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New ISSA Web Site
ISSA has launched its totally revamped Web site, www.issa.com. The new site features improved navigation, a more dynamic interface, prominent industry-news updates, and a new Member Lounge that includes a Person-to-Person Directory, which helps ISSA members locate key contacts within a company (a video tour of the site’s new features is available at www.issa.com/tour).
One-of-a-Kind User Input
ISSA recruited a diverse group of industry leaders and frequent users of the site for a beta test. The testing provided ISSA with real-time feedback regarding how easy or difficult the new design made common user tasks, such as finding industry contacts, looking up member benefits, registering for events, and finding educational and business resources.
Overall ratings during the beta testing, on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being highest, averaged 4.11.
“The site is active and dynamic,” wrote Dr. Steve Spivak of the Cleaning Industry Research Institute and professor emeritus at the University of Maryland. “There are slick graphics, good color, useful information that is readily available, and fast response time on accessing items.”
Among the many examples of constructive feedback were requests for fresh content on an ongoing basis for repeat visitors. These requests are being addressed with daily breaking news on the home page and new ISSA Educational Quick Clips—free online videos—launched every other Monday. Plus, timely, informative articles by leading industry experts are regularly added to the ISSA Library section.
In addition, ISSA has developed a host of creative strategies to drive more visitors to the site, ranging from webinars for FSPs and product purchasers to online search-engine advertising campaigns.
Record Levels for 2007 User Sessions
ISSA.com logged more than 1.7 million user sessions in the first 10 months of 2007, up 60 percent from the same time in 2006. Those logging on were a mix of industry participants: 33 percent of average user sessions were by facility service providers (FSPs) and 30 percent were by distributors.
More than 50 percent of individuals visiting the site classified themselves as corporate or maintenance management. ISSA’s global reach has been excellent and growing, with a recent average of 25 percent of ISSA.com sessions logged from outside the United States.
ISSA & OSHA Create New Industry Web Page
A new Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) Web page, developed with the support and assistance of ISSA, will help employers in the cleaning industry protect the safety and health of their most valuable asset—their employees.
The new Safety and Health Topics page, “OSHA Assistance for the Cleaning Industry,” can be found at www.osha.gov/dcsp/products/topics/cleaningindustry. The page provides information on potential hazards, such as bloodborne pathogens and slips, trips and falls, as well as information on OSHA standards and links to free resources from both OSHA and ISSA. The Web page is a product of the ISSA/OSHA Alliance.
“Through the alliance with OSHA, ISSA has positioned itself as the leading resource on safety and health issues for employers and employees in the cleaning industry,” said ISSA Legislative Affairs Director Bill Balek. “This new Safety and Health Topics page is yet another example of ISSA’s commitment to assist employers and their workers in identifying and preventing workplace hazards in the cleaning industry.”
Partners in Safety
ISSA and OSHA established a formal alliance in August 2005 to enhance the safety and health of workers throughout the cleaning industry. Under the alliance, ISSA and OSHA have worked together to communicate to the cleaning industry ways to improve the safety and health of their employees and otherwise protect them from workplace hazards.
Under the alliance, ISSA and OSHA have worked together to provide more than 77,000 ISSA members and other cleaning industry professionals with valuable information and training resources.
Safety & Health Portal
One of the many tools produced under this alliance is the ISSA Safety and Health Portal, a one-of-a-kind Web network dedicated exclusively to the protection of the health and safety of workers in the cleaning industry. The site at www.issa.com/osha offers five focused topic pages: 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.
Opening the Vote to FSPs
Facility service provider (FSP) member companies can now vote in ISSA elections for officers to serve on the ISSA Board of Directors, as well as on future proposed bylaw amendments, thanks to an association bylaw change, approved by a majority of voting members and presented at the ISSA General Meeting held during last October’s ISSA/INTERCLEAN® North America trade show.
Commenting on this and other bylaw changes, ISSA Executive Director John Garfinkel said, “We are pleased with these changes, which are important for the future of ISSA and which bring all the channel partners in the cleaning industry closer together to facilitate strong business relationships and to create more unity toward the important environmental issues, cleaning standards and business challenges facing our industry.”
| ISSA’s Innovation Award Winners ISSA congratulates the following companies whose products or services were voted by their customers as being the most innovative new releases in the cleaning industry during ISSA/INTERCLEAN North America 2007: Chemicals—Spartan Chemical Co., Inc. (www.spartanchemical.com); Paper/Plastics—Georgia-Pacific N.A. Commercial Business (www.gp.com/awayfromhome/default.asp); Power Equipment—Tennant Co. (www.tennantco.com); Supplies/Accessories—Waterbury Companies, Inc. (www.watco.com); Services, Technology & Other Products—Rubbermaid Commercial Products, Inc. (www.rcpworksmarter.com); and Green Awards—Spartan Chemical Co., Inc., Corporate Express (www.corporateexpress.com), and Kaivac, Inc. (www.kaivac.com). |
Welcome New ISSA Members!
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