• 2 Stage brush speed control with vacuum selection
• HEPA Filter with automatic filter cleaning function
• Adjustable handles for ergonomic use
INCLEAN is published by
Niche Media Pty Ltd on behalf of ISSA – The Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association.
Ground Floor, 15 Paran Place, Glen Iris VIC 3146 Australia
CHAIRMAN
Nicholas Dower
MANAGING DIRECTOR, GROUP PUBLISHER
Paul Lidgerwood
EDITOR
Myke Bartlett
HEAD OF PARTNERSHIPS AND SALES
Elizabeth Distefano
MEDIA SALES AND PARTNERSHIPS EXECUTIVE
Shloka Yewale
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Alvin Wu
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
Taylar Morgan
EDITORIAL DESIGNER
Norsham Husaini
Print Post Approved Publication No.
PP: 255003/09765
AUSTRALIAN SUBSCRIPTION RATE
12 months (6 issues) - $66 (inc. GST)
To subscribe, email info@incleanmag.com.au
WEditor’s letter
elcome to the September and October edition of INCLEAN. As you’ll see, this is a bumper issue celebrating the 2024 ISSA Cleaning & Hygiene Expo, which takes place in Sydney this September. Inside, you’ll find a detailed list of exhibitors, workshops and everything this year’s expo has to offer. There’s so much to look forward to — and I hope to meet many of you there!
You’ll notice many of the speakers from the expo’s workshops and sessions pop up in this issue’s features, which include a deep dive into the challenges around procurement in an increasingly uncertain world and a discussion about the importance of psychosocial health in the workplace.
Looking ahead, we discuss planning for infection prevention at major events. With large gatherings back on the agenda, it’s essential to have solid plans in place to minimise health risks and ensure public safety.
And, as Australia weathers a tough winter for bugs and viruses, we examine the push towards clean air in schools — a vital step in protecting the health of young Australians and enhancing their learning environments.
This edition also features an inspiring profile on Lisa Michalson of Cleanstar. Lisa's extraordinary journey into the cleaning industry is a testament to perseverance and innovation. From difficult beginnings to becoming a key player in the market, her story offers valuable insights and lessons for anyone in the industry.
At INCLEAN, we strive to capture your voices and stories in every edition. Whether it’s the latest product innovations or the challenges faced by those on the front lines, this magazine is a platform for sharing the experiences and expertise that drive our industry forward. If you have a story to tell or a topic you think we should cover, we’d love to hear from you.
I hope you find the content within these pages both engaging and thought-provoking. Your feedback is invaluable in ensuring we continue to cover the issues that matter most to you. Don’t hesitate to get in touch — your input helps us keep the industry’s voice strong and relevant.
Happy reading,
Myke Bartlett Editor editor@incleanmag.com.au
Niche Media takes its corporate and social responsibilities seriously and is committed to reducing its impact on the environment. We continuously strive to improve our environmental performance and to initiate additional CSR based projects and activities. As part of our company policy we ensure that the products and services used in the manufacture of this magazine are sourced from environmentally responsible suppliers. This magazine has been printed on paper produced from sustainably sourced wood and pulp fibre and is accredited under PEFC chain of custody.
PEFC certified wood and paper products come from environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable management of forests.
KEEPING LEARNING SPACES SAFE & HYGIENIC
Discover Kuranda, the ultimate solution for effective cleaning and disinfection. This environmentally preferable commercialgrade disinfectant not only eliminates dirt and grime but also removes unpleasant odours and kills germs, reducing the risk of infection.
Enjoy clean, fresh surfaces with a pleasant floral fragrance. Ideal for all your cleaning needs in any facility, from educational institutions to corporate buildings.
1800 301 302 | sales@agar.com.au | agar.com.au
Key Benefits
Dual-action – cleans & disinfects
Kills germs & reduces spread of infection
Made from plant-derived surfactants
Biodegradable & phosphate-free
Long-lasting floral fragrance
Part of our professional colour coded system
IN THIS ISSUE
26
Psychosocial hazards on the radar
Cleaning industry leaders must navigate a new era of mental health as workplaces focus on wellbeing and psychosocial risks.
36 Securing supply in an insecure world
After four years of rolling catastrophes and disruptions to the supply chain, how can the cleaning industry plan for certainty in uncertain times?
52 ISSA Expo preview
Find out what to expect at this yearʹs ISSA Cleaning and Hygiene Expo.
66 What’s the game plan?
Olympics fever is fading, but a summer of sport awaits. How are major arenas working to keep players, performers and punters safe at major public events?
72 Clearing the air on healthy school cleaning
Ensuring cleanliness in schools is crucial for a safe and healthy environment for students and cleaners, especially in the fight against dangerous respiratory illnesses.
82 Profile: Lisa Michalson
After a challenging start to running her business, Lisa is using her hardwon success to bring about change to the cleaning industry.
84 Keeping Melbourne’s heritage venues alive and kicking
Managing any facility can be difficult, but heritage-listed buildings provide particular challenges.
90 Sustainable floor care can save money and hard work
A few simple steps can improve floor care efficiency and sustainability.
ISSA Cleaning and Hygiene Expo
11-12 September 2024
Australia’s premier trade event for the cleaning and hygiene industry will be held at ICC Sydney. cleaninghygieneexpo.issa.com
CleanNZ Expo
6-7 November 2024
Clean NZ Expo will take place at the Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre in Christchurch. cleannzexpo.co.nz
ISSA Show North America
18-21 November 2024
The premier trade show exclusively for the cleaning and facility management industries returns to Las Vegas. issashow.com
How facility managers can make bathrooms child-friendly and win customers
Using touchless taps and providing baby change stations can make parents more likely to visit.
Thinking green for hotel bathrooms
Five simple tips that don’t sacrifice customer comfort for sustainability.
Putting data-driven cleaning into practice
Data analytics beat guesswork and intuition for improving cleaning efficiency.
Understanding your customer experience through data
Financial metrics might sound complicated, but can make a simple difference to your customer service.
Sustainable floor care can save money and hard work
A few simple steps can improve floor care efficiency and sustainability.
School’s back – and so are the bugs
As schools across Australia face up to a new semester, cleaning and hygiene are essential to ward off winter lurgies.
ON THE COVER
Whether equipped with disc brushes or a cylindrical brush with two additional side brooms, the Scrubmaster B75i cleans taught routes autonomously, reliably and safely. See page 16 for more.
What’s happening at Central?
For Central Cleaning Supplies, this year has been one of expansion.
Over the past months, Central has not only focused on opening new outlets, acquisitions, expanding its product offering, but it has also developed close working relationship with companies such as Wirrpanda Supplies to better support the market. Doing so has allowed the company to pursue new business opportunities, while improving its ability to serve existing clients and the broader community.
Joe Camilleri, owner of Central Cleaning Supplies, says that working more closely with companies such as Wirrpanda allows
the company to look to the future and also to assist the indigenous community.
“We know we’re operating in a changing market, so we’re always looking for ways to adapt, to strengthen our position and make sure we’ll be in the best possible position to serve new and existing customers,” Camilleri says.
“The demands for Wirrpanda products have grown substantially and Wirrpanda has rapidly expanded its range to meet market requirements.”
Expanding on these close working relationships will be a focus in the months ahead — with more announcements to come.
It isn’t just about the partnerships, Central has also been expanding in a concrete sense, making updates to its bricks and mortar stores across the country. A new store has opened in Melbourne’s Prahran and the original store in Carlton’s Queensbury Street has been substantially renovated to ensure the premises are up-to-date for 2024.
Together with Wirrpanda, the opening of Central’s first retail store and distribution centre in Western Australia — in Perth’s Osborne Park — has been a great success, with Camilleri saying feedback from companies in the Perth area has suggested
that there has been a gap in the market for local access to an extensive range of high quality professional cleaning products.
“It reminds me of similar store launches, where it was clear that people had been waiting for us to open,” Camilleri says. “We are delighted to be part of the Perth and wider West Australian community.”
The opening of the Osborne Park retail store and distribution centre has generated a lot of interest online and seems to be attracting a mix of professional cleaners and people who just need the best cleaning products for their home.
“We get a lot of enquiries asking if we cater to commercial cleaners only, or if we sell to the public. We’re there for everyone who needs us.”
National businesses who also operate in Western Australia are making the most of being able to send their teams to a local store.
“I’m hearing from our existing customers, who might be based on the east coast, that they really like being able to send their people in Perth to a bricks and mortar store. It makes a difference for those people to be able to actually see, feel,
touch and try the products and be trained to use them effectively and safely.”
Some of those products are in particularly high demand at the moment. The TSM Willmop vertical scrubber dryers have always been a popular choice for cleaners. Also highly respected in the industry is the Excentr range of floor scrubbers and polishers, which are finding some surprising and innovative applications.
“The Excentr Hand Hero is designed to be used on ledges and stairs, so you can get into tight corners, but we’ve
found that you can actually use it to clean cooktops or grills, just by using water and on a cold plate, ” Camilleri says.
This “outside the box thinking” is a great example of the kind of innovation that can happen when suppliers have a strong working relationship with customers and can interact face-to-face.
Another noticeable development at Central is the expansion of product offerings – this includes more additions to the bin liner and paper dispenser ranges.
Central’s unwavering push to discover more environmentally friendly and sustainable cleaning products continues.
The range of Camill electric utility vehicles has been well-received, so much so that more models with new features are now available. They are ideal for a range of tasks including heavy moving, pressure cleaning, outdoor sweeping or rubbish removal.
Camilleri singles out a new set of janitor carts and trolleys made from recycled plastic as an example of how Central is committed to providing the best products to the market, while aiming for more sustainable solutions.
“We know our customers want products and services that are sustainable and better for the planet,” Camilleri says.
“What’s great is that focusing on sustainability doesn’t have to come at a cost to your business. Looking for
better ways of doing things means we’re constantly opening up new opportunities for Central and for our wide range of clients and customers. It’s great to be able to grow and move forward together.” ■
First Nations business Ganbara Facility Services partners with Siemens Mobility
A new partnership promises to support the economic participation of First Nations businesses across Australia.
Siemens Mobility has signed an agreement with Indigenous capacity partner, Ganbara Facility Services, to deliver integrated facilities management, supported by ServiceFM, across three offices in Victoria and Western Australia.
Established in 2016, Ganbara is committed to driving change and lowering the divisions and inequalities that exist between non-Aboriginal Australians and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people by providing them with employment opportunities and improved quality of life. This partnership is one of many similar arrangements across Australia where, encouraged by government incentives, companies are partnering with emerging First Nations businesses and services that drive Indigenous engagement and workforce participation. Other examples include the recent partnership between
Central Cleaning Supplies and Wirrpanda Services in Western Australia.
Glenn Millican, head of procurement for Siemens Mobility Australia and New Zealand, said the agreement represents Siemens’ continued support of local suppliers and the procurement of Aboriginal businesses.
“Siemens has been in Australia and New Zealand for more than 150 years,” Millican said.
“Through the years, we have provided infrastructure that is accessible, sustainable and reflects the communities we live, work and play in.”
ServiceFM and Ganbara will provide planned preventative management of cleaning, electrical compliance testing, fire services, first aid, hygiene, HVAC, pest control, waste management, and electrical and plumbing maintenance.
Millican said Siemens is the largest organisation within the rail industry to
partner with Ganbara and ServiceFM. Alongside partnerships with other First Nations-owned businesses, this strategic decision demonstrates a commitment to reconciliation while also strengthening the supply chain.
James Pollock, ServiceFM’s managing director, said the agreement between the three companies would have wideranging benefits and encourage respectful, meaningful relationships with Indigenous communities, their workforce and the services they provide.
“We are delighted to join forces with Siemens Mobility to deliver a comprehensive suite of services to elevate their workplace environments,” Pollock said.
“We look forward to delivering our highquality facilities management model to service spaces that inspire productivity, collaboration and wellbeing.” ■
The agreement between the three companies would have wide-ranging benefits and encourage respectful, meaningful relationships with Indigenous communities, their workforce and the services they provide.
Healthcare Surfaces Institute merges with ISSA
The merger puts ISSA at the forefront of preventing healthcare-acquired infections.
The Healthcare Surfaces Institute (HSI) has announced its merger with ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association. HSI will now operate as a division of ISSA, allowing the HSI community to become ISSA members immediately.
Formed in 2015 during the inaugural Healthcare Surfaces Institute Annual
Summit, HSI has spent the past eight years addressing critical surface-related issues that contribute to the spread of deadly pathogens in healthcare settings.
The institute’s efforts include identifying gaps in surface disinfection practices, addressing compatibility issues and publishing case studies highlighting real-life challenges and solutions. The merger with ISSA means that ISSA
members will be able to access cuttingedge resources and education.
HSI boasts an advisory committee of world-renowned experts spanning healthcare, infection prevention, facilities management, environmental services, manufacturing, engineering, regulatory agencies, microbiology, occupational health and academia. This interdisciplinary collaboration has been pivotal in
developing sustainable solutions to reduce pathogen transmission via surfaces in healthcare environments. HSI’s initiatives include scientific research, guideline and standard development and educational programs aimed at improving surface disinfection practices.
John Barrett, ISSA executive director, said the merger promised to benefit his organisation’s members and the cleaning industry more broadly.
“The addition of HSI to the ISSA family furthers our association’s mission to change the way the world views cleaning and advance the professionalism of the cleaning industry,” Barrett said.
“We are incredibly excited to welcome HSI to ISSA and look forward to leveraging their expertise to educate and empower our membership and the industry.”
Being able to draw on HSI’s expertise will bolster ISSA’s extensive educational and certification offerings as well as its capacity to develop new programs that support the fight against healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) transmitted via surfaces. Professionals in the cleaning and facility industry will be able to join HSI at a membership rate of US $290 per year, gaining access to select ISSA benefits.
The addition of HSI to the ISSA family furthers our association’s mission to change the way the world views cleaning and advance the professionalism of the cleaning industry.
Linda Lybert, HSI executive director, will now join ISSA as a full-time staff member. Lybert will lead the HSI division, collaborating with the ISSA management team to create and implement new training and certification programs, educational events and engagement opportunities for professionals in the cleaning, facility solutions and healthcare markets.
Lybert said she was excited about the partnership and the opportunities it will deliver to not just the cleaning industry, but public health overall.
“Combining HSI’s programs and subject matter experts with ISSA’s global network will allow us to increase awareness of how surfaces contribute to the spread of deadly pathogens and how we can work together to make the world a healthier, safer place for everyone,” Lybert said. ■
Ganbara Facility Services join forces with Siemens Mobility
Elevating cleanliness: effectiveness and real-world productivity-flexibility plus!
In the competitive industry of commercial cleaning, staying ahead necessitates innovation.
The new Scrubmaster B5 ORB is a pioneering walk-behind scrubber drier meticulously engineered to elevate cleaning contractors' operations. It's not just a machine; it's a strategic edge that empowers contractors to deliver productive detailed cleaning results. This innovative floor scrubber also introduces a groundbreaking Delta Cleaning orbital scrubbing technology system.
This innovation isn't just efficient; it's transformative. The way it maximises cleaning results to the edges and corners, quickly and with little effort is what makes the Scrubmaster B5 ORB such a significant innovative scrubber.
Fewer passes, less time, and consistently brilliant results – what a plus for timesensitive contracts! Its ergonomic design empowers cleaning crews to work with less effort, covering more area comfortably.
With near-silent operation, the Scrubmaster B5 ORB minimises disruptions, making it the ultimate solution for cleaning in those usually time limited, slow, noise sensitive areas. A ready-made answer to seize productivity and cleaning success.
BENEFITS OF THE SCRUBMASTER B5 ORB AT A GLANCE:
• Award-winning ergonomics: AGR quality label for particularly backfriendly, fatigue-free working (www. agr-ev.de)
• Low water and power consumption as well as wear of the working tools
• Ultra-flat, delta-shaped cleaning head for cleaning close to walls and under barriers
FUNCTIONALITY ITS RESPONSIBILITY
At Hako, we incorporate sustainability into the design of our cleaning machines right from the product development stage - with technologies that set standards.
Hako-AntiBac equips the tanks with antibacterial properties, reduces fungal and bacterial growth, odour development, and the consumption of tank cleaning disinfectants.
We also keep an eye on the life cycle. When developing our machines, we think from start to finish – from production with environmentally friendly, CO2-saving processes in modern plants to economic, environmentally friendly use, recycling and disposal.
FLEXIBLE, COMPACT, ROBUST FOR SMALL AREAS
The new Scrubmaster B25 with PowerFlowsystem is so easy to manoeuvre with little effort.
The new patent-pending squeegee design, with collision protection, makes it easy to clean close to walls and edges, and makes cleaning underneath tables and benches easier.
It comes with the typical Hako robust, corrosion-resistant, die-cast brush head and the Hako AquaControl water saving system. It also offers two maintenancefree battery pack configurations, both with onboard charging systems: the standard m-free gel battery pack or the optional Lithium-Ion battery pack where compact design is critical but demand of use is higher. The Lithium-Ion battery pack enables quick charging within 2.6 hours for quick turn-around use.
The new Scrubmaster B25 combines high performance with ease of use in a compact design. With a working width of 43 cm, floors can be cleaned quickly, efficiently and thoroughly. Many wellthought-out details support the user in their daily work. For example, the handsfree, automatic eject and pick-up system of scrub brush or pad driver, the large tank cover opening for easy, complete cleaning of the recovery tank,
EASY TRANSPORTATION
With its foldable operating handle that can be effortlessly folded into a sleek compacted shape, fitting into the back of a vehicle. The Scrubmaster B25 becomes a compact companion that can be nicely stored or easily transported to various sites as and when required.
FEATURE PACKED
Amongst the features already mentioned, the Scrubmaster B25 comes equipped with a patent-pending, flowoptimised filter shut off system to protect the vacuum motor.
The Scrubmaster B25 takes that step forward to increasing reliability by reducing the chances of water damage to the vacuum motor. The B25 also comes equipped with its innovative Silent mode, allowing super quiet operation in noise sensitive areas like healthcare environments and schools. Additionally, the optional antibacterial tank feature,
˝Hygiene˝ The new hako Scrubmaster B5 ORB boots both effectiveness and real-world productivity.flexibility plus! As if there aren't good reasons to invest in Hako quality for peace of mind cleaning! Hako Scrubmaster B5 ORB is another value boost for very low outlay.
Les Miles, Hako VIC/TAS Snr Market Specialist
Do you want to kow more? Scan the code to learn more about Hako.
Hako-AntiBac®, ensures a higher level of hygiene, making the machine a perfect choice for reducing machine odours and increasing hygiene standards and safety for the users. Whether you're working in noisesensitive spaces or striving to maintain impeccable hygiene, the Scrubmaster B25 offers the adaptability you require.
DESIGNED FOR THE CHALLENGES OF THE FUTURE
˝Hygiene is becoming more and more important in everyday life and in the workplace. The Hako B5 and B25 sets new capability to increase hygiene standards in detail cleaning of neglected tight areas.˝
Richard Dodds, Hako Market Specialist in New South Wales.
Whether equipped with disc brushes or a cylindrical brush with two additional side brooms: the Scrubmaster B75i cleans taught routes autonomously, reliably and Safely. The 3D camera system and certified LiDAR sensors not only enable efficient navigation, but also comply with safety standards. Both operation and teaching new routes is simple and intuitive. Another benefit: for quick cleaning jobs in between, the Scrubmaster B75i can also be operated manually as a conventional walk-behind scrubber-drier ergonomically thanks to the extendable handle. ■
Closing loopholes no. 2 –
WHAT NEW CHANGES MEAN FOR AUSTRALIAN BUSINESSES
New changes to the Fair Work Act affect Australian businesses – and the cleaning industry in particular.
The Fair Work Act introduced a new definition of work on 26 August to better distinguish between employees and independent contractors.
On top of this, new frameworks were established to safeguard contractors, particularly those engaged on digital labour platforms and in the road transport sector. These changes affect Australian businesses – and the cleaning, hygiene and facilities service industries.
Melissa Behrend, human resources consultant at HR On Call, said the main
purpose behind the changes was to provide further clarification of the definition of a casual employee.
“The current approach remains the same, which is no firm advance commitment to offer continuing and indefinite work,” Behrend said. “However, it broadens to include relevant factors such as mutual understanding or expectations between the employee and the employer, whether the employee can elect to accept or reject the work, future availability of work, if others are performing the same work who are part-
time or full-time, and if there is a regular pattern of work.”
Essentially, assessing the nature of a worker’s employment now considers a wider range of factors. The new definition added to the Fair Work Act also helps determine the meaning of ‘employee’ and ‘employer’.
“You need to consider the real substance, practical reality and true nature of the working relationship,” Behrend said. “You must also consider all parts of the working relationship between the parties, including the terms of the contract and how the contract is performed in practice – this is a change from the existing test which focuses mainly on the terms.”
Behrend noted that the cleaning industry might be particularly affected by the change, given the industry is a large employer of casual employees and contractors. Employees would now be able to notify their employer of an intention to change to a permanent position if they had been employed for at least six months (12 months for a small employer) and believed they no longer met the definition of the new casual employee. Employees would be required to give written notice of any change, and employers would need to respond in writing within 21 days, after a process of consultation with the employee.
“A change in employee status will only happen where the employee wants it to change,” Behrend said. “Employers will need to be aware of the changes and how it impacts them.”
Behrend believed the changes would ultimately benefit both parties.
“Both the employer and the employee [will benefit], as the definitions are further refined. This change gives certainty about status, rights and entitlements at all times as this is forwardlooking, not retrospective.” ■
Photography by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels.
Winter brings wave of whooping cough to Australian schools
School hygiene was essential in holding back rates of whooping cough unseen for eight years.
As school returned in July, education and childcare centres were encouraged to monitor cleaning and hygiene practices following a wave of whooping cough cases across Australia. For every 100,000 people in New South Wales, there were 103.1 notifications of whooping cough – also known as pertussis – which was the highest figure since 2016.
Pertussis wasn’t the only respiratory illness in heavy circulation. The number of young children being hospitalised with pneumonia – caused by mycoplasma also spreading among school-age children – was double that of last year.
ISSA senior director Dr Gavin MacgregorSkinner said education and training were the most effective ways to prevent the spread of diseases such as whooping cough in schools and daycare centres.
“It is critical that teachers, staff and cleaning professionals know how to reduce the spread of germs that cause illness from surfaces and in the air,” Macgregor-Skinner said.
Bordetella pertussis – the bacterium that causes whooping cough – spreads through respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. However, if these droplets land on surfaces and a person touches these surfaces, then touches their mouth, nose, or eyes, they could become infected.
Since these germs are invisible, it is impossible to identify which surfaces have been contaminated with whooping cough bacteria.
“Unless the schools and daycare centres implement an effective cleaning and disinfecting program to clean first to remove dirt and germs, and then disinfect that surface you have just cleaned to kill the remaining germs, you really don’t know what you’re facing each time you sit down at your desk or touch a surface that has been contaminated by someone coughing or sneezing.”
Studies have shown that Bordetella pertussis can survive on surfaces for three to five days under suitable conditions. It has been shown to survive five days on clothes, two days on paper and six days on glass. The exact survival time can vary based on factors like temperature, humidity and the type of surface.
Professional cleaners could play an essential role in minimising infection, Macgregor-Skinner said, as they have the necessary expertise to perform a regular deep clean, making sure even the hardest places to reach were germ-free.
If whooping cough is going around a school or daycare, one simple step to prevent infection is to check the HVAC or air conditioning system to make sure that the filtration systems and filters are working and maintained and are removing particulates in the air.
It is critical that teachers, staff and cleaning professionals know how to reduce the spread of germs that cause illness from surfaces and in the air.
- Dr Gavin MacgregorSkinner
Macgregor-Skinner said back-to-basics hand hygiene – which became common practice during the pandemic – would help, alongside minimum daily disinfection.
“I would also highly recommend teachers and school staff be trained on how to clean and how to use disinfectants correctly and understand the significance of following manufacturers’ labels and guidelines to ensure safety and effectiveness. That includes concentration and how long the surface needs to remain wet, the application method, and [the advice that] the user should wear the required personal protective equipment such as rubber gloves, masks and eye protection to avoid exposure to chemicals.” ■
Making period care products free in workplaces improves productivity
Tackling period poverty at work can boost worker morale, a new study reveals.
Providing free period products in the workplace is good for employee morale, a new US report has shown.
The report, published by global not-for-profit Days for Girls (DfG), revealed 87 percent of managers in workplaces where menstrual products had been made available to employees had noticed improved employee satisfaction. About 75 percent felt this initiative had also improved public perception of their organisation.
The companies surveyed all took part in the Period Positive Workplace (PPW) initiative, a worldwide program that encourages workplaces and facilities to provide free access to period care products for employees.
PPW is a collaborative effort between charities, not-for-profits and associations including DfG, ISSA and Australian charity Share the Dignity. The organisation has so far recruited 173 workplaces across 40 countries, including Australia, to provide free period care products to their employees.
The report revealed more than half of all employees at those businesses had previously “experienced productivity challenges” at work due to menstruation. Alongside increased productivity, workplaces that signed up for the initiative reported reduced absenteeism and “higher collaboration among employees who menstruate”.
ISSA government affairs intern Anaya Andre said the results demonstrated the importance of providing free access
to menstrual products and noted that workplaces that had not signed up to the initiative continued to face issues around retention rates, absenteeism and gender equality.
“This survey shows that having a period positive workplace boosts employee productivity [and] morale, and is necessary to overcome the stigma associated with menstruation in a professional setting,” Andre said.
“ISSA is proud to be a member of the Period Positive Workplace coalition and currently sits on its steering committee to help support this initiative’s expansion.”
Rochelle Courtenay, founder and managing director of Share the Dignity, said the report’s findings aligned with data from her organisation’s soon-to-bereleased “Bloody Big Survey”.
“We know that 55 percent of women have missed work due to their period,” Courtenay said. “And more than 30 percent have missed work because of their fear of leaking.”
One worrying data point was that costof-living pressures seemed to be driving more women into period poverty, with the survey revealing an increase in Australians who cannot afford period products.
“We’re hearing stories about people cutting pads in half and using tampons for too long. We have to assume some of those people will be people with jobs, what we now call the working poor,” Courtenay said.
She said offering free period care products was a low-cost way for companies to ensure they were more
inclusive of half of the population’s needs and to achieve better outcomes for staff and business alike.
“We’re always trying to find ways to get better outcomes out of our staff and team and putting period products in your bathroom is a pretty easy one.”
While there have been some promising Australian initiatives, such as the Victorian government making menstrual products available for free at a number of public locations and the Queensland government making them freely available at government schools, more education was needed to make spaces — including workspaces — more welcoming to women.
“Men have never been educated around menstruation,” Courtenay said.
“So unless we start to educate little boys who end up being somebody’s boss, father or husband, we’re not really going to get people who are making the decisions to understand menstruation and how it affects half the population.”
Andre said ISSA was offering ongoing surveys to analyse how “period-friendly” workplaces operate and she encouraged companies to join ISSA in destigmatising periods and globalising menstruationfriendly work environments.
“ISSA’s support of initiatives such as the Period Positive Workplace is aimed at helping to end period poverty, increasing education and advocating for menstrual equity,” she said.
For more information about ISSA’s End Period Poverty campaign, contact Anaya Andre at anayaa@issa.com. ■
THE NEXT INNOVATION IN CLEANING
COMING SOON
Source everything your facility needs to work.
When no two facilities are exactly alike and the whole building relies on you to keep the site running smoothly, you need a workplace supplies partner who understands your business.
National coverage and next day delivery*.
• Professional-grade janitorial
• Safety
• Washroom paper
• Mailroom
• Furniture and tech fit outs
Certified industry experts.
• Dedicated facilities specialists
• ISSA accredited
• Site visits^
• Customised solutions
First Nations brands.
• Effective solutions
• For every room in the workplace
Request a call from a Winc facilities expert at winc.com.au/services/facilities-management or email newbusiness@winc.com.au.
Australian made and sustainable options.
• Supporting your procurement goals
• We’re constantly adding to our range
^ Health, Hygiene and Safety Surveys are currently only available to existing Winc customers located within metropolitan areas. Applications for a survey will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
* Next business day delivery to metro areas if you order before 5pm (locally available in-stock products). Please refer to our T&Cs for order cut off times.
PSYCHOSOCIAL HAZARDS ON THE RADAR
Cleaning industry leaders must navigate a new era of mental health as workplaces focus on wellbeing and psychosocial risks.
Words Cameron Cooper
The day-to-day work of cleaners can include some of the most harrowing or emotional tasks imaginable.
From servicing the wards of palliative-care patients to removing blood and waste matter at sites where violent attacks have occurred, such work is not for the faint of heart.
Cleaning industry veteran Lorraine Rogic, managing director of Logic Business Resources, says there is a renewed focus on workers’ health and safety that extends beyond merely looking after their physical health. This means that cleaning industry leaders cannot ignore psychosocial risks.
“Managing such scenarios starts in the pre-employment phase,” Rogic says. “Leaders and HR personnel should now incorporate psychosocial assessments to see if, for example, a forensic cleaner can go in and clean up a suicide site and then still be able to go home to their family at the end of the day in a healthy mental state.”
CREATING A HEALTHY CULTURE
Psychosocial safety (see panel) has become a real buzz term in cleaning and other sectors as companies seek to keep employees happy and healthy.
It’s very much about pushing past that kind of sentiment where people believe that mental health problems are a weakness.
- Lesley Vallance
Photography by cottonbro studio on Pexels.
To effectively manage psychosocial hazards, they should adopt a proactive approach. This includes:
• Risk assessment – identifying issues such as excessive workloads, lack of support and poor communication, then addressing them before they escalate.
• Support networks – providing access to mental health resources, counselling services and employee assistance programs (EAPs).
• Workplace culture – fostering a positive work culture that values open communication, inclusivity and work-life balance.
Lesley Vallance, director of human resources consultancy Holistic Growth Solutions, notes that Safe Work Australia published the Code of Practice for managing psychosocial hazards in 2022. It ramps up workplace health and safety laws and puts the onus on employers to formally assess and manage psychosocial risks.
The code makes it clear that employers must adhere to a raft of rules, including:
• identifying potential psychosocial hazards in the workplace
• performing thorough risk assessments for potential psychosocial risks
• developing and implementing plans to control psychosocial risks
• consulting with workers when identifying hazards, assessing risks and deciding on control measures
• maintaining comprehensive records of all activities related to psychosocial risk management.
“It’s very much about pushing past that kind of sentiment where people believe that mental health problems are a weakness,”
What is psychosocial safety?
Psychosocial safety in the workplace includes factors such as work-related stress, job satisfaction, work-life balance and interpersonal relationships. It involves creating an environment in which employees can express themselves without fear of negative consequences and where they have the support and resources needed to handle job demands effectively.
The benefits for employees: enhanced wellbeing and productivity, lower risk of mental health issues, and higher job satisfaction.
The benefits for employers: superior organisational performance, reduced absenteeism and presenteeism, and better legal and ethical compliance with workplace health and safety rules.
Vallance says. “We still have some challenges within workplace cultures where that is something that people do feel. We need to break through that idea and really it should be led by companies and leaders showing initiative.”
She adds that bosses and managers need to recognise the telltale signs of a worker who is under psychosocial stress, such as changes in behaviour, social withdrawal, refusal to accept help, lower energy levels and a reduction in the quality of their work.
TAKING THE LEAD
Jenny Boymal, a client engagement partner at HR consultancy
The Proven Group, agrees that businesses have a clear and ethical responsibility to look after their staff.
She says most employees have not developed the tools to ensure they possess “psychological elasticity”.
“When they come up against challenges or experience stressors in their life, whether they're at home or work, they don’t have a good toolkit that they can count on,” Boymal says.
She advocates four responses from management teams that can make a difference:
• Foster stronger leadership practices – while most employees report to a senior manager or executive, Boymal says too many leaders do not have the skills to “proactively lead”. “Yet we know that the leader has more impact on an employee's workplace experience than anyone else.”
• Provide role clarity – with many employees having out-ofdate position descriptions, there is inevitable confusion and stress with their work. “When you've got two people whose roles cross over and neither of them knows who actually is responsible for a particular project, it creates tension,” Boymal says.
• Embrace a definitive business strategy – if leaders of an organisation are unclear on the direction of the business, Boymal says employees will lack purpose and direction, which can affect their mental health.
A lot of mental health challenges that feed into the psychosocial aspect of hazards in the cleaning industry can be eliminated by showing that we care.
- Jenny
You're going to have a higher level of job satisfaction, you're going to have reduced absenteeism and turnover.
- Lorraine Rogic
• Live up to your values – although many cleaning companies display their values on a website, Boymal says the practice is often a marketing tool that is not truly embraced internally.
“When you don't live by those values, there's not that congruence and people really struggle.”
Ultimately, according to Logic, effective risk management and strong communication between leaders and staff can prevent many psychosocial risks.
“A lot of mental health challenges that feed into the psychosocial aspect of hazards in the cleaning industry can be eliminated by showing that we care. When people see action being taken, that in and of itself can reduce stress and anxiety.”
WHAT TO DO?
For cleaning contractors managing large groups of employees, Rogic says there are some very practical steps that can be taken to minimise psychosocial risks.
For instance, it makes sense to incorporate high levels of rotation for staff who are engaged in especially stressful roles. “That means you are not over-exposing anybody to situations that can have a negative impact on them and their health.”
Bosses should also be in regular communication with their teams to identify staff who may be struggling. Logic says having disparate teams spread around multiple sites is no excuse for a lack of contact in an era when video calls require just the click of a button. “Why is it hard to make a phone call, or to Facetime somebody, or to do a Zoom call?”
Vallance agrees that communication is crucial so leaders know their workforce and what is important to individual employees. In this regard, staff surveys can be helpful. “Surveys often don’t work because people are reluctant to answer questions that might implicate them as an employee. So, I've always insisted on making these surveys anonymous because you're then going to get the facts.”
She says worker expectations have changed over the years, and a healthy and safe workplace culture is now a huge driver for recruitment and retention. “People have seen that there's more important things than money.”
For cleaning industry workers who are exposed to especially stressful or confronting roles, Boymal says it is essential for management to put in place specific structures and measures to address potential issues that could emerge. This includes having regular check-ins with vulnerable workers and ensuring that incident reports are submitted after hazardous events.
Armed with information, bosses and HR teams can make smart decisions about staff seeing counsellors and maximising the impact of EAP sessions.
“There’s not a prescriptive way for dealing with problems,” Boymal says. “But there’s an opportunity to involve the people and really develop a plan and processes that proactively support the psychological safety of employees.”
WORTH THE EFFORT
Vallance says in a psychosocially safe workplace, employers should be able to say ‘yes’ to questions such as:
• Do I feel safe sharing my thoughts?
• Can I voice my opinions without fear of retribution?
• Am I comfortable admitting mistakes and learning from them?
For cleaning companies navigating psychosocial hazards and wondering how to respond, she advocates gaining certification through the ISSA Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) advanced by GBAC, which outlines the procedures and principles to be considered in designing and implementing quality management programs for cleaning organisations.
“The CIMS certification is such a great framework and it really does set businesses up for success,” Vallance says.
Although it requires significant effort to create a psychosocially safe work environment, Rogic says there are clear payoffs.
“You're going to have a higher level of job satisfaction, you're going to have reduced absenteeism and turnover,” she says. “You're going to have fewer people going on workers' compensation and you're going to get better quality of work.” ■
At the 2024 ISSA Cleaning & Hygiene Expo
The Proven Group ‘Taking a Practical Look at Recent Employment Legislative Changes’, 12 September
Lorraine Rogic Beyond 'She'll Be Right': Upskilling & Reskilling for Safety’, 12 September
See our expo section for more details.
Infection control in commercial cleaning: essential practices for a safe workplace
In these days of heightened awareness around cleaning and hygiene standards, your customers and staff are more likely to notice if facilities do not comply with cleaning protocols. Stringent hygiene measures are essential in today’s workplace and workforce.
For commercial cleaning companies, infection control and prevention of crosscontamination are as important as the actual cleaning of a workplace. By targeting and preventing the spread of germs from hotspot to hotspot, good cleaning practices stop germs from travelling from one surface to another.
Lachlan Mann, general manager of facilities management of Bunzl Australia and New Zealand (Bunzl ANZ), says there has been a shift in expectations around cleaning in the workplace.
“Work environments now require deeper, more labour-intensive cleans on a daily basis, with new methods and more innovation around cleaning protocols, tools and solutions,” Mann says.
“Where previously janitorial services cleaned a facility, reducing grime and dirt, now they also disinfect, especially frequently touched surfaces.”
CORRECT PPE PRACTICES
Personal protective equipment (PPE) — including face masks, gloves and sometimes aprons — is the frontline defence against infection spread in any cleaning environment.
Merely wearing these items is not enough. Staff must follow the correct procedures for donning, doffing and disposing of PPE to prevent contamination.
For instance, face masks should fit snugly over the nose and mouth without gaps and should be replaced when damp. Single-use masks should never be reused.
Gloves must be changed between tasks to avoid cross-contamination.
Malcolm Barclay, category manager of cleaning and hygiene at Bunzl ANZ says gloves – such as the Premier brand PPE gloves – should be a mandatory item for commercial cleaners.
“Gloves protect the wearer in two ways – from direct contact with cleaning chemicals that can damage the skin, and also by helping to keep germs and infection from spreading as they move around the facility,” Barclay says.
“If you think about the places cleaners regularly clean, such as the bathroom sink, kitchen sink and toilet, these are all wet areas where bacteria and fungi thrive.”
Disposing of PPE correctly in designated bins – and not touching the outside of the mask or gloves during removal – are key practices to minimise the risk of spreading pathogens.
CORRECT CLEANING PRACTICES
Implementing a cleaning schedule
Consistency is key to effective infection control. Implementing a regular cleaning schedule ensures that all areas, especially high-touch surfaces, are cleaned and disinfected frequently. This schedule should be clearly communicated to all cleaning staff, with checklists to ensure no area is overlooked. Regular audits and inspections can help maintain compliance and identify areas for improvement.
Surface cleaning techniques
Effective surface cleaning is also fundamental to infection control. Different surfaces require specific cleaning techniques to ensure thorough disinfection. High-touch surfaces, such as doorknobs, light switches, lifts and desks, need more frequent cleaning and disinfecting. Using disinfectants that
are proven to kill viruses and bacteria is necessary for these areas.
When it comes to commercial hard surface floors, dust mop the surface to remove the dirt and dust from the floor. Then wet mop the floor using a high-grade commercial product such as Kwikmaster Professional Floor Cleaner. But don’t mop the floor just after applying the cleaner as it needs some time to break the dirt particles and grease. Start cleaning with smaller areas at a time so that the cleaner breaks the maximum dirt possible. Rinse the cleaner off your mop and wash it with clean water. Then mop all the chemicals off your floor using a damp mop. Mop in a figure-eight pattern rather than going up and down or side to side.
Barclay says that, while it may sound counter-intuitive, saving water while mopping is the ideal.
“Reducing water usage while cleaning floors can reduce dry times. This is important because wet grounds can often result in mildew, causing a health risk and material damage. And wet floors are a slipping hazard.”
It’s important to read the instructions properly for different chemicals and make note of the correct dilution rates and maximum dwell times to achieve the most effectiveness. If these instructions aren’t followed and chemicals are wiped off surfaces too early, it will reduce the
efficacy of the chemicals – or if left on too long can leave an unpleasant film over surfaces.
Colour-coded cloths
Cleaning should follow a systematic approach to avoid spreading germs from one area to another. One recommended method is to use an ‘S’ shaped pattern when wiping bench top surfaces, which reduces the likelihood of re-contaminating areas that have already been cleaned. Each wipe should be used once and surfaces should be allowed to air dry for at least a minute to ensure the disinfectant has time to work effectively.
If a sponge is used in an office to clean several desks and other tabletops without proper cleaning in between, you can end up accidentally transferring germs from one surface to another. Instead, proper cleaning and using disinfectant wipes or disposable towels for wiping down different surfaces can help minimise the risk. Kwikmaster’s range of cleaning cloths and wipes is colour-coded to avoid the risk of cross-contamination.
Martin Tofts, Bunzl ANZ business development manager says a colour-coded system for cleaning supplies can help maintain a hygienic and safe workplace.
“Colour-coded cleaning products are now widely available, but to utilise their full effect, it’s important to provide staff with
thorough training on the various colours and work areas,” Tofts says.
“It’s also vital to display clear signage that explains the system.”
CHEMICAL USAGE, TRAINING AND EDUCATION
Ongoing training and education for cleaning staff is vital for sustaining high standards of infection control. Regular training sessions on the latest cleaning protocols and updates on new cleaning products or techniques ensure that staff are well-prepared to handle their tasks efficiently. Educating staff on the reasons
behind these protocols can also increase compliance and diligence in following them.
Infection control in commercial cleaning is a comprehensive effort that requires the right products, consistent practices, ongoing training and clear communication. By adopting these measures, businesses can create a safer and healthier environment for everyone, fostering a sense of security and wellbeing in the workplace.
As businesses attempt to do more with less, Mann says cleaning practices have evolved so that cleaners are working smarter, not harder – with infection control a key area of focus.
“Infection control has never been more crucial and the responsibility falls on every organisation to ensure that their workspaces and large venue spaces are not just clean, but regularly sanitised and disinfected.”
It is essential your cleaning team follow best practice advice and use the most effective and high-quality products available. Doing so not only protects the health of staff and customers but also fosters a sense of security and confidence in your business operations.
Bunzl is a leading supplier of safety and PPE, janitorial products and commercial chemical solutions. Find out more: bunzl.com.au ■
The ACTIV8 revolution is here!
Get your vacuuming done in half the time.
The ISSA Cleaning and Hygiene Expo 2024 in Sydney will see the highly anticipated release of the world first ACTIV8 Battery Powered Vacuum Head by Cleanstar to the Australian marketplace. A truly innovative product by design, the patented ACTIV8 is expected to revolutionise the commercial cleaning industry by significantly reducing vacuuming times by 50 percent, thereby
doubling productivity and boosting profits. ACTIV8 has been developed in Australia by Garth Michalson of Cleanstar and Frank Guglielmo. For the best part of the last decade, the pair have been busy designing and testing prototypes to ensure the finished product will more than live up to its hype.
Designed primarily for use with backpack vacuum cleaners, the revolutionary ACTIV8 Battery Powered
Vacuum Head has been specifically engineered for the user to vacuum in a “Figure 8” mopping motion using both hands while standing upright, as opposed to being hunched over, using the back-andforth movement of traditional vacuuming.
The Figure 8 (or side-to-side) technique allows the operator to cover a surface area with maximum efficiency, saving time, money and delivering improved productivity by cutting your vacuuming
time in half. This approach picks up dirt and dust in just one sweep, avoiding going over the same area multiple times as you would with the traditional method of vacuuming.
Dual counter-rotating brushes, Teflon roller balls and a centrally located neckswivel joint allows ACTIV8 to move freely in any direction with a full 360 degree range of motion. Equipped with a longlife rechargeable battery and up to four hours of run time, ACTIV8 can be used safely on both carpets and hard floors with two-speed control, making it a true multisurface solution.
ACTIV8 also doubles as a convenient cordless sweeper with an easy-to-remove dust tray for smaller cleaning jobs where a vacuum cleaner is not required. This convenient feature can also come in handy as it allows you to finish cleaning should your battery-powered backpack vacuum cleaner run out of charge.
There are also notable health and safety benefits of ACTIV8’s signature Figure 8 mopping motion, which allows the user to vacuum in an upright position, helping to protect your cleaning staff by reducing strain, fatigue and injury. ACTIV8 protects the user from the risks of bad posture, which is commonly associated with traditional vacuuming techniques that require extend periods of leaning back and forth.
Just as importantly, the benefits that come from cutting your vacuuming time in half also reduces your electricity consumption, allowing for significant energy savings.
The ACTIV8 Battery Powered Vacuum Head can be used with most common backpack vacuum cleaners that use standard 32mm hose and attachments, including Cleanstar’s signature Italianmanufactured Ghibli T1 Backpack for peak cleaning performance. It can also just as easily be used with common barrel-type vacuum cleaners provided they use the same size hose and attachments.
The unit will come packaged with an adaptor cuff that can be screwed onto any regular 32mm vacuum hose, a 32mm straight rod (bottom) and telescopic rod (top) with pip connection which work together for enhanced stability and a top rod cap for using ACTIV8 as a sweeper. The user also has the option of simply
ACTIV8 at a glance:
• world first
• new patented technology
• Australian design
• designed for use with Backpack vacuum cleaners (32mm hose/ rod connection)
• lithium-ion battery technology –up to four hours run time
• dual counter-rotating brush system – replaceable brushes for easy changeover
• central swivel neck swivel joint with a full 360 degrees range of motion
• cleans 50 percent faster than traditional vacuuming
• two-speed brush control –suitable for carpets and hard floors
• boost productivity and profits and saves energy
• health and safety – improves posture, reduces strain, fatigue and injury
• doubles as a cordless sweeper with easy to remove dust tray
• robust design – engineered to withstand the rigours of commercial cleaning.
connecting the 32mm bent end piece on their existing vacuum hose to the telescopic rod provided with your ACTIV8. At a soft launch at last year’s ISSA Show in Melbourne, ACTIV8 was greeted with a huge and positive industry response from both local and international attendees. Over the past 10 months it has undergone a number of iterations with significant performance and reliability improvements.
Cleanstar will be demonstrating ACTIV8 at the ISSA Cleaning and Hygiene Expo 2024 in Sydney from 11-12 September (visit Stand #239) so you can see it in action for yourself. Those wanting further information can submit an inquiry at www.activ8clean.com.au or contact Cleanstar on (03) 9460 5655 or at sales@cleanstar.com.au.
Cleanstar is the global manufacturer and distributor of the patented ACTIV8. ■
Scan here to see ACTIV8 in action
SECURING SUPPLY IN AN INSECURE WORLD
After four years of rolling catastrophes and disruptions to the supply chain, how can the cleaning industry plan for certainty in uncertain times?
Words Myke Bartlett
Talk to anyone in the cleaning industry about the past four years and one word comes up again and again — disruption. Since the early days of the pandemic, supply chains have faced a rolling series of unprecedented problems as demand outstripped availability and transport routes collapsed. Four years on, there is still a sense that disruption might be the new normal. Given an uncertain political environment, increasing climate change events and, well, crises nobody has yet seen coming, it can be difficult for any business to plan for stability.
Australian companies are still facing a variety of supply chain challenges. around shipping and congestion. When a bottleneck develops, priority is often given to global companies who trade in larger quantities enough to fill a whole shipping container, rather than part of one – and can pay more. Other companies might find themselves waiting months to get an allocation.
Andrew Clark, managing director of Logistics Cloud Co, says it’s helpful to look at these sorts of challenges from two perspectives — the macro level of global disruption and what can be done on the micro or local level to mitigate supply problems.
“Those macro things are what's going on in the world,” Clark says. “Maybe the stock market is having the wobbles or a ship has
When things get out of kilter, they become very difficult to correct. And what can you do about that? Well, the short answer is not much — you have to go without.
- Andrew Clark
got stuck in the Suez Canal, doubling the price and adding a couple of weeks to the shipping routes. When things get out of kilter, they become very difficult to correct. And what can you do about that?
Well, the short answer is not much — you have to go without.”
Photography by CDC on Unsplash.
LOOKING TO THE LOCAL
Where businesses might find it easier to plan is by paying close attention to what is going on in the local market.
“This means knowing what are your competitors doing and the trends in the market that you need to respond to. That’s where market data and information is really important and you can get into forecasting.”
Some Australian companies have found that switching to a more local focus has helped them deal with major disruptions resulting from COVID.
There has been a trend away from relying on China for manufacturing and supply, Clark says, with many companies looking both closer to home and further afield — to places such as India. Moving forward, varied sources and flexibility may prove key to steady supply.
“People shouldn’t put all their eggs in one basket. Having alternate sources of supply is really critical.”
Christopher Joyce, CEO of Asepsis, says taking a local approach to steadying the supply chain isn’t just about finding domestic suppliers, but also learning to be more strategic about what your business is bringing to an uncertain market. Specialisation is the order of the day.
“You’ll sometimes see four suppliers with scrubbers and the only real difference between them is one is green, one is red, one is yellow and one is blue,” Joyce says.
He says he has noticed a trend towards cleaning companies and supply companies merging to become larger companies capable of concentrating on a particular area of the industry, rather than trying to be everything to everyone.
I don’t think there's anything in the world that could have predicted where we would be right here today. - Tom Culver
“I think that the change we’ll see happening in the next two or three years will be a rationalisation of the goods or services being provided. Hopefully, it goes to a situation where one business says, ‘we’ll look after education, that’s our niche’, while someone else will focus on the retail market and a business like ours will look after health and aged care. There’s so many focused market segments now.”
TECHNOLOGY TO THE RESCUE?
Many are hoping that developing technologies, including AI, will help businesses spot potential supply problems before they become an issue. But Tom Culver, founder of the Robot Factory, says the kind of catastrophic disruption we’ve seen lately would have been difficult for anyone to plan for.
“I don’t think there's anything in the world that could have predicted where we would be right here today,” Culver says.
“AI models are a little better than they used to be when it comes to predicting potential supply chain issues. But most AI works off data we already have. If the data is starting to be wildly unpredictable, then there’s not really good past data to predict the future. I don’t think catastrophic things really can be predicted.”
Clark agrees that, while lessons can be learned from history, the future isn’t always predictable, even with the best models available.
“AI is great at doing pattern matching. It might be able to look at wider data sets to try and come up with better forecasts based on what happened historically. But I'm not aware of anyone using AI to try and better model future demand based on something like social media posting.”
Ian Farmer, teacher and technology evangelist at the University of Technology Sydney, says we’re only just starting to see the potential for AI to revolutionise how we manage the supply chain. Technological change is going to happen so quickly over the next five years that it may well feed into the sense of uncertainty. A key skill for the future will be learning how to deal with that ambiguity.
“People need to get used to rapid change,” Farmer says. “Emotional Intelligence is important. You need to be agile and curious, and able to develop scenarios to manage the future. That’s where technology can help. I think because if you learn to ask the right questions of technology such as AI, you can get different scenarios and outcomes, which gives you a certainty within an uncertain word.”
Farmer says technology can help plan for disruptions by creating a “digital twin” of a business which can then be tested
under various scenarios or environments, to identify where potential issues might arise.
“For example, a facilities management company would upload all of their parameters or history into a computer model and you can then actually run scenarios against that. You could say, ‘What happens if another COVID hits? What will that do to the traffic on the roads? What if there's a fault on the trains?’ You can model those things and see how all the variables interact. That sort of predictive modelling is a key part of the future.”
In the past, predictive technology was prohibitively expensive, but recent leaps in AI development now mean it’s within reach of smaller businesses. Even better, you no longer need to be a data expert to make the most of it.
“It will get easier and easier for the small end of town to create their own algorithms and specific models to predict their own future,” Farmer says.
“If you live in Perth, for example, you don't need to know about the traffic jams that happen in Sydney. You can overlay data that is specific to you, to whatever is unique to your environment.”
FACING THE FUTURE
Farmer says the technology is changing so quickly that the free models available are already as reliable as some of the expensive proprietary models that have, until now, dominated the predictive market.
Clark, on the other hand, says the human machine is still best suited to making decisions about what the future might hold.
“Even if the technology does make predictions, you’re still going to come down to a human judgment, because you’re going to spend millions of dollars based on that judgment call, based on the best data you’ve got,” Clark says.
Right now, Culver says companies might have more luck relying on traditional face-to-face communication and keeping an ear to the ground.
“With the supply chain in general, what we do is not AI-focused at all,” Culver says.
“We just try to stay very close to our suppliers, with almost weekly calls, and then try as much as we can to watch what our competition is doing and be friends with the competition, because we're all kind of in this together.”
Joyce agrees that good supply chain management is about knowing the people you do business with.
“It’s relationship building,” Joyce says.
“It’s about getting to know people, to understand the business, and to understand what their needs and requirements are. You’ve got to spend time with the client, see how they operate, and understand what the issues they have had. You’re not just a salesperson, you’re actually a valuable partner in their business.”
This kind of close relationship means that a rep from a supply
At the end of the day, it’s not about knowing the technical stuff, but about asking the right questions.
- Ian Farmer
company will be able to keep tabs on where potential areas of high demand might be, as well as relay information about products that might be selling a lot in the current market. In short, it’s about creating reliable partnerships between suppliers and customers that have the potential to sidestep any supply issues.
Farmer says those kinds of relationships will always be important, but technological innovations should be seen as a way of checking in with far more people than most reps will ever have time for.
“I don’t think that face-to-face discussion is immune to everything, but it can be a good way to essentially check your data because models can be wrong.”
Ultimately, Farmer is more positive about the role technology will play in looking for certainty in uncertain times. While businesses will undoubtedly benefit from building relationships with local suppliers and considering alternate sources of supply, the surest way forward will be, quite simply, to expect the unexpected.
“At the end of the day, it’s not about knowing the technical stuff, but about asking the right questions,” Farmer says.
“That’s the critical skill you need going into the future.” ■
At the 2024 ISSA Cleaning & Hygiene Expo
Christopher Joyce
‘Am I thinking strategically about business?’, 11 September
Ian Farmer
‘Leveraging AI for Business’, 11 September
Tom Culver (panellist)
‘The Future is Here’, 12 September
See our expo section for more details.
We specialise in providing fully integrated solutions that deliver one version of the truth.
Streamlines operations through live tracking and mobile forms to capture tasks, incidents and audits. PROOF OF SERVICE
Effectively manage staff rosters, streamline your payroll process and ensure staff show up at the right time and place. WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT AND ROSTERING
Get financial control over your business by fully integrating contracts, accounts and payroll. FINANCE AND PAYROLL
Visit us on Stand 209 at the 2024 ISSA Expo or scan the QR code to get in touch now.
Data, data everywhere
Words Mark Fermor, TEAM Software by WorkWave
Every year new and exciting tech-tools are introduced to the market. Cleaning companies have more choices than ever to use IT systems for workforce management and operations or back-office solutions for payroll and finance.
Given all the different software options available, it can be difficult for companies to find the right solution. The perfect software for your business is available, however. To find it, you need to consider what your business truly needs.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST YOUR BUSINESS TO CREATE INFORMATION?
Systems capture data and users need to see this data as valuable information. This simple sentence explains so much of the frustration that companies experience when they try to turn data into meaningful information at the right time. Why does this happen?
The key frustration is that to produce information, companies have to extract data from many different systems. A disparate system is created when departments buy a number of separate systems that do not share a common data source and record structure. When that happens, workers have to generate reports from multiple sources, match and manipulate those reports with tools like Excel and then produce the required information.
This is difficult, slow, expensive and susceptible to various risks.
To make matters worse, the task of creating information is mostly left to people who lack data analytical experience. Think about what it really costs your business to create information. It’s mostly a hidden expense which is absorbed into slow and inefficient outcomes.
INTEGRATION OVER QUANTITY
It goes without saying that the more systems you have, the harder and more expensive it is to create meaningful information. With each new system, someone's job gets more complex and the risk of error increases.
Selecting systems that perform more functions on the same platform reduces the need for data manipulation. If you do need to use multiple systems, make sure they integrate via a common set of business records, such as sites, customers and employees. For example, TEAM Software’s ERP solution, TemplaCMS shares one ‘site’ record with all of our other applications. There is no need for mapping of any sort before information can be created.
THINK WITH THE END IN MIND
Prioritise the information your business needs to succeed, before you decide to change any systems. List the urgent and critical information required by each role in each department. For example, area managers need to know quickly if staff members fail to arrive on-site at the required time. Finance employees need to know that ad-hoc work has been completed and invoices can be
sent to clients. Regional managers need to know when a site is exceeding its budget so they can bring costs down.
Ask yourself – how well do you know the informational needs of each stakeholder in your business? During the implementation projects of TemplaCMS and TEAM by WorkWave – our integrated workforce management solution – a lot of education will take place internally about what information is necessary for each department. In many cases, we introduce new ideas which companies never previously acknowledged.
ANSWERS IN DATA ANALYTICS
If you have considered your information needs, minimised your systems and you are working off a common set of records, there is one more thing you need to accept. I deliberately chose the word “accept” because I can see companies everyday who ignore this reality and have to live with its consequences.
Someone (internally or externally) will need to produce the information. It is a role that growing businesses cannot live without.
There are no dashboards in a single system that collates and displays information from all your systems. It’s up to you to use reporting tools to create them. Don’t fall for the lure of a dashboard in an ERP system, only to realise it fails to display information from your proofof-service or payroll system. This sort of coalition requires work.
Some companies we work with have taken this evolutionary leap and have skilled staff who can quickly and accurately produce information from data stored in multiple systems. They are generally much happier with the systems they use, as they get all the information they need and they know it is reliable. Sometimes sticking with the system you have and improving the informational outcomes can save you a lot of money.
Visit TEAM Software at Booth 209 at the 2024 ISSA Expo. If you would like to learn more about TEAM Software’s integrated solutions for cleaning companies, visit teamsoftware.com/integrated-solutions.
Danger of dust
Dust is everywhere – understanding what it is is essential to dealing with the perils it presents.
Words Ing. Paul Harleman, FHCS Professional
Dust and microdust originate from all kinds of sources. It floats in the air, partly falls down on surfaces and is inhaled by humans and animals. Dust contains things like soot particles, dust mites, dander, pet allergens, mould, bacteria, spores and viruses. It’s all there.
Pathogenic micro-organisms that are spread via dust are a fact of life we must deal with. To do that, we need to understand the nature of dust, its dangers and what to do in order to limit its negative effects. Effective and professional dust removal is an important aspect that should not be underestimated.
WHAT IS DUST?
There are two categories of dust, ordinary dust and microdust. Ordinary dust is a collection of fine, dry particles that are typically less than 500 micrometers (μm) in diameter. These particles originate from various sources including objects, living creatures, industrial and natural processes. The composition of dust differs and can include a wide range of materials including mineral grains, pollen, skin cells, textile fibres and soot. Moreover, ordinary dust often harbours living organisms such as bacteria, viruses and fungi. Analysing dust reveals that there is a lot of life in a little bit of dust.
When particles are, on average, smaller than 10 micrometers in diameter we refer to them as microdust. Due to its significantly smaller size and lower mass than regular dust, it often remains suspended in the air for longer periods. Like ordinary dust, microdust originates from all kinds of sources, some of which can be extremely harmful to living creatures. Dust and microdust are everywhere, inside and outside, except for rooms where dust exposure is highly controlled (clean rooms).
HOW DANGEROUS IS DUST?
It depends.
Is it “ordinary” dust or microdust? What exactly is the composition of the dust and in what concentration? How sensitive is a person to the substances and how long has that person been exposed to dust?
The negative effects of microdust are becoming alarming clear, however, and emerging as a significant and silent killer. According to the WHO, 99 percent of people are exposed to air pollution levels that exceed the recommendations set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in their latest guidelines.
Every breath we take is keeping us alive but the air we breathe can also kill us over time. Respiratory issues, allergies, cardiovascular effects and weakened immune systems are just some of the consequences of persistent and increasing air pollution. WHO estimates that, globally, air pollution is responsible for approximately seven million premature deaths annually. These deaths result from ischemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer, but also from acute respiratory infections, such as pneumonia, which mainly affect children in low and middleincome countries.
Is dust and microdust a serious issue? Yes, absolutely.
WHAT ELSE?
Beyond health implications, dust accumulation poses a range of challenges. Electrical appliances and ventilation systems are susceptible to damage and cause performance degradation when inundated with dust. Additionally, layers of dust on floors and furnishings are not attractive. While not as destructive as
Did you know?
• There is a cloud of dust around a moving person of approximately two metres.
• A working person, sitting on a chair, produces one million dust particles per minute.
• A walking person produces between 2.5 to 5 million dust particles per minute.
• One gram of dust can contain thousands of dust mites.
• People with pets at home carry allergens on their clothes, which are released everywhere.
other consequences of dust, maintaining cleanliness is still important for aesthetic reasons and to prevent potential damage to floors and furniture.
CLEANING HAS THE MOST IMPACT
Air movements are an important cause of dust becoming airborne. And what goes up must come down. You can reduce dust in the air through filtration, ventilation and good environmental cleaning. The first methods are important but do not have the most impact(1). Environmental cleaning however, is the most effective method, provided you clean properly. Dust can be removed in many ways, both mechanically and manually. Whatever you choose to do, methods and materials must retain the dust.
REMOVE DUST FROM SURFACE, HOW?
As explained, dust on surfaces can be removed in two ways: mechanically or manually.
MECHANICAL DUST REMOVING
Mechanical dust removing is done with a vacuum cleaner. That could be a nonautonomous (human-operated) machine or an autonomous vacuum cleaner (robot). To minimise the amount of dust that becomes airborne at the exhaust opening of the machine, it is important to use vacuum cleaners with a good and multiple filter system (HEPA).
Another mechanical way of dust removal are those that look like a mobility scooter with a big dustmop frame at the front – the sort you are likely to see in airports.
To remove dust from objects with hard-to-reach spots such as keyboards, a high-pressure air blower can be used. Bear in mind this method transfers dirt from one place to another, so outdoor execution is recommended.
MANUAL DUST REMOVING
To remove dust manually, wiping is the most common method. Wiping can be done with a durable wipe or mop, or a disposable variant. It is important to use wipes and mops that pick up the dust and retain it. There are several ways of doing this.
Water impregnation
These are mostly used in combination with a durable mop or wipe. The mop or wipe should be slightly moistened. If too wet, the dust can turn into mud, causing stripes on the surface after drying. Wet conditions also stimulate growth of micro-organisms.
Oil impregnation
Oil impregnated floor wipes are disposable. They tend to have a relatively low price and effective dust pick-up, but excessive oil can leave residue on the floor, requiring regular rotation of the pack of wipes to prevent oil migration to the bottom ones. Leaving the frame with the wipe on the floor during a break can cause oil stains and the wipes are piano packed, rather than being available on a roll.
Glue impregnation
Glue impregnation is an alternative to oil impregnation. The impregnation grade and type of glue must be correct to prevent a glue residue on the surface.
These wipes are slightly more expensive than oil-impregnated ones, but they have no risk of leaving glue residue on the floor. They do not require regular rotation of the pack, pose no risk of floor stains, if the frame with the wipe is left on the floor during a break, and are available on a roll.
Glue impregnated, disposable wipes are made to remove dust from floors but you can also use these wipes to remove dust from furniture. For instance, antique wooden furniture that is sensitive to water or oil.
STATIC ELECTRICITY
Static electricity works like a “magnet”, attracting dust and retaining it on the wipe or mop. Therefore this type of wipe
or mop is highly effective on hard or elastic surfaces with a 3D structure, such as wood imitation PVC floorings.
This method can be relatively expensive, but disposable floor wipes are available on a roll, while durable dust mops can be washed and re-used.
DURABLE OR DISPOSABLE
Removing dust with durables or disposables are options that come with their own specific advantages and disadvantages.
If durables are used to remove dust from floors, it is important to remove the collected dry dirt from the mop before laundering. If not properly pre-cleaned, there is a high chance that mops emerging from the laundering process are not sufficiently clean. There is also a potential risk of damage to the pump of the washing machine over time. Use a vacuum cleaner with HEPA filter to remove the dry dirt from the mop before laundering.
Sometimes cleaning operators brush the dirt from the mop, not realising that a lot of dust becomes airborne which is unhealthy and inefficient.
Generally speaking, disposables are more hygienic, comfortable and efficient and therefore recommended to use in healthcare environments.
WHAT ABOUT THE DUST WIPE FRAME?
There are different types of frames on the market to which you can attach a disposable dust wipe. In healthcare environments it is important to use utensils that are easy to clean, have a minimum number of dirt traps and are made of materials with a closed structure to prevent the formation of “microorganism hotels”. Therefore, a frame with a flexible removable sole made of synthetic rubber is preferred.
HEALTHY CLEANING
In 2004, the Dutch Cleaning Research Association (VSR) published an guide about the importance of healthy, professional cleaning (VSR vaknieuws “Gezond Schoonmaken”). It provides a lot of insights into the importance of cleaning related to a healthy indoor environment and healthy cleaning practices. While all details can be found in the VSR publication, there are five rules of thumb for healthy cleaning.
1. Clean the right things (to be most effective).
2. Clean the things right (professional).
3. Clean as dry as possible (to prevent growth of micro-organisms).
4. Don’t clean at high speed (to prevent dust becoming airborne).
5. Clean regularly (expiration date of cleanliness is on average 1-2 days).
Dust presents serious health risks as well as aesthetic concerns. In healthcare environments containing vulnerable individuals, dust with everything in it can be a particular and significant threat.
Through consistent and professional cleaning practices, we can reduce these dangers and create healthier environments. Doing so not only safeguards our wellbeing but also improves productivity and keeps the environments in which we work, visit and live as beautiful as they were created. Environmental dust control may seem straightforward, but it requires the expertise of a cleaning professional to manage it in a healthy and effective way.
Visit Freudenberg Home & Cleaning
Solutions Pty Ltd at Stand 345 at the 2024 ISSA Expo. ■
The sure plant-based range by Diversey
A commitment to sustainability
With its innovative plantbased product line, Diversey’s Sure range marks a significant advancement in environmentally responsible cleaning. Designed to offer high-performance cleaning solutions while addressing traditional environmental concerns, this range represents a crucial shift in the industry.
Central to the Sure plant-based range is the use of ingredients derived from natural, renewable plant sources. By utilising plant-based materials, Diversey reduces its dependence on petrochemicals, which are prevalent in
many conventional cleaning products. This approach not only diminishes the environmental footprint but also supports the use of renewable resources.
A key feature of these products is their biodegradability. The plant-based formulations are engineered to break down more easily after use, minimising their impact on water systems and soil. This ensures that the products do not leave harmful residues, contributing to a cleaner, more sustainable environment.
In addition to focusing on plant-based ingredients and biodegradability, Diversey emphasises eco-friendly packaging. The packaging for the Sure plant-based range is both recyclable and made from recycled materials, helping to reduce waste and support a circular economy where materials are reused and recycled.
Diversey’s commitment to sustainability extends to the entire production process. The company strives to minimise energy and resource consumption during
Diversey’s focus on innovation ensures that these products provide high-level performance across various professional settings, including healthcare and food service, while remaining environmentally friendly.
manufacturing, further reducing the overall environmental impact. The Sure plant-based range not only aims to reduce environmental impact but also to deliver effective cleaning solutions. Diversey’s focus on innovation ensures that these products provide high-level performance across various professional settings, including healthcare and food service, while remaining environmentally friendly.
SURE is a comprehensive offering of plant-based, 100% biodegradable* cleaning products designed to deliver superior professional results while being safe for people and kind to the environment. Our products are free from artificial dyes, perfumes, quats, chlorine, phosphates or oxide compounds and are formulated to achieve the lowest hazard classifications.
A notable endorsement of the Sure plant-based range’s sustainability is its Cradle to Cradle Certified™ status. This certification, which requires renewal every two years, assesses products across five critical sustainability categories: material health, material reuse, renewable energy and carbon management, water stewardship and social fairness. The Sure range has received Gold certificates for its Surface Cleaners, Personal Care and Professional Use products, highlighting its commitment to safe and sustainable practices.
The Sure plant-based range by Diversey exemplifies a significant step forward in the cleaning industry’s shift towards sustainable practices. By prioritising plant-based ingredients, biodegradable formulations, eco-friendly packaging and resource efficiency, Diversey demonstrates a strong commitment to both effective cleaning and environmental stewardship. ■
Winc, a trusted partner for your facility.
When no two facilities are alike and the whole building relies on you to maintain the highest level of hygiene, you need a partner who understands your business. At Winc, we offer confidence in supply, a proven product range and a support network of health, hygiene and safety experts who act as a specialist extension to your business.
With one of the largest distribution networks in the country, you can depend on Winc to help keep the workplaces you service safe and clean, while supporting your procurement goals. We provide high-quality cleaning, hygiene and safety products from trusted brands through our extensive supplier network. Our range includes cleaning and hygiene solutions, safety and PPE, first aid, packaging, mailing supplies and more, with nextbusiness-day delivery across Australia in metro areas.
Winc can help maintain workplace health and safety through supplier training, mobilisation and project rollouts using cost-effective solutions and industry insights.
INDUSTRY EXPERTISE
Led by Glen Shepherd, head of health, hygiene and safety (HH&S), our team of industry specialists is dedicated to delivering tailored solutions for your workplace.
“Our HH&S team spans across Australia with specialists supporting every state and territory,” Shepherd says. “We have more than 100 years of experience between us, and we have dedicated knowledge around
cleaning and hygiene protocols, safety and PPE, first aid, and safety signage –everything workplaces need to keep safe, clean and healthy.”
Winc’s team of experts can provide recommendations on the best products and services to suit your building, your team and your budget. We also offer team training to ensure products are used correctly and safely.
HELPING YOUR TEAM TO FEEL SAFE AND COMFORTABLE AT WORK
“In the case of good hygiene practices, the key is to provide workers with peace of mind, especially when it comes to the microbes they can’t see,” Shepherd says. “Often when we visit worksites, one thing we notice is the use of shared hand soap. When you have multiple workers using communal facilities on a construction site or a mine site, it’s crucial to ensure you have the right dispenser system so that germs don’t spread.”
CERTIFICATIONS
Our dedicated team of ISSA-accredited auditing professionals are ready to support you with health, hygiene and safety site surveys and specialist advice to evolve your cleaning and hygiene procedures. By offering the broadest range delivered direct to your desktop or doorstep, Winc frees you up to do what you do best.
If you’re looking to unlock more value from your supply partner, now’s the time to talk. Visit winc.com.au/services/facilitiesmanagement or contact newbusiness@ winc.com.au. ■
WELCOME
On behalf of ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association, it is my pleasure to personally welcome you to the ISSA Cleaning and Hygiene Expo 2024, the premier event for cleaning and facilities solutions.
At ISSA, we are proud to support a diverse community and are thrilled with the continual growth and success of this event. Your dedication and support of the show has helped transform this event into a can’t-miss event on the Australasian industry calendar.
The ISSA Cleaning and Hygiene Expo brings together professionals from a variety of industry segments including building management, health care, aged care, education, hospitality, government and restoration. It provides a platform for you and your teams to meet with leading manufacturers, distributors, and wholesalers and tap into their industry expertise and product knowledge.
Over the two days, information sharing will also take place at the ISSA Business Solutions Theatre with a diverse roster of more than 30 speakers and panellists addressing hot topics such as business management; technological advancement; environmental social and governance (ESG) initiatives; team development and more.
This year, we are pleased to present an exclusive breakfast celebration hosted by the ISSA Hygieia Network, which sets out to advance the careers of women in the cleaning and facility solutions industry. This event will serve as the official launch of the ISSA Hygieia Network in the Australasian region with the help of guest speaker Hon. Jodie Harrison MP, Minister for Women, Minister for Seniors and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault.
Additionally, the expo will host the 2024 ISSA Excellence Awards, which celebrate innovation and recognising outstanding achievements within our industry. Winners will be announced during the networking event on Wednesday providing an opportunity for you to interact with industry leaders and expand your business network.
Over this two-day event we encourage you to EXPLORE industry insights and take part in unparalleled networking opportunities, EXPERIENCE the latest and most innovative products and ELEVATE your business potential.
Whether you are a cleaning professional, distributor, facility manager or manufacturer, you will leave the expo enriched with new ideas and connections.
Thank you for participating in the expo with your industry peers and being part of the ISSA community. Have a great show and enjoy your time in Sydney!
JOHN H. BARRETT Executive Director, ISSA
WEDNESDAY 11 SEPTEMBER
2024
FREE TO ATTEND — EDUCATION PROGRAM
10.00am HOW TO TRACK THE INVISIBLE
Dr Claire Bird - Litmas
Scott McFadzen - Coach8
Andrew Bagnall - A.G. Coombs Advisory Pty Ltd
On the back of growing awareness of the health risks associated with mould exposure, building owners and facility managers should be taking a more proactive approach to remediation in order to ensure the well-being of employees and building occupants. In Australia, the combination of floods, water bombs, high ambient humidity, poor indoor moisture management and closed buildings have resulted in significant mould problems. Just this year, a NSW school had to be closed due to a major mould outbreak on the school grounds. While there can be significant health impacts related to mould exposure, there are also incredible financial impacts which include property damage, increased insurance costs and legal liabilities. During this session, the panel will address the increase prevalence of mould in our market, citing real case studies, and delve deeper into the actions plans required by both facility managers and contract cleaners.
10.45am ‘WHAT’S THE GAME PLAN?’
Dr Gavin Macgregor-Skinner - Global Biorisk Advisory Council ISSA
Dr Navin Sharma - Reckitt Pro Solutions
Mark Piwkowski - Quayclean
Big events mean big business. The past few years placed pressure on arenas and events to ensure they could protect not only athletes and performers but also the general public. The focus on cleaning and health became an even bigger focal point with the need to ensure that events continued to operate and deliver. As the market adapted and evolved so did the added requirements sought by the ‘game players’ with sustainability initiatives also rising to the forefront. Join this leading panel as they address the growing concerns of major events cleaning and discuss how businesses need to adapt and evolve.
11.30am AM I THINKING STRATEGICALLY ABOUT BUSINESS?
Christopher Joyce - Asepsis
In a competitive and rapidly changing cleaning industry, growth requires strategy, a focussed business plan and adaptability. Key questions include: Are you willing to shift business direction? Do you specialise in various market sectors? Are you assessing your competition regularly? Can you assemble the right team for growth? This session is essential for business owners, department heads and sales teams to explore strategies for optimising business growth, reviewing necessary resources and enhancing sales and profitability across industry channels.
12.15pm THE
Linda
IMPACT OF CLIMATE REPORTING
Romanovska - RSM Australia
The Australian Federal Government has introduced to parliament mandatory climate reporting for businesses, commencing in January 2025. It includes reporting on Scope 3 (or supply chain) emissions and disclosing targets and actions across all three scopes. There is also alignment with global standards released by the International Sustainability Standard Board (ISSB). While initial requirements tend to focus on larger entities, the reality is that it will not only affect this segment of the market. Understand the implications of climate reporting to your business, what you must consider and the consequences for not delivering.
1pm DATA OVERLOAD IN THE CLEANING INDUSTRY
Vivian Woo - TEAM Software by WorkWave
James Browne - TEAM Software by WorkWave
Technology changes every year and the cleaning industry has seen its fair share of progress. Stakeholders have access to more information than ever before, so why do many feel like they don’t know what’s truly going on in their business? Companies can now gather so much data, but few know exactly what to do with it. Turning data into valuable information has become key to making the right decisions. Getting this information to the right people at the right time is also vital, because yesterday’s data does not tell you much about today.
Join our speakers as they discuss the current trends in data and information in the cleaning industry, and reveal how you can take advantage of opportunities and avoid common mistakes.
SPECIAL EVENT
ISSA EXCELLENCE AWARDS
PRESENTATION & NETWORKING
Wednesday 11 September | 4pm-5.30pm | Complimentary
Join us to celebrate the winners of the 2024 ISSA Excellence Awards. This exciting event will bring together industry leaders, innovators and professionals to honour outstanding achievements and cutting-edge innovations in the cleaning and facility solutions industry.
The program for this year has been extended to showcase products in eight categories, including the new Environmental Awareness & Sustainability Award and the People’s Choice Award.
Winners will be announced following the conclusion of the first day of the expo during the industry networking event.
The People’s Choice Award, which will be decided through onsite voting by attendees of the ISSA Cleaning & Hygiene Expo, will be announced at the conclusion of the second day. Award finalists will showcase their products in the ISSA Innovation Zone on the show floor.
Don’t miss this fantastic opportunity to get inspired and make meaningful connections.
WORKSHOPS
Wednesday 11 September
ESTIMATING AND BIDDING MADE EASY
Wednesday 11 September 8.30am-12.30pm
$180 (plus GST) ISSA Member | $250 (plus GST) Non-member
Delivered by Steven Kulper - Australian Property Services
This workshop looks at all the defined systems of costing for contracts, organisational structures, disciplines, and the benefits of each system to give cleaning professionals and distributors a thorough understanding on which to base their decisions and operations. Within this session, attendees will have the opportunity to utilise resources garnered from the latest ISSA Cleaning Times.
What you will learn:
• How to reduce cost and increase quality
• How to survive budget cuts
• Work loading and labour efficiencies
• Productivity rates and cleaning times
• How to reduce turnover
• Change management strategies
LEVERAGING AI FOR BUSINESS
Wednesday 11 September 2pm-3.30pm Meeting room E5.4 $80 (plus GST) ISSA Member | $110 (plus GST) Non-member
Delivered by Ian Farmer, lecturer and emerging technology futurist, University of Technology Sydney (UTS), University New South Wales (UNSW)
Artificial Intelligence is transforming the way businesses operate. In a period when businesses are time and resourcepoor, yet pressures and expectations are high, AI can revolutionise operations, enhance decision-making, optimise resources and improve profitability. However, with such rapidly evolving technology, how do you ensure that your business is optimising this resource and that staff are aware of its capabilities and limitations? In this interactive workshop, Ian Farmer, lecturer and emerging technology futurist, will look at tools that companies and staff can use to improve operations within their business. In this workshop, attendees will see live demonstrations on how to utilise AI. Regardless of whether you are a beginner or have an intermediate understanding, the audience will walk away with a greater knowledge of capabilities and how to engage with various tools and resources. Whether you are working on contracts and tenders, managing reports, optimising marketing or looking at ways to improve sales and streamline processes, this is a workshop you must not miss.
1.45pm
IAQ NOW AND INTO THE FUTURE
Prof. Bronwyn King - Burnet Institute
Jason Green - Indoor Air Quality Association Australia
Ivi Sims - BULCS Holdings
In recent years, indoor air quality (IAQ) has taken centre stage among facility maintenance and infection prevention priorities. New technologies and developments have made it possible to create cleaner air in commercial buildings while monitoring air quality in real time. Yet innovation continues to bring improvements to IAQ approaches. Learn from industry experts who understand the current and future state of IAQ in this panel discussion.
Liezl Foxcroft - Master Cleaners Training Institute
Brad Horan - Lucrature
The cleaning industry today grapples with critical challenges: from staff retention difficulties, squeezed margins, rising costs and upfront investment required for automation. However, leveraging staff empowerment has emerged as a pivotal strategy for navigating these issues effectively. In this session, the panellists will address tactics that can enhance retention, boost profitability and spark customer centric innovation, drawing on real-life case studies and examples.
THURSDAY 12 SEPTEMBER 2024
FREE TO ATTEND — EDUCATION PROGRAM
10am THE FUTURE IS HERE
Tom Culver - The Robot Factory
Dan Graoroski - iQCheckPoint
Badi Noble - Olinga Services
Technology is not only evolving the way that cleaning is managed, it is also opening up new areas of business. It is diversifying traditional views of cleaning and providing new business streams and revenue capabilities. Join this panel as they delve into the future trends of technology, the latest innovations to be sweeping the market and the business on offer for the cleaning industry. A must attend for any contract cleaner or facility manager.
10.45am THE DOS AND DON’TS OF CLEANING PRODUCTS
Dr Gavin Macgregor-Skinner - Global Biorisk Advisory Council
ISSA
Stuart Nicol - Quipment Pty Ltd
Debbie Walker - Diversey
Cleaning products play an important role in managing the health and hygiene of the market. However, when it comes to products, do we also consider their appropriate use? It is important to use them correctly and effectively to avoid harm and ensure safety. But the complications do not end there, it is not only personal wellbeing but also asset wellbeing that must be considered. Learn from this panel of industry experts as they address the common complications taking place within the industry and the broader scoped thinking required to move forward.
11.30pm EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED FROM INSPECTION, CLEANING TO DRYING.
Garry Carroll - Australian Cleaning and Restoration Academy
There is never just one element that affects the cleaning and hygiene elements of a building occupant. From a leak in the building to indoor air movement everything is connected. However, quite often when it comes to cleaning and remediation what gets forgotten is the broader picture. In this session Garry will address real life case studies, the implications that were experienced by contract cleaners and facility managers and how these scenarios were managed.
12.15pm WOMEN IN THE INDUSTRY PANEL – NURTURING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Donna Willmette - Rapid Group Co-operative Ltd
Rochelle Lake - Essity Australasia
The business case for diversity and gender equality is irrefutable. A more diverse workplace, in which women can freely participate and where their contribution is valued, fosters creativity and innovation. A more diverse workforce also enables the understanding of a broader range of market segments, offering the potential for business growth. Numerous studies show that organisations with middle and senior management teams that are gender balanced consistently enjoy better bottom line results. Listen and be inspired by a panel of successful businesswomen in the cleaning and hygiene industry as they share some of their experiences and expertise.
1pm THE GREEN MACHINE
Dr Jennifer Semple - Accord Australasia
Chris Poullaos – Enviro-LCS
Ginny Bebbington - Cleanstar/ XPOWER
With customers expecting change and governments demanding it, sustainability is no longer just good for the environment – it’s also a strategic business move! Join this panel as they address the changing landscape of the economy and the impact this has on both cleaning and facilities.
1.45pm TAKING A PRACTICAL LOOK AT RECENT EMPLOYMENT LEGISLATIVE CHANGES
Belinda Fyffe, The Proven Group
Staying updated on employment relations legislative changes is essential for cleaning business leaders to ensure compliance and manage their workforce effectively. These changes can affect hiring practices, employee rights and dispute resolution procedures, requiring proactive planning and clear communication. In this session, you'll learn practical strategies on:
• Recent legislative changes and their impact on cleaning businesses
• “Closing the Loop-Hole” legislative changes
• Changes to contractor arrangements
• Changes to casual employee practices
• Leave legislation updates
• Understanding wage theft implications
• Right to Disconnect legislation
• Identifying and addressing psychosocial hazards
You’ll leave with a comprehensive overview of key changes relevant to your business.
2.30pm BEYOND ‘SHE’LL BE RIGHT’: UPSKILLING & RESKILLING FOR SAFETY
Lorraine Rogic - Logic Business Resources
In today’s changing landscape, upskilling and reskilling are crucial for maintaining the safety and wellbeing of your cleaning workforce. With stricter regulations and increasing scrutiny on workplace safety, businesses in the cleaning industry face a critical need to ensure their staff are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and resources to work safely and effectively. This session will delve into the key challenges and opportunities related to upskilling and reskilling in the cleaning industry, focusing on practical strategies and solutions that can be
implemented to empower your workforce and create a culture of safety. Join Lorraine Rogic, a seasoned work, health and safety expert with more than 30 years of experience, as she shares insights and strategies for navigating these critical issues.
SPECIAL EVENT
WOMEN IN CLEANING AND FACILITY SOLUTIONS NETWORKING BREAKFAST 8am - 9.15am | Meeting room E5.5 | Complimentary
hygieianetwork.org
This special breakfast will mark the launch of the Hygieia Network in the Australasian region, featuring guest speaker Hon. Jodie Harrison MP, Minister for Women, Minister for Seniors, and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault and other distinguish guests. The event is open to all who are passionate about fostering diversity and inclusion in the industry.
Seats are complimentary but limited. Please reserve during expo registration. If you have already registered to attend the expo but not reserved a breakfast seat, please reach out to oceania@issa.com.
Presented by the ISSA Hygieia Network – a community focused on empowering women through education, mentorship, and networking.
WORKSHOPS
Thursday 12 September
AIR, SURFACE, WATER – THE TRIFECTA OF CLEANLINESS
Thursday 12 September 1pm-3.30pm Meeting room E5.4
$120 (plus GST) ISSA Member | $160 (plus GST) Non-member
Delivered by Dr Gavin Macgregor-Skinner - Global Biorisk Advisory Council ISSA
In today’s fast-paced world, where health and safety have taken centre stage, the significance of maintaining a clean and safe environment cannot be overstated. If facility managers and cleaning professionals are to succeed as champions of the indoor environment, then identifying what to measure is crucial for maximising our ability to protect people, property and the overall quality of the indoor environment. This workshop will aid participants in using tools that help increase operational efficiency, reduce costs and improve the quality of cleaning services. Participants will leave with the knowledge and skills necessary to measure and analyse the cleanliness of air, surfaces and water in buildings. In this hands-on workshop, Dr Gavin Macgregor-Skinner will draw from his experience working in Ebola hospitals, managing trauma and crime scene clean-up and implementing solutions to decrease transmission of infectious diseases through air and surfaces in hospitals.
2024 EXHIBITORS
Reckitt Pro Solutions Platinum Sponsor Stand 223
Reckitt Pro Solutions – Exceptional Hygiene, Stronger Business. Effective and efficient cleaning solutions that help create exceptionally hygienic environments in businesses across Australia. Visit Reckitt Pro Solutions on Stand 223 for a fantastic coffee and a chat.
Makita Australia Gold Sponsor Stand 417
Makita is leading the way in cordless commercial cleaning, power garden and power tool solutions. Makita’s 18V LXT and 40V Max XGT battery platforms deliver market-leading performance and the dual battery ‘X2’ technology provides even more power.
Geelong Brush Silver Sponsor Stand 134
Geelong Brush is the leading manufacturer of brushware in Australia. Operating for more than 90 years, they are proud to offer the highest quality, Australian made brooms, brushes and cleaning products – while continuing to invest in the latest technologies to deliver new innovations to the market.
iQCheckPoint Silver Sponsor Stand 316
Cleaning Workforce Management Software. Efficiently manage your cleaning workforce with iQCheckPoint. This software enables you to schedule cleaning staff, streamline payroll, communicate schedule changes, onboard staff, provide training, assign tasks, conduct site inspections and more.
Sabco Professional Silver Sponsor Stand 546
Sabco Professional offers high-quality cleaning solutions for commercial and industrial environments. With a focus on innovation and efficiency, they provide a range of products designed to meet the rigorous demands of professional cleaning services.
TEAM Software Silver Sponsor Stand 209
TEAM Software by WorkWave offers top financial, operations and workforce management solutions for contractors in cleaning and security. Their integrated ERP system reduces risk and costs, driving efficiency and growth. More than 750 companies and around one million users rely on TEAM’s global solutions.
RapidClean Coffee Cart Sponsor Stand 245
RapidClean is your national one-stop-shop supply and service solution for all cleaning, packaging, catering, paper, machinery and safety products. With more than 70 stores across Australia and New Zealand, they have you covered.
Rubbermaid Commercial Products Registration Sponsor Stand 227
Rubbermaid Commercial Products stands for durability, trust, innovation, and proven performance. For 50 years, they have pioneered top solutions for commercial facilities, consistently outperforming and outlasting competitors.
Cleanstar Lanyard Sponsor Stand 239
Cleanstar is Australia's leading wholesale distributor of commercial and domestic vacuum cleaners, dust bags, filters, spare parts, accessories, general cleaning equipment and machinery, janitorial, hygiene supplies, restoration and remediation equipment.
INCLEAN Media Partner Stand 556
INCLEAN is Australia’s leading trade publication for the commercial cleaning industry. For more than 30 years, it has provided essential industry content through its bi-monthly magazine and website, incleanmag.com.au. Published by Niche Media for ISSA, it includes a weekly newsletter with the latest industry news.
For more information on sessions and speakers visit cleaninghygieneexpo.issa.com/agenda/
2024 EXHIBITORS
ISSA - The Worldwide Cleaning Association
Stand 556
With more than 10,500 members globally, ISSA is the leading trade association for the cleaning industry. It supports members with tools to promote cleaning as an investment in health, the environment and financial performance.
Abco Products Pty Ltd.
Stand 101
Building Services Contractors Association of Australia (BSCAA) Pod A
Abco is Australian-owned, operating for more than 25 years. They serve BSCs, facility management companies and other industries with innovative cleaning products, equipment, services and technology, supported through their five national distribution and innovation centres.
Agar Cleaning Systems
Stand 116
The BSCAA is Australia’s leading representative organisation for the building services industry, offering compliance support, certification, training and industry best practices. Since 1964, BSCAA has supported cleaning, security, facilities management and grounds maintenance professionals.
BULCS Holdings Stand 139
Agar is an Australian family-owned and operated manufacturer of highperformance, highly concentrated commercial and industrial cleaning products. With more than 55 years of experience, Agar provides trusted products and expert technical support to back them up.
Aikerui
Stand 111, Pod G
Anhui Aikerui Equipment Co. Ltd, based in Hefei, specialises in manufacturing diverse industrial cleaning products. With more than 10 years of experience, they focus on R&D, production, and sales of floor scrubbers, sweepers, polishers and vacuums.
AU Pluscleaning
Pod D
BULCS Holdings is a top distributor of indoor air quality, ventilation and building restoration solutions in Australia and the Asia Pacific. They offer expert consulting, training and products from leading global suppliers to promote healthier buildings.
Business Solutions Theatre Stand 150
Head to the Business Solutions Theatre to attend keynote speakers, panel discussions and breakout sessions to stay ahead of industry trends and innovations. Don’t miss the opportunity to learn from and network with the thought leaders who are shaping the industry.
Chancee Technology
Stand 217
PlusCleaning Services is a 100 percent Australian-owned company offering specialised cleaning services across industries like commercial, hospitality, residential, aged care and childcare, driven by professional, personalised service and highly trained staff.
Australian Cleaning & Restoration Academy (ACRA) Stand 613
ACRA provides practical learning and expert training in the cleaning and restoration industry. Offering online and in-person courses, assessments and a training handbook, ACRA equips you with essential skills and knowledge for your professional growth.
Biogone Stand 629
Chancee offers innovative cleaning products, focusing on R&D, manufacturing and sales. Their wide range of products includes floor scrubbers, sweepers, vacuums and high-pressure washers, sold in more than 100 countries, earning global trust and recognition.
chanceetechnology.com
Clean Meet Hub
Stand 325
Be our guest in the Clean Meet Hub, where industry professionals can exchange ideas, network and mingle with colleagues on the expo floor.
CleanTasker
Pod F
CleanTasker is an integrated commercial cleaning management software that boosts efficiency and client satisfaction. It helps retain contracts, cut costs and win more clients by supporting field activities and ensuring agreed outcomes. Revolutionise your cleaning operations today.
Make your cleaning business more sustainable with Biogone’s landfillbiodegradable gloves, bin liners, laundry bags and more. Their products biodegrade 90 percent faster in landfills with no microplastics and no compromise on durability.
Coach8
Stand 115
Coach8 is an Australian school offering IICRC certification and training for the cleaning and restoration industry. Topics include trauma and crime scene remediation, sharps, bodily fluids, blood removal, prison clean ups and much more.
Conquest Sweepers & Scrubbers Stand 212
Industrial Performance. Healthier Workspaces. Conquest provides quality floor cleaning equipment ensuring productivity, safety and compliance. With expert recommendations, a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee and flexible terms, you can rent, hire or buy, all backed by genuine service and support.
Diversey Stand 433
For more than a century, Diversey has provided innovative cleaning and hygiene solutions globally, combining extensive expertise with a steadfast commitment to sustainability. Their focus is on delivering exceptional results while prioritising environmental responsibility in everything they do.
Dolphy Australia Stand 124
Dolphy Australia offers a range of unique, stylish and elegant dispensers ideal for hotels, industries, apartments, malls, schools, hospitals, clinics, restaurants and homes. They prioritise customer satisfaction through integrity, innovation and excellent service from purchase to support.
Dongguan Sunrise Daily Commodity Co. Ltd Stand 132
Dongguan Sunrise Daily Commodity Co. Ltd manufactures tissue paper products like facial tissue, towel paper, napkins and toilet rolls. Established in 2005, they serve more than 30 countries with ISO9001-certified quality and offer customised materials from their own paper mill. dgsunrise.com
Enviro-LCS Pty Ltd Stand 605
Enviro-LCS offers eco-friendly hygiene services and washroom products for various sectors, including facilities management and healthcare. Operating since 1990, they exceed client expectations with tailored solutions and a dedicated professional team.
EZshine Diamond Clean Solution Stand 410
EZshine was created to provide a chemical-free diamond clean solution to help customers achieve a great clean and shine result. The product also provides ongoing labour-saving value for daily cleaning and maintenance works.
Freudenberg Home & Cleaning Solutions Pty Ltd Stand 345
Freudenberg Home and Cleaning Solutions (FHCS) is a leading international company for branded cleaning products and systems, including Oates, Vileda Professional and Research Products.
Gaussian Robotics Stand 425
Gausium, a leader in AI-powered autonomous cleaning, serves over 3,000 customers in 60 plus countries. Their portfolio includes floor cleaning robots, docking stations, and a cloud platform, driving digital transformation in the cleaning industry.
Guangzhou Newmade Cleaning Products Co. Ltd
Stand 627
Guangzhou Newmade Cleaning Products Co. Ltd is a manufacturer of cleaning products and tools from Guangzhou, with more than 15 years of experience in this field.
Gurru Stand 137
Gurru develops innovative software for the facilities and property industries. They created Bintracker, Australia’s leading waste tracking and reporting platform and Cleantracker, a comprehensive management system tailored for the cleaning industry.
Helping Hand Environmental Stand 240
Helping Hand Environmental is the world’s largest manufacturer and supplier of sustainable litter pickers, litter-picking equipment and reusable litter clearance tools. We supply quality assured British litter pickers, grabbers, pick-up sticks or commercial litter pickers which are 100% reusable.
Hospeco Pty Ltd Stand 107
Armed with expert industry knowledge and more than 20 years of experience as leaders in hygiene and washroom solutions, Hospeco offers a wide range of in-house products and premium international brands. Their offerings include odour control, hand care, washroom maintenance, insect control, hand dryers, chemicals, PPE and an extensive selection of dispensers.
2024 EXHIBITORS
Hospeco Pty Ltd - Oxygen Power
Stand 106
Oxygen-Supreme delivers reliable, efficient odour elimination with designer fragrances for any space. Utilising patented, pharmaceuticalgrade technology, it ensures consistent fragrance levels for 30, 60 or 90 days, enhancing any facility experience.
ISSA Innovation Zone
Stand 560
Come see the latest technologies and innovations and vote for what product or service you believe is the most innovative for the People’s Choice Award. The People’s Choice Awards will be announced on Thursday 12 September.
i-team ANZ
Stand 617
i-team ANZ is part of a global network offering innovative cleaning solutions. Their products, including the i-mop and efficient scrubbers and vacuums, reduce ownership costs, save time and deliver superior cleaning results.
Shanghai Jie Chi Environmental Protection
Stand 413
Shanghai Jie Chi Environmental Protection is a large-scale manufacturer of cleaning equipment, offering R&D, manufacturing and sales services. Their main products include washing machines and sweepers, known for cost-effective technologies and widespread market success.
JTY Australia
Stand 301
JTY Australia is a proud distributor of the UK's leading commercial cleaning brand Scot-Young Research (SYR), plus the original brand in JUST ADD WATER commercial cleaning products, White Magic. These two brands have pioneered innovative cleaning techniques for more than 50 years.
Kärcher
Stand 317
Kärcher brings quality, German-engineered cleaning solutions to your doorstep. With more than 80 years of experience designing purpose-built machines that provide excellent results, they are the global leaders in cleaning. Their range includes scrubber dryers, sweepers, high-pressure washers and more.
MotorScrubber Australia
Stand 213
MotorScrubber lead the market in compact floor scrubbing machines, focusing on performance and speed. Their innovative designs ensure longevity and reliability, aiming to provide exceptional results quickly. Their vision: every building needs a MotorScrubber.
My Home Industries Sdn. Bhd.
Stand 725
Your Stainless Steel One Stop Solution Centre. My Home Industries is the number one stainless steel product manufacturer and exporter in Malaysia. They specialise in a wide variety of bins, benches, bollards, trolleys, crowd control barriers, sign stands and bathroom accessories.
Ophardt Hygiene
Stand 548
A global leader with family business stability, Ophardt Hygiene innovates in hygiene solutions. Since 1962, they've pioneered smart touchless dispensers and software, including their Smart from the Start line, enhancing facility management and hygiene standards.
Pacvac
Stand 447
Pacvac design, manufacture and distribute backpack vacuums to more than 20 countries worldwide. Their product range includes a vacuum cleaner suited to almost any cleaning application across industries including hospitality, healthcare, education, retail, facilities management and BSC.
Peerless JAL
Stand 110
Peerless JAL is a proudly Australian-owned and family-run company and has been an industry leader since 1947. They are specialists in hygienic cleaning products and systems and premium floor care.
Pudu Robotics
Stand 246
Pudu Robotics, a global leader in service robotics, enhances productivity and living standards with innovative technology. Holding nearly 1000 patents, they offer robots for dining, retail, healthcare, and more. With 80,000 units shipped to more than 60 countries, Pudu Robotics is at the forefront of the industry.
Record TIME
Stand 445
Record TIME is a digital management system designed to simplify cleaning business operations. It tracks employee attendance, provides proof of work, manages licenses and qualifications and controls tasks and schedules. Discover why many are going digital with Record TIME.
Restore Solutions
Stand 611
Restore Solutions offers cleaning and restoration solutions for all property types. With industry experience since 1995, they provide expert support, price guarantees, free delivery and product education to ensure maximum results and healthy indoor environments.
R&J Batteries
Stand 351
Now with 24 branches, R&J Batteries is one of Australia’s fastest growing battery companies. With excellent customer service across multiple industries, they provide world-class brands like U.S. Battery, Fullriver, Lester, ALLiON, Optima and Delkor.
RPS Battery Co. Ltd Stand 645
RPS Battery has been a lithium battery pack designer and manufacturer for almost 20 years. Their application fields include cleaning equipment, marine, RV, racing and drop-in replacement of lead-acid.
Scent Central & ABS
Pod E
Scent Central specialise in aroma branding, combining premium scenting with aromatherapy to create tailored, measurable multi-sensory marketing results. Our scientifically proven process ensures the finest scented outcomes for your business.
SC Johnson Professional Stand 310
SC Johnson Professional® four-step skin care system helps protect, cleanse, sanitise and restore skin. We also offer surface care (Windex and Duck), air care (Glade and Oust) and pest control (Raid and Off).
SEBO Floorcare Stand 226
SEBO offers German-made floorcare solutions, including upright and barrel vacuum cleaners, power brushes, polishers and dry powder carpet cleaners. Their products ensure deep cleaning and positive indoor air quality. Live demos of SEBO ET Power Brushes and G5 Upright are available.
Service Farm
Stand 122
Service Farm provides FM Farm, an end-to-end contract and job management solution for commercial cleaning companies. It streamlines operations, enhances compliance and improves service quality, transforming maintenance and other processes efficiently.
SIMPPLE
Stand 201
The SIMPPLE ecosystem combines workforce management software, IoT sensors and robotics to give facility owners and managers an overview of their facility.
Solaris Paper Stand 308
Solaris Paper, an Australian manufacturer, produces kitchen and washroom paper products for B2B. Their portfolio includes global leader Livi, Australian icon Sorbent Professional and top brand Handee Ultra.
Streamline
Stand 117
Streamline™ offers a wide range of high-quality cleaning equipment, from starter kits to turn-key packages, ideal for end users and facility companies. Their Pure Water Cleaning Systems use advanced technology for safer, superior cleaning and their comprehensive range includes more than 7000 products for high-reach cleaning needs.
SuperCharge Batteries
Stand 552
Supercharge Batteries is the master distributor of Trojan Batteries in the Oceanic region, offering a broad selection of long-lasting and dependable batteries to meet diverse industry needs with outstanding service and assistance.
Suzhou Bennett Cleaning Machine Co. Ltd
Stand 607
Established in 2007, Suzhou Bennett Cleaning Machine Co. Ltd is a leading Chinese manufacturer of high-quality cleaning equipment. With production bases in Kunshan and Nantong, they offer scrubbers, sweepers and floor polishers. Bennett is ISO9001 certified and an ISSA member, committed to exceptional global cleaning solutions.
Terracyclic International
Stand 100
Terracyclic’s Bio Bin features a disposable lid and liner cartridge system, eliminating cleaning, reducing waste and cutting costs. Its self-deodorising, antibacterial components ensure protection for users. Awarded Carbon Footprint Accreditation, it’s a smart, eco-friendly sanitary disposal unit.
2024 EXHIBITORS
The Condortech Group Stand 512
Recycleaner International Ltd produces hard surface power cleaning equipment, distributed via AllKleen companies. Condortech Developments Ltd, part of the group, offers R and D facilities at the University of Auckland's Innovation Precinct
The Power Source Stand 216
The Power Source is the industry leader in battery and charger supply for industrial and motive applications in Australia and New Zealand, offering top products like Trojan, Discover and Delta-Q. They are built on quality, loyalty and customer care.
The Robot Factory Stand 353
Whiteley Stand 148
Whiteley, an Australian family-owned manufacturer, has innovated cleaning and disinfecting products for more than 90 years. Based in the Hunter Region of NSW, they are recognised for their cutting-edge technologies in infection control, professional cleaning and hygiene solutions. Visit stand 148 for effective cleaning solutions.
Winc
Stand 615
For more than five years, The Robot Factory has been on a mission to find the best cleaning robots and automation solutions available worldwide. Their products can tackle everything from floors to solar panels. They also provide 24/7 "bank-grade support" throughout Australia and New Zealand.
Thinkpac Stand 220
Thinkpac is a Melbourne-based company specialising in importing and distributing soft plastic products made from certified post-consumer recycled materials. They aim to be global leaders in creating circular packaging solutions, promoting sustainability and reducing plastic pollution through innovative and high-quality everyday products.
Thye Leong Huat Industry Sdn Bhd Stand 300
Thye Leong Huat Industry was established in the early 1990s. With more than 15 years of expertise in the paper production industry, they provide sachet, napkins, film and foil, packaging product and cutlery. They aim to provide the best all round solutions to the food service industry.
Tork Stand 510
Tork has more than 50 years of expertise in professional hygiene, offering knowledge, products, and services to enhance your business's efficiency and well-being. Committed to sustainability, Tork products lower climate impact, reduce waste and are ethically sourced.
Winc is a workplace supplies company that takes care of everything a workplace needs to work – including cleaning and hygiene supplies. They also offer Australian-made, First Nations and sustainable options.
Winstarr
Stand 411
Dongguan Green Paper Industrial Co. Ltd manufactures tissue papers like facial tissue, paper napkins, paper towel and toilet tissue with 20 years export experience, servicing 30 plus countries. They are a one stop paper supplier and customisation is acceptable.
Yu He Industrial Pty Ltd
Pod B
YU HE Industrial Pty Ltd are suppliers of mother roll paper in virgin, mixed and recycled formats. We are certified in FSC, SMETA and ISO. Our product range includes toilet rolls, paper towels, napkins, facial tissues and dispensers.
Zhejiang Dongyi Magnetic Co. Ltd
Stand 302
Zhejiang Dongyi Magnetic Co. Ltd, established in 2004, is a leading Chinese manufacturer of vacuum cleaners. They offer a complete service system from R&D to sales and hold ISO9001:2000 certification. Dongyi has established long-term relationships with Europe, the US, Northeast Asia and beyond.
Zhejiang Jiecheng New Material Technology Co. Ltd
Stand 238
Zhejiang Jiecheng New Material Technology Co. specialises in non-woven manufacturing with three production lines and professional R&D teams. Committed to quality, they provide stable, high-standard cleaning and daily wiping materials.
Sustainability with TASKI by Diversey
Leading the way in eco-friendly cleaning solutions
Are you looking to enhance sustainability in your floor cleaning operations? TASKI offers advanced floorcare machines, equipped with pads and brushes made from recycled materials. Embracing circular economy principles, TASKI promotes recycling and material reuse while considering the entire lifecycle of its products to minimise environmental impact from production to disposal.
WHY CHOOSE TASKI MACHINES?
TASKI sets a high standard in the cleaning industry with its commitment to sustainability. TASKI machines feature optimised motor designs and energy-saving modes, significantly reducing electricity consumption. Many of the TASKI scrubber drier range also come with adjustable water flow settings, allowing users to tailor water usage to specific cleaning tasks, supporting water conservation efforts.
TASKI offers advanced floorcare machines equipped with pads and brushes made from recycled materials, embracing circular enconomy principles.
Durability is another key aspect. TASKI designs its equipment for longevity, which reduces the need for frequent replacements and cuts down on waste. This focus on durability aligns with broader sustainability objectives.
TASKI’s commitment extends to operational practices. The brand applies eco-design principles to ensure that products are easier to recycle and have a lower environmental impact throughout their lifecycle. Diversey's TASKI experts provide training and support to help customers adopt best practices for sustainable cleaning, maximising the environmental benefits of their products and equipment.
WHAT ABOUT MACHINE FLOOR PADS?
Complementing TASKI machines are the Twister Diamond floorcare pads. Each Twister pad is made from approximately
two and a half recycled PET water bottles. These pads are then embedded with billions of microscopic diamonds, tailored for various cleaning applications.
This design makes them less abrasive than traditional pads, resulting in a smoother, more polished finish that resists soiling. The pads are effective with water alone and last three times longer than conventional products, reducing the need for periodic maintenance and contributing to lower overall costs.
Twister pads eliminate chemical use, cut floor pad costs by 66 percent, and reduce consumable weight by 98 percent. By simplifying cleaning processes, these pads create a healthier environment for cleaners and bystanders while reducing routine
machine maintenance. They are ideal for daily maintenance of unprotected stone floors and come in a variety of types for different hard floor surfaces.
Using a sequence of four coloured pads—red, white, yellow, and green—can rejuvenate old, dull floors, resulting in clean, shiny, and polished surfaces. Additionally, the diamond-impregnated side of each pad acts as a wear indicator. With eco-friendly products, energyefficient equipment and sustainable practices, TASKI and Twister lead the way in environmentally friendly cleaning solutions. Integrating these practices into your operations can support a greener environment while delivering effective and high-performance cleaning results. ■
WHAT’S THE GAME PLAN?
INFECTION PREVENTION IN THE WILD
WORLD
OF
SPORTS
Olympics fever is fading, but a summer of sport awaits. How are major arenas working to keep players, performers and punters safe at major public events?
Words Myke Bartlett
When Taylor Swift took to the stage during her recent tour of the UK, the ground quite literally moved. Earth tremors were detected some nine kilometres from the Edinburgh venue. It follows a similar seismic event at one of her US shows the previous year. These kinds of mass gatherings — which can attract ground-shaking crowds in the hundreds of thousands — aren’t just a threat to the plasterwork. In our post-COVID world, we are increasingly aware of the challenges they present to those responsible for cleaning and hygiene at large-scale venues.
As Australia and New Zealand look ahead to a big few months of footy, tennis and Coldplay, infection control will be a hot topic for those responsible for organising the events. Cleaning contractors such as Quayclean, who this year secured the contract for Melbourne’s legendary MCG, are on the frontline when it comes to breaking the link of transmission. Quayclean CEO Mark Piwkowski says in the wake of the pandemic, a greater awareness of hygiene control has become the new normal.
“It’s certainly more heightened than ever before,” Piwkowski says. “From a cleaning perspective, we’ve seen a greater focus on products that contribute to sanitisation and hygiene that prevent the spread of infections particularly at touchpoints such as basins, ledges and doors. And HEPA filters in vacuums are now common practice.”
Piwkowski says these changes to cleaning practice at larger venues seem to be driven more by the cleaning industry than clients.
“When it comes to viruses and infections, customers’ expectations have not necessarily changed, but awareness has changed the industry. Customers’ expectations are very focused on higher standards of site presentation, cleanliness and added value. The industry itself has developed a great awareness and knowledge of hygiene cleaning that supports infection control.”
Major venues such as the MCG tend to be leading the charge when it comes to hygiene in public spaces, Piwkowski says, as they are willing to invest in a high standard of cleaning. Meanwhile,
Photography by Verne Ho on Unsplash.
The industry itself has developed a great awareness and knowledge of hygiene cleaning that supports infection control.
- Mark Piwkowski
other facilities — such as some education campuses — are being forced to cut costs. It can be challenging for contractors to balance that desire for economy with the need to maintain hygiene in shared spaces.
BEHIND THE SCENES
Dr Gavin Macgregor-Skinner, senior director of the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC), a division of ISSA, says that infection prevention at mass events has become a booming industry, but the focus tends to be more on protecting players and performers than the punters.
“If you’re talking about the players and their support staff, things have changed immensely,” Macgregor-Skinner says.
Major venues have put in place a wide range of measures to protect the health and safety of professional athletes in locker rooms as well as important guests in corporate boxes and suites.
“There’s been a lot more focus this year on indoor air quality, especially in locker rooms. Many locker rooms in our stadiums were built years ago with very poor or bad ventilation. We’ve also been talking to teams like the Philadelphia Eagles about the sort of chemicals they’re using on their gym equipment because people sweat on them. If you’re going to use toxic chemicals in your locker rooms, that just puts toxic chemicals on your skin. They changed it overnight — all the toxic chemicals are out and we're now using cleaning products that have safer ingredients.”
The recent Olympics, in which several athletes came down with COVID, highlighted the sort of criticism those responsible for mass venues and the athletes competing in them can face if things don’t go to plan. US sprinter Noah Lyles, for example, collapsed during the 200m final after testing positive.
“If you look at Noah Lyles, people wanted to know how that happened. That comes down to management. Someone didn’t do their risk assessment or didn’t manage the system effectively to decrease all the risks of him getting infected.”
Having worked with big name teams and competitors across a range of sports from baseball to Formula One, Macgregor-Skinner has seen how effective infection control means having broad-
ranging hygiene systems in place, taking in everything from surfaces to air quality.
“We focus on cleaning for health, cleaning surfaces and measuring air quality. There’s new research showing that air pollution or poor air quality can actually affect a player’s professional performance. You want to create a whole systems approach so that when they come to training, it’s safe. When they go home, it’s safe.”
When it comes to the punters, given the size of the crowds at major sporting events (or Taylor Swift concerts), keeping a venue in a hygienic condition is a major logistical exercise. Many venues will only have a narrow gap between games or gigs.
“I’ve got a stadium at the moment that has 70,000 fans every game,” Macgregor-Skinner says. “We have about 150 cleaners working there, and it takes about 16 hours to do it. I think people underestimate what 70,000 fans in a stadium actually leave behind. Logistically, it’s an enormous challenge, but the operation managers of the stadiums and the cleaning companies do an amazing job.”
That said, infection control at mass gatherings has its limits. Even where air conditioning with HEPA filtering is available, when you put earth-shaking numbers of people together in a single venue, it’s inevitable that transmission will occur.
Piwkowski says there’s really only one simple solution.
“I think the best method of hygiene control, on an individual level, continues to be if you’re unwell, don't present yourself,” Piwkowski says. “And if you're unwell, and you have to be in a public environment, at least wear a mask.”
Macgregor-Skinner says it’s important to distinguish between infection control during an event when large crowds are in close contact, and infection control before and after an event, where venues and cleaning contractors are working to reduce contamination.
“Infection transmission increases when you’re in a crowd, but infection transmission continues if you haven't cleaned properly. That’s why we focus on cleaning for health and safety.”
By way of illustration, one venue saw an extended outbreak of norovirus that was eventually traced to a single dirty vacuum cleaner.
At the 2024 ISSA Cleaning & Hygiene Expo
Dr Gavin Macgregor-Skinner Mark Piwkowski
‘What’s the game plan?’, 11 September
Dr Gavin Macgregor-Skinner
‘The dos and don’ts of cleaning products, 12 September
Dr Gavin Macgregor-Skinner Air, Surface, Water – The trifecta of Cleanliness, 12 September
See our expo section for more details.
“It was a wedding, and someone vomited in the hotel lobby at three o'clock in the afternoon,” Macgregor-Skinner says. “They went and grabbed a vacuum cleaner to clear up the vomit, but never cleaned the vacuum cleaner. Over the next 30 days, they had another nine events, and more than 350 people got sick.”
While cleaning companies and workers at mass gathering event facilities tend to achieve high-quality cleaning services, Macgregor-Skinner says it’s essential that they are educated and trained to understand cleaning products, methods and materials –and how to maintain and evaluate their effects. When it comes to cleaning buildings and equipment used by professional athletes, cleaners need to know what health issues cleaning products and processes can create as well as how to clean without leaving chemical residues or affecting indoor air quality.
“Cleaning for mass gatherings demands planning, preparation, communication, collaboration, and the ability to quickly adapt. The way you can get to that level of professionalism in your cleaning business is through proper education, training and certification.”
FROM THE OUTSIDE IN
Macgregor-Skinner says facilities wanting to demonstrate their commitment to supporting a high-performance cleaning and maintenance program that provides a hygienic indoor environment should consider something such as GBAC® STAR accreditation. The certification indicates facilities have knowledgeable cleaning professionals trained to uphold the highest health and safety standards. Managed by the Global Biorisk Advisory Council® (GBAC), a division of ISSA, GBAC STAR helps facilities apply the science of cleaning to benefit the health, wellbeing and performance of people. It is not about passing or failing but helping a facility focus on data-driven cleaning and improving performance. Performance can be measured by looking at both activities and outcomes.
“Our focus as we move forward, as we try to work to make the industry better recognised as being professional, is to take lessons from other managers,” Macgregor-Skinner says.
Infection transmission increases when you’re in a crowd, but infection transmission continues if you haven't cleaned properly. That’s why we focus on cleaning for health and safety.
- Dr Gavin Macgregor-Skinner
Our focus as we move forward, as we try to work to make the industry better recognised as being professional, is to take lessons from other managers.
- Gavin Macgregor-Skinner
One good place for venue managers to find lessons is in the environment surrounding a stadium or arena.
“Environmental managers of the outdoor space have become so good at talking about the issues, the problems and the need for mitigation and solutions. They’ve become so aware of things like contamination of ground rivers. We want to take those principles of environmental management and put them into the complex situation of an indoor space with indoor air quality, as well as all the different surfaces that have to be cleaned and maintained.”
Having recently attended the Paris Olympics, MacgregorSkinner says he was struck by how efficiently the city dealt with maintaining hygiene and cleanliness inside and outside its sporting venues.
“The trash pickup was amazing. It was the cleanest I’ve ever seen. The hotels, the public transport, the stadiums. Everywhere you went was just immaculately cleaned. It was incredible.”
Piwkowski says a recent tour of sporting venues throughout Europe and the UK reinforced to him that a major public gathering event doesn’t need to present problems for hygiene or cleanliness. But he says that the next big shift for venues hosting big games and gigs may not be infection control but sustainability.
“There’s a heightened awareness that hirers and venues need to have an understanding of how their act contributes to CO2 emissions and creating greater sustainable events that limit their environmental impact. Hirers have the ability to change community and venue mindsets in this regard.”
So, while punters attending the coming summer of sport can expect a level of hygiene that protects them and the players they’re watching, they can also expect a shift towards waste reduction and more environmentally friendly behaviours. It’s an earth-shaking shift that is coming from the very top.
“Taylor Swift, when she came out to Australia, wanted to know that the venues where she was playing had a sustainable mandate in terms of how they manage waste,” Piwkowski says.
“When FIFA was in Australia for the Women’s World Cup, it had a huge focus on sustainability and recycling. Coldplay, who are in Australia this summer, have taken the whole thing to another level where they want to measure the actual carbon emissions, including the waste volume generated and the recycled waste volumes, at their venues.” ■
Cleaning in colour: Pacvac’s showcase of innovation and creativity
Based in Western Australia, Pacvac – leaders in backpack vacuum technology – will be touching down on the east coast this September with their latest range of backpack vacuums, along with a colourful surprise for visitors to their stand.
Among the machines on display and available to demo at the 2024 ISSA Cleaning & Hygiene Expo will be the Velo range. Popular worldwide for being compact and lightweight, the Velo range is not only powerful enough for thorough cleaning but also small enough to get into tight spaces.
There has been particular excitement in the cleaning world about the corded Velo backpack vacuum cleaner, driven by a 900W motor, featuring H13 HyperconeTM filtration and weighing just 3.9kg!
For cleaning professionals who have been with Pacvac on their 46 year journey, Superpro has long been the machine of choice for backpack vacuuming. At the expo, Pacvac will be showcasing the latest edition of this legacy – the battery powered Superpro go, which features a powerful boost mode to give users an extra surge of power to tackle even the most challenging cleaning tasks with ease.
The team will also be demonstrating their 15-litre-capacity canister vacuum cleaner Hush, an industry favourite offering noise reduction, reduced power consumption and a new, convenient cord restraint.
Aside from their latest in machines, Pacvac enthusiasts will also want to try out
the innovative new Ecoharness, which comes as standard with both the Velo and Superpro ranges.
Made from at least 50 percent rPet (recycled polyethylene terephthalate), the Ecoharness has already received wide worldwide praise, according to Pacvac’s head of product and innovation, Ana Prieto.
“Professional cleaners are loving the extra padding and support of the Ecoharness, and businesses are loving the sustainable product offering,” Prieto says.
But that’s not all visitors can look forward to checking out at the stand, with select accessories available to demo as part of Pacvac’s “more than floor” display, highlighting ways to maximise their range of vacuum cleaners.
“We also have another surprise at this year’s show,” Prieto says.
“We will have three Velos on display in three beautiful, customised colours for our cleaning community to see and provide feedback on as part of a market research initiative.”
Which colours will they be? Which other colours can Pacvac’s machines be made in? All will be revealed at the expo. The Pacvac team will be more than happy to answer all your questions at the stand.
You can visit the Pacvac team at stand 447 at the 2024 ISSA Expo. For all enquiries please contact support@pacvac.com ■
Velo, small and mighty!
Velo is amongst the lightest backpack vacuums on the market, combining corded power with a 900W motor in a compact, lightweight machine weigh ing just 3.9kg. With an 18m cord, Velo keeps you cleaning for longer across a total surface area of 1158m2. Velo comes standard with our Ecoharness, made from at least 50% rPet (recycled plastic water bottles) for a more sustainable product offering, and with thicker padding for a more comfortable fit.
CLEARING THE AIR ON HEALTHY SCHOOL CLEANING
Ensuring cleanliness in schools is crucial for a safe and healthy environment for students and cleaners, especially in the fight against dangerous respiratory illnesses.
Words Cameron Cooper
Alack of air-quality monitoring and poor ventilation in schools is jeopardising the health of cleaners and our most precious asset – children. This reality is a frustration for Dr Gavin Macgregor-Skinner, senior director of the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC), a division of ISSA. He believes a simple starting point to fix the problem is to use indoor air quality (IAQ) monitors to test concentration levels of substances such as carbon dioxide, formaldehyde and nitric oxide.
“The monitors are of such a high quality, they’re affordable and they're real-time sensors that give us an opportunity to do our own citizen science research in classrooms,” Macgregor-Skinner says.
As schools battle to prevent health threats such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), whooping cough, pneumonia and COVID-19,
IAQ is in the spotlight. Two recent analyses of 10 classrooms in five Victorian schools provide an insight into the issue.
A 2023 study, reported in Science Direct, evaluated the ventilation of Australian schools and revealed that 60 percent of classrooms had ventilation rates “below the accepted minimum”. The study also noted that globally there is an “increasing tendency to introduce mechanical ventilation in schools to improve indoor environmental quality”. Another analysis, reported in the Architectural Science Review, found students in Years 1 to 12 spent up to 1075 hours indoors in school classrooms a year and that “poor IAQ can cause acute and chronic health effects, and vulnerable members of the community, such as children, are particularly susceptible to adverse respiratory effects”.
Photography by Pixabay on Pexels.
PROTECTING OUR CHILDREN AND CLEANERS
For Macgregor-Skinner, the message from such studies is clear for school building managers and cleaners.
First, affordable IAQ monitors should become the norm to provide baseline data on air quality. “We’ve got so many solutions and tools,” he says. “With proper IAQ data, it will then come down to what can we afford to put into classrooms to ensure that children don’t have negative cognitive outcomes and other executive function disorders because of air pollutions,” he says. “We need to help create healthy spaces for positive mental health outcomes.”
Second, he says greater focus is required on cleaning training to safeguard schools, which are susceptible to allergens and fine particulate matter such as dust mites, pollens and mould. That includes insisting on removing mould from classrooms, not just blasting it with chemicals.
Dr Claire Bird, managing director of laboratory analysis and technical support group LITMAS, says infectious diseases are specialists in reaching the part of our bodies that result in the greatest chance of successful infection. The two most common types in schools are respiratory and gastric infections. The former is transmitted through the air to reach the throat, chest or lungs, while gastric germs collect on and are picked up off surfaces (typically through hands or food) to and ends up in the intestine.
Understanding that transmission process is crucial when considering cleaning processes, according to Bird. “Cleaning surfaces is super important for controlling gastric infections, but is not necessarily successful for controlling airborne infections, and it is here that we need to think about cleaning the air, by diluting it with clean air either from outdoors or from a specialised air filtration, or a cleaning device proven to adequately reduce infectious agents.”
She advises that paying attention to the ‘4 Ds’ – distance, density, duration and dilution – as recommended by the Integrated Biosciences and Built Environment Consortium (IBEC), can make a difference. A common example where the 4 Ds lead to infection is having a sick child coughing, sneezing or talking near to (close distance) a group of other children (high density) over the course of a whole day at school (long duration). “That scenario poses the biggest risk of transmission,” Bird says.
The key to management then becomes dilution, which can be achieved through providing appropriate ventilation in a classroom, either through ventilation of filtration of air, neutralising of the pathogen, or wearing of masks if infected.
Natural ventilation such as using wind and thermal buoyancy to create air movement in and out of a building is the only option for many schools that use split-air conditioners for cooling and heating. There are times when natural ventilation can prove challenging, if outdoor air is polluted by a nearby busy road, or during bushfire or fire-reduction burns. By contrast, mechanical ventilation (such as air-conditioning or supplying fresh air into a building or room using ducts) often passes through filters or may have ultraviolet light in the system to reduce risks of infection.
Cleaning surfaces is super important for controlling gastric infections, but is not necessarily successful for controlling airborne infections.
- Dr Claire Bird
“However, not all mechanical systems can operate properly with upgraded filters such as HEPA, so just changing a filter could diminish the quality of indoor air,” Bird says. Increasing the amount of outdoor air may lead to different risks, including intake of outdoor pollutants or changes in moisture levels in the building which can lead to mould or to a higher chance of becoming infected.
“If there’s natural ventilation and outdoor air is clean, then obviously you optimise that,” Bird says. “If there’s mechanical ventilation, you do what you can to make sure you've got the best possible filters in that system and that you supply clean air.”
Using the wrong filters “can actually make things worse”, says Bird, who adds that another form of dilution is using face masks that minimise the spread of pathogens, or even staying away when sick.
“Scientists advise a layered approach, which includes an appropriate cleaning regime.” She advises industry participants to get up to speed with the ASHRAE Standard 241 focusing on the Control of Infectious Aerosols, which calls for a strong focus on ventilation rates at times of high infection risks.
REMOVING MOULD AND OTHER HAZARDS
Cleaning schools presents several challenges for contractors, including the threat of mould. The spores can cause allergic reactions and respiratory problems, while some species of mould can produce mycotoxins that pose severe health risks.
Scott McFadzen is a director of Coach8, a school offering Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) training for the cleaning and restoration industry. He says a lack of knowledge by some cleaners about effective mould removal in schools and other sites is problematic.
“They just haven’t got the experience or formal training with regard to mould remediation or any type of mould cleaning,” he says.
McFadzen agrees with Macgregor-Skinner’s view that removal of mould is the key, rather than relying on cleaning chemicals or fogging to temporarily minimise its impact. He notes that the latest guideline regarding mould – the ANSI/IICRC S520 Standard for Professional Mould Remediation (4th Edition) makes it clear that source removal of mould contamination is “the primary means of remediation” and that “indiscriminate use of antimicrobials, coatings, sealants, and cleaning chemicals is not recommended”.
Bird adds the warning that cleaners can be particularly vulnerable to the health risks associated with mould and other particulate matter being released into the air from surface dust where it accumulates. One common example is when mould settles on “big horizontal surfaces” such as carpets and are then agitated when cleaners use vacuums, particularly those held on backpacks where air is discharged into their breathing zone.
“If it isn’t a true HEPA vacuum cleaner, cleaners are at much higher risk of being exposed than somebody who's coming in there and sitting around when that surface isn't being agitated.”
Bird cites a recent case at a school she and her team attended after a flood event. An initial spore test of the moulds most strongly associated with dampness – aspergillus and penicillium – recorded a count of 129 spores per cubic meter of air. That rose to about 5000 after people started moving around the room, but almost topped 60,000 when people lifted a carpet tile where mould had settled and grown.
The lesson, she says, is that cleaners and restoration experts must use the right type of cleaning cloths, vacuums and other cleaning equipment to stay safe.
MAXIMISING THE IMPACT OF HVAC SYSTEMS
A key element of safeguarding school children from poor IAQ is having effective HVAC systems that can control surface dew-point temperatures within buildings.
Again, McFadzen stresses the importance of having professionally trained HVAC specialists who are up to speed with the latest standards, including the IIRCS’s new S590 Standard (1st edition) that addresses HVAC assessments after mould, water and fire damage. It outlines procedures to perform HVAC assessments and create a written report and remediation work plan for residential, commercial, institutional and healthcare buildings.
“Those who are involved in any type of mould cleaning within a school or a public area need to have some type of training as to how to assess the area, assess the conditions, understand what's creating the problems, and then know how to fix it,” McFadzen says. “That’s a critical document that should be used and noted by those who are assessing HVAC systems, particularly for those working in schools.”
While he agrees that HVAC use and maintenance is crucial, Macgregor-Skinner says the truth is that retrofitting old buildings is expensive and therefore should not be the first line of defence. This should fall to cheaper air cleaners. “With the existing systems, upgrading them costs a tonne of money. If suddenly we're saying that we want MERV 13 filters in all our schools, that’s not realistic.”
For cleaners and building managers entrusted with the task of managing the removal of pathogens, as well as handling IAQ threats, Bird acknowledges that it is a big responsibility.
Those who are involved in any type of mould cleaning within a school or a public area need to have some type of training as to how to assess the area, assess the conditions, understand what's creating the problems, and then know how to fix it.
- Scott McFadzen
However, she is encouraged that there is an increasing focus on the importance of IAQ through a new charity called the Safer Air Project, which will be lobbying government for IAQ standards designed to allow everyone to safely enter buildings, regardless of their health status or vulnerabilities. Bird is one of several of the group’s expert advisors and believes the group’s initiatives will ultimately have positive flow-on effects for the cleaning industry.
“There’s a lot of the really exciting things that are happening in Australia and overseas at the moment in this space. The future is bright for safe buildings.” ■
At the 2024 ISSA Cleaning & Hygiene Expo
Dr Gavin Macgregor-Skinner (panellist)
‘What’s the game plan?’, 11 September
Dr Claire Bird
Scott McFadzen (panellists)
‘How to Track the Invisible’, 12 September
Dr Gavin Macgregor-Skinner
‘The dos and don’ts of cleaning products, 12 September
Dr Gavin Macgregor-Skinner Air, Surface, Water – The trifecta of Cleanliness, 12 September
See our expo section for more details.
BSCAA celebrates 60 years as the voice of building service contractors
Across 60 years of service to the building service industry, the Building Service Contractors Association of Australia (BSCAA) has solidified its position as a leading and influential association. Established in 1964, BSCAA's founding objective was to represent the interests of building service contractors and to advocate for excellence and professionalism within the industry.
Throughout its history, BSCAA has been steadfast in its commitment to supporting the rights of building service contractors while striving to elevate the quality and standards of cleaning services across Australia. By fostering collaboration among industry professionals and providing valuable resources, BSCAA has played a pivotal role in advancing the industry through professional development and networking opportunities.
BSCAA has been a driving force behind numerous positive changes and innovations within the industry. The association has actively contributed to shaping regulations, standards and best practices for building service contractors, thereby promoting a safer, more sustainable and efficient cleaning industry.
Under the leadership of CEO Kim Puxty and the board of directors, BSCAA has transitioned from representing individual states and territories to forming a cohesive, united association. This transformation has resulted in unparalleled industry recognition for its members, positioning them as advocates of best practices and professional standards within the building service industry.
Looking forward, BSCAA’s vision is to provide members with access to education, coaching and sustainability programs aimed at developing environmental, social
and governance (ESG) practices within their businesses. The association's plans to introduce a platform for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to undergo a modern-day slavery assessment will further enhance the support and benefits offered to its members, sparking excitement and hope for the future.
As BSCAA marks its six-decade milestone, its unwavering dedication to representing the interests of its members and advancing the professionalism and quality of commercial cleaning services in Australia remains steadfast. This commitment to its members is a testament to the high-regard and appreciation BSCAA holds for its community. With a rich history and an impressive track record, BSCAA continues to be a driving force in the ongoing evolution and success of the building service contracting industry. ■
BSCAA member benefits from unique services that give your business a competitive advantage and the opportunity to contribute to the betterment of the industry. Whether you are a sole trader, SME, or a large business, the BSCAA offers a wide range of valuable membership services that suit your needs. Join us to receive:
FREE ACCESS TO INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS LEGAL ADVICE
ATTEND EXCLUSIVE NETWORKING AND MENTORING EVENTS
COMPLIANCE, LEGISLATION, CERTIFICATION ADVICE
REGULAR UPDATES ON LEGISLATIVE CHANGES AND INDUSTRY NEWS
24/7 ACCESS TO ONLINE RESOURCES TRAINING, EDUCATION, WEBINARS
FREE ACCESS TO WECOMPLY A HUMAN RESOURCE SUITE OF TEMPLATES TO PERSONALISE
Understanding your customer experience through data
Financial metrics might sound complicated, but can make a simple difference to your customer service.
Words Brad Horan
Photography by Mikhail Nilov on Pexels.
Meet Jane. She’s a cleaning business owner, facing a tough economic climate with declining customer renewals, fewer referrals and stagnant growth. With high interest rates and skyrocketing costs of living, she initially attributed these challenges to external factors and felt frustrated and uncertain about the future of her business.
THE STRUGGLE AND REALISATION
Despite her best efforts, Jane's business continued to struggle. She felt the weight of the declining performance and knew something had to change.
It was during a workshop that Jane had a breakthrough moment. The facilitator asked, "Do you truly understand what your customers need?"
This question lingered in her mind, leading to a profound realisation that the real issue wasn't just the economic climate but a deeper problem: she simply didn’t understand what her customer wanted from her business.
WHY UNDERSTANDING CUSTOMER NEEDS MATTERS
Jane learned that truly understanding her customers was crucial for her business's success. She discovered that the customer experience could be measured using financial metrics. Financial metrics are used to evaluate and assess the financial performance, health and stability of a company. They can also provide valuable insights into customer preferences.
This realisation was a turning point for Jane, as she understood that without this knowledge, her business would continue to struggle.
THE ULTIMATE CUSTOMER VALUE METRIC
Jane adopted the Ultimate Customer Value Metric, an integrated approach combining four key financial KPIs: cost, speed, quality and service.
These metrics reflect the psychological process customers go through when making buying decisions.
• Cost: Customers assess the cost of a product or service, weighing the price against the perceived value.
• Speed: Customers evaluate how quickly they will receive the product or service.
• Quality: Customers judge whether the quality of the service meets their expectations and specific needs.
• Service: Customers look for assurance that they will receive the necessary support throughout their service.
ENGAGING THE TEAM
Armed with this new understanding, Jane knew that success depended on her frontline staff.
The team quickly discovered that when they came up with ideas to reduce costs, they had to consider the impact on speed, quality and service. This holistic approach allowed them to develop more innovative and effective solutions.
The team’s enthusiasm grew as they realised the potential of this new system. They were already customer-focused and eager to find ways to enhance customer satisfaction.
By considering all four KPIs together, they could see that any changes made would benefit the customer in multiple ways.
THE BENEFITS OF ADOPTING CUSTOMER VALUE METRICS
What happened next? Jane soon saw significant improvements in customer understanding, service delivery, staff engagement and natural business growth.
One of Jane’s long-time customers told her: “I’ve noticed a significant improvement in the quality and speed of service. It’s clear that your team truly cares about us as a customer.”
The benefits didn’t stop there. The company also experienced more repeat customers, an increase in referrals and overall improved customer satisfaction.
The staff, now more engaged and focused on the customer, felt more motivated and appreciated in their roles.
WHY YOU SHOULD CONSIDER THIS APPROACH
If you’re a business owner facing similar challenges, understanding your customers’ needs and satisfaction is crucial for your success.
By adopting the Ultimate Customer Value Metric, you can gain valuable insights into your customers’ preferences, improve your service delivery and drive business growth.
Don’t wait until it’s too late – take action now to stay ahead of the competition and ensure your business thrives.
Brad is the director of Lucrature – Business Growth Consultants. He has developed AI tools to support clients with developing strategies, analysing pricing and creating marketing content. He will be a panellist at this year's expo. Email Brad at bhoran@lucrature.com.
Brad Horan
TFollowing the leaders in waste reduction
Australia has a lot to learn from how the overseas cleaning industry is embracing sustainability.
Words Mark Piwkowski
he Australian cleaning industry can adopt innovative waste, resource recovery and waste management measures — such as those currently being implemented throughout Europe and the United Kingdom — and become leaders in the battle to combat climate change.
This was the key observation I, and other senior leaders from Quayclean Australia, reached during a recent two-week European Sustainability study tour where we visited a number of large-scale venues, including Munich Olympic Stadium, Wimbledon and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and attended the IFAT trade fair and the Interclean Congress.
The purpose of the tour was to observe, learn and develop knowledge, as well as obtain experience from relatable venues and public facilities, regarding recycling, resource recovery, waste management and sustainability from a European and UK perspective.
The impacts of climate change and global warming are widely acknowledged throughout Europe, and steps being undertaken by northern hemisphere venues and governments to mitigate these effects are further advanced compared to the current Australian market.
In Europe and the UK, there is common agreement on these issues between businesses, communities and governments, and a broad understanding that the continued use of fossil fuel
from oil and gas must stop, and renewable sources must be identified instead.
There is limited general waste permitted in Germany or France. France recycled 45.1% of municipal waste in 2022, whereas an incredible 71.1% of general waste was recycled in Germany. New laws brought into place this year in France require mandatory organic waste recycling, which sees household scraps converted into compost or biogas to replace chemical fertilisers.
Venues have created micro-circular economies with food waste turned into biogas and compostable materials either at site or at a regulated facility. Venues have also eliminated single-use plastics, adopted reusable cups or provided drinks in aluminium cans, and food is served in recyclable paper or cardboard trays. At the IFAT conference, all food was served on ceramic plates.
The Johan Cruyff ArenA in Amsterdam is one of the most sustainable stadiums in the world, with 4200 roof solar panels and an offsite wind farm. A second onsite battery is currently under construction to store energy, while local residents can place food organics in the onsite waste digester to generate clean energy.
The small dam outside the ArenA is used to heat and cool changing rooms and offices. Grass clippings are transferred to an Amsterdam farm where goats produce milk, which is turned into cheese and made available on cheese boards in the stadium’s sky boxes, restaurants and selected shops.
By comparison, Australia is still coming to terms with being the highest emitter of carbon dioxide per capita in the world and has no definitive plan to address it. Instead, we appear to be making excuses to accept this as inevitable.
We currently lack a cohesive approach to tackling the causes of climate change and more investment and collaboration is required between governments, the waste industry and communities.
Frustratingly, our governments and opposition parties are often at odds with the direction of change rather than using their combined strength to accelerate transformational initiatives.
From a waste and recycling perspective, Australian capital cities — never mind regional areas — do not have at their disposal the scale of infrastructure for waste-to-energy conversion or the creation of compostable materials on a large scale.
Some facilities do exist, but they are very few. More investment and collaboration between government, the waste industry and wider communities needs to occur.
There are some individual entities making advancements, but major corporations in Australia still have no clear plan or timeframe to reduce or eliminate their use of fossil fuels for alternative renewable sources.
The fact that each state government has a different approach to reuse, recycling and waste management is just one part of the story.
Cleaning businesses must work in partnership with our clients to achieve sustainable waste management practices, provide
sustainable consumables, update technologies and practices to reduce the use of chemicals, energy and water, and work internally towards becoming a carbon-neutral business.
At Quayclean, we have seen great results coming out of venues such as Marvel Stadium, Sydney Opera House, Adelaide Oval, Australian Turf Club racecourses, Venues Canberra sites and leading private schools, with tonnes of separated e-waste, glass and food waste influencing high recycling rates.
More needs to be done, however. And quickly.
Public sites and venues are more than just places for recreational enjoyment.
Tens of millions of Australians attend venues and public sites every year and the cleaning industry, in partnership with operators, onsite suppliers and stakeholders, can stand united and become a trailblazing educational catalyst for meaningful change in arresting the impacts of climate change.
Apart from venue stakeholders implementing sustainability practices, we can better educate attending patrons with signage and other educational measures on how their actions can make a significant difference.
By adopting broad sustainability measures, we can, collectively, make the world a better place and leave a positive legacy for future generations.
Mark Piwkowski is CEO of Quayclean Australia, the biggest provider of cleaning, waste management and hygiene services to major stadia and public sites in Australia ■
Meet Lisa Michalson, director of Cleanstar
After a challenging start to running her business, Lisa Michalson is using her hard-won success to bring about change to the cleaning industry.
Words Myke Bartlett
Lisa Michalson, Director of Cleanstar
For Lisa Michalson, starting up business in the cleaning industry was a baptism of fire. She and her husband Garth were in their first year of operating when one of the major players tried to use legal pressure to shut them down. Garth had previously been a wholesale manager for the now-defunct Godfreys stores, and they didn’t take kindly to the new competition.
“They threw everything under the sun at us, which was very stressful,” Michalson says. “We were trying to build the business, not knowing how far they’d go. We had a young family, with a daughter under one and another on the way, and we had to put everything on the line.”
The resulting legal case, although a costly exercise, came to a happy end.
Some eighteen years later, Michalson can accentuate the positive.
“You know what, it’s sort of like, what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger. Having an enemy at that point, when we were just getting going, made us go harder.”
Godfreys came back with offers to buy out Cleanstar on several occasions, but Michalson and her husband were determined to make their business work. It was the best decision they ever made.
“We were on a mission to do our own thing after that, and we created a very different business to theirs. We just do what we do, with no limitations.”
Michalson says it’s this individual approach that has drawn customers to Cleanstar over the years. Being comparatively young business owners, they were happy to embrace innovation and creativity.
“We didn’t stick to what everyone else was doing. We just continued and continue to go with our gut in our unique decisions and choices, which helps us stand out.”
And, while they have a large range of products for a family business, they’re still humble where it counts.
“People like us, because we’ve got a face. I think people still like to be able to speak to the owner and I’m available to speak to anyone. We’re a bit of an old school business in that way.”
Old school or not, Michalson has continued to push for innovation and change. She is a keen advocate of “right to repair” and the need to introduce a law that would encourage businesses to fix goods or equipment before disposing of them. As it stands most businesses would prefer customers to dispose of a machine that is not working — often for easily-fixed reasons — and buy a new one. Michalson says laws like those already introduced in Europe would encourage the necessary training and skills development to repair, rather than adding to landfill.
“It became a common theme over the years, talking to customers,” Michalson says. “People wanted to know if there was anyone who could repair equipment or if there were any young people with the skills who they could employ.”
The lack of skills is a sticking point Michalson has been working to overcome, speaking to the government about the possibility of TAFE courses incorporating repair training into courses. More recently, she and her team have been working with Professor Leanne Wiseman at Griffith University, whose area of research is the legal and regulatory responses to the right to repair movement.
“Leanne is very driven and has been to a lot of overseas conferences and summits. Once we connected with her, she opened up the issue for us and gave us access to some of those summits, where we’ve been able to go along and present. We’re just trying to motivate some change, but it can be so hard to get to the right people in government.”
Now she and Garth are no longer the new kids on the block, Michalson is able to look back and see how the industry has changed since they first got started.
“It’s certainly become stronger, and it’s grown a hell of a lot, I think, especially since COVID. People have come to realise the importance of cleaning and hygiene.”
Another positive is that she’s no longer such an oddity for being a woman at the top of the cleaning game.
“When I started there were not many women at all. There’s a lot more women involved now, which is great. It’s still obviously maledominated, but slowly, slowly, we’re getting there.”
While her career might have started with a bitter rivalry, that hasn’t been her experience of the broader industry.
“There’s a lot more players in the game now, but most people know each other. It’s a bit of a unique industry, I think, where people might compete, but there is also respect among each other.” ■
Keeping Melbourne’s heritage venues alive and kicking
Managing any facility can be difficult, but heritage-listed buildings provide particular challenges.
Words Helena Morgan
Marriner Group’s director of facilities and projects Greg Watt boasts a party trick that qualifies him as useful in a variety of situations – the ability to one day be able to quickly and efficiently unblock toilets in moments of high stress and another day to apply the finishing touches to a heritage-listed venue before a world premiere opening night performance.
“My standard line to people is that it’s definitely not always as glamorous as what you may think,” says Watt, who has been with Marriner Group for 24 years.
Marriner Group – owned by the eponymous family who bought the Princess Theatre in 1986 and went on to spare the Regent Theatre and Plaza Ballroom from demolition – operates five of Melbourne’s most beloved venues.
The Princess Theatre, Regent Theatre, Comedy Theatre, Forum Melbourne and Plaza Ballroom all fall under Watt’s scrupulous eye as facilities director and he is eternally grateful for the honour of overseeing venues that transport patrons to a past epoch.
Like many facilities managers, Watt relishes the variety of his days, the teamwork and camaraderie and the vast array of people who make up the staff and contribute to an inspiring community of creatives and artists.
“Every day presents a new challenge, especially given the age of all the buildings I’m dealing with,” he says. Working with heritagelisted buildings is filled with constant awe and wonder – and inevitable challenges – and there is minimal risk of Watt’s role lapsing into monotony or boredom.
PRESSURE POINTS IN PERIODS OF SHORT SUCCESSION
Watt hails from a carpentry background and started as a maintenance carpenter with Marriner Group in 2000. He presumed he would stay in the role until another job presented itself, however, opportunities for career advancement arose, so he remained and became a maintenance manager and eventually facilities director in 2008. He cites this career journey as a hefty and “steep” learning curve, yet the challenges of the job did not extinguish his love for working on heritage-listed buildings.
“All the nuances that go with facilities management was something that I had to learn pretty quickly and in a lot of areas that I probably wouldn’t have thought that I would ever learn,” says Watt.
Every facility manager quickly becomes an expert in essential yet relatively unheard of areas such as HVAC. Watt admits he never thought he would have to strategise how to funnel up to 1000 people into bathrooms in under 15 minutes.
“There’s pressure points in very condensed timeframes for us,” he says.
The popular show business idiom ‘the show must go on’ acutely resonates with Watt’s work. He disputes the assumption that directing the facilities of Melbourne entertainment venues brings after parties and red-carpet entrances.
It’s a role characterised by extremes – dire plumbing issues, repairing heritage-listed ceilings, perfecting emergency procedure measures and ensuring patrons have a safe and memorable experience.
Comedy Theatre Auditorium
Watt says the Marriner Group’s company philosophy reflects the idea that facility management is inherently behind the scenes. “We’re there to perform a role – we’re not the entertainment, so we’re very respectful in our interactions,” he says.
FACILITIES TEAM STRENGTHENED BY INTERDISCIPLINARY EFFORTS
Since 2016, Marriner Group has undertaken major construction and renovation works across the venues, which has seen Watt’s time divided between managing these projects and overseeing the theatres’ daily operation. In such periods of stress and intensity, Watt is assured by the diverse composition of his team.
“I try to employ a mixture of young people, but also tradespeople that have a love of anything heritage or old,” he says. Watt is thrilled to have numerous vintage car restorers on his team, which always adds depth and richness – a range of specialties only strengthens and enriches the team.
A day in the life for Watt may see him liaise with tradespeople about emergency problems from throughout the night and participate in meetings with various department heads regarding the regular servicing of venues, where the team will address curveballs such as lifts breaking down during inopportune moments.
The main obstacle of Watt’s role is dealing with the perks of heritage-listed buildings that were built to host contemporary events. However, the definition of a contemporary event has evolved since 1886 – the year the Princess Theatre was finished.
“When these venues were constructed, they were constructed to host contemporary performances and they had all the mod cons of that particular time,” says Watt.
Marriner Group is guided by a mission to sustain the historical integrity and authenticity of the venues even as time goes on. “The group very much wants to keep these buildings as their intended original use as contemporary art places,” says Watt. Each venue has a conservation management plan to action such visions.
Forum Melbourne,
Photography by Ian Laidlaw
HOSTING A MODERN EVENT IN A HERITAGE-LISTED BUILDING
The challenge for the facilities and projects team is to incorporate modern technology and safety measures into a 100-year-old heritage-listed building. “It’s been a major consideration in all of our renovations to make sure we still have a heritage experience, but also with the latest and greatest technology and safety for the public in the same building.”
Watt says the four-year-long showing of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Princess Theatre – that took out the title for the longest-running play in Australian history – exemplified the complexity and delicacy of hosting a modern event in a heritagelisted building. Heritage Victoria was rigorously involved in this task which saw the theatre completely transformed.
“We completely modified the whole interior of the theatre to accommodate the show,” says Watt. “Every surface of the interior was painted a particular colour – the carpet and seats were removed and special effects installed.”
He illustrates the gravity of the Princess’ transformation by likening the process to painting the Sistine Chapel black and then restoring it back to its original form only a few years later.
More vintage than before
Marriner Group received a recent honourable nod from the Australian Institute of Architects for the restoration of the Princess Theatre post Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, particularly for the refinish paintwork on the interior of the theatre.
Following the restoration, the theatre was technically deemed more of the era than before the four-year-long show, which sounds slightly paradoxical, but a feat the Marriner Group operations and facilities team impressively achieved.
“We actually took it back to the 1922 Henry E. White decorative paint scheme, which was mind-blowing in itself to be able to have that contemporary show go into a theatre and then after actually have the theatre more heritage than what it was before the show came in,” says Watt.
This feat is rendered even more commendable as Watt says there was no global precedent to follow for the transformation process which was made difficult when adhering to Victoria’s stringent heritage considerations.
“We were in that precarious spot of putting a really modern square box in a round hole, but we’ve had to learn along the way and work out ways to still comply with everything at the same time,” says Watt.
He speaks of theatres in Las Vegas or New York City often being purpose-built for a show. “At a lot of the other Harry Potter theatres around the world, they either built a theatre or built a new insight to another theatre to accommodate the show,” he says.
Serendipitous discoveries during restoration process
In 2016, the Forum closed for a year to facilitate a total reimagination of the inside auditorium – pairing it back to its glorious original state from when it first opened in 1929 and maximising the mixed-use purpose of the venue.
“The Forum’s a contemporary music venue most days, but we wanted to be able to flip it around so one night you’ve got a rock band in there and 2000 screaming punters, and then the next night you’ve got a corporate gig.”
Watt says the magic of working with heritage-listed buildings was revealed through discoveries made in the renovation process. “We uncovered mosaic tile floors that had been covered up with gaudy carpet since the 1960s that nobody knew was there and marble staircases that were completely crumbled that we pieced back together,” he says.
“To pull the carpet up and find what we found, but then to restore it, was quite an amazing thing.”
Such discoveries necessitated rallying tradespeople from various specialties in heritage-listed material. “We’ve developed very key relationships with artisan trades which continue to this day and those people contract back to us continually for everything from applied finishes and specialist paint finishes.”
DAILY DELIGHT AND WONDER
Watt speaks of the possibilities and opportunities within restoring heritage-listed facilities – tradespeople who worked on the reimagination of the Forum and other facilities have since founded specialist businesses. “One person who comes to mind is a painter that migrated from Hungary and he’s now developed a business around heritage painting,” he says.
The restoration of the Princess Theatre’s Second Empire facade in 2018 also delivered charming and heartwarming discoveries that Watt says are unfamiliar to the standard built world.
“This refinish included reinstating hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of gold leaf on the front of the building,” he explains. “We flew tradesmen in from interstate that made lead flashings by hand in the same way that lead flashings were made in 1886.”
A THEATRE EXPERIENCE PLUCKED STRAIGHT OUT OF THE LATE 1800s
Watt underscores the immense value the Marriner venues bring to the social and cultural tapestry of Melbourne as they are determined to provide an immersive theatre experience almost unmistakable from an afternoon or evening at the theatre in the late 1800s.
“Once you walk through those front doors, we try to craft as much of that heritage experience as possible,” he says. “We have a vast staff of ushers that are trained a certain way. We minimise digital signage.”
Marriner Group work to avoid ostentatious reminders of the contemporary world such as an alcohol sponsor splashing signage across the bar. “We fiercely resisted having digital signage above refreshment areas,” says Watt. “We try to keep everything as much as we can in that historical moment.”
For Watt, the Regent Theatre – which originally functioned as a picture theatre – is the pinnacle of a breathtaking theatre experience. “It’s the most spectacular heritage theatre space in Australia, in my opinion,” he says.
Princess Theatre, Photography by Ray of Melbourne
Regent Theatre,
Photography by Tim Caraffa
All the nuances that go with facilities management was something that I had to learn pretty quickly and in a lot of areas that I probably wouldn’t have thought that I would ever learn.
- Greg Watt
Watt revels in each venue having a distinctive personality and therefore symbolising a different sibling in the Marriner Group family. “The Regent is a big grand theatre, the Princess is a typical live theatre, the Forum is a music venue and the Comedy Theatre is a thousand-seat playhouse.”
In addressing whether venues such as those run by the group would benefit from government input, Watt suggests the imminent transformation of the historical architectural
landscape of Melbourne would possibly be assisted by greater government support even at a local level, as noted overseas. He is encouraged by the wider sustainability movement and the willingness of organisations to adopt environmentally responsible maintenance practices.
“There’s certainly an appetite for change amongst the right people,” he says.
ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME PROJECTS
Watt’s time with Marriner Group has been marked by highlights. He reminisces fondly about being involved in the restoration of the Princess Theatre facade which offered a ring-side seat to a project with an impact that will transcend generations. “It was a oncein-a-lifetime project – the finishes we put on there, they won’t be touched probably in my lifetime.”
Additionally, as an avid music lover and part-time band member, working at the Forum is nothing short of special. He has enjoyed observing the Forum grow into a cherished and credible venue for Melburnians.
“It just needed a lot of work and a lot of love and in 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2023 it won a Music Victoria Award for Best Large Venue,” says Watt.
This piece was originally published on Facility Management. ■
Plaza Ballroom
Photography by Liliana Drewon Pexels.
FSustainable floor care can save money and hard work
A few simple steps can improve floor care efficiency and sustainability.
Words Shaun Tinholt
loor care is crucial to all facilities, as clean floors help maintain a high standard of hygiene. Since floors are among the first areas people see when they enter a building, the condition of your floors greatly impacts visitors’ overall impression of your facility. Keeping floors debris-free and clean will enhance and protect your brand.
The sustainability of your floor care program is also important, as floors can have a significant impact on a facility’s environmental footprint. Traditional commercial floor care cleaning methods often involve the use of chemicals, excessive water consumption and unnecessary water runoff, all of which impact the environment and indoor air quality (IAQ). Additionally, if your floor care program uses machines that are difficult to handle and not ergonomically designed, they could decrease worker productivity and affect employee morale.
Fortunately, technological innovations and digitalisation have found their way into the cleaning industry, changing cleaning machines for the better. This technology, along with customer priorities, has driven floor machine manufacturers to create equipment that saves resources, enhances operational efficiency and improves ergonomics and safety.
Many floor care machines now offer sustainable features that reduce water, energy and chemical consumption. Consumers can now choose equipment that prioritises responsible manufacturing and a sustainable supply chain.
INNOVATE, IMPROVE, INNOVATE AGAIN
When reviewing the sustainability of a product, it makes sense to analyse it completely, beginning with the machine design and including its manufacturing process, supply chain issues,
intended use and its end-of-life options. All of these stages have a major impact on the machine’s carbon dioxide footprint. To lower carbon emissions, it is important to understand which programs leave the biggest footprint and could benefit from advancement in the market.
Consider the following to establish a sustainable and efficient floor care program:
Prioritise machine design. Extending a product’s lifecycle is a critical component for reducing waste and improving efficiency. Choose durable machines that can be repaired easily to keep them operational and out of the landfill. Consider machines that are manufactured with parts and materials that can be recycled at the end of a machine’s serviceable life. Machines that are manufactured with eco-friendly materials are dually beneficial because they take fewer resources from the Earth during the manufacturing process and produce less waste at the end of their life because their parts are recyclable.
Boost your batteries and save energy. The life of your machine can largely depend on its battery type. Lead acid or “wet” batteries are bulky and prone to corrosion that can cause leaks around the terminals over time. Incorrect charging can drastically shorten the battery’s operating life and the run-time of your machine. Improper recycling is also harmful as lead acid batteries may corrode and release lead and lead-contaminated sulphuric acid into the environment, potentially polluting drinking water sources, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Invest in technology. Using machines with improved technological features such as brushless motors and low voltage can improve your cleaning efficiency while also reducing your carbon footprint. If your battery packs last longer, you can enjoy the same cleaning results while using less power. To realise all the benefits of new battery technology, remember that machines, batteries and chargers must all be in-sync to optimise performance.
Clean up your cleaning solution. Many common cleaning products contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to enhance product performance and fragrance. However, exposure to these compounds poses significant health concerns. Short-term effects may include eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches, nausea and damage to the liver, kidneys and central nervous system, according to the EPA. Moreover, VOCs can directly contribute to global warming by absorbing infrared radiation from the Earth’s surface, according to an article published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
Many manufacturers offer cleaning formulations specifically developed to incorporate more sustainable ingredients, including plant-based and naturally occurring ingredients. These products will often carry environmental certifications.
Optimise water usage. Automatic floor scrubbers employ numerous techniques to help reduce water consumption. Some machines are designed to optimise the amount of solution delivered to match the machine’s speed. This helps to reduce waste and trail mopping due to excess solution being dispensed.
As floor care often represents a significant part of building care, it offers a variety of options for sustainability enhancements.
- Shaun Tinholt
Floor scrubber operators do not consistently work at the same pace until they finish a task. It is normal to speed up and slow down during the cleaning process. Advanced floor care systems adjust to the user’s speed in real time to use less cleaning solution when needed. These adjustments decrease water consumption by up to 67 percent, reduce time-consuming tank fills and lower costs.
In addition to saving the amount of water and cleaning products used, advanced floor care system features make it easier for the squeegee mechanism to remove dirty solution from the floor on the first pass. Eliminating the need for a second pass saves time and helps to reduce labour costs.
Limit product wastage. Modern floor care machines are designed to optimise product use through on-board dilution control systems that dose chemicals accurately and consistently. Improperly dosed formulas that are too weak will provide poor results and require a repeat clean, which means additional product, water and energy and results in lost productivity. Solutions that are too strong can leave residues on the floor that require additional rinsing and another pass of the machine in drying mode. Eliminating manual dosing removes operator guesswork.
Implement chemical-free floor care. Water is all you’ll need when using floor care equipment such as auto scrubbers and single disc machines that are fitted with special pads that incorporate millions of microscopic diamonds. The diamonds gently scrub the surface of the floor. Pad colour designates the diamond size, with each size suited for a specific task, from deep cleaning and renovation to polishing. Some manufacturers offer pads that are made from recycled plastics, further enhancing their sustainability credentials.
As floor care often represents a significant part of building care, it offers a variety of options for sustainability enhancements. Innovative floor care machines deliver high productivity with minimal resource consumption. By choosing cutting-edge products and equipment and streamlining cleaning processes, you can reduce costs and your facility’s impact on the environment.
Shaun Tinholt is the TASKI sales director in North America. To learn more, please visit taski.com.
This piece was originally published on CMM Online. ■
New campaign calls for more bins in men’s toilets
The Continence Foundation of Australia is campaigning for more bins in men’s public toilets to boost confidence and social participation for men living with incontinence.
Words Sophie Berrill
Photography by Abdul Fauzan on Pexels.
Finding a bin in a public toilet can be a daily struggle if you’re a man living with faecal or urinary incontinence. For Greg Ryan OAM, who was born with a rare condition called Imperforate Anus (IA) and wears incontinence pads, it’s a “needle in a haystack” experience.
“99.9 percent of the time I go somewhere, they wouldn’t have a bin,” Ryan says.
While women’s bathrooms are regularly kitted out with sanitary bins under state guidelines, men have not come to expect the same. Ryan says this affects him greatly.
“If you’re having a bad day, you just don’t feel like you can leave home because you don’t want to get caught out,” he says.
Ryan is part of a mission to change this as an ambassador for BINS4Blokes. Spearheaded by the Continence Foundation of Australia, this campaign calls for incontinence product disposal bins to be installed in all male public toilets, enabling more men to get out and about.
According to the Continence Foundation of Australia, incontinence affects over 1.34 million Australian boys and men. Some 36 percent of those men are under the age of 50.
“Attitudes about incontinence can mean that people find it difficult to talk about their incontinence and get help,” says Vicky Pentney, health promotion project officer for the Continence Foundation of Australia.
“Many men do not talk to their family and friends about their incontinence and avoid situations where they cannot access a toilet easily. Incontinence can lead to social isolation, depression and anxiety in men, reducing their quality of life. In fact, research has found a clear link between incontinence and depression.”
These effects of stigmatisation resonate with Ryan. He cites shame and embarrassment as the reason he lived “totally in secret” until he was 54 years old, never divulging his condition to anyone beyond his family or doctors.
“The mental toll it took on me was just as much as the physical toll,” he says.
It’s not just the convenience, it’s the comfort level it gives you to know that if you have an issue, you can just go and change your pad.
The catalyst for his disclosure was finding a private Facebook group in his early fifties that mainly consisted of parents of children with IA.
“Up until that stage I never knew a soul in the world who had it. I thought I was the only one because no one ever talks about it,” he says.
It took a few years of opening up within this private community, and encouragement from friends he started to confide in, before Ryan was ready to share his story more widely. In 2016, he travelled overseas to a conference and finally met others with IA.
“It was the first time I’d walked into a room where I felt like I belonged in that room,” he says.
“I felt like I was an equal because I always think that I’m lesser than everyone due to my condition.”
Ryan has since shared his story around the world, written three books, hosted podcasts and founded the ONE in 5000 Foundation to raise awareness and understanding for IA. Despite his progress, and Bins4Blokes success stories like the MCG and selected Melbourne City Council-run facilities, access to appropriate toilet facilities continues to be a hurdle.
This has intensified post-pandemic as Ryan finds more paper towel bins – which sometimes offer covert disposal for used pads –have been removed.
He stresses the impact more incontinence bins, and awareness about their locations, could have.
“It’s not just the convenience, it’s the comfort level it gives you to know that if you have an issue, you can just go and change your pad,” he says.
The Continence Foundation of Australia’s recommendation is at least one cubicle equipped with an incontinence bin at each male toilet facility. Their National Public Toilet Map shows the location of 23,000 public and private toilet facilities across Australia, including BINS4Blokes-supported facilities. Advertising the location of these bins around the toilets themselves also helps to improve access and usage, and remove the need for users to ask where they are.
The cost of installing an incontinence product disposal bin may vary depending on the provider nominated to service sanitary bins. Supporters of BINS4Blokes report costs to be approximately $25-$30 per bin per service.
With more bins in place and greater awareness about their locations, men and boys are more able to lead active lives with greater confidence and certainty, says Pentney.
“Greater access and participation will increase work productivity and improve the quality of life for men living with incontinence,” she says.
Find out more at bins4blokes.org.au
This piece was originally published on Facility Management. ■
- Greg Ryan OAM
Banishing odours and restoring peace
Winter storms can leave behind more than water damage.
Words Al Ruggie and Joshua Rudin
Water damage incidents can wreak havoc on homes and businesses, causing structural damage and leaving behind unpleasant odours. Whether from floodwater, sewage backups, or slow-leak mould infestations, addressing odour removal promptly after water damage is crucial for restoring a clean and healthy indoor environment.
Our brains devote considerable energy to remembering odours and aromas. This is important because if you return a customer’s home to them, and it still has a faint smell of whatever disaster befell it, you’ve failed. They know it, and their reluctance to pay the bill will be when you feel it, too!
To avoid this situation and many others, follow proper odour removal protocols and procedures to please customers and benefit your bottom line.
PROMPT WATER REMOVAL
The cornerstone of odour control after water damage is swift water removal. Standing water provides the perfect breeding ground for bacteria and mould, which can emit foul odours as they thrive.
Mould spores will use the water vapour present in the air itself to grow wherever possible. This means that even if the flood was on the other side of the home, it could still cause an infestation elsewhere if it has been moist enough or has settled in long enough. Many restorers don’t use this as an opportunity to expand the operation. Instead, they view it as an obstacle to finishing the job at hand. For example, suppose a property with unmitigated water damage is now causing mould in other areas unaffected by the original cause of loss. In that case, this can be a profitable expansion of the project.
THOROUGH DRYING
Thorough drying is essential to prevent mould and mildew growth from taking hold once you have removed the water. Mould and mildew are the major sources of persistent musty odours in the home after water damage. Employ industrial fans, air movers, dehumidifiers, heaters and proper ventilation where appropriate to accelerate the drying process.
Pay special attention to hidden areas such as wall cavities and under flooring where moisture can linger. If moisture accumulates
Photography by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels.
in these areas, it can cause an infestation that even technology won’t easily see. This then becomes the territory of air quality testing, which then turns into a search-and-destroy mission for any errant mould lingering anywhere in the home. This can be avoided by performing proper due diligence at the beginning of the incident.
CLEANING AND DISINFECTING
Cleaning and disinfecting affected surfaces are paramount to not only eliminating odours but also preventing microbial growth. Use disinfectants to sanitise surfaces and remove any remaining contaminants and fungal spores. Scrubbing walls, floors and furniture with soap and water can also help remove residual odourcausing substances.
For restoration professionals, this step is usually a bridge too far because it isn’t generally cost-effective during the mitigation process. Many companies in the restoration field won’t take on this kind of work because of this fact, but others include it with their services as an add-on that they then charge extra for if a customer opts into it.
Essentially, this is turning a potential problem that a restoration company will likely face the blame for anyway, into an opportunity to increase a project’s profitability. For restoration companies, this may mean taking a more skilled crew off a project and swapping them out with a labour pool that requires less overhead for the service to be profitable, but each market can dictate if this is viable.
REMOVE DAMAGED MATERIALS
Materials such as carpets, insulation and drywall saturated with water must almost certainly be removed and replaced. These materials have an enormous amount of porous surface area and harbour most of the ingredients that mould needs to thrive. Preventing mould and musty odours means removing the carpeting and any other porous items affected from the premises to prevent lingering odours from taking hold. These materials trap moisture and the organic matter necessary for mould and fungus to grow rampantly, which causes the offensive smells that restorers are trying to prevent and avoid.
CONTENTS RESTORATION
Many restoration companies use this material proximity damage as another means of extracting the most profitability from a project. Sometimes, people care about the items they place in their property as much as they care about the property itself and, for the enterprising restoration expert, this also presents an opportunity. If adding a contents restoration service is within the restorer’s technical capacity and skillset, then not offering this service is akin to throwing money down the drain.
CONTENTS REMOVAL
Additionally, from the other side of the coin, for those that have the storage capacity, some restorers can take advantage of the content removal aspect of the mitigation process. Not all restorers can provide content service because it tends to require both space and a different skill set from their employees. Still, if this combination is something within range, this is another way that restoration experts can turn a penny on a mitigation project.
ODOUR NEUTRALISERS
After cleaning and drying the affected area, odour-neutralising products will be necessary to eliminate any remaining aromas. In many situations, effectively absorbing and neutralising unpleasant smells can be a line item or an add-on service. Following the existing mitigation and restoration procedures will often be enough to avoid any odour infiltration.
ENSURE A THOROUGH RESTORATION
By following these methods for odour control after water damage, you can ensure a thorough restoration and maximise the profitability of any mitigation project in the process.
Al Ruggie is the marketing and business development director for ASAP Restoration LLC. He has a proven record for growing businesses, both large and small, with strategic planning and targeted content that delivers results.
Joshua Rudin owns ASAP Restoration LLC and is a certified restorer. Before opening the doors in 2008, Rudin had been a successful entrepreneur in the restaurant industry, owning and running several thriving locations for over two decades.
This piece was originally published on Cleanfax. ■
CleanTasker cleaning management software
CleanTasker is cleaning management software designed for the commercial cleaning industry. It aims to deliver the expected cleaning outcomes for clients while supporting management in overseeing field personnel activity. The software provides various features including GEO location login and out, an auditing inspection platform, site checklists, specific cleaning requests, periodical cleaning reminders, reporting facility repairs, ordering consumable items, access to cleaning documentation and upcoming wage connectivity to payroll platforms. It also offers a built-in dashboard for reporting to clients on key performance indicators or for operational teams. Get in touch for product walkthroughs, additional information and trial runs at preferred locations.
CleanTasker
0438 322 202
contact@cleantasker.com
cleantasker.com
U.S Battery
U.S. Battery has introduced the new ESSENTIAL Li® Lithium-ion battery series to its already diverse range of reliable batteries. These batteries use LiFePO4 chemistry, which is one of the safest lithium chemistries available, as it is not susceptible to thermal runaway. This new range gives floor machine owners an additional choice in their battery purchase, offering a long-lasting, lightweight and maintenance-free alternative to lead acid batteries. With a cycle life up to three times more than a standard lead acid battery, these ESSENTIAL Li batteries are designed to be ‘the only battery you need’.
R&J Batteries
1300 769 282
ProMax
Whether filling spray bottles, mop buckets or floor scrubbers, operators in the hospitality, food service and facilities management sectors can achieve perfect proportioning at the push of a button with SEKO’s ProMax chemical mixing dispenser.
This robust, reliable unit – available as a oneor four-product system – connects directly to a water supply and provides precisely diluted chemical solutions at up to 30 litres (8 gallons) per minute.
The system’s dilution accuracy is driven by a range of metering tips – included as standard – that allow users to make fine adjustments and maximise efficiency for a broad range of chemicals.
ProMax’s wall bracket eliminates the need to open the enclosure during installation, enabling tool-free mounting, while its modular space-saving design allows further units to be easily added to an existing installation.
SEKO (02) 4774 0700
info@totalds.com.au seko.com/au/
RapidClean Green Neutrol Low Foaming Detergent
The RapidClean Green Neutrol Low Foaming Detergent is a heavy-duty, highly concentrated, low-foaming neutral detergent. This powerful cleaner combines low-foam detergency with soil-suspending agents, making it suitable for use in auto scrubbers and pressure washers, with a mop and bucket or a spray and wipe. RapidClean Green Neutrol effectively tackles common food soils, cooking oils, motor oils and greases. Recommended for use on floors, walls, benches, tiles and most other surfaces.
Available in five litres, 15 litres or a screen-printed spray bottle. Learn more about this versatile cleaner on our website or visit your local RapidClean store.
SekureDose combines the best of SEKO’s wall-mounted chemical storage and dosing systems and is the ideal all-in-one janitorial chemical dispenser for reliably and efficiently filling sinks, spray bottles and mop buckets.
Comprising a robust, spring-loaded dosing button built into a lockable cabinet, SekureDose allows chemicals to be conveniently and securely stored and delivered via the flexible impact-resistant dispensing spout. With six easily adjusted dosing settings to choose from (5–30cc or 0.17–1oz), SekureDose users won’t waste a drop of chemical, while colour-coded caps and custom labels allow operators to clearly indicate product type or display branding or safety information.
Installation is practically tool-free and requires no electrical connection, while SekureDose’s flexible, modular design allows for the system to be extended with additional units for multiple product dispensing.
SEKO (02) 4774 0700
info@totalds.com.au
seko.com/au/
TEAM by WorkWave and TemplaCMS offer best-in-class feature sets to reduce costs and risks associated with your operations and to scale alongside current – and future – business needs.
Our solutions connect field-based operations to back-office functions, all the way through to payroll, making way for executive-level decisionmaking.
Features include:
` integrated time and attendance
` workforce management
` employee self-service
` contract management
` finance and payroll
TEAM Software by WorkWave (03) 8899 6683 sales.apac@teamsoftware.com teamsoftware.com
FAST GLASS
Why walk when you can ride with the T681?
Tennant’s T681 ride-on scrubber drier delivers high-performance cleaning with minimal effort. Its compact design, wide 700mm scrub path and large 100-litre solution tank ensure effective cleaning. The integrated Chem-Dose system ensures consistent cleaning performance by dispensing precise amounts of cleaning chemicals for the specific application and floor type, minimising chemical wastage. The T681’s adjustable squeegee with Linatex® blades leaves floors touch-dry and streakfree, enhancing safety and facility image. The T681’s compact size allows it to clean both narrow and medium-to-large spaces, making it ideal for retail stores, hospitals and schools.
Tennant Company
1800 226 843
tennantco.com.au
Excentr Floor Scrubber/Polishers
Camill Electric Utility Vehicles
Camill Electric Utility Vehicles are environmentally friendly and can help minimise your carbon footprint. Noise levels are minimal during operation. What really sets this fleet apart, however, is the extensiveness of the range, from transport vehicles and sweepers to garbage trucks and pressure washers. Each category includes a variety of models to fit different job requirements. Free demonstration and custom branding are available.
Central Cleaning Supplies
1300 347 347
sales@centralcleaning.com.au
centralcleaning.com.au
CCS Janitor Cart – 100% recycled plastic
Made in the Netherlands from quality materials such as stainless steel, these powerful and efficient scrubber/polishers are exceptional cleaning machines, thanks to the Excentr Method, which consists of five benefits:
` up to four times faster based on movements of 2850rpm in small circles of 7mm
` a unique design using rectangular and special shape machines
` ergonomic and user-friendly
` environmentally friendly with a focus to reduce chemical consumption
` deep cleaning using short 7mm circular movements.
Free demonstration available.
Central Cleaning Supplies
1300 347 347
sales@centralcleaning.com.au
centralcleaning.com.au
The new Janitor Cart from Central Cleaning Supplies, with its many features, is not only perfect for assisting professional cleaners, but also great for the environment and sustainability as it is constructed from 100% recycled plastic.
Allowing easy and efficient transportation of buckets, mops, brooms, chemicals, cloths and other cleaning essentials, the cart features: ` a bag
` tough sturdy construction
` easy manoeuvrability with swivel front wheels ` custom branding with black bags optional.
Central Cleaning Supplies
1300 347 347
sales@centralcleaning.com.au
centralcleaning.com.au
Adiatek Quartz range
The new generation, battery-powered Adiatek Quartz Auto Scrubbers offer unbeatable cleaning performances and deliver the comfort of a ride-on machine with unmatched manoeuvrability and visibility. The Quartz range features three models –Quartz 50, 66 and 80. These provide a flexible and compact solution with cleaning widths from 508mm to 785mm, battery autonomy of up to five hours and a working capacity up to 4710m²/h. Like all Adiatek machines, the Quartz range is simple and cost effective to use and comes with a two-year warranty. Free demonstration available.
S-Motion Scrubber Dryer
DRYFT is a revolutionary breakthrough in floor-cleaning technology. With its patented ultra low-profile head shape and groundbreaking 4200rpm scrubbing technology, DRYFT® delivers 100 percent floor cleaning coverage with no limitations. Come test DRYFT before it officially arrives in Australia at the 2024 ISSA Cleaning and Hygiene Show.
MotorScrubber Australia
motorscrubberclean.com
Mandura cleaning range
Available exclusively at Winc, the Mandura cleaning range includes all your washing, sanitising, disinfesting and deodorising needs. The products in the range offer superior performance on a variety of surfaces including walls, doors and furniture, bathrooms, floors, glassware and clothing. The Australian made range is perfect for home, commercial and professional use. By choosing to purchase Mandura products, you are choosing to support a First Nations organisation. Mandura is a First Nations owned business and is Supply Nation Certified. Mandura donates 20 percent of all profits to the Pauline. E. McLeod Foundation, which is dedicated to creating opportunities for the next generation of young First Nations Australians.
Winc
newbusiness@winc.com.au winc.com.au
SPRiNTUS Craftix 35M Safety Vacuum Cleaner
Cleanstar has introduced the new SPRiNTUS Craftix 35M Safety Vacuum Cleaner, designed for use with power tools and the collection of ‘M’ Class hazardous dust. Whether on a construction site or in the workshop, the cleaner collects dust particles hazardous to health at a consistently high level of suction power before they pollute breathable air. This allows sawing, drilling, cutting, milling and grinding work to be carried out efficiently and safely without hesitation.
CLEANSTAR XPOWER (03) 9460 5655
sales@cleanstar.com.au cleanstar.com.au
Long-lasting fragrance urinal screens from Cleanstar
Cleanstar’s new urinal screens provide a long-lasting fresh fragrance of up to 30 days while also helping to reduce cleaning frequency. The screens feature a unique draining system in every microtube, leaving the screen residue-free, and are formulated to contain enzymes preventing malodours. The range features five fragrances: Ocean, Lemon, Strawberry, Tangerine and Lavender and offers great value for money.
CLEANSTAR XPOWER (03) 9460 5655
sales@cleanstar.com.au
cleanstar.com.au
Vycel Electrostatic Sprayer
The Vycel Electrostatic Sprayer protects against viruses and pathogens by delivering a positively charged, water-based antimicrobial spray, creating a mist that evenly coats and wraps surfaces, cleaning the air it passes through and disinfecting all surfaces rapidly and with ease. Up to 99.99 percent effective against pathogens, the Vycel Electrostatic Sprayer is easy to use, runs quietly and leaves viruses nowhere to hide.
Features include:
` Coats and wraps 100 percent of surfaces effectively for full coverage
` Covers up to 15,000 sq ft per tank (350 sq ft per minute coverage)
` Disinfects and sanitises an area in 25 percent of the time
` Uses up to 75 percent less liquid chemical solutions than traditional disinfecting methods
` Dwell time of 30 seconds and no wiping required
` Cordless and battery-powered.
CLEANSTAR XPOWER
(03) 9460 5655
sales@cleanstar.com.au cleanstar.com.au
Colour-coded cloths by Kwikmaster
Use Kwikmaster colour-coded cloths to avoid cross-contamination between different work areas. If a cloth is used in a workplace to clean kitchens, bathrooms and tabletops without proper cleaning in between, you can end up accidentally transferring germs from one surface to another. Protect your staff from cross-contamination with Kwikmaster colour-coded cloths.
Bunzl Australia bunzl.com.au/kwikmaster
Quality washroom paper dispensers
Durolla offers a complete line of stylish highquality tissue and paper towel dispensers that are innovative, practical and durable. With a reputation for excellence in design and reliability, Durolla is able to provide cost-effective washroom hygiene dispensing solutions. Units may be customised to meet corporate branding and locking requirements, while catering for a range of paper specifications. Durolla is further able to meet specific customer requirements through problem solving and customised design.
Durolla dispensers@durolla.com durolla.com
SEBO Powerbrush
Made in Germany, SEBO powerheads are built to withstand heavy use on all types of carpet and hard floors. Add a SEBO powerbrush to any backpack vacuum to greatly enhance its cleaning performance. With multi-level manual brush height adjustment, 180° steering ability, and an L-shaped head, SEBO Powerbrushes get the job done quicker and operators feel good using them. Warning systems provide automatic shutoff if an obstruction jams the brush roller, which protects the belts and motors from damage. Removing the brush rollers is quick and easy without tools. Available in two working widths (31 and 37cm).
SEBO
(02) 9678 9577 sebo.com.au
Tempo HD
Tempo HD is a multipurpose neutral detergent designed for use in commercial, institutional, and industrial environments. Tempo HD rapidly emulsifies common food oils, mineral oils, and synthetic oils. Being pH-neutral and solvent-free, Tempo HD is safe for use on most surfaces. Tempo HD can be used in any area where oil and grease are a problem, including supermarkets, commercial buildings, kitchens, factories, institutional, government, and healthcare facilities.
Features include:
` Concentrated formula
` Neutral pH and solvent-free
` No anti-foam required
` Five litres of Tempo HD makes up to 800 litres Whiteley 1800 833 566
sales@whiteley.com.au whiteley.com.au
Compostable bin liners
Kwikmaster’s organic compostable bin liners are suitable for both home and commercial composting. They are made from renewable, plant-based materials such as corn starch and wheat, which means they break down readily (with water and carbon dioxide) in a composting system through microbial activity to form compost, usually within two years. Kwikmaster’s bin liners carry the Australian standard number AES 4736–2006 on the label, as they are certified home and industrial compostable, being made from 100 percent GMO-free materials, namely biopolymers (PBAT and PLA) and corn starch.
Bunzl Australia
bunzl.com.au/kwikmaster
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Gloves – protecting commercial customers
Gloves play a crucial role in protecting hands from potential hazards in many workplaces. They are also essential PPE to help minimise the spread of infection. Commercial cleaners are exposed daily to various chemicals and substances that can be harmful to their skin. Gloves provide a physical barrier between the skin and these substances, protecting the cleaner from direct contact and potential skin irritation. Nitrile gloves are preferred because they resist chemicals including some disinfectants, such as peroxide and chlorine. Plus, they are generally easier to don and doff and are more puncture-resistant, providing durability.
Protect your staff from chemical splashes with nitrile gloves. Bunzl Australia bunzl.com.au/premier
Sabco Professional 100% Recycled Microfibre Disposable Flat Mop Pad
The Sabco Professional 100 percent Recycled Microfibre Disposable Flat Mop Pads, available in a 50-pack, are the ultimate sustainable solution for hospital cleaning. They are made from 100 percent recycled polyester and feature an extremely high percentage of the best microfibre. These pads achieve a very high log reduction, which is crucial for superior healthcare cleaning.
The 100 percent recycled pads are disposable for the hassle-free cleaning of healthcare surroundings, offering an eco-friendly and effective solution. Using these pads, hospitals can enhance their cleaning regimes and support sustainability, making them a crucial part of a healthcare facility's cleaning arsenal.
Sabco Professional sabcoprofessional.com.au/product/microfibredisposable-flat-mop-pads-white-50pk/
Sabco Professional Microfibre Dusting Pads – 100 pk
The Sabco Professional Microfibre Dusting Pads, available in a 100-piece roll (SABC-1275), are the best option for the two-step healthcare floor cleaning process. These high-quality microfibre pads ensure superior dust collection and are compatible with all 40cm velcro flat mops. Recommended for use with the 40cm aluminium flat mop base SABC-1343.
Ideal for pre-mopping, they deliver perfect results and significantly ease and optimise the flat mopping process. Measuring 50 x 15cm, these pads are an essential addition to any healthcare cleaning routine. Each roll includes 100 pads, ensuring long-lasting use.
Sabco Professional sabcoprofessional.com.au/product/microfibre-floordusting-pad-100pk/
Elka Pro Bib & Brace
Made from Polyamide/PU, the Elka Pro Bib & Brace from Denmark offers practical waterproof outer clothing for staff working in wet environments. Providing certified protection against high-pressure water cleaning, chemicals and infectious agents, the clothing is ideal for those working in food and dairy production, cleaning and facility management. Light, comfortable and easy to wear, with quick-release braces and elastic at the ankle to hold in place, the Elka Bib & Brace is also available with no elastic at the ankle or with reinforced knees. Partner with an Elka Pro Cleaning Jacket to stay dry and comfortable.
Fresh is your all-in-one washroom cleaner and disinfectant that removes soap scum, dirt, and grime. Fresh has a pleasant citrus fragrance while killing odour-causing bacteria.
Fresh is designed for cleaning hard surfaces in washrooms including basins, showers, baths, toilets, tiles, glass, and stainless steel.
Features include:
` Biodegradable
` Concentrated formula
` Commercial-grade disinfectant.
Whiteley
1800 833 566
sales@whiteley.com.au whiteley.com.au
Fill spray bottles, mop buckets and floor scrubbers automatically with a SEKO chemical dispensing system.
EarthSmart multipurpose cleaner
EarthSmart multipurpose detergent is a readily biodegradable, non-hazardous, dilutable detergent for use on floors, walls, benchtops, countertops, sinks and other surfaces.
Features include:
` Readily biodegradable
` Non-hazardous and non-toxic*
` Chlorine-free and phosphate-free
` Outstanding finish results.
*In accordance with the Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling (GHS)
Whiteley 1800 833 566
sales@whiteley.com.au whiteley.com.au
SpillEx
SpillEx is a disposable, super-absorbing floor cloth designed for fast spill removal of a wide range of water-based liquids from hard floors, including blood in operation theatres, urine in elderly homes or soft drink spillages that may cause a slip risk in restaurants or supermarkets. SpillEx, the super-absorbent spill remover ensures fast, safe removal of liquids before actual floor mopping takes place.
Valida Professional 1300 669 686
csvic@fhp-ww.com vileda-professional.com.au
r-MicronQuick
r-MicronQuick is Vileda Professional’s durable and washable cleaning cloth. The cloth is made from 70 percent recycled microfibres, which achieve superior cleaning performance even in microscopic structures and remove up to 99.99 percent of viruses and bacteria using just water. Due to this, the r-MicronQuick is ideal for healthcare areas, where a high level of cleanliness and hygiene is required. The two-colour coding system allows for a differentiation of the cloths, which reduces the risk of potential crosscontaminations.
Valida Professional 1300 669 686 csvic@fhp-ww.com vileda-professional.com.au
Reckitt Pro Solutions
Reckitt Pro Solutions is proud to be a Platinum Sponsor of the 2024 ISSA Cleaning and Hygiene Expo in Sydney (11-12 September). Reckitt Pro Solutions will be on stand 223, bringing the latest research results, information and best practice recommendations for cleaning and hygiene in commercial spaces. The stand will also host product demonstrations explaining the role efficient and effective products play in helping create exceptional cleaning and hygiene protocols that support stronger businesses.
Reckitt Pro Solutions
au.reckittpros.com
EZstrip Pad
EZstrip Pad, uses powerful 200 Grit Polycrystal Abrasives, enabling heavy-duty floor stripping of old chemical coatings, layers or finishes to prepare for the recoating job. Deep restoration and heavy-duty cleaning of any floor surface as a preparation step is possible using only water.
Features include:
` Eco-friendly and healthy using only water, it can deeply restore and strip all floors
` Comprises rich and aggressive Polycrystal Abrasives contents
` Effective and faster stripping with one step
` Cost-saving on consumables, time and labour compared with traditional floor pads
` Pad base structure is 100 percent recycled material
` Makes old look new and reinforces the value that clients pay for.
