Executive Housekeeping Today - October 2008 - (Page 21)

During this month of Halloween, the scariest scenes may be lurking right inside your facility’s janitor closet. Just take a walk down the hallway to that darkened closet at the end of the corridor and open the door—you may be surprised at what you find, especially if you haven’t been in there for a while. Hopefully, there won’t be an OSHA inspector checking off how many unlabeled spray bottles are on the shelf. Everything you find in this closet, from the janitor cart to the dirty, upside-down mop leaning against the wall, affects the people who use the supplies and the people who populate the building. If you are not the janitor, it is the least likely place to find someone not from our industry—and with good reason—it is usually a scary place. Fortunately, LEED (Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design) has provided guidance not only for the operations and maintenance of a building, but specifically for janitorial closets as well. Having been in more janitor closets than I care to remember, the memories that I have are more of smelly dust mops than newlylabeled spray bottles. Can’t we all picture the unpainted walls, stained floors, and clogged drains in these closets right now? When we consider that these closets are where the process begins to keep our buildings free of debris and germs, does it not seem important that a more professional approach is necessary? Although not all janitor closets are in need of some type of intervention, (due to management, distributor representatives, etc.), it is important to realize that no matter what the size of the build- d What’s in YOUR Janitor Closet? by Vince Fagan ing, the janitor closet is typically the smallest section listed on the architect’s blueprint when it comes to a room. Yes, we are challenged to clean large areas in record time with equipment and supplies kept in areas typically smaller than a walk-in closet in most homes. Sometimes it seems that we are an afterthought when it comes to our storage space for cleaning supplies and equipment—no small wonder that you find us at the end of the hall in a closet with one dim light bulb and no ventilation, especially when the blueprint called for MORE space in the boardroom. Of course, it is no surprise that the electricians forgot to install an outlet for you to charge your equipment. And is there a separate ventilation fan installed to protect you from harmful VOC’s when mixing chemicals? Probably not. The job of a custodian is to manage the process, the tools, and the environment. But we need to manage the problem. When we consider that the janitor closet is the answer and not the problem, a paradigm shift occurs. Focus on what is in the closet and also what is NOT in the closet. Think about what OSHA requires to be in the closet and what you presently have in the closet. Consider what is purchased for the closet and by whom and how that may be contradictory to what is purchased through normal channels. Many janitors bring to work what cleans well at home or simply what smells nice. Are these items listed in the MSDS binder? Is there an MSDS binder? Are the products Green certified? Cleaning for Health is a specific type of goal to follow when choosing products to purchase. Green Seal-certified We know your facility’s janitor closet isn’t as “scary� as this one! products, EPA’s Design for the Environment products (DfE), and the Environmental Choice EcoLogo Program all are certifying bodies for healthy cleaning products. Obviously, there are products that we must use that cannot be certified as “Green” (i.e., disinfectants), but proper training in the use of these products and storage of them will help in achieving responsible management of the janitor closet. Building and maintenance managers need to be aware of the risks involved in unhealthy janitor closets. Workmen’s compensation settlements are reaching unacceptable levels. Again, management of what is stocked in the janitor closet affects what occurs in the building. If there is a concentrated chemical being automatically dispensed in the closet, accidents from chemicals mixing are reduced. If equipment is properly stored and maintained, less accidents occur in the course of cleaning. For instance, think of the custodian who yanks the vacuum cord out of the wall outlet, breaks the plug and simply pushes the vacuum back into the corner of the closet and goes home. How long does it take before that (continued on page 25) October 2008/Executive Housekeeping Today 2

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Executive Housekeeping Today - October 2008

Executive Housekeeping Today - October 2008� Contents Executive Corner An Easier, Greener, and Healthier Approach to Floor Care Caring for Carpets in 24-Hour Facilities Frugal Housekeeper Case Study: University of Miami My Experiences with High-Speed Machines vs. Spray Buffers Vacuum Floor Care Q&A with Andre Motta Is a Spray-and-Vac System Really Better at Cleaning and Reducing the Risk of Disease? CEU Article The IEHA/CRI Partnership The Green Scene USGBC Green Tip What's in YOUR Janitor Closet? Inside the Industry Product Highlights New Members Joint IEHA/ISSA Members REH/CEH Members Advertisers' Index Calendar of Events Inside IEHA What IEHA Has Done for Me

Executive Housekeeping Today - October 2008

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