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CIMS Certification Opens at ISSA/INTERCLEAN® in Orlando
ISSA opened Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) certification to the industry at large at ISSA/INTERCLEAN® North America 2007, in Orlando, FL, October 23-26. The opening of certification followed a successful case-study certification program that saw the majority of applicants achieve certification.
CIMS is a management framework that sets forth the processes, procedures, and supporting documentation universally recognized as the hallmarks of a well-run, customer-focused cleaning organization. Building service contractors (BSCs) can use the Standard and certification to differentiate themselves in the marketplace, improve operations, and validate their commitment to customer satisfaction while in-house service providers (ISPs) can use the Standard to benchmark and set goals for internal improvement. In addition, CIMS is a powerful tool that distributors, manufacturers, and others can use to better understand what it takes to manage a cleaning organization and appreciate the challenges faced by the facility service provider (FSP) community.
With certification being embraced by the facility management and purchasing communities — including having received an endorsement by the International Facility Management Association and having been mandated in the new request for proposal, or RFP, issued by the Port of Seattle for janitorial services at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport — BSCs and ISPs are encouraged to apply for certification as soon as possible. In fact, ISSA has been informed by many facility management professionals desiring an easy way to pre-qualify contractors and wanting assurance that their service provider is managed in a quality, customer-focused fashion that they will make CIMS certification a prerequisite to bidding on their facilities.
To become certified, an organization must undergo a comprehensive assessment — by an independent, accredited assessor — that includes documentation review, management and employee interviews, and customer-site visits. Certification applications are accessible at www.issa.com/standard.
To prepare organizations for certification, ISSA has also certified nearly 100 individuals as ISSA Certification Experts (ICE), arming them with the tools necessary to provide training and/or consulting services to those interested in complying with and preparing to be certified to CIMS. The ICE program is primarily geared toward distributors, manufacturers, manufacturer representatives, consultants, and others who wish to assist their FSP customers in achieving certification.
For a current list of CIMS-certified organizations and experts, visit www.issa.com/standard. For more information on CIMS and certification, please contact CIMS Director Dan Wagner at 800-225-4772 (North America) or 847-982-0800; e-mail, daniel@issa.com.
Prevention Through Design
How should an organization best approach worker health and safety? One fresh way is to invest in a concept known as “Prevention Through Design,” which attempts to prevent injuries and illnesses at the earliest possible stages. Specifically, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) wants you to consider taking action to “design out” workplace hazards and has set forth its National Initiative on Prevention Through Design to assist employers in creating a healthy, safe work environment.
Prevention Through Design is specifically defined by NIOSH as “addressing occupational safety and health needs in the design process to prevent or minimize work-related hazards and risks associated with the use of materials and equipment.” Such a concept is usually linked to the manufacturing or production process, but it can certainly have direct applicability for service-based organizations.
For example, cleaning organizations should look at their cleaning processes and procedures to ensure that they are designed to minimize the possibility of worker injuries and illness. Can risks be reduced by changing the manner in which chemicals are used — as long as they continue to be used in accordance with manufacturer instructions — and possibly substituting chemicals that present a lessened potential hazard to the worker? Organizations should also review the use of personal protective equipment; bloodborne pathogens; cleanup procedures; activities to protect against workplace slips, trips, and falls; and other processes that may present hazards. Simplify processes as much as possible to make human error less likely.
For more information on NIOSH and the National Initiative on Prevention Through Design, visit www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/PtD.
CIRI Picks Next Symposium Site
The Cleaning Industry Research Institute (CIRI) will hold its 2008 Cleaning Science Symposium June 9-12, 2008, at the Marriott Conference Center at the University of Maryland, 12 miles from downtown Washington, D.C. The theme for the 2008 symposium is “Cleaning & Health—Making the Connection.”
CIRI has arranged for rooms at the conference center, located in Adelphi, MD, as well as a number of hotels nearby. Marriott has created a special Web site for the event and is now ready to take reservations. For more information on the 2008 symposium, or to book a hotel room, visit www.ciri-research.org/symposium.
About CIRI
CIRI’s vision is to raise the awareness of the importance of cleaning through scientific research. To learn more, or to join the institute, visit
www.ciri-research.org.
| ISSA.com Set to Break Record ISSA.com is well on its way to setting a new user-session record in 2007. By July of this year, the association’s Web site had already racked up more than 1.1 million sessions, and it’s fast closing in on last year’s record total of 1.5 million. Plus, the average time visitors are spending on the site has increased, with this year’s average clocking in at more than five minutes per session — an average that’s sure to increase with last month’s launch of the totally revamped Web site. Check out this new online experience at www.issa.com. |
Welcome New ISSA Members!
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