The IEHA has announced the development of the Cleaning Industry Leadership Standard (CILS) containing specifications and standards for leadership in the cleaning industry.

"Great leadership is the driving force that enables efficient management," says Beth B. Risinger, executive director and CEO of IEHA. "A fundamental rationale for IEHA establishing this CILS program is that the program will stimulate members of the IEHA to lead the cleaning industry toward advances in healthier approaches and methods that are economical, environmentally safe, and can be applied throughout the world."

CILS recognition will be based on developing and validating the leadership that produces a healthier environment through optimized facility operations and housekeeping functions.

The proposed CILS standard provides quality criteria for leadership development and identification of leaders for cleaning, maintenance, housekeeping, groundskeeping, safety and/or indoor environmental programs in commercial, industrial or institutional facilities.

The proposed IEHA-CILS program will establish a leadership standard certification program that starts from the understanding that "leadership" and "management" of personnel and of performance are not the same and require different skills. The CILS certifiable standard for leadership in the cleaning industry will complement the existing ISSA-CIMS standard for management.

According to Dr. David Mudarri, former EPA Senior Scientist and a leading facilities consultant:

"The certification process is a good vehicle for providing leverage to the cleaning sector identifying cleaning-related standards that can be marketed to other groups, governments, and entities promulgating guidelines and recommendations, and that these may in turn recommend or require that, for example, IEHA CILS certification be used to help meet their own facility standards and guidelines. For standards to be accepted, it is important that they be developed by a transparent and inclusive process that involves multiple interested stakeholders who either help develop, or actively comment and perhaps vote."

For this reason, IEHA is forming a CILS Consensus Group for developing the CILS Standard.

Upon consensus, CILS will be defined by a CILS Standard 1.0 Document. This standard will then be elaborated upon in detail by IEHA's Professional Educational Credentialing Program (PECP) Leadership Modules in the new IEHA Leadership for Effect Series.

When fully developed, the CILS program will be a voluntary standard, developed and marketed by the IEHA.