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

Everything’s Coming Up Green
Environmental Preferability, Safety and Health Take Center Stage

Environmental preferability is the new mantra of the business community, and nowhere is this more apparent than in our industry, where green cleaning has taken a firm hold in the marketplace.

Employee and occupant safety and health have also taken center stage as the business community embraces various practices, programs and other activities designed to promote the well being of those who work or otherwise spend time in the built environment.

Recognizing the importance of these trends, ISSA has been active on both fronts. Below are just some of the ways in which ISSA became involved in 2006.

Developing Green Cleaning Products
ISSA has participated in a number of programs, projects and other activities that provide voluntary, market-based incentives designed to facilitate the development of environmentally preferable cleaning products.

• ISSA/DfE Alliance. ISSA and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Design for the Environment (DfE) aligned to provide ISSA formulator and other association members with resources that will facilitate the development of environmentally preferable cleaning products.

• CleanGredients™. ISSA is a proud sponsor of CleanGredients (www.cleangredients.org), an online database of cleaning ingredients with preferred environmental and safety and health profiles.

• Safer Detergent Stewardship Initiative. ISSA is working in support of the Safer Detergents Stewardship Initiative (SDSI), a voluntary program under DfE that will foster the development of environmentally preferable cleaning products.

Resource/Reference Materials
ISSA has developed a number of resource and reference materials designed to provide insight into the green cleaning trend and help companies better appreciate this marketplace dynamic.

• Guide to Green Cleaning Procurement Policies Across the U.S. ISSA has compiled a comprehensive summary called Green Cleaning Product Procurement Policies, Initiatives, and Requirements in the U.S. It covers more than 20 state and local jurisdictions that have established green purchasing policies in one form or another, as well as six federal programs and initiatives designed to promote green cleaning products and practices. The guide is posted at www.issa.com/greenprocure.

• Cleaning and LEED-EB. The U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Existing Buildings (EB) has helped fuel the demand for environmentally preferable products and services, including the demand for green cleaning. ISSA’s Cleaning and Maintenance and LEED-EB: What’s the Connection? explains the significant role that environmentally preferable cleaning and maintenance activities play in achieving LEED-EB certification. ISSA members can download this document at www.issa.com/leedeb.

• EcoSmart™. EcoSmart was developed by ISSA in conjunction with the industry’s leading software designers and green cleaning experts to help evaluate the financial impact that green cleaning will have on a facility’s budget. EcoSmart provides an insightful analysis of the chemical, paper, equipment, and training costs associated with green cleaning. For more information, visit www.issa.com/ecosmart.

Health and Safety
In addition to green cleaning, ISSA has focused on worker and occupant safety and health through a number of activities.

• ISSA Safety and Health Portal. 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, www.issa.com/osha, offers five topic 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.

• Cleaning Industry Safety and Health Topics Page. ISSA is the only industry association working with OSHA to develop the Cleaning Industry Safety and Health Topics page, which is expected to be released by the spring of 2007. This series of Web pages will provide ready access to OSHA standards of particular concern to the cleaning industry, solutions to hazards common in the industry, information on how to develop a comprehensive safety and health program and other resources.

• Safety and Health Corner. Following its commitment to employee safety and health, ISSA has established the Safety and Health Corner as a regular feature in its monthly newsletter, the ISSA Legislative and Regulatory Update.

• OSHA at ISSA/INTERCLEAN®. As part of its alliance with ISSA, OSHA exhibited at ISSA/INTERCLEAN 2006 in Chicago and met with over 300 individual attendees. OSHA representatives shared best practices for worker safety and health, sample employee training programs, information on complimentary consulting services and other resources that promote general workplace safety and health. Plans are now underway to secure OSHA’s presence at ISSA/INTERCLEAN 2007 in Orlando, FL.

For additional information on any or all of these topics, please contact ISSA Legislative Affairs Director Bill Balek or ISSA Standards Development Manager Dan Wagner at 800-225-4772 (North America) or 847-982-0800; e-mail bill@issa.com or daniel@issa.com.