ISSA: Updates from the Leading Association for the Cleaning Industry Worldwide

Management Standard Now Available

The first consensus-based management standard for the cleaning industry is now available for public review, according to ISSA, which is spearheading the standard’s development.

All industry members are invited to provide comments on the document’s requirements, direction, and scope. The public review period will run through August 4, 2006.

The Cleaning Industry Management Standard draft is available for review.

High-Quality Management
The purpose of the standard is to set forth policies, processes, procedures, and supporting documentation to be used by facility service providers—both building service contractors and in-house service providers (ISPs) — in establishing themselves as truly customer-centered organizations. The standard describes the procedures to be followed in designing and implementing high-quality management programs for cleaning organizations, without respect to the size of the organization, or if they are BSCs or ISPs.

The standard applies to management, operations, performance systems, and processes. Compliance with the standard demonstrates that the organization is structured to deliver consistent, quality services. It will apply to a cleaning organization in its entirety, rather than to an individual program or product, and is intended to allow individual companies to choose the most effective ways in which to comply with its management requirements.

The Standards Development Technical Committee outlined the general framework of the standard, identified key management elements, and began the drafting process. The five key elements identified by the committee include: Management/Administration, Quality Systems, Service Delivery, Human Resources, and Commitment to Health, Safety and Environmental Stewardship.

Industry Consensus
While ISSA has led the project, a mix of representatives drawn from all facility segments within the industry — in-house facility management and purchasing, environmental services, BSCs, consulting, and training — have worked on the draft.

Following the standard’s completion and publication, anticipated by the end of 2006, ISSA expects to launch a pilot program in North America to begin the certification process of cleaning companies and departments that exemplify a quality-managed and customer-oriented industry organization.

All public comments on the Cleaning Industry Management Standard should be submitted by August 4, 2006, to ISSA Standards Development Manager Dan Wagner via e-mail or via fax at 847-982-1922. Mail comments to: ISSA, QM Standard Review; 7373 N. Lincoln Ave.; Lincolnwood, IL 60712.

Managers, owners and stakeholders are interested in the many benefits that a facility can experience when going green. The journey toward launching such a cleaning program begins with an assessment of products, procedures and worker training.

All products must be evaluated to determine their impact on the indoor environment and on worker safety. Chemicals and disposables need to be analyzed for harmful ingredients and recycled content while equipment must have the ability to capture and contain soil. Low moisture cleaning systems, preventive matting and products with extended life cycles all contribute to a sustainable green program.

The second component that impacts the facility is best practice and cleaning frequency. Areas are divided into high and low risk. High-risk areas require increased cleaning frequency, and a higher level of cleaning science must be applied to ensure proper hygiene and sanitation. Task time and cleaning frequency are defined so that adequate labor hours can be assigned to meet the increased cleaning standards.

Finally, workers who are skilled in general cleaning techniques often need additional training in green cleaning methods. These are techniques that reduce bacteria and contaminants while increasing hygiene on surfaces and high-use contact areas. Educating workers and supervisors increases the technical knowledge of personnel and improves the work environment for everyone.

Once managers identify the products and procedures they are interested in, the next step is to document the savings or increases that will directly impact their budgets. Managers not only need to analyze the unit price, but also look at variables in the product that could affect the final investment, such as bulk chemical versus dispensing systems, roll towels versus C-fold. When all those factors are included, a product that might have a higher unit price still could come out to be less expensive than a current product.

ISSA now offers a new program, EcoSmart, to help better document the financial gains of green cleaning. This easy-to-use application covers chemicals, equipment, paper products and even training costs. It offers quick reports and presentation-ready graphs to explain results to upper management or customers. The program also comes with a free bonus workloading application to calculate annual labor costs.

Click here to learn more or call ISSA at 8800-225-4772.

ISSA has created a one-of-a-kind Web network dedicated exclusively to the protection of the health and safety of workers in the cleaning industry, the latest step in the association’s ongoing alliance with the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

The site offers five topics pages focusing on: Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens; Cleaning Chemicals in the Workplace (Hazard Communication); Injury & Illness Recordkeeping; Personal Protective Equipment (PPE); and Slips, Trips and Falls in the Workplace.

Each page provides detailed information on regulatory compliance obligations, plus tips and resources for creating and maintaining a safe and healthy environment for employees in that area.