshall said the company was providing a high level of accessibility and visibility for its client.

“What impressed us was how Principle had implemented a combination of smart technologies and used them in unison to bring a more efficient, transparent and leaner cleaning service,” she said. “This is showing quantifiable positive results in how they manage the operation and their own business.”

The European Cleaning & Hygiene Awards 2019 will be held in London on October 17 and are now open for entry.

Visit www.echawards.com

April/May 2019 | ECJ | 23

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EUROPEAN CLEANING & HYGIENE AWARDS

Building a cleaning career The British Institute of Cleaning Science (BICSc) has a number of initiatives that aim to make the world more aware of the industry. It was named the winner of the 2018 European Cleaning and Hygiene Award for Raising the Profile of the Professional Cleaning Sector.

With its headquarters in the UK, the British Institute of Cleaning Science has 25,000 members across the globe.

Its aims are to raise the standards of education and to build awareness of the cleaning industry through professional standards and accredited training thereby: • Protecting the operative • Providing a clean and safe environment • Preserving assets • Promoting sustainability • Producing best practice.

The BICSc Licence to Practice (LTP) is the first career step to accredited and recognised qualifications for those working in the industry. It recognises the holder’s ability to handle and dilute chemicals, operate equipment compliantly and manage a cleaning cupboard in line with Health & Safety.

Now hundreds of organisations throughout the world accept the value this qualification offers because it assures the holder has undertaken a practical test and demonstrated the skills

essential for operational compliance and underpinning knowledge.

Once LTP is achieved, individuals progress and undertake any of the 41 skills within the BICSc Cleaning Professionals Skills Suite (CPSS). These range from damp mopping up to floor management and specialist skills using the latest technology and machinery.

The Institute has always recognised it cannot create positive change and continuous improvement in the industry without key partners. Therefore it has established connections with other cleaning sector bodies as well as notable educationalists and scientists. BICSc also partners with the University of Northampton to deliver an online infection control course, allowing individuals access to higher education.

Michelle Iland explains: “We have an important role in representing the cleaning profession. We make our members accountable to their employers and the public through the ‘member code of practice’, set standards through training, and produce best practice. By increasing our visibility and promoting the sector to the wider world we can continue our mission of raising the status of cleaning as a profession.”

She continues: “BICSc regularly attends and exhibits at events worldwide. We also take advantage of speaking opportunities at events outside of our usual audience to engage with people who are not part of the cleaning industry - for example we attend a careers fair to engage with students and to promote careers in cleaning.”

The organisation also holds its own events, including an annual awards which recognises excellence in training and as-

sessment. There have also been roadshows and sector days throughout the UK covering healthcare, retail, Her Majesty’s Prisons (HMPs) and building contractor services.

Last year its key objective was #Creating a Career in Cleaning - a platform to show that entry level qualifications will provide the building blocks for a career path in the cleaning industry. “We have launched a new brand of training services under the umbrella of Cleanlogic,” says Iland. “This is a collection of workshops and courses which provide advanced technical knowledge for cleaning professionals.

“The campaign has been highly successful, not only have we seen an increase in engagement from members but there has also been a huge boost in the uptake of training, particularly for those Cleanlogic workshops and courses. The uptake has increased so much that we are now relocating our headquarters to make way for a dedicated training centre to keep up with demand.”

European Cleaning & Hygiene Awards judge and ECJ editor Michelle Marshall commented: “The judges were impressed at how BICSc is working from the ground roots level to raise awareness of professional cleaning and how it can be an attractive career option. #Creating a Career in Cleaning has been a new platform for the Institute to demonstrate that entry level qualifications will provide the building blocks for a career path in our industry.”

The 2019 European Cleaning & Hygiene Awards will be presented in London, at a ceremony in Church House, Westminster on October 17. Closing date for entries is June 17 so enter now: echawards.com

April/May 2019 | ECJ | 25

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WASHROOM HYGIENE

The little boys’ room What issues should be considered when equipping a washroom designed for use by small children, asks ECJ?

Not everyone likes visiting a public washroom. In fact many of us try to avoid them where possible due to hygiene concerns or a general reluctance to share an intimate space with strangers.

But public toilets can be even more intimidating for the very young who may feel vulnerable when entering a noisy, messy or bad-smelling washroom in a school, kindergarten or public facility.

So, how far do washroom hygiene companies take into account the needs of children when developing their systems? And what can be done to make washrooms less intimidating – and more accessible – for the very young?

It seems obvious the height of children should be taken into account when positioning the basins, taps and dispensers in a washroom aimed at smaller people. But washroom providers need to consider the mindset of children as well, says Vectair managing director Paul Wonnacott.

“Schoolchildren tend to be in a rush to use the washroom either because they are in the middle of a lesson or because they want to go out and play,” he said. “Sometimes they simply forget to go - and when they do so it is with such urgency that they don’t concentrate on aiming correctly or on washing their hands afterwards.

“Meanwhile, teachers are under pressure to deliver curriculums so they will struggle to focus on issues such as hand hygiene. So washroom fixtures should be quick and easy to use and leave no room for error.”

Children are often reluctant to use dirty, unsightly or smelly toilets, he says. “There should therefore be a good cleaning programme in place that prioritises a pleasant fragrance plus a sufficient supply of soap.”

Safety should be another major

consideration where young children are concerned, says Wonnacott. “Dispensers should be lockable and products should be child-friendly.” Vectair’s EcoShell air freshener is made from EVA instead of fragrance beads which could lead to choking or ingestion, according to Wonnacott.

Different issues arise in venues such as shopping centres where children and adults share the same washrooms, he says. “One problem we often hear about is the difficulty in trying to take two children to the bathroom at once,” said Wonnacott. “Many facilities have no means of restraining one child while changing another, and this could be rectified simply by installing an infant safety seat.”

Washrooms for small children should be safe, easy to use – and preferably fun according to Jangro ceo Joanne Gilliard. “The cubicles should be vibrant and brightly coloured and have door hinges designed to avoid trapping small fingers,” she said.

“Careful consideration should also be given to influencing healthy hand hygiene behaviour. Dispensers should be accessible and easy to use while providing pleasant formulations that are effective against germs but kind to delicate young skin.”

Frightening air dryers Noisy warm air hand dryers can frighten young children and deter them from washing their hands properly, she said.

“Even if the noise doesn’t bother them, some air dryers in schools and nurseries have so little power that children become bored and leave before they finish the job.

“Paper towels are a good choice since they dry the hands quickly and effectively, enabling children to return to their classroom or play area sooner.”

According to Gillard, foam soaps also work well. “Bars of soap are not ideal because they become slippery when wet and there is an increased risk of crosscontamination,” she said. “A dispenser on the other hand will give out the right amount of soap and children love the fun of foam, which is dispensed as a lather and therefore helps them clean their

hands more effectively.”

Airdri marketing manager Trudi Osborne agrees that some hand dryer models can be scary for the very young. “Many children need encouragement to wash their hands so it is vital nothing deters them from using the washroom,” she said. “Ultra high speed jet dryers are always loud and can be quite unsettling for the young.

“However, fast dryers don’t need to be excessively loud - there are highly efficient rapid dryers on the market that are also incredibly quiet. Investing in a model with the Quiet Mark is therefore worthwhile.”

Common infections such as coughs, colds, sickness and diarrhoea can spread like wildfire among young children, says GOJO’s European marketing vice-president Chris Wakefield. “It is therefore key to encourage healthy hand hygiene behaviour when equipping the washrooms of schools and nurseries.

“Gel or foam soaps that are effective against germs and gentle on children’s delicate skin should be supplied.

And touch-free dispensers are popular because they give out the right amount of product every time.”

GOJO offers a range of skin-friendly soaps plus Purell hand sanitisers. According to Wakefield, notices and posters displayed in children’s washrooms will encourage good practices. “Educating children about hand hygiene from a young age is crucial – and so is providing the right products to ensure the activity doesn’t become a chore,” he said.

Hygiene provision for children is largely a matter of common sense, says Essity’s communications director Reneé Remijnse.

“It is important to make it easy for them to use the facilities in the best way,” she said.

Basins and dispensers mounted at children’s height will allow pupils to wash their hands independently and save time for kindergarten staff, she says. “Dispensers should also give out skin-friendly products and be suitable for young users.”

Soap bars lead to messy washrooms Continued page 28

April/May 2019 | ECJ | 27

WASHROOM HYGIENE The little boys’ room (continued) and can only be used by only one child at a time, says Remijnse. “This is inconvenient during busy periods, and soap bars may also fall on the floor - and they won’t promote hygiene if they are covered with dirt,” she said.

“Liquid and foam soaps are easy to use and make less mess, but the choice of dispenser is important.” Tork Foam Soaps come in a dispenser that requires a low push force to enable children and people with low hand strength to use them easily.

Like other manufacturers she says foam soaps work particularly well in children’s washrooms. “Less rubbing is required to create a lather and it’s the foam that lifts the dirt from hands,” says Remijnse.

“Paper hand towels should also be supplied since they can be used for other purposes such as wiping noses and cleaning away dirt from children’s faces. They are also quick to use and if you teach children from an early age to dry their hands thoroughly, bad habits are less likely to develop later on.”

She says hand sanitisers should be placed in convenient locations in kindergartens to allow staff to use them when changing nappies. “However, all dispensers should be lockable because stand-alone bottles could pose a risk to children.”

CWS-boco’s team lead product management hygiene Silke Zuegel agrees children’s washrooms should be inviting and colourfully-decorated areas. “If they provide a cheerful, friendly ambience they will be used with pleasure and treated with care,” she says. “It is also important robust, durable and safe materials are used.”

Must be quick and easy Touch-free dispensers work well in schools and kindergartens, says Zuegel.

“A no-touch system promotes hygiene, avoids contact and prevents overdosing which helps to conserve resources.”

Like Remijnse she believes foam soap to be an ideal solution. “Children appreciate the gentle consistency of foam and it is economical, lighter than liquid and requires little water,” she said. “It can also be distributed easily and quickly washed away which means even impatient children are introduced to correct hand hygiene.

Que convient-il de prendre en compte lorsqu’on équipe les toilettes d’un jardin d’enfants ou d’un établissement scolaire ? Faut-il, par exemple, que les distributeurs soient d’usage facile pour de petites mains, conviviaux pour les enfants et sans présenter de danger, positionnés à une faible hauteur et conçus pour résister aux actes de vandalisme ? Que fait-on pour répondre aux besoins des enfants dans les toilettes de centres commerciaux, d’aéroports, etc. ? Quelles sont les principaux problèmes qui se posent aux enfants quand ils se rendent dans des toilettes publiques?

28 | April/May 2019 | ECJ

“And a cotton towel dispenser will offer each child a skin-friendly and clean section of towel.”

She says it is important to consider younger users when equipping the w ashrooms of public facilities such as shopping centres. “A children’s corner with a lower washbasin and colourful dispensers can create a very positive feeling for the user,” she said. “Children have antennae for hygiene and their wellbeing should not be overlooked.”

Ease of use is probably the most important consideration when equipping washrooms for the very young, says Metsä Tissue managing director Mark Dewick. “Young children are often reluctant to use the school toilets so it is important to make it easy for them to do so,” he said.

“They may also be impatient to get on with their day, but they still need to be encouraged to develop hygienic habits.”

Metsä’s Katrin Inclusive range of dispensers deliver measured doses and incorporate large “push faces” to make them easier for children to use.

Dewick agrees with other manufacturers that soap dispensers work better than bar soaps in children’s washrooms. “A bar of soap could be used as a missile or dropped on the floor, and if children pass the bar to each other they might literally be swapping germs,” he said.

He adds that hand drying facilities for children should be quick and easy to use.

“Customers tell us problems can arise when warm air dryers are installed in children’s washrooms,” he said. “They say devices installed at the wrong height are difficult for them to reach or the might blow hot air in their faces. And some children are scared of the noise they make and might not be prepared to wait if there’s a queue for the dryer.”

However, he says hand towel systems should be chosen with care. “Some children might be tempted to flush the towels down the toilet, so a fast-dissolving towel such as Katrin EasyFlush will avoid blockages,” he said. “And secure dispensers that give out one sheet at a time will prevent children from grabbing handfuls of towels and misusing them.”

Was muss bei der Ausrüstung von Waschräumen in Kindergärten oder Schulen berücksichtigt werden?

Müssen Spender beispielsweise leicht bedienbar durch kleinere Hände, kinderfreundlich und sicher, niedriger an der Wand befestigt und vandalensicher sein? In wie fern werden andere Waschräume, wie etwa in Einkaufszentren, Flughäfen usw. den Anforderungen von Kindern gerecht? Was sind die größten Probleme für Kinder in Waschräumen?

Easy-to-use, tamper-proof toilet tissue systems are also a good option, he said.

“A system that delivers toilet paper easily without giving the child access to the rest of the roll - or the spare roll – is ideal.” He cites Metsä’s Katrin Inclusive System 800 as an example of such a product.

Like other commentators he feels that an attractive décor is important in a children’s washroom. “Bright colours and cartoons will be well received in nurseries, junior schools and children’s wards in hospitals, though such enhancements may come down to budget,” says Dewick.

Characters and activities Many manufacturers try to engage children’s imaginations by coming up with programmes, characters and activities aimed specifically at younger users. CWSBoco’s educational programme involves visits to kindergartens where the company’s Inspector Clean character teaches young children about germs, bacteria and hand hygiene.

GOJO offers educational materials on its website including posters, activity sheets, puzzles and finger puppets while Essity’s Ella and Max Hand Washing School Packages promote hand hygiene messages with the aid of apps, hygiene brochures and activities.

Meanwhile, Vectair has developed the characters Lord Muck and the Muckateers, along with Busta Grime to encourage young children to wash their hands, while Jangro’s Jangronauts website features puzzles, stories, posters, hand washing certificates and an educational video.

And Airdri’s Quad hand dryer is available in a child-friendly version created by The Children’s Hand Hygiene Company. Puff the Magic Dryer has quiet operation and enables children to dry their hands by putting them in the dragon’s ‘mouth’.

The company’s Trudi Osborne sums up the key issue with regard to children’s washrooms. “Proper hand washing with soap and warm water is crucial in reducing the spread of infections,” she said. “Therefore we need to ensure that young children are enthusiastic about their visit to the washroom since this will make the issue of hand hygiene easier to manage.”

Cosa bisogna prendere in considerazione quando si attrezzano le sale da toilette di un asilo d’infanzia o di una scuola? Per esempio, i dispenser devono essere facili da usare per le piccole mani, devono essere adatti ai bambini e soprattutto devono essere sicuri, posizionati più in basso sulle pareti e a prova di vandali? Come si provvede alle esigenze dei bambini in altri bagni pubblici per esempio nei centri commerciali, negli aeroporti ecc.? Quali sono i problemi maggiori per i bambini nelle sale da toilette pubbliche?

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PRODUCTS: WASHROOM HYGIENE

• Essity affirme que ses systèmes Tork pour toilettes collectives sont d’usage et d’entretien aisés.

• Proposée par la société Dudley, la gamme Platinum de distributeurs pour toilettes est désormais offerte dans une variété de coloris.

• Packing 90 est un spécialiste des distributeurs de sacs en plastique pour toilettes.

• Essity teilt mit, dass seine Tork Waschraumsysteme benutzerfreundlich und leicht zu warten sind.

• Platinum, die Produktreihe mit Waschraumspendern von Dudley, ist jetzt in mehreren Farben erhältlich • Packing 90 ist auf Hygienebeutelspender für Waschräume spezialisiert.

• La Essity afferma che i suoi sistemi per sale da toilette Tork sono facili da usare e da farne la manutenzione.

• La gamma di dispenser per sale da toilette Platinum della Dudley è ora disponibile in una varietà di colori.

• La Packing 90 è specializzata in dispenser di sacchetti igienici per sale da toilette.

30 | April/May 2019 | ECJ

porary black and metallic hues through to vibrant red, blue and purple, the dispensers are manufactured from high grade stainless steel and completed with a lacquer that helps to prevent fingerprints.

A customised colour matching service is also available. www.dudleyindustries.com

Easy to maintain A range of washroom systems designed to be both easy to use and maintain are available from Tork manufacturer Essity.

The Tork PeakServe dispenser, for example, delivers a hand towel to the user in three seconds. The towels are dispensed in a continuous loop which means the unit will never jam.

Also designed to be easy to use – even for people with low hand strength – are Tork Foam Soaps. Available in a range of formats including Mild and Extra Mild, these come in a dispenser that requires a particularly low push-force, making the soap supply accessible for the frail, elderly and for the very young.

The Tork SmartOne Toilet Paper dispenser is also easy to use since it gives out paper in a continuous action from the front. This avoids the need for the user to fumble around inside it to access the paper.

And all Tork washroom sys-

tems are designed for ease of maintenance to facilitate the cleaner’s working life. For example Tork PeakServe dispensers cater for up to 600 more washroom visitors between refills than other dispensers, reducing the need for frequent refilling.

And Tork Foam Soap cartridges take a matter of seconds to replace with each cartridge containing 2,500 shots of soap. www.tork.co.uk

More colours Dudley Industries’ Platinum washroom dispensers are now available in a range of modern colours. Ranging from contem-

Bags dispenser Packing 90 makes the Hygiene Bag sanitary bags dispenser for use in washrooms. It also offers the tissue dispensers Cosmetic Box and Cosmetic Cube, which are made of plastic and available in white, chrome, satin, gilt, black and other colours. All can be customised with a logo. www.packing90.it

PRODUCTS: WASHROOM HYGIENE Dispenser apps

GOJO Industries-Europe has created two mobile apps designed to help reduce maintenance time spent on dispensers and improve hand hygiene performance.

The GOJO SMARTLINK Service Alerts System is a preventative maintenance system that continuously monitors hand hygiene dispensers and provides predictive analytics. The secure software web portal allows users to customise alerts and alarms that includes data on dispenser usage, estimated refill replacement dates, alarm status and history.

Meanwhile, the GOJO SMART-

LINK Observation System provides feedback, delivering reports immediately for both hand hygiene and PPE compliance, resulting in time savings. It helps to improve the efficiency of completing hand hygiene audits, says GOJO, delivering targeted reporting.

Both are available free. www.gojo.com

No touching The Untouchable is a multifunctional no-touch tap offering water, soap and disinfectant in

one unit. Developed by Ophardt it has many applications.

The interface is based on the concept of: select above, receive under. By swiping above the tap the user cycles through its available liquids - when the appropriate liquid has been selected they place their hands under the tap to start dispensing.

The automatic hygiene flush prevents bacteria build-up from standing water, touchless operation prevents cross-contamination, while stainless steel body beats germs and corrosion.

Can be wall-mounted or countertop and colours customised. www.ophardt.com

Dryer launch New from Prodifa is the CX550 warm air hand dryer which boasts performance, ecology and cost saving. Featuring a modern design, this unit boasts low energy consumption, high power and a compact size. www.prodifa.com

• Les solutions de suivi électronique Smartlink de la société Gojo fournit des retours d’information à partir de distributeurs de savon.

• La série Untouchable proposée par Ophardt comprend des robinets sans contact pour l’optimisation de l’hygiène.

• Parmi les nouveaux produits de Profida figure le sécheur à air chaud CX550.

• Die Smartlink Electronic Monitoring Solutions von Gojo bieten Feedback und liefern Berichte von Seifenspendern.

• Die Produktreihe Untouchable von Ophardt umfasst berührungslose Armaturen für optimale Hygiene.

• Unter den neuen Produkten von Prodifa befindet sich der Warmlufthändetrockner CX550.

• Le soluzioni di monitoraggio Smartlink Electronic Monitoring Solutions della Gojo forniscono il feedback e mandano resoconti dai dispenser di sapone.

• La gamma Untouchable della Ophardt include dei rubinetti touch free per la massima igiene.

• Fra i nuovi prodotti della Prodifa c’è l’asciugamani ad aria calda CX550.

April/May 2019 | ECJ | 31

PRODUCTS: WASHROOM HYGIENE

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Wet/Dry vacuum cleaner

Drying hands Kennedy Hygiene offers a number of hand drying dispensers for all levels of traffic.

Easyroll Ellipse is an economical centre pull dispenser. It comes with a patented adjustable tension ring to create the right tension for paper types of

• Les distributeurs de serviettes Kennedy sont polyvalent et conviennent pour tous les niveaux de trafic.

• Signée Vectair Systems, SensaMist est la nouvelle gamme de diffuseurs d’ambiance à technologie de nébulisation avancée.

• Présenté par ECOBreeze, l’Extraction est un appareil autonome à triple effet pour l’extraction de mauvaises odeurs.

• Babypoint a lancé le poste changebébé Secure Mat Super Tough.

• Herba, la nouvelle gamme de distributeurs Herba est fabriquée en fibres de verre et matière plastique recyclée.

• Die Handtuchspender von Kennedy sind vielseitig und für jedes Benutzeraufkommen geeignet.

• Bei SensaMist handelt es sich um die neue Produktfamilie mit DuftstoffDiffusern und fortschrittlicher Zerstäubertechnologie von Vectair Systems.

• ECOBreeze Extraction ist eine unabhängige, dreifach wirkende Absauganlage für störende Gerüche.

• Babypoint bietet den Wickeltisch Secure Mat Super Tough.

• Herba, die neue Spenderfamilie von Sapor, wird aus Grasfasern und Recyclingkunststoff hergestellt.

Visit us: a Pulire Veron A5 Hall 4 / booth ELECTROSTAR GmbH • Germany Germ info@starmix.de i d • www.starmix.de t

32 | April/May 2019 | ECJ

• I dispenser di asciugamani della Kennedy sono versatili e adatti per tutti i livelli di affluenza.

• SensaMist è la nuova linea di diffusori di fragranze dotati di atomizzatore a tecnologia avanzata prodotti dalla Vectair Systems.

• Extraction della ECOBreeze è un sistema di estrazione autonomo a tripla azione per l’eliminazione degli odori sgradevoli.

• La Babypoint propone la stazione per il cambio dei pannolini Secure Mat Super Tough • La nuova linea di dispenser Herba della Sapor è prodotta in fibra di erba e plastica riciclata.

different thicknesses to be dispensed. There are two versions for perforated and non-perforated paper.

The Pod, meanwhile, is a reserve roll auto cut paper dispenser boasting one of the largest paper capacities on the market. Thanks to its patented reserve roll loading system, a new roll can be loaded before the previous one has been fully used, thus making sure no paper is wasted.

And Prima Ellipse is a multifold paper towel dispenser designed for light to medium traffic environments. Featuring a paper towel tray designed to reduce consumable waste, this model also has a continual loading system to prevent paper shortage and a hinged cover for speed of service. kennedy-hygiene.com

Scent diffusers New from Vectair is a line of scent diffusers featuring advanced atomiser technology.

With the SensaMist range, the company says, a user will find solutions to all their scenting needs, with a range of diffusers to suit any application.

The advanced atomiser technology in SensaMist diffuses a fine mist of fragrance into the environment. The diffuser range can accommodate rooms and environments of any size, from 80 to 2,000 cubic metres depending on the device chosen, from washroom to reception.

There is a choice of wall mountable and table or free standing units, battery or 12V DC operated, as well as models that are suitable for HVAC installation. Many fragrances are available, with each oil refill being suitable for service and rental companies or the end user. www.vectairsystems.com

No VOC build-up

Ecobreeze claims to have come up with a self-contained solution to indoor pollution. Thanks to its release and refiltration mechanism this extraction, filtration and fragrancing system prevents the build-up of VOCs. This is particularly important as one of Ecobreeze’s primary functions is to filter the air in spaces with little or no ventilation. The unit is also eco-friendly in order to reduce its environmental impact. ecobreeze.com

Baby change

Secure Mat Super Tough (SM/ ST) baby changing station from Baby Point includes a safety rail and a one piece moulded changing mat cartridge with a PVC extrusion locking the cartridge into a retaining track fixed on a bench whatever its materials.

It is moulded with an integrally bonded surface material called Superskin which is a PU/Latex polymer with the UV stabiliser and antimicrobial surface protector included (SteriTouch).

This makes for a 100 per cent waterproof surface membrane integrally moulded with a medium density PU foam core to give a prolonged service life and optimum hygiene performance. www.babypoint.co.uk

Grass fibres The new Herba eco dispenser line from Sapor is made with 75 per cent grass fibres and recycled plastic with a natural texture and a light grass scent.

The units are designed for use with bar soap to reduce water consumption. www.sapor.de

THE

MAGIC of SCENT MADE SIMPLE

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Tel: 901 373 7818 | info@vectairsystems.com

Tel: +44 (0) 1256 319 500 | emea.info@vectairsystems.com

PRODUCTS: WASHROOM HYGIENE

• Jangro a inauguré le site Internet Jangronauts pour encourager le lavage des mains parmi les enfants.

• Le produit le plus récent de la gamme San Jamar est le distributeur de serviettes Premium de comptoir.

• MP Hygiene a développé le papier d’essuyage ultra-résistant DESL+ pour la production de serviettes en papier.

• Jangro hat die Website Jangronauts entwickelt, um das Händewaschen unter Kindern zu fördern.

• Als neuestes Produkt von San Jamar wurde der ThekenHandtuchspender Premium Covered vorgestellt.

• MP Hygiene hat das extrem widerstandsfähige Wischpapier DESL+ für Handtücher entwickelt.

• La Jangro ha sviluppato il sito web Jangronauts per aiutare ad incoraggiare i bambini a lavarsi le mani.

• Il nuovo prodotto lanciato dalla San Jamar è il dispenser di asciugamani Premium Covered Countertop Towel Dispenser.

• La MP Hygiene ha sviluppato la cellulosa ultra resistente DESL+ per gli asciugamani in carta.

34 | April/May 2019 | ECJ

Free on loan Janitorial supplier Jangro has enhanced its Jangronauts range with the introduction of new free on-loan soap dispensers to encourage and promote good hand hygiene amongst children.

The jangronauts.co.uk website has also been updated to make it more accessible, encouraging hand washing and teaching its importance in a fun, interactive and informative way.

The site also offers new free downloadable resources including puzzles, stories, posters, hand washing certificates, colouring sheets, games and stickers. And there is a free teachers’ pack.

A new educational video has also been produced to teach children healthy hand washing habits, and show them how to become a ‘hand washing hero’.

Designed for schools, nurseries, shopping centres and restaurants there is also a new free on-loan Jangronauts soap

dispenser service. Featuring fun messaging, two models are available and there is a variety of soap options. www.jangronauts.co.uk

Countertop

protect against moisture that would be present if towels were left in a basket or on the counter, while also guaranteeing oneat-a-time dispensing with both C-Fold and Multifold towels.

The dispenser is compact and suitable for spaces where wall mounting is not an option, and comes in three colours. sanjamar.com

Strong paper

The latest addition to San Jamar’s range is the Premium Covered Countertop Towel Dispenser. This has been designed to enhance the appearance of washroom countertops while keeping dispensing of towels efficient and convenient.

The unit features one-at-atime dispensing, an easy load design, built-in refill indicator and anti-slip base. The cover will

New from MP Hygiene is DESL+ wiping technology, a hand towel paper boasting dry and wet strength. The company says it is 30 per cent stronger than comparable products and it takes 20 per cent less material to manufacture.

This pure tissue paper has been certified by Ecolabel, FSC and PEFC. www.mphygiene.com

PRODUCTS: WASHROOM HYGIENE

Pumice tools

Pumie scouring sticks and Flexi-Scour from US Pumice are designed for removing stains, hard water deposits, scale and build-up in washrooms. They can be used with cleaning agents or water and are claimed to be environmentally neutral.

For hard-to-reach areas there is Flexi-Scour, while Pumie Toilet Bowl Ring Remover has a handle to reduce operator contact with cleaning agents. www.uspumice.com

Clean all areas Kaivac says its No-Touch Cleaning System can be used to

remove dirt, pathogens and soils from all parts of the washroom.

It can work on tile walls, urinals, toilets, sinks, countertops, taps and mirrors - and the floor.

The operative sprays a cleaning solution on all surfaces, restocks supplies during dwell time then rinses with clean water. The rinse is powerful enough to flush soils out of grout lines and hard-to-reach places. Then the floor is vacuumed to completely remove soils, moisture and contaminants.

The system needs minimal training while lightweight components reduce the risk of repetitive strain injuries. www.kaivac-emea.com

Industrial power After carrying out extensive research and testing within industrial environments Deb has created a new range of high performance foam hand cleaners which it claims deliver a powerful clean while also caring for the skin.

Power Foams can be used in applications from warehousing and logistics to heavy manufacturing. And Deb says they leave hands feeling conditioned and cared for, no matter how stubborn the dirt.

Estesol FX has been formulated for lighter industrial environments where a solution has previously been compromised.

Suitable for food manufacturing sites, for example, it also comes perfume-free and dye-free.

For more heavy duty cleaning Solopol GFX has extra grit and is suitable for applications where workers’ hands are exposed to oils, grease and lubricants. www.debgroup.com

• Les bâtons de décrassage Pumie et Flexi-Scour de la société US Pumice se dispensent de tout produit chimique agressif.

• Comme alternative au seau et au faubert, Kaivac propose le système de nettoyage No-Touch pour la superficie entière de toilettes collectives • Les nettoie-main à mousse Power Foams de la société Deb sont destinés à des environnements industriels.

• Die Bimssteinprodukte Pumie Scouring Sticks und Flexi-Scour von US Pumice machen scharfe Chemikalien überflüssig.

• Als eine Alternative zu Mopp und Eimer bietet Kaivac das No-Touch Reinigungssystem, das im gesamten Waschraum eingesetzt werden kann.

• Bei Power Foams von Deb handelt es sich um Handreiniger für industrielle Umgebungen.

• I prodotti Pumie Scouring Sticks e Flexi-Scour della US Pumice non necessitano di prodotti chimici aggressivi.

• La Kaivac propone il sistema NoTouch per la pulizia di tutte le aree delle sale da toilette come alternativa al classico secchio e mop.

• Power Foams della Deb sono detergenti per mani in schiuma adatti agli ambienti industriali.

April/May 2019 | ECJ | 35

WASHROOM HYGIENE

Ultimate high-tech toilets In Japan washrooms are a holy area, whether it’s at the office, or just a random public washroom in a park. Although they are already outstanding, the Japanese continue to invest in technology. It makes the life of cleaners much easier. Bobbie van der List reports for ECJ. The idea that washrooms are almost sacred in Japan perhaps has a historical reason as well as a practical one. People consider taking care of one’s body an essential part of daily life, whether this is inside your home, at a restaurant, or at the place you probably spend most of your time: work. The climate in Japan, with a high level of humidity for a large part of the year, is one important reason for their concern for washing in general.

This is reflected by Japan’s variety of bathing options throughout the country: from a “sento” (regular bathhouse) to the fancier “onsen” (bathhouses connected to a hot spring).

Invariable toilets are very well maintained, and keeping them clean is a big concern for Japanese companies. Not only do workers take good care and pride in keeping the toilets clean – the fact that cleaners come several times a day to properly clean the toilets adds to their overall cleanliness.

I witness this at my own office, located in Tokyo, every day. Three times a day cleaning staff do a routine round of cleaning. “I’m entering the washroom now, my apologies,” the lady warns people inside the washroom. The thorough clean is quick and efficient. With a bow colleagues greet her, and show respect for the job she performs every day.

Of course, this does not say anything conclusive about how clean toilets are, but I do like to believe it strengthens people’s conviction that keeping the washroom

36 | April/May 2019 | ECJ

clean is of utmost importance.

Having said that, toilet visits are somewhat of an alienating experience for foreign visitors - with the number of buttons, the music coming out of a speaker, it all seems rather bizarre. Yet, it shows how much attention the Japanese bring to the design of toilets.

In preparation of the Olympic Games of 2020, which will be held in Tokyo, the Japanese government is working hard to make the Japanese toilets even more sophisticated than they already are, as it launched a so-called national toilet improvement campaign.

A good washroom is a good expression of Japanese hospitality or omotenashi - that’s how people in Japan think. To ensure that companies are willing to go the extra mile in maintaining clean and well-designed toilets, the government started an annual award ceremony called Japan Toilet Grand Prize. A nice sideeffect could be boosting innovations in toilet technology, analysts say. The idea is to finalise the transition of the toilet as merely of practical use to so-called “comfort room”, the Japanese government announced last year. As the numbers of tourists has doubled in merely a few years – 40 million in 2017 – the government emphasised it wanted to bring comfort to foreign visitors as well.

Icons: time for a change One of the core objectives in improving toilets in Japan, is standardisation of toilet icons, which have been troubling for foreigners, as the explanation of the rather complicated toilet is written in kanji (Japanese).

Toilet icons, silly though it may sound, have caused quite a few headaches in the past few years. At a press conference earlier last year, representatives from the nine companies that make up Japan’s so-called Sanitary Equipment Industry Association shared their ideas for eight new icons to add to already existing functions in standard toilets. They hope that it can eventually be standardised on

an international scale, which would make it profitable, as they could potentially export the technology to foreign countries.

But what are the proposed changes and what does a regular standard toilet exactly look like in Japan? From left to right you will see the following buttons: raising the lid, raising the seat, big flush, small flush, rear and behind spray, dryer, and a button to stop spraying.

Incredibly, these functions aren’t the only features one might find on technologically advanced toilets in Japan.

There is possibility for warm air drying, heated seats and a wide range of socalled bidet spray functions. In fact, the eight manufacturers I mentioned earlier came up with ways to control heating and air conditioning systems for the toilet room.

At Narita Airport, the biggest airport near Tokyo, so-called designer toilets will be built. At one of the terminals they are including a voice-guidance system that helps blind users to use the bathroom.

For deaf people, a Narita Airport representative explained, they will create a light alert system, so that they would be warned in case of an emergency, such as an earthquake.

Inside the airport, users are very happy to hear about the changes. One traveller explains that it is important for Japan to retain its position as global leader in technological innovations. “But I also think it is good to have comfortable washrooms.

If you look at the technological possibilities we have, some of the toilets in Japan are very old-fashioned,” he explains.

This is particularly true for certain places outside of Japan, where squatting toilets are the standard. With a ageing population and the influx of tourists, Japanese companies and authorities need to think of the risks of such facilities.

A spokesperson of Narita Airport said: “We decided to equip all bathrooms with universal design and renovate the toilets as well.” The total costs amount to an

WASHROOM HYGIENE incredible €41 million. Yet, the government believes that welcoming foreigners in a neat and clean way reinforces the positive ideas people often have of Japan as a clean and organised country.

A dream for toilet cleaners One of the toilet producers in Japan, Toto, developed a groundbreaking selfcleaning toilet. A representative of the company explained to Japanese media how they wanted to “improve bathroom experiences for locals and foreign visitors”.

Yet it is also a particularly revolutionary development for cleaners. Whereas many westerners often are reluctant about the prospect of robots replacing humans – as we would be losing our jobs – in Japan they are embracing this new technology.

Not only because there is a lack of cleaning staff in rapidly ageing Japan, the assistance of robots enables cleaning staff to use their time much more efficiently, and clean certain areas they would otherwise not have the time to clean.

According to Tota cleaning staff of public toilets, which are a common sight in Japanese cities, are embracing the new technology “that allows one to maintain cleanliness more easily”.

In Higashi-Ikebukuro, a quiet part of Tokyo, a staff member of a local municipality responsible for cleaning public toilets had to get used to the fact that he didn’t have to clean the seats any longer. He smiles and says that his job has become a little bit easier. “Instead I have more time now to clean door handles, doors, mirrors and hand dyers. So, it is definitely progress!”

A woman who prefers to remain anonymous tells me that it feels like she is the star of a science fiction film, laughing.

“I think it is good though, for users and for cleaners. No matter how you think about it, if you can have a robot clean a toilet seat that is the preferred method, always,” she says. The company hopes to export the new technology to other countries as well in the next few years. In fact the hope is that people will be introducing this type of technology into their own bathrooms as well, which would save a lot of time for other chores.

Interestingly, other organisations have decided to go through revolutionary changes as well. Tokyo Metro, the country’s biggest public transporter, said it would change the squatting

toilets to western-style toilets by this year, a year before the Olympic Games are coming to Tokyo.

The difference between high-tech toilets and the squatting toilets is huge in terms of comfort, and the effort it is requiring from cleaners to clean the two types of toilets. It does say a lot about Japan’s attitude towards change: on the one side, it is leading in developing cutting edge technology – also in the cleaning sector (we looked at cleaning robots in the February/March edition of ECJ) – but Japan is a very traditional and conservative country as well. Some things are better left untouched, like squatting toilets.

A change in mindset Yet some of the changes that are happening signal a changing mindset in the sanitation and cleaning industry.

Aware of the demographic reality that the population is shrinking, it seeks possibilities to clean more with a smaller group of cleaning staff. This is an issue European nations are struggling with as well. Therefore it would be worth looking into for European policy makers - to see how we can leap into the digital age and make the work of cleaners much easier.

Narita Airport, Tokyo

Au Japon, les toilettes, que ce soit celles d’un bureau ou d’un lieu public, revêtent un caractère quasi-sacré.

Bien qu’ils soient déjà très avancés sur ce plan, les Japonais continuent d’investir dans de nouvelles technologies tendant à faciliter la tâche du nettoyeur.

Bobbie van des List en rend compte.

In Japan sind Waschräume fast heilige Bereiche – egal, ob es sich um diejenige im Büro oder einfach eine öffentliche Toilette im Park handelt. Obwohl sie bereits hervorragend sind, investieren die Japaner weiterhin in neue Technologie, die das Reinigen erheblich erleichtert. Bobbie van der List berichtet.

In Giappone, le sale da toilette sono quasi delle aree sacre, sia che siano in un ufficio o semplicemente un bagno pubblico in un parco. Nonostante siano già di livello eccellente, i giapponesi continuano a investive in nuove tecnologie che rendono molto più facile il lavoro del personale addetto alle pulizie. Ce ne parla il corrispondente Bobbie van der List.

April/May 2019 | ECJ | 37

SMART SOLUTIONS

Why apps make sense More and more cleaning operations are being run on-site with the help of digital apps, which can offer a wide range of management information including quality auditing, daily reports, instant reporting and staff time & attendance. ECJ speaks to a developer of the technology, and a cleaning company seeing significant benefits from it.

Digitisation – the buzzword in the professional cleaning sector over recent years. We have seen the launch of robotic machines, online fleet management services, smart washroom dispensers – the list goes on. There is also a plethora of apps available, enabling cleaning businesses to organise their workforce better, gather data and improve the service to the client.

While they are widely acknowledged as being an invaluable tool in raising efficiency and transparency, the introduction of apps within a cleaning business does raise certain issues which must be addressed – privacy of the operative for example. Dirk Tuip heads up FacilityApps, a business specialising in developing apps for cleaning companies.

“Each European country has its own issues around privacy - the one affecting all of them is GDPR,” he explains. “In the Netherlands and Belgium for example, there is a law to say employers must know where their employees are and they must be able to prove where they are and when. This is partly in an attempt to tackle black market working. In Germany too there are strong laws and a focus on privacy of the individual.”

So how has legislation affected the development of his apps? “Firstly there must now be an expiry date on important and personal documents,” says Tuip. “This means employees can have the option to

38 | April/May 2019 | ECJ

request that documents be deleted and not saved in the data.

“With regards to GPS functionality,” he continues, “ the employee must be made aware of when they are being tracked and they have the option to switch that function off. In my experience many people now accept they are being tracked as they go about their work, certainly at team leader level.”

Questions have been raised about the situation with data that has been generated by cleaning operatives while they are working. Speaking to ECJ in 2018 Eddy Stam, head of property services at UNI, the global trade union, asked: “If a cleaning company is gathering data on workers via their smartphone and they are being tracked, who owns that data? The cleaner could be using their own phone.

The employer could have information on how fast that cleaner is moving around a building, which areas they are going to. What is the employer doing with that information, how long is it stored? Whose property is it?”

Stam was unsettled by the fact employers could be gathering data from various systems, which means they can effectively vet their workforce. “So what do they do with that data? Can they dismiss an employee on the back of it?

What exactly do they store? Does it go to the extent of monitoring toilet visits, how long those visits are, etc?

“And what if the client on a cleaning contract wants to see that employee data? What then? Who owns it - worker, cleaning company or client?”

Tuip replies: “The cleaning company that buys the app owns the data contained within it. That data can certainly be used to discipline employees if necessary - which makes absolute sense for the employer because this is a real pain point for cleaning companies – knowing where staff are, and when they check in to work.”

This approach is absolutely justified when the cleaning company is seeking to improve its service to the client, he

continues. “Not only that, when the cleaning company knows exactly what the cleaner is doing, the supervisor can maybe help them to be better and more efficient in their daily tasks.”

Tuip highlights the fact that as long as cleaners know their rights and agree to the times when they will be tracked and when they will not, then it comes within the requirements of their job. “And remember there is also a safety benefit to knowing where employees are.”

He concludes: “Contract cleaning businesses are not gathering data for any gain, or to sell it. They simply want to do a better job. In that respect the introduction of GDPR punishes many smaller companies for the behaviour of the tech giants, who are gathering data about us continuously.”

One company very much seeing the benefits of adopting digital technology is Cordant Cleaning. Its managing director Guy Pakenham describes the app that has been developed for his business as “absolutely fantastic”.

“It’s all about management information, which is so important for us and for our clients – and has become increasingly so in recent years,” he explains. “We now live in a world of auditing. Safety, working time, right to work: there is so much legislation that we are now not just about cleaning. Our clients need as much information as possible as they have to be responsible for their sub-contractors.”

Based in the UK, Cordant specialises in transport cleaning and daily office cleaning. The business uses its app for a variety of different functions: Auditing the quality of cleaning. That can be either bus/train or premises. The app can be used to take questions from the specification, it can take photos, upload files and the user can also put a signature on it. When submitted it goes to the portal or can be emailed. Via the dashboard all analytics are put into context and trend analysis is carried out.

Continued page 40

SMART SOLUTIONS Why apps makes sense (continued) Daily report. At the end of each shift the user goes into the app and it asks a series of questions. “We are always aiming to achieve a ‘green day’,” explains Pakenham, “that is, a situation where all questions are ticked green.” The client can also monitor what’s happening remotely.

Cleaning data. This manages what got cleaned, and when. “For example, buses may need periodic cleaning,” explains Pakenham, “so we can input when each vehicle had its last deep clean or annual clean. This helps us to achieve our KPIs.” Instant reporting. This allows the operator to report incidents immediately and upload photos.

Time and attendance. This system employs NFC (near field communication) tags. “For basic cleans at remote sites we must prove our operative has been there, so it means cleaners logging in and then

out. Clients expect this level of service.”

How have staff responded to the new app-based way of working? “We have had no resistance to the new technology because it gives them clarity and takes away paperwork,” replies Pakenham.

The key users of the app are site-based managers and supervisors. Operatives sometimes use it for time and attendance, quality, what cleaned when etc. The clients also have access to it.

And the reaction from clients has been extremely positive. “They love the functionality,” adds Pakenham. “We deal with many people who live in a world of paper and it does take some convincing to persuade them to change sometimes.

However the majority now do see the many benefits the app offers.”

For Cordant Cleaning as a business, app-based technology is offering very

Un nombre croissant d’opérations de nettoyage sont menées à l’aide d’applications numériques susceptibles de fournir des informations de gestion variées, telles que des audits de qualité, des rapports journaliers, le signalement instantané, et des données de présence. ECJ s’entretient avec une développeur actif dans cette technologie et avec une entreprise qui a su en tirer parti.

Immer mehr Reinigungsbetriebe werden vor Ort mithilfe digitaler Apps geleitet, die eine breite Palette an Managementinformationen, einschließlich Qualitätsprüfung, tägliche Berichte, Sofortberichte und Mitarbeiterzeit und -anwesenheit, bieten können. Das ECJ führt ein Gespräch mit einem Entwickler der Technologie sowie einem Reinigungsunternehmen, das daraus große Vorteile zieht.

significant benefits. Firstly, it frees up management and supervision time. “So much time was previously spent on administration and now our managers are free to do their job,” says Pakenham. “We are also contractually obliged to provide this level of information by our clients and to do that with paper can be variable and it could leave us exposed.”

“Crucially, so much information and data is now available to us and that leads to improvement. We are no longer taking action based on our perception, but on facts and figures.”

Cordant carries out 10,000 audits per month. “But this is not just a sea of meaningless data,” Pakenham is keen to emphasise. “The app formulates it and delivers it in an easy-to-understand way.”

Seventy per cent of the business is now using the technology.

Un numero sempre maggiore di operazioni di pulizia vengono svolte sul posto con l’ausilio di app digitali che sono in grado di offrire una ampia gamma di informazioni di gestione quali i controlli della qualità, i resoconti giornalieri, le rilevazioni istantanee e gli orari e le presenze del personale. ECJ parla con un responsabile dello sviluppo della tecnologia e con un’impresa di pulizie che vede i vantaggi rilevanti che ne emergono.

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BATTERIES

Many shapes and sizes Batteries come in all shapes and sizes. But how far does the environment in which cleaning takes place influence the type of battery you choose to power your machine, asks Ann Laffeaty?

Battery-powered cleaning machines offer a number of benefits for the end user.

They remove the need for the operator to rely on an external power source, and they eliminate the tripping hazard of an electrical cable.

Flooded, AGM and gel batteries have long been used in cleaning machines but the industry is developing all the time. Lithium ion batteries are becoming increasingly popular while new technologies using sodium ion, magnesium ion and lithium air are also coming on stream.

So, how do cleaning companies choose between this large assortment of batteries when powering their machines?

And how far does the environment in which cleaning take place dictate the type of battery required?

Customers who need an ergonomic, lightweight machine usually opt for a smaller battery says Kärcher floorcare product manager Cassio Murillo. “They also choose a small battery if they want a hand-held window vacuum or a compact machine that is easy to transport and store,” he said.

On the other hand, larger batteries offer a greater energy capacity in environments where autonomy is the main focus, he says. “For example, a big ride-on scrubber dryer in a large warehouse needs to be able to clean a sizeable area with one fully charged battery, and factors such as weight would not be so relevant here.”

Time is a valuable commodity - and a powerful battery can generate savings of up to 25 per cent, he claims. “Since studies indicate the cost of labour can be as much as 85 per cent of the total cleaning bill, the

44 | April/May 2019 | ECJ

potential for savings is clear,” he said.

According to Murillo, larger batteries are used in environments where productivity is key. “You need to weigh up the time spent actually working with the machine against the time it takes to charge or change the battery, since the machine cannot be used while the battery is charging,” he said.

Flooded batteries – generally among the lowest-cost options available - are mainly used in more price-sensitive sectors, he says. “Flooded batteries tend to be the most economically viable option in capacity areas beyond 240/300 Ampere hours, but you need to remember to keep the fluid levels refilled,” he said.

Traditional batteries remain popular in the cleaning industry due to their lower price compared with Li-ion products, says Murillo. “However, the benefits of Li-Ion mean they’re becoming more popular every year and the challenge is to make them affordable so that they can replace bigger batteries in big machines,” he said.

He says Li-ion batteries perform better than traditional ones in harsh environments while still delivering high energy. Lead acid batteries can lose up to 70 per cent of their capacity.

“The ability to use a battery at low temperatures does not automatically permit charging under these conditions, because charging is more delicate than discharging,” he points out. “Bitterly cold conditions can make charging more difficult – particularly with Li-ion. And careless charging at low temperatures can inflict permanent damage to the battery.”

Kärcher offers a range of batterypowered machines including vacuum cleaners, sweepers and scrubber-dryers powered by Li-Ion. TPPL product manager EMEA at EnerSys Martin Walsh says larger batteries are required for cleaning in large areas where greater autonomy is needed.

“Ride-on machines are generally powered by bigger blocks or even 2V cells,” he said.

“Bigger machines are sold based on the

square meterage of the area.

“In challenging environments there is a need for a robust motive power solution that can overcome misuse and that requires little maintenance – such as no water to be topped up. On the other hand, small walk-behind machines require small batteries with a high volumetric and gravimetric energy density, such as those in our NexSys TPPL range.”

NexSys 2V batteries are based on Thin Plate Pure Lead (TPPL) technology and are said to be non-spillable while producing low gas emissions.

Safety is always a concern for EnerSys, according to Walsh. “All batteries emit hydrogen during recharge, so using products with low emissions enhances safety,” he said.

Many considerations A customer’s battery choice needs to take in a number of considerations, says Battery Supplies general manager Alexander De Soete. “Each type of technology offers its own advantages and customers will weigh up the benefits along with the price and the environment in which cleaning will take place,” he said.

Most cleaning machines today are equipped with lead batteries, he claims.

“For price reasons customers may opt for a PZS flooded monoblock or a US Deepcycle battery,” he said. “These offer a long life if they are treated correctly and if good maintenance is ensured.

“Alternatively, gel batteries offer fewer cycles than open battery technologies but have the benefit of being completely maintenance-free.”

Battery Supplies offers a new range of lead carbon batteries said to combine the benefits of a long life with maintenancefree energy.

Heavy lead options tend to be preferred in situations where operating times are fixed and where batteries are discharged deeply during each shift, he said.

“Since the battery will be used in the same way each time there will be no need for intermediate charging or fast charging,”

BATTERIES he said. “So lead batteries will commonly be used in environments such as shopping centres, large warehouses and airports.”

He adds that lithium-ion batteries tend to be preferred in harsh environments where a lightweight machine is required.

“Since last year we have seen a big increase in requests for lithium ion batteries which can be charged very quickly and allow for intermediate or opportunity charging,” he said. “These processes will cause lead batteries to sulphate, but lithium batteries have been developed to allow this which means a machine powered with Li-ion can operate for three shifts without any problem.”

Safety should always be a concern, and care must be taken to choose the right environment for charging and maintaining batteries, according to De Soete. “However, lithium ion batteries may be charged anywhere because they are emission-free.”

He says the customer’s battery choice should take into account the type of industry in which the cleaning machine is operating. “For example, all batteries used in the food and pharmaceuticals industries

should be sealed in order to eliminate the risk of any liquid being spilled.”

And it is also important to consider where the machine will be used and how intensively it will be employed, says De Soete. “For example, will the battery be deeply discharged, or will the shifts be short? For how many shifts will the machine need to run, and will fastcharging be required? Will the operator ensure a good level of maintenance, and in what temperature conditions will the machine operate?”

The environment that needs to be cleaned typically dictates the type and size of the floor machine required to clean it, says Trojan’s OEM sales manager Thomas Weiss. “If you need to clean a small, compact area you will want a machine that is easy to control and move around,” he said. “And if you are a mobile cleaning service you will require a smaller machine that you can transport to various locations.

“On the other hand, larger machines with more battery capacity will be employed to meet the longer run-time requirements of facilities such as shopping centres, airports, hospitals, universities,

entertainment centres and warehouses since these have large surface areas.

Longer run-times require more capacity – and this translates into larger batteries.”

He says flooded lead acid batteries are particularly popular in cleaning because they may be used for any floor cleaning application. “They are also the most economical energy storage device available,” said Weiss.

“However, due to concerns of possible spillages resulting from the machine tipping over – along with issues concerning the gas produced from charging the flooded lead acid batteries – sealed batteries may be preferred in areas such as schools, hospitals and other public areas,” he said. “Sealed lead-acid or AGM batteries contain acid that is absorbed in the glass mat separator, making the battery non-spillable.

“And AGM batteries generate a very small amount of gas when charging compared with flooded lead acid batteries.”

Trojan offers flooded lead acid, AGM, gel and lithium-ion options. Its latest launch is the lightweight Trillium lithium-ion battery Continued page 46

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BATTERIES Many shapes and sizes (continued) which has built-in diagnostics and is suitable for use in any environment, according to Weiss.

Narrow, restricted areas need to be cleaned using a lightweight machine that is easy to transport, says IPC communications manager Gabriella Bianco. “Similarly an open-plan office space with multiple desks, chairs and electric cables will also require a compact and manoeuvrable machine powered by a lighter battery,” she said.

“On the other hand, longer periods of autonomy will be required when cleaning a large shopping centre, warehouse or airport.

Here a big battery with a corresponding charger package will reduce recharge times and maximise runtimes.”

According to Bianco machines powered by flooded batteries should only be used in areas where the recharge point is in a wellventilated open space in order to minimise the risk of explosion.

“However, flooded batteries have the advantage of being able to withstand a higher number of loading cycles than other products and they last longer than gel or AGM batteries,” she said.

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Safety should be a key consideration in certain industries, she adds. “In environments where there is a fire risk such as in the mining, fireworks and electronics industries for example, there should be detailed rules on the appropriate charging location,” said Bianco.

Most IPC scrubber dryers are powered using the company’s Double Battery Life technology which is said to optimise charging cycles and increase battery life by up to 100 per cent.

So, how far does the environment in which cleaning takes place influence the choice of battery power? The application is actually more important than the environment according to Kärcher’s Cassio Murillo, while Trojan’s Thomas Weiss says the time required to clean the given area should also be considered. “It is the size of the machine – plus the required run-time - that will dictate the battery size, system voltage and battery construction,” he said.

However Martin Walsh from EnerSys claims it is the size of the area to be cleaned plus the size of the machine to be used that will generally dictate the type of battery. And IPC’s Gabriella Bianco concurs. “The size of the cleaning area will determine which machine will be used and how it will be powered – so in other words, the environment is the key point,” she said.

Dans quelle mesure l’environnement des travaux de propreté dicte-t-il le type de batterie requis ? Ainsi, y a-t-il des environnements dans lesquels une batterie plus petite et légère offre la meilleure option dans la mesure où elle permet le transport plus facile de la machine ? Et y en a-t-il d’autres où une bonne autonomie est indispensable pour obtenir une meilleure productivité ? Arrive-t-il aussi que des considérations de sécurité dictent le type de batterie à utiliser ?

In welchem Maße schreibt die Umgebung, in der die Reinigungsarbeiten ausgeführt werden, vor, welcher Akkutyp erforderlich ist? So gibt es Umgebungen, in denen ein kleinerer, leichterer Akku die beste Option darstellt, damit die Maschine einfacher zu transportieren ist.

Gibt es andere, bei denen lange Zeiten autonomer Arbeit von ausschlaggebender Bedeutung sind, um die Produktivität zu optimieren, oder bei denen Sicherheitsbedenken die Art des eingesetzten Akkus vorschreiben?

Fino a che punto l’ambiente in cui si effettuano le pulizie detta il tipo di batteria necessaria? Per esempio, ci sono degli ambienti per cui una batteria più piccola e più leggera è l’opzione migliore per i quali la macchina può essere trasportata più facilmente? E altri ambienti per i quali estesi periodi di autonomia sono essenziali per massimizzare la produttività o dove i rischi per la sicurezza dettano il tipo di batteria da utilizzare?

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BUSINESS: CUSTOMERS

Dealing with hellish clients

Your customers are not perfect angels.

You accept their halos may slip from time to time. But you will likely have had run-ins with customers so hellish to deal with they can only have been spawned

by Saturn himself. Hartley Milner shares a few of his own encounters with…the Client from Hell!

Demons that bedevil the corporate world are far from the horned goat-like creatures of folklore that prance around on cloven hooves mischievously poking their victims with a pitchfork. Neither are they interested in bagging your soul. No, they are sustained by feeding upon your misery, which they seek to ramp up at every opportunity.

And now you are hearing your tormentor is on the line again, just as you are frantically preparing for a deal-clinching meeting later that day. You wonder at their uncanny timing. Then your thoughts start to race between the different scenarios that may be about to unfold.

Whatever the caller wants, you know it will mean you jumping through a whole

48 | April/May 2019 | ECJ

lot of flaming hoops to meet their preposterous demands.

But your loyalty to your customers is strong. So you take a deep breath and pick up the phone. The following are actual conversations I had with nightmare clients over a career in corporate publishing.

Local government communications director. This demon’s ploy was to assign her minions to work with us on a project and only jump in herself at the final stages of the process when she could wreak maximum carnage. We were awaiting the client’s approval to send the council’s magazine to press but heard nothing back.

My polite email and voicemail reminders that the print deadline was looming fast went unanswered. Then, finally, a call…

Client: “Good morning. Firstly, I appreciate you have a job to do but so have I, and my priorities have been elsewhere these past few days. What I do not appreciate is being harassed by our suppliers. Please remember that in future. Now, I have had an opportunity to look at these pages and I am not happy with them.”

Uncanny timing Me: “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. So what don’t you like in particular?”

Client: “Well, for one thing they do not reflect the political make-up of the council. I’m surprised you didn’t pick up on that yourself.”

Me: “In all honesty, I wasn’t aware that they had to. Our choice of colours has always been determined simply by how we feel they best enhance the design.”

Client: “Well, you are aware now. So please go through the publication and change all the colours to only the brand colours of the political parties. And make sure they’re proportionate to how the parties are represented on the council. For example, the controlling party is Labour and their colour is red, so I want to see mostly red.”

By now I was seeing red myself, but replied meekly: “Right, will do… anything else?”

Client: “Yes, I need to reassign some of stories to different pages and replace a number of images. I will send everything

BUSINESS: CUSTOMERS over along with the marked-up proofs later today. When can I expect to receive the revisions? I will be in meetings for much of tomorrow and will have only a very narrow window of opportunity to review them.”

Me: “Well, it will depend on the amount of changes required, but I will pull out all stops to make sure you get fresh PDF proofs first thing tomorrow.”

The client was as good as her word.

Her revisions did indeed arrive later that day… much, much later when my staff had all cleared off! That left yours truly alone in the office with a pile of changes that dwarfed Everest, and they had to be completed in double quick time. So with coffee pot percolating away and munching on pizza I set about the task in hand. I will not go into the gory details, except to say that it required gutting the entire publication and remaking most of the pages. Dawn was breaking over the gasworks by the time I had forwarded a new set of proofs and could shuffle off zombie-like to snatch a couple of hours in the sack.

The email that pinged in contained not so much as a nod to my night’s diligence, simply a terse message that she was “too busy to look at the pages just now” and they would have to wait until tomorrow.

My tactful but firm response was that the printer required the finished artwork by this evening and there would be a thumping cost penalty to the council should the publication miss its print slot.

This appeared to concentrate her mind and with a frantic final push we made the deadline. Then on receipt of our invoice the client had the gall to say she was disappointed I had charged for the extra work when the council was having to make sweeping austerity cuts to its services.

Firm response Pharmaceutical company HR manager: “This front page group pic, can you please Photoshop out the person third from left? They’ve just left the company

under a cloud.”

Me: “Er…mmm…yes, we could but it would leave a large hole.”

Client: “Well, couldn’t you shuffle the other people around a bit to take up the space? We can’t leave it as it is.”

Me: (detecting a hint of irritation in her voice): “OK, leave it with us, we’ll see what we can do.”

Our head designer worked his usual magic and the results after several hours’ toil were nothing short of miraculous. But then, just as we were about to send the image back for the client’s approval, the email: “Don’t bother, I’ve just had the photo retaken. I will forward it to you shortly.”

Bus company marketing manager.

“Why have you sent the proofs in this state…I see the copy has fallen off some of the pages!”

Me: “I think if you expand the PDFs you will find the overmatter on the pasteboard.

It’s what we do when we can’t fit the editorial within the parameters of the pages. Perhaps I could ask you to make the cuts where indicated.”

Client: “Oh, yes, I see now. But I cannot do anything about the copy…it’s all been approved by the heads of department. You will just have to find a way to fit it all in.”

Me: “We could have a go, but it would be a ‘quart into a pint pot’ exercise and mean drastically reducing the size of the text and headlines, and reducing the images to the size of postage stamps. I fear you will basically be left a great wodge of copy that will be virtually unreadable.”

Client: “Well, go ahead anyway and then send me a fresh set of proofs for review.”

Then later that day, after we had dutifully complied…“Yes, I agree, it does look somewhat cramped. I will make the cuts you requested.”

This was all very frustrating as we always provided clients with guidelines ahead of starting a project to help avoid “copy falling off pages”. But what can be even more exasperating is when you

have been put through the mill for no gain whatsoever. Such was the case when we quoted to retain a contract with a regional police authority.

The cash-strapped authority was scrambling round looking for ways to divert money to front-line policing and believed it could cheaply replace its print magazine with an online version. Our IT offering was in its infancy at the time, but we decided to give it a go. Anyone who has bid for a public sector contract knows it can be a minefield. Showing you can do the job is not enough; the procurer needs to know you are up to date with employment and health and safety legislation, and have strong CSR (corporate social responsibility) policies in place.

Time wasters We put a huge amount of work into creating an ‘all singing, all dancing’ e-mag and after a nail-biting few weeks were thrilled to hear we had won the contract.

Then…the bombshell email: “Regretfully, for technical reasons, we are unable to proceed with the online magazine.

However, we want you to continue producing the print version for the time being.” We later heard the “technical reasons” were that the authority had launched the procurement process without checking its IT systems had the capacity to run an online magazine.” There should be a law against wasting a supplier’s time!

Other clients are more playful sprite than demon. A leisure chain asked if we could produce a spoof red-top front page to mark its ceo’s retirement. They provided the images and a few anecdotes about him for us to write up. “Don’t be too respectful, you’ll see we haven’t,” the contact chortled.

Then, a few days after we sent over the mock-up…“There’s a Mr Angry on phone asking for you.”

It was the boss himself. “I understand you played a big part in this piss-take,” he barked. “Well, it’s outrageous, simply outrageous… outrageously amusing. Thank you.”

The closing date for entries to the European Cleaning & Hygiene Awards 2019 - organised

by ECJ - is June 17. There are 10 categories, relevant to cleaning companies, distributors and manufacturers. Visit the website now and submit your entry! echawards.com Comme vos clients ne sont pas des saints, vous acceptez qu’ils vous causeront des problèmes de temps à autre. Mais il est probable que vous ayez eu affaire à des clients particulièrement difficiles. Notre correspondant industriel, Hartley Milner, présente des cas réels de « clients venus de l’enfer ».

Ihre Kunden sind keine perfekten Engel, und sie akzeptieren, dass sie Ihnen gelegentlich Probleme bereiten. Aber wahrscheinlich sind Ihnen auch einige besonders schwierige Kunden begegnet.

Geschäftskorrespondent Hartley Milner erzählt einige Begebenheiten aus dem wahren Leben über „höllische Kunden“.

I vostri clienti non sono perfetti e voi accettate che vi daranno di tanto in tanto dei problemi. Ma è probabile che ne avrete incontrato qualcuno estremamente difficile in passato. Il corrispondente Hartley Milner ci racconta delle storie reali di “clienti infernali”.

April/May 2019 | ECJ | 49

PULIRE

Industry heads to Verona for Pulire show Pulire, the Italian professional cleaning exhibition, is set to take place from May 21-23 in Verona - organisers say 76.33 per cent of the more than 300 exhibitors are Italian companies while 23.67 per cent are foreign, representing 21 nations.

According to the organisers say visitors will include facility managers, contract cleaning companies, distributors, importers and buying groups.

Alongside the exhibition is a comprehensive programme of conferences and seminars taking place over the three days.

Themes include GPP tools for professional cleaning companies: in-depth analysis on new CAM and Ecolabel Cleaning services; Afidamp Machine Manual: teach safety in ECJ passe en revue les produits et services qui seront exposés au salon Pulire, qui aura lieu à Vérone, en Italie, du 21 au 23 mai.

50 | April/May 2019 | ECJ

the use of machines with man on board; Cleaning for Health - disinfection principles management of contracted services; and sanitation of hydraulic systems. There will also be a session on laboratory tests, regulatory and technical consultancy for product approval activities Also taking place for the first time is the presentation of the prize for Product of the Year. The jury of industry experts has evaluated all entries on the basis of quality, reliability, environmental protection, efficiency, ergonomics and economy.

Another feature of the exhibition this year is Pulire Outdoor, an area dedicated to sweeping and urban cleaning.

Visit www.pulire-it.com for details.

Das ECJ beginnt mit seiner Vorschau auf die Reinigungsmesse Pulire, die vom 21.–23. Mai im italienischen Verona stattfinden wird.

ECJ inizia la sua anteprima della fiera di settore Pulire che si terrà a Verona, in Italia, dal 21 al 23 maggio.

PULIRE Numatic

joined the range - engineered with an advanced three-stage filtration system. And the cordless models are also on display. www.numatic.com

Comac Among the new launches on Numatic’s stand is the TRG720 ride-on scrubber dryer, designed for the most demanding environments and boasting a host of new features. Thanks to the Nu-Assist app, operators have instant access to multilingual training, troubleshooting and maintenance content straight from any smartphone or tablet.

The ECO-Matic line of trolleys, meanwhile, is user-friendly, efficient and simple to use. Sustainably engineered using Re-Flo technology, each one features Structofoam construction.

In terms of vacuum cleaners, the new Numatic HEPA has

The latest version of Comac’s ride-on scrubber dryer C85-100 features a touchscreen display, rear view camera, rear anti-collision sensor, a light pack, a spray gun and a vacuum wand.

This new model has been designed with the operator in mind, enabling them to interact easily with the machine in order to take full advantage of the various functions with the aim of optimising time and costs.

Suitable for use in large spaces the C85-100 can clean in any

environment, particularly where floor surfaces are difficult.

There are two versions. Essential has a streamlined look and offers everything needed for cleaning operations that focus on performance. Bright has a more elaborate appearance and offers performance combined with high levels of technology. www.comac.it

TWT Tools The Opera cleaning trolley, says TWT Tools, combines modern design with strength. Said to be robust and stable, Opera has been designed for easy manoeuvring, regardless of load.

And because it is a modular system Opera has an unlimited choice of configurations for adaptation to any environment. www.twt-tools.com

• Parmi les produits exposés sur le stand Numatir se trouvent l’autolaveuse autoportée TRG720 et la gamme de chariots de nettoyage ECO-Matic.

• Comac expose la version la plus récente de son autolaveuse autoportée C85-100.

• TWT Tools présente le chariot de nettoyage Opera et en souligne l’agencement moderne et la durabilité.

• Unter den neuen Produkten am Stand von Numatic befinden sich die Aufsitz-Scheuermaschine TRG720 und die Reinigungswagen der Produktfamilie ECO-Matic.

• Comac präsentiert die neueste Version der AufsitzScheuersaugmaschine C85-100.

• TWT Tools teilt mit, dass beim Reinigungswagen Opera modernes Design mit Strapazierfähigkeit kombiniert werden.

• Fra i prodotti esposti sullo stand della Numatic ci sono la lavasciuga pavimenti con operatore a bordo TRG720 e la linea di carrelli ECOMatic.

• La Comac espone la più nuova versione della sua lavasciuga pavimenti con operatore a bordo C85-100.

• La TWT Tools afferma che il carrello di pulizia Opera abbina il design moderno alla lunga durata.

April/May 2019 | ECJ | 51

PULIRE Arcora The Pu-Pad, says manufacturer Arcora, is tough and unbreakable and capable of cleaning up to 50,000 square metres. It can be used on any water resistant hard floor coverings.

Usable on both sides, the Pu-Pad is manufactured using only recycled materials and can be used with all cleaning machines.

Because of its high water absorption, the amount of water used in cleaning can be reduced.

pots, sinks, enamels, glass, mirrors, ceramic hobs etc. www.arcora-group.com

It also comes in different shapes and sizes. For cleaning in corners and smaller areas, for example, the Pu-Handpad can be used.

For areas where cement, limestone, adhesive and paint residues are a challenge Arcora has developed the Copper System.

These cloths containing copper promise scratch-free cleaning of

Filmop ErgoSwing is a new mopping system from Filmop consisting of telescopic handle with turning grip and mop holder with ergonomic joint designed for easy S movement. This makes for less strain and increased productivity, together with better floor cleaning performance it says.

Also new is Duo Pro System, a professional wringer designed to reduce operator effort and time.

The new system consists of an easy-to-use lever operated wringer and two buckets of 17 and 25 litres, which allow the operator to separate clean water from rinsing water. Duo Pro can be put onto Filmop’s Alpha line of trolleys. www.filmop.com

Lavor The latest scrubber dryer in Lavor’s range is Dart 36, a small and versatile machine suitable for floors up to 1,200 square metres. This makes it suitable for cleaning gyms, car showrooms, retail units, hospitals and schools says the company.

Features include narrow body design, automatic brush attachment and detachment, easily removable dirty water tank with a large inspection window for simple maintenance and cleaning, and large nonmarking wheels. www.lavor.it • Arcora présente ses tampons et essuyeurs de plancher Pu-Pad, qui contiennent du cuivre.

• L’ErgoSwing est le dernier lancement de Filmop, un système de balayage humide impliquant moins d’effort et plus de productivité.

• La Dart 36 est la nouvelle petite autolaveuse de Lavor pour des surfaces de jusqu’à 1200 mètres carrés.

• Arcora führt die kupferhaltigen Bodenpads und Wischtücher Pu-Pad vor.

• Bei ErgoSwing handelt es sich um die neueste Vorstellung im Angebot von Filmop: ein Moppsystem, das bei weniger Anstrengung eine höhere Produktivität bietet.

• Dart 36 ist die neue kleine Scheuersaugmaschine von Lavor, die für Bereiche bis zu 1.200 Quadratmeter konzipiert wurde.

• La Arcora espone i suoi dischi e panni per pavimenti Pu-Pad che contengono rame • Il nuovo prodotto lanciato dalla Filmop è ErgoSwing, un sistema mop che vanta minor affaticamento e maggiore produttività.

• Dart 36 è la nuova lavasciuga pavimenti di piccole dimensioni prodotta dalla Lavor e adatta per aree di grandezza fino a 1.200 metri quadrati.

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PULIRE Fimap

Kärcher

RCM

The new Fimap scrubber dryers - BMg small ride-on and MxL walk-behind - both feature the same Intelligent Drive (iD) system which allows the operator to set machine functions via a touchscreen display.

The SGG 1 is a new mobile steam cleaner from Kärcher designed specifically to remove chewing gum. Thanks to the latest battery technology it can operate uninterrupted throughout the day, using a fully biodegradable agent as well as steam to speed up cleaning.

Also new is the batterypowered hand vacuum cleaner HV 1/1 Bp, a cordless machine boasting powerful suction and

Boxer is the new compact robust sweeper from RCM that comes in diesel, dual fuel (petrol and LPG) and electric versions.

Features include the Dust Buster function, which makes Boxer efficient even in challenging environments because it collects dust raised by the side brushes. Boxer E, the electric version, is also suitable for closed environments. www.rcm.it

The iD also offers video tutorials and allows the operator to adjust water, detergent or pressure. Alternatively one of the set cleaning programmes can be selected: Eco Mode to save resources; Power Mode to clean particularly stubborn localised dirt; and zone programmes, which can be customised to meet more specific needs.

Other accessories are available such as Fimap Fleet Management (FFM) and the My.Machine app which provides information about cleaning operations on your smartphone. The Fimap Long Range (FLR) water recycling system can also be added, along with an accessory holder, technologies to save resources, a vacuum wand and a spray gun for cleaning the tanks. www.fimap.com • Les nouvelles autolaveuses de Fimap sont dotées du système de contrôle intelligent à écran tactile iD. • Sur le stand Kärcher, les visiteurs verront un nouveau nettoyeur mobile à la vapeur et un aspirateur portable à batterie.

• Sur le stand RCM sont exposées la balayeuse Boxer et la laveuse compacte GIGA.

• Die neuen Scheuersaugmaschinen von Fimap sind mit dem intelligenten Drive (iD)-Touchscreen-System ausgestattet.

• Besucher am Stand von Kärcher sehen einen neuen tragbaren Dampfreiniger und akkubetriebenen Handstaubsauger.

• Am Stand von RCM sind die Kehrmaschine Boxer und die kompakte Scheuermaschine GIGA zu sehen.

• Le nuove lavasciuga pavimenti della Fimap sono dotate del sistema Intelligent Drive (iD) touchscreen.

• I visitatori dello stand della Kärcher potranno vedere una nuova macchina per la pulizia a vapore portatile e un aspirapolvere portatile alimentato a batteria.

• Sullo stand della RCM sono esposti la spazzatrice Boxer e la lavasciuga pavimenti compatta GIGA.

savings of up to 25 per cent in working time. It can work for over half an hour without interruption at eco!efficiency level with reduced operating noise.

This machine is available in three versions with corresponding accessories. www.karcher.com

PULIRE

• Les visiteurs au stand TTS verront le nouveau système de balayage humide Uni, qui se signale par sa légèreté et sa fonctionnalité.

• Saturn est un nouveau piège à mouches signé Orma, qui fonctionne aux UV et présente un dessin attractif permettant son déploiement dans des espaces publics.

• Lindhaus présente la version numérique de son aspirateur à dos LB4 Superleggera.

• Besucher am Stand von TTS können das neue Moppsystem Uni sehen, das nach eigenen Angaben leicht und zweckmäßig ist.

• Bei Saturn handelt es sich um eine neue UV-Fliegenfalle von Orma, die dank des attraktiven Designs gut für den diskreten Einsatz in öffentlichen Bereichen geeignet ist.

• Lindhaus stellt die Digital-Version des Rücken-Staubsaugers LB4 Superleggera vor • I visitatori dello stand della TTS potranno vedere il nuovo sistema mop Uni che vanta leggerezza e funzionalità.

• Saturn è una nuova trappola per insetti a luce UV prodotta dalla Orma che vanta un design decorativo per l’uso discreto nelle aree aperte al pubblico.

• La Lindhaus ha lanciato la versione Digital del suo aspirapolvere dorsale LB4 Superleggera.

56 | April/May 2019 | ECJ

TTS Uni System is a mopping solution that aims to make cleaning easier thanks to the ergonomic design of the frame and the wide range of flat mops.

Designed by TTS Uni is said to reduce operator strain and enable effortless cleaning with faster training times.

The easy opening of the frame ensures a fast set-up of the tool while the block system joint allows the cleaning of vertical surfaces. And to limit cross-contamination the frame is equipped with a no-touch system for easy removal of the used mop.

The Uni System frame is designed to be used with a range of flat mops with micro flaps - the flat mops can be fixed to the frame quickly and they are anti-slip to make sure they remain attached during use. www.ttsystem.com

ORMA

Saturn from ORMA is the UV fly trap featuring an attractive design for use in public environments. It is very discreet - a cover hides the two UV lamps and the catches of the glue board. One trap covers 100 square metres and can be hooked on the wall both vertically and horizontally.

Also developed to tackle the challenge of flying insects indoors is Aircontrol S, an aero-

sol can that can be used alone or together with UV fly traps.

The formulation contains natural pyrethrum extract and can also be used inside electronic automatic dispensers. www.ormatorino.com

Lindhaus Following the launch of the LB4 Superleggera L-ion/Electric backpack vacuum cleaner Lindhaus is introducing a new Digital model that features a digital motor, selection of speeds, double the working time and one kilogram lighter weight.

The ergonomic backrest is fully adjustable with integrated accessories supports - it can also be equipped with an optional blower kit. The five-stage filtration system guarantees 99.91 per cent efficiency at 0.3 microns. And the optional four swivel wheels kit transforms the vacuum into a compact, ultra light canister. www.lindhaus.it

FLOOR POLISHING

Slip-sliding away There was a time when highgloss floors were all the rage in hospitals, schools, offices and in many other public facilities worldwide. But is the market for a high shine gradually slip-sliding away, asks Ann Laffeaty?

also been a trend towards more naturallooking products which has tipped the balance in favour of matt-look floors. And with ever-tightening budgets, customers have become increasingly concerned about the perceived high cost and labour involved in maintaining a high shine. So what is the future of the traditional shiny floor?

“From our experience, ultra-shiny floors remain very popular,” said Truvox UK sales manager Simon Constantine. “This is because companies continue to want to present a high-end image of quality to their customers.

No slip hazard It used to be the mark of a smart, upmarket facility. Being able to see one’s face in the highly polished floor of an office or hotel reception area would never fail to impress the guest or visitor.

And when attending a hospital, gym or school around 20 or 30 years ago, it was more or less expected that every hard internal floor of the facility would have a bright, shiny surface. In fact the higher the shine, the better our impression would be of the establishment in question.

Companies and institutions would go down the “shiny” route for various reasons. Managers of smart offices, restaurants and hotels would opt for a high shine as an appropriate reflection of the company’s own glossy image.

Schools and institutions tended to like the practical advantages of shiny surfaces which were deemed to be resilient and easy to clean. And healthcare authorities opted for hard, glossy floors because a high shine would create an impression of cleanliness and hygiene – something patients and visitors would find reassuring.

But in recent years the shine has started to come off the polished floor market for a number of reasons. An increased focus on health and safety plus an enhanced fear of litigation have led to a certain amount of reluctance to install floors that could potentially be a slip hazard. There has

58 | April/May 2019 | ECJ

“Shiny floors have an attractive appearance and it is a misconception that they are a slip hazard. In fact there have been many advances in flooring options that reduce the risk of slipping and falling.”

High-shine floors are particularly popular in retail and hospitality environments where the main priority is to attract customers, according to Constantine. “They are in demand in these types of venues because they have an attractive, pristine finish that presents the customer with a high-end image of the organisation,” he said. “Facilities such as hospitals and schools on the other hand tend to focus on the hygiene and safety aspects of flooring rather than its appearance.”

However he says shiny floors have the drawback of being harder to maintain, especially in high traffic areas. “Shiny floors also show up any marks,” he adds.

Constantine claims that the company’s Orbis UHS Cordless Burnisher rotary polisher – which provides up to two hours burnishing on a single charge – is capable of quickly producing a high-sheen finish over a large area.

IPC’s communications manager Gabriella Bianco agrees with Constantine that shiny floors are still very much appreciated by both customers and end users. “They tend to be installed in shopping centres, gyms, hotels, airports

and public institutions because the perception of cleanliness is a must in these types of environments,” she said.

“And it is important for cleaning operators to focus not only on how facilities will be cleaned but also on how they can enhance the users’ perception of a well-cared-for environment.”

Like Constantine she feels that a high shine is less important in applications such as schools and hospitals. “Here the attention will be more focused on the hygiene of the environment in question which means the chief priority will be the ability to thoroughly clean and sanitise the floor surface.”

With regard to trips and falls, she says these can be averted with the introduction of abrasive strips or synthetic decking designed to reduce the risks.

She concedes shiny floors have their drawbacks, however. “Any scratches on the floor or marks made from rubber shoes, heels, wheelchairs or prams will be more in evidence on shiny floors,” she said. “Meanwhile, there has been a recent trend towards more natural-looking floors because today’s ever-increasing concern for the environment has impacted on the choice of floor coverings – even in the home.

“Laminate, vinyl and tile products are beginning to feature more prominently in today’s flooring solutions as naturallooking surfaces become more popular than traditional wood. And people are increasingly choosing flooring products such as bamboo and cork, or floors made from recycled products or reclaimed materials.”

Machine fundamental She says the role of the machine is fundamental in achieving a high shine on a hard floor. “Not all machines are suitable for this task: you need to have the right brush and, in some cases, the correct detergent to attain the right results,” she said.

“There isn’t a magic formula for providing a long-lasting shine - this will

FLOOR POLISHING only happen with the aid of an ongoing maintenance programme and with the use of an appropriate machine.”

IPC’s CT 51 and CT 71 scrubber dryers are equipped with interchangeable brush heads that operate at 600 rpm and can be used with microfibre or diamonds pad.

“The diamond pad is particularly suitable for polishing marble floors and ceramic tiles,” said Bianco.

The high maintenance costs associated with shiny floors are among the key reasons for their decline in popularity, says Kärcher’s product manager Cassio Murillo.

“Floors with a glossy finish are easier to clean than matt ones because they are so much smoother,” he said. “On the other hand, a high-gloss look requires a more stringent maintenance programme because otherwise the surface will wear out fast. And factors such as abrasion and UV light will give them a dull, dingy or yellowing look while a high-gloss finish will also show up scratches, damage, dust and dirt more easily than other finishes.”

Health and safety considerations have also helped to bring about a decline in the market, he said. “The slick, smooth

surfaces of high-gloss floors become highly slippery when wet, increasing the risk of slips and falls,” he said.

However he agrees with other manufacturers that today’s non-slip floors can be very effective. “These promote safety by eliminating that super-slick surface,” said Murillo. “Gritty or textured surfaces can also mitigate this risk and reduce the possibility of falls, while noskid waxes and surfaces coated with grit create non-slip surfaces in otherwise slippery areas.”

Associated with cleanliness Environments such as hospitals and shopping centres still tend to prioritise shiny floors, he says. “High-gloss floors are associated with cleanliness and in the case of hospitals, they offer higher levels of hygiene because the super-smooth surface provides nowhere for bacteria and germs to hide and grow,” he said.

“This helps to keep patients safe while providing a healthier environment for visitors and staff.”

And shiny floors are still very much in evidence in shopping centres as well, he says. “Here the visually appealing shiny

floor provides an inviting environment which helps to attract more customers.”

A key advantage of a high shine is the fact that it brightens up a facility, according to Murillo. “The glossier the finish, the more reflection from lighting you’ll get,” he said. “And a highly reflective surface will require less illumination to produce a decent amount of light. This means that in some situations you can reduce your power usage because of the reflectivity.”

However he says matt floors offer the advantage of hiding minor scratches and dents while also masking the build-up from footprints and dust. “Matt floors don’t show the dirt as easily and they highlight the natural colour and texture of the floor,” he says. “And these benefits make matt surfaces more popular in facilities that receive a high level of foot traffic each day.”

A high quality, long-lasting shine may be achieved through a combination of the right floor maintenance machines, the appropriate accessories and the right chemicals, says Murillo. ”These will increase the efficiency of the operation Continued page 60

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April/May 2019 | ECJ | 59

FLOOR POLISHING Slip-sliding away (continued) while also reducing time and effort.”

Kärcher’s BDP 50/2000 Rs Bp Pack is a stand-on polisher said to combine the benefits of walk-behind and ride-on polishing machines. The company also offers a range of crystallising agents for use on marble and terrazzo floors that are said to produce a high-gloss finish and an increased resistance to wear.

Always popular So, what is the future of shiny floors? They will continue to remain popular because of the favourable impression they create, says Il fut un temps où l’usage de planchers brillants s’imposait dans tout établissement de dernière technique de l’art. Cependant, ce marché a perdu du terrain en raison de craintes suscitées par le risque de chutes et de glissades et des efforts nécessaires pour le maintien d’un fini brillant. De plus, les tendances ont porté sur des finitions de plancher plus naturelles.

Existe-t-il donc un marché pour les planchers de grand poli ou ce marché est-il en train de disparaître ? s’interroge Ann Laffeaty.

Es gab eine Zeit, da waren Hochglanzböden in praktisch allen hochmodernen Einrichtungen der letzte Schrei. Aber die Angst vor Rutschen und Stürzen, Bedenken wegen der Kosten und des Arbeitsaufwands, um den Hochglanz zu erhalten, und ein wachsender Trend zu natürlicheren Bodenbelägen haben den Markt geschmälert. Gibt es noch eine Zukunft für den auf Hochglanz polierten Boden oder rutscht dieser Markt fort, fragt Ann Laffeaty?

Murillo. “They make an instant statement that ‘we care’ and are more inviting and visually appealing than other types of floor surfaces,” he said. “And because they are shiny, many people associate them with cleanliness.”

IPC’s Gabriella Bianco concurs.

“A shiny floor definitely helps to improve the public’s perception of a facility,” she says. “A shine creates an impression of cleanliness and tidiness plus something bright, fresh and new. And customers are quick to notice details and will thank you whenever they see evidence of care being taken in their surrounding environment.”

C’è stato un periodo in cui i pavimenti ultra lucidi erano estremamente di moda in qualsiasi struttura d’avanguardia. Ma la paura di cadere e di scivolare, la preoccupazione per i costi e l’impegno di manteneri i pavimenti ultra brillanti e la tendenza crescente per delle pavimentazioni più naturali ha eroso il mercato.

Quindi, c’è un futuro per i pavimenti ultra lucidi o il mercato sta letteralmente scivolando via, chiede Ann Laffeaty?

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60 | April/May 2019 | ECJ

FLOOR PADS

Best pads for the planet Cleaning companies are seeking to make all aspects of their business more sustainable and that encompasses the pads they use on their floor cleaning machines. So what developments have floor pad manufacturers made in order to make their pads more environmentally conscious. What exactly constitutes a ‘sustainable’ floor pad? Derik Landman and Herma Oosterveld of Wecovi write exclusively for ECJ.

The floor pad market can be described as a challenging one because there are so many developments taking place. Floor pads are evolving all the time and so do the machines where pads are being used.

On the floor pad market you also have the ongoing demand for efficiency and technical opportunities to use various material for specific cleaning tasks. On the floor pad market but also on the cleaning market in general you also see the increasing demand for sustainable cleaning solutions. Floor pad suppliers need to adapt to all these developments on the market.

When defining sustainability on the floor pads market there are two angles.

First of all it has to do with the cleaning with the floor pad itself and how sustainable this process is. What you see is that in the last decade diamond pads for example have become very popular. Diamond pads are ideal to use with only water. This results in a reduction of chemicals which is of course a more environmentally friendly way of cleaning. On the other hand the sustainability of the floor pad itself it an important angle. How sustainable is the material of the pad?

On the market you see manufacturers

that are producing pads made out of 100 per cent recycled materials, manufacturers that produce pads partly made out of recycled material and manufacturers that make pads using no recycled materials.

The challenge for all producers in this is the end of life cycle solution.

If we are taking a look at how sustainable the pad market was 15 years ago, we clearly could see differences. At that time there was always the need for a cleaning chemical. Also the effectiveness of floor pads was not as high as it is nowadays because back then the cleaners had to perform an extra pass to get the right level of cleanliness - resulting in a higher usage of materials.

Nowadays the floor pad market is much more sustainable. The end of life cycle problem is something all manufacturers are facing. On the market, cleaners have the option to choose a sustainable product in the different categories of cleaning materials because the awareness about the importance of sustainability on the cleaning market is high. Cleaners could make the choice to use a cleaning chemical or opt for a product that is certified when looking for a product that is not only of high quality but also sustainable.

Key directions for innovation The importance of sustainability on the floor market is unmistakable. Sustainability is one of the key directions for innovation for manufacturers of floor pads. Pad customers are more and more demanding for sustainable solutions. Sustainability is a theme which has to do with how effective, how safe and how easy to use a product is for cleaners. The treatment of marble floors is a nice example to demonstrate this.

Nowadays you can clean these types of floors by using floor pads that only need the addition of water. Before, cleaners had no other option then to use a crystallisation pad with a crystallisation chemical.

The second step was then to take another pad to create gloss. A process that was far more difficult because cleaners had a

greater chance of making mistakes. The new method is much more easy to use.

Another example of development in this is floor stripping. That used to be done with a black pad and stripper - also quite complicated. Now we have chemical free stripping pads as either standard pads or diamond pads. The methods have changed. They have become more sustainable and more efficient because the job is done much more quickly and with a lower chance of making mistakes.

Process changes The manufacturing process for floor pads has also changed. Not only are fibres being used in the pads now being made out of recycled fibres so that plastic bottles are no longer simply emptied and thrown away in landfills, also more friendly resins are being used. This is a benefit for the production process of floor pads. It is less harmful when a floor pad is manufactured now.

The durability of the pad is also an important aspect in terms of sustainability.

How many square metres can be cleaned with a floor pad? Recent developments show that floor pads in general are designed to have a longer life span. For manufacturers on the market this is always a challenge in selling floor pads to cleaning companies. Once cleaning companies select one brand or another they do not only take into account the price levels of the products but of course the usage and life span are also very important. Cleaning companies can make a difference by being more aware.

After the floor pads are being used the material ends up in waste and landfills.

Fortunately, recent developments in floor pads are to be found in the fact that the pads biodegrade much more quickly in an active landfill then they did in the past.

What we have seen in recent developments is that different types of more sustainable pads are being used. For example diamond pads, melamine pads and brush Continued page 62

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FLOOR PADS Best pads for the planet (continued) pads. These are the innovations of the last decade that can be used with only water.

It is challenging for floor pad manufacturers that they should be aware of all the current developments on the market and that they have to make their pads more environmentally conscious. Machines for example are also drivers for floor pad innovation. Currently there are three types of developments. Oscillating floor machines are becoming more and more popular. Not only to clean in corners but also in general use. These types of machines require rectangular pads. A second development is compact cleaning machines. For these machines small scrub pads are required.

The third development is autonomous robotic machines that can clean for many hours so result in high services. These new Dans leur désir d’assurer la durabilité de tous les aspects de leur commerce, les entreprises de propreté se sont également penchées sur les tampons de nettoyage des sols qu’elles utilisent sur leurs machines. Ainsi, qu’ont fait les fabricants de tampons afin de témoigner d’une conscience environnementale plus poussée ? Que constitue, en fait, un tampon « durable » au plan environnemental ?

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machines require pads that are able to clean for a number of hours so they need to be able to absorb a great deal of dirt and still be effective.

Many pads available The CSR policies of cleaning companies are more extensive than before. Cleaning companies are required and stimulated to use environmental friendly methods and materials. Luckily for them there is a broad range of floor pads available that are certified. This allows cleaning companies to make use of these certifications to emphasise the fact that they are working in a sustainable way.

Cleaning companies find it important to care about the environment but of course they prefer to work with materials that are Reinigungsunternehmen bemühen sich darum, alle Aspekte ihres Geschäfts nachhaltiger zu gestalten, und dazu gehören auch die Pads, die mit Bodenreinigungsmaschinen eingesetzt werden.

Daher fragen wir, welche Entwicklungen die Hersteller von Bodenpads vorgenommen haben, um ihre Pads umweltfreundlicher zu machen. Was genau macht ein „nachhaltiges“ Bodenpad aus?

easy to use and have the best results. Cost saving methods are always welcome. It is therefore important for manufacturers of floor pads to find a good balance in offering a high quality but environmentally friendly product at a good reasonable price.

Choosing the best method of cleaning depends on different aspects such as the type of floor, the size of the floor and the building. Online tools from manufacturers might be a good help in this regard, such as floor pad apps. Fortunately there are many different floor pads and methods that cleaning companies can choose. By innovating the cleaning method, cleaning companies can save time, high standards can be reached and the level of sustainability will be high.

Le imprese di pulizia stanno cercando di rendere più sostenibili tutti gli aspetti della loro attività e questo comprende anche i dischi che vengono utilizzati sulle loro macchine per la pulizia dei pavimenti. Quindi, quali progressi sono stati fatti dai produttori per rendere i loro dischi più rispettosi dell’ambiente?

Cosa costituisce esattamente un disco per pavimenti ‘sostenibile’?

AIRPORT HYGIENE

Preventing terminal illness While air travel has revolutionised the way the world works, the ease of travel and the numbers of people doing it means airports can become significant vectors of disease and viral infection.

This makes hygiene management a particular challenge as cross contamination between passengers can allow bacteria to travel across the globe in a matter of hours.

The sheer number of passengers travelling through airports each day is staggering.

In 2017, Heathrow Airport experienced its busiest year ever, with an average daily footfall of 213,668 passengers. While air travel has no doubt revolutionised the way in which the world works – helping people cross continents to do business, go on holiday or visit friends and family, all within a relatively short space of time – the ease of air travel and the numbers of people using this mode of transport also means that airports can become significant vectors of disease and viral infection.

Passengers rushing to catch a plane or in transit between flights may unknowingly pick up or pass on microbes from their hands, clothes or luggage. Hygiene management in airports is a particular challenge as cross contamination between passengers can potentially allow bacteria and other microbial related illnesses to travel across the globe in a matter of hours.

Ensuring exceptional levels of cleanliness and hygiene is also important to delivering a high standard of customer service, with so much choice in transport options and destination, airport facilities managers need to ensure they deliver a great first impression.

Dissemination of disease Health and sanitation aspects of international traffic have been of concern to the World Health Organisation (WHO) since 1951, when the Fourth World Health Assembly recommended that all governments should “improve sanitary and environmental conditions, especially in and around ports and airports”. The concern over the role of air travel in the international spread of disease has only grown with the exponential rise in air travel, with annual air passenger traffic more than doubling in the last 15 years alone. With customers expecting a fast and frictionless journey through the terminal, airports may find themselves faced with a tradeoff between matching these expectations and protecting passenger health.

Space where the sick and the healthy can cross paths In some areas of an airport it can be hard to avoid having a large volume of passengers sharing the same space. Security and passport control are particular high-risk zones for person-to-person disease transmission, as queues of passengers wait to be processed. Unlike toilets or lobbies which can be temporarily closed for maintenance, the smallest interruption to airport security and passport control can create huge disruption. A recent study has shown that this desire to minimise closures or disruption contributed to poorer levels of hygiene in high-traffic airport areas.

Airport germ hotspots A study conducted by The University of Nottingham and The Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare looked into hygiene risk hotspots in airports. It found that the most notable item at airport security from a hygiene perspective is the plastic trays that are used to ferry carryon baggage and other small items through X-ray machines. Bacteria survives best on hard, non-porous surfaces, meaning these plastic trays provide an ideal environment for microbes to survive, and the study

found they harboured traces of Rhinovirus (source of the common cold) as well as the Influenza A virus. As the scientists who conducted the study explain, “these boxes typically cycle with high frequency to subsequent passengers and are typically seized with a wide palm surface area and strong grip”, enabling microbes to easily transfer from passenger to passenger.

As part of a wider study into airport hygiene conducted at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport in Finland, scientists swab-tested a series of common touch points, finding traces of harmful viruses on items such as payment keypads, divider glass at passport control and toys in the children’s play-area. Traces of airborne respiratory viruses were also found in high-density areas of the airport, with the Adeno virus appearing in one out of four of the samples taken.

The value of a disinfectant Hand disinfectants can form a longlasting barrier against microbes and can fight germs for hours after use. By providing passengers with hand hygiene stations in areas with high footfall – for example, at the entrance, in queuing areas, or before the X-ray machines – it could prevent pathogens from being spread from hands to security trays, without adding another layer to airport security which may cause disruption to service. Alcohol-free disinfectants are the best option, as they contain a quick and powerful germ-killing solution while being gentle on the skin.

Ideally, disinfectants should be dispensed with no touch operation to ensure the highest level of hygiene and should be strategically placed in either freestanding or wall-mounted stations so as to facilitate the flow of foot traffic. These stations should be clearly signposted, with eye-catching cautionary messages to remind passengers of the importance of hand hygiene in this area. Passengers will also speak a diverse range of languages, so well-worded and well-translated signs Continued page 64

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AIRPORT HYGIENE Preventing terminal illness (continued)

encouraging hygiene procedures are advisable.

In and outside the washroom While there are many touch-points that facilities managers should monitor throughout the terminal, washroom hygiene must remain a high-priority for cleaning staff at the airport. Toilets and washroom areas should be cleaned routinely, ensuring that high use items such as soap and paper towels are regularly re-stocked.

It may seem obvious, but effective handwashing goes a long way to improving overall hygiene levels. Frequent and thorough handwashing can decrease the presence of bacteria on hands by up to 80 per cent and reduce the risk of illness by up to 50 per cent ; particularly illnesses which are easy to pass on, for example gastrointestinal infections. The power of handwashing in the fight against the spread of infection and sickness should not be underestimated. Airport facilities managers should display and promote the following handwashing procedures for washrooms for all users to follow and help prevent the spread of bacteria and illnesses: 1. Wet your hands using clean, running water – preferably warm water – and apply soap, if possible using a notouch dispenser to avoid washroom Alors que le transport aérien a révolutionné le fonctionnement du monde, la facilité des voyages et le nombre des voyageurs, il signifie aussi que les aéroports peuvent devenir d’importants vecteurs de maladies et d’infections virales. La gestion de l’hygiène peut dont présenter un défi particulier parce qu’en raison de la contamination croisée entre passagers, des bactéries peuvent circuler autour du globe en l’espace de quelques heures.

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cross-contamination.

2. Rub soap all over your hands, covering the front and back, fingers, thumbs and nails.

3. Rinse your hands again with clean running water. The entire handwashing process should take around 20-30 seconds – that’s about the time it takes to sing happy birthday twice.

4. Dry your hands thoroughly. Damp hands spread 1,000 times more bacteria than dry hands, so the door handle of the washroom is likely to become contaminated if hand drying is missed.

Moving towards a touch-free experience Almost any surface that comes into contact with travellers can become a potential germ hotspot. With passenger numbers still growing, airport facilities managers have a vested interest in investing in new technologies which can help eliminate touchpoints along the passenger’s trajectory from entrance to gate.

There are a number of touch-free solutions available in airport washrooms, such as motion-activated toilet flushing buttons and soap dispensers.

Outside the washroom, biometric passport gates have become a welcome addition in airports for both passengers and the airports themselves, helping to cut Flugreisen haben zwar weltweit die Art, wie gearbeitet wird, revolutioniert, doch die Leichtigkeit, zu reisen, und die Anzahl der Reisenden bedeuten auch, dass Flughäfen zu maßgeblichen Überträgern von Krankheiten und Virusinfektionen werden können.

Aus diesem Grund stellt das Hygienemanagement eine besondere Herausforderung dar, da die Kreuzkontamination zwischen Passagieren Bakterien die Ausbreitung rund um die Welt innerhalb von Stunden ermöglicht.

both the time and staff required for passport security. These also help to reduce the number of touchpoints in the terminal, as the only contact that occurs when crossing the gate is between the inside page of a passport and the reader, rather than the actual passport changing hands between passenger and attendant.

Many airports have also become reliant on self-service kiosks to speed-up checkin, baggage drop, and flight transfers.

While cost-efficient, the hard surface of kiosk screens can be a breeding ground for germs so forward-looking airports are investing in a mixture of smartphone integration and facial recognition technologies for check-in, providing a zero-touch experience during the entire customer journey. These innovative solutions not only enhance and digitalise the allimportant customer experience, but also help to protect the health and wellbeing of passengers.

Final words Aiming for the highest possible hygiene standards should be an integral part of airport and aircraft operations in protecting public health. High numbers of passengers paired with numerous potential touch points present a unique challenge for hygiene, which is especially serious in the context of air travel, where local disease outbreaks can quickly elevate to epidemical levels.

However for every hygiene problem, there are innovative solutions on offer to help airport facilities managers ensure passengers enjoy a comfortable, clean and safe customer experience. Airport and facilities managers need to provide the right facilities for passengers – such as hand sanitising stations, signs promoting handwashing best practice, and zerotouch facilities. They also need to instil the right cleaning practices such as 24/7 cleaning schedules, with special attention being paid to high frequency touchpoints, and staff well versed in their roles. With both these things in place, airport facilities managers can deliver the high standards of hygiene to the hundreds and thousands of passengers that pass through airports each day.

Mentre i viaggi aerei hanno rivoluzionato il modo in cui il funziona mondo, la facilità dei viaggi e il numero di persone che viaggiano significa che gli aeroporti possono diventare dei vettori rilevanti di malattie e infezioni virali. Tutto questo rende la gestione delle pratiche di igiene una sfida particolare in quanto la contaminazione crociata fra i passeggeri può far si che i batteri viaggino attraverso il globo nel giro di poche ore.