SWEEPERS

Big event sweeping (continued from page 43) which technologies or models will be most suited to the task since different sweepers will be required in different areas.”

Floor cleaning serves several purposes after a large event, says Fleig. “For example it will help to reduce the risk of accidents while also preserving the floor covering and helping to prevent secondary contamination,” he said. “The type and size of debris plays a definite role in the sweeping challenge, as does the type of surface on which the event is held. These factors can determine which machine and what kind of cleaning tools to use, and what material the brushes should be made of.”

Machinery a problem

Larger machines can be used for sweeping up after events in indoor spaces or even in large outside areas that have a stable and even surface, he says. “However, an outdoor festival taking place on a grass surface that turns muddy - due to a lot of rain for example – can turn the use of machinery into a huge problem,” he said.

Most debris can be cleared away safely, even if the waste concerned is potentially hazardous, he adds. “In a normal situation the sweeper operator will have no direct contact with the waste itself because this will be collected either mechanically or through a suction system and then put in the big waste container,” he said. “Likewise, during the emptying process there will be no physical contact with the collected waste. However if the operator needs to manually pick up an item such as a used syringe he or she would have to be cautious.”

Quels sont les défis du balayage à l’issue d’une grande manifestation comme le Carnaval de Notting Hill à Londres, le couronnement du roi Charles III ou des festivals de musique ? Quels sont les problèmes à résoudre sur le plan des volumes de détritus, des types de débris et de l’accès aux lieux ? Et faut-il y déployer des types particuliers de balayeuse ?

Walk-behind battery-powered machines work well in medium to large-sized indoor areas, he says. “The fact these produce no exhaust emissions means they are ideal for cleaning indoor spaces, especially on hard surfaces such as coated and uncoated concrete subfloors,” he said. “They also work well on textile floor coverings and are available with an electric motor.”

Fleig recommends the use of walkbehind vacuum sweepers with a traction drive plus extraction and filter systems for medium-sized outdoor areas of up to 1,000 square metres in size.

“For larger outdoor areas spanning 1,500 square metres and above we advocate the use of ride-on vacuum sweepers because these will guarantee fatigue-free work,” he said. “They also have a large container volume and some of them come with a hydraulic high container for easy emptying.”

Wie schwierig ist die Reinigung nach einem großen Ereignis wie dem Karneval in Notting Hill, der Krönung des Königs, europäischen Musikfestivals usw.? Welche Herausforderungen stellen diese Art von Ereignissen in Bezug auf Müllmengen, Arten von Abfällen und Zugangsprobleme dar? Und welche Arten von Kehrmaschinen sind diesen schweren Aufgaben gewachsen?

Municipal suction sweepers and mechanical sweepers both use brushes to sweep up the dirt and transport it into a large, sturdy waste container, he said. “These machines offer different brush options to increase their working width and can be used to quickly clean up larger areas,” he said.

Fastest results

The fastest cleaning results can be achieved using a mechanical sweeper because this has the highest working speed, he says. “However, depending on the layout of the area, the more agile suction sweepers can also be a good choice,” he adds. “These machines can be driven to a container where they can empty their contents quickly, and then continue cleaning again straight away.”

He says Karcher’s MC 50, MC 80, MC 130 and MC 250 suction sweepers and the MCM 600 mechanical sweeper can all be used for cleaning up after a major event. “In addition we also offer a complete range of commercial sweepers starting from small mechanical walk-behind machines to industrial ride-on models,” he said.

So, what type of clean-up operations create the biggest headache for sweeper operators and why?

“Open air festivals – such as the Wacken Open Air heavy metal festival in Augustcome to mind,” said Fleig. “These types of event are not always held on big asphalt areas but on soft grass, which can create more problems when sweeping up.

“If there is rain involved too, using a machine to clean the area afterwards can be even more problematic. But the main challenge at any event relates to the sheer amount of debris that will have been left behind by the revellers.”

IPC by Tennant Company’s Chiara Molardi agrees that music festivals tend to create the biggest clean-up headaches. “Here the waste will often need to be separated into recyclables, general waste and potentially hazardous materials which adds complexity to the clean-up process,” she says.

Quanto è difficile spazzare le strade dopo un evento importante tipo il Carnevale di Notting Hill, l’incoronazione del Re, i festival europei di musica ecc? Quali tipi di sfide presentano questi eventi in termini di volumi di rifiuti, tipo di sporcizia e problemi di accesso? E quali tipi di spazzatrici sono all’altezza di questi difficili compiti?

THE TWILIT WORLD of cleaning can be a lonely, isolated place. And it can also be a dangerous one. Cleaners often work late at night or in the early hours of the morning when few people are around. They tend to be a multicultural workforce which means they frequently operate in alien environments where they are not native speakers.

And many have to work in the streets which involves venturing into the shadier parts of towns. So this means they often find themselves in situations where they are vulnerable, defenceless and open to abuse.

In November 2019 it was reported that two male council cleaners were badly beaten while carrying out their duties in northern Belfast. They were approached by two men in an alleyway in broad daylight who attacked them and stole one of their mobile phones. Both cleaners were left with facial injuries, though fortunately neither required hospital treatment.

Another UK street cleaner was not so lucky when driving a road sweeping vehicle in Middlesborough in November 2019. The 55-year-old sustained a serious facial injury after an air pellet shot through the window of his cleaning machine. Cleveland Police described the incident as a “sickening, callous, attack”.

A few months earlier in September 2019, street cleaners in Madrid were forced to seek police protection after being persecuted by local gangs. Municipal workers operating in three different areas of the Spanish capital were verbally abused, shot at with pellets and bombarded with eggs by local thugs.

And a similar story emerged when Glasgow street cleaners suffered a spate of verbal and physical attacks. These prompted calls that the operatives should be equipped with body cameras to help police catch the perpetrators.

So, why are so many of today’s cleaners being subjected to violence and abuse? It seems that it may be nothing personal but simply a by-product of working alone or