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Reducing Chemical Exposure Under GS-42

By Cheryl Baldwin

Green Seal’s ™ GS-42 green cleaning service standard protects cleaning staff and building occupants by reducing chemical waste and enforcing efficient use of cleaning products.

Many building service contractors (BSCs) and in-house service providers (ISPs) are seeing the need to protect people and the environment in the course of day-to-day business. When they want to take it to the level of certification under GS-42, the Green Seal Environmental Standard for Cleaning Services, Green Seal requires certain practices in the use of cleaning products that will minimize chemical exposure and waste.
Because using less chemical in the first place lowers the likelihood of human exposure, it makes sense to use as little as possible or none at all in a given situation. In the many cases where CSPs must apply chemical solutions, GS-42 certification requires them to strive to keep cleaning substances and their fumes from spreading beyond their target, particularly to other parts of the building.

What many cleaning professionals don’t take into account in terms of impact on the indoor and outdoor environment is the human tendency to stray from manufacturers’ intended use of solutions — by under-diluting, for example, which releases more chemical than necessary into the facility and down the drain. Using a work solution that contains more concentrate than specified by the instructions can result in a solution that is “too strong” that may actually damage the surfaces being cleaned or leave a sticky residue behind that attracts dirt. Improperly prepared work solutions that are too dilute may not contain enough active ingredients to clean properly, or in the case of FIFRA-registered products like disinfectants, may not contain enough active ingredient(s) to effectively kill the target microorganisms. To qualify for GS-42 certification, BSCs and ISPs must put safeguards in place to prevent overuse or underuse of cleaning chemicals:

• Implement a training program that familiarizes staff with correct dilution, cleaning practices and disposal of bottles (i.e., recycling) and leftover solutions.

• Make written and pictorial instructions available to workers, using languages understood by the employees.

• Put a formal tracking system into place that will monitor — quarterly at a minimum — the amount of each cleaning chemical used in the facility in question.

• Install an automatic measuring and diluting system that limits employee contact with full-strength compounds and prevents the overuse or underuse of chemicals.

• Provide other tools that will properly apply solutions, such as coarse trigger-spray bottles and power equipment outfitted with automatic chemical dispensers.

Targeted management, and providing workers with proper tools and training, creates an effective barrier against excess or ineffective chemical use, providing a healthier work environment for both cleaning personnel and building occupants.

Cheryl Baldwin is the Director of Standards at Green Seal. For more information, about GS-42 Certification, visit www.greenseal.org or call (202)872-6400.

This article is part 9 in a series.