When caught speeding, police officers are there to issue you a ticket. In the workplace, an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) officer issues fines for safety violations. But who is there to make sure proper cleaning legislation is being followed?

While researching our cover story, "Flagging Green Cleaning in State Schools," I found a handful of custodial managers who admitted that they were not meeting all the requirements for green cleaning their schools. The reason, I am told, was because the staff didn't embrace the green product options and deemed them ineffective.

Whatever the excuse, a law is a law and it is there for a reason. I don't always like driving 15 miles per hour in a school zone, but the law was implemented to keep children safe, so I follow it. The same goes for green cleaning. Legislation was introduced because green cleaning has been proven to minimize the health implications cleaning has on children, faculty and custodians, while minimally affecting the environment.

I agree that no one likes to be strong-armed into changing their programs, but if green cleaning practices improve the learning environment for a child, especially those with asthma, why wouldn't you do it?

To date, there is no official regulating body to site departments for ignoring green cleaning mandates. Instead, it is up to the custodial manager to make sure laws are being followed within their school.

 




POSTED ON: 5/5/2010