Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 19th February 2015 Issue no. 661
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         International News
Products Mundipharma demonstrates efficacy of Betadine formulations against Ebola virus
GenEon's technology reducing school absenteeism
Legionella Control publishes advice on how to appoint an authorising engineer
EUnited Cleaning, with the support of the European Federation of Cleaning Industries (EFCI) and the International Association for Soaps, Detergents & Maintenance Products (A.I.S.E) is launching a campaign called the European Cleaning Days (ECD). IFMA's 'world-class, gold standard' FM programme earns ANSI accreditation with seven commendations The International Facility Management Association's FM credential programme has earned accreditation and seven commendations from the American National Standards Institute. ANSI, which oversees thousands of standards and guidelines that directly impact businesses in a range of sectors, accredited IFMA for the Facility Management Professional (FMP) and Sustainability Facility Professional (SFP) credentials. |
Welcome to the
Cleanzine - the original Cleaning & Hygiene industry e-news Read by industry professionals in 163 countries worldwide! Isn’t it lovely that some cleaners have enjoyed good fortune recently? First there was the symbolic reinstatement by Greece’s new government, of some of the finance ministry’s cleaning ladies, who had been laid off in 2013 as part of the country’s austerity drive… then there was the surprise bonus given to some 250 city street cleaners in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, followed by a street party. It shows how things work at both ends of the scale, doesn’t it? From the old adage of ‘when money’s tight, cut the cleaning budget and/or get rid of the cleaners’, to those often referred to as the ‘invisible workforce’ being acknowledged in a most surprising way! In case you’re not aware of what’s happened, the protest by what started out as 600 cleaning ladies became one of the emblems of Greece’s austerity years. The sacked women camped outside the ministry in Athens in all weathers, brandishing their cleaning equipment to ensure they weren’t forgotten. Their cause was supported by the Greek public and in particular the radical Syriza party which kept its promise to reinstate the women when it gained power last week. Since some cleaners have retired and others have found work elsewhere, only 300 jobs are involved; the new finance minister says he’ll find the money to pay their wages by cutting back on excess, unnecessary expenditure elsewhere. NHS please take note… Things are looking good for the cleaners in the UK too, with more contractors signing up to the Living Wage charter, which sees cleaners paid more in line with what they actually need to be able to live, rather than what the National Minimum Wage dictates. In further good news, the latest employment figures show that growth has driven the employment rate to a record high with record numbers of 16-24 year olds in work. Economic migrants make up 40% of employment growth during the past year. Apparently skills shortages and utilisation are causing problems and there are still productivity issues in many businesses but if things continue the way they’re going, there may well soon be money in everyone’s budgets to pay for training, which will offer all-round improvement. Fingers crossed… Please get in touch either by emailing me or posting a comment on our Facebook page. www.facebook.com/Cleanzine
Yours,
       This Week's News
Wall-mounted sprays in health centres and hospitals 'not as effective as soap and water' Hard-pushed NHS trusts up and down the country are spending thousands every week on gel sprays in bids to avoid visitors transmitting infections, when simple soap and water is cheaper and far more effective. That's the opinion of a national cleaning company that finds that more than half of visitors to hospitals, health centres and doctor's surgeries ignore the dispensers and enter the premises with unwashed hands. Rules are changing for corporate reputation management, reveals Workplace Trends Report
A new form of public accountability, dubbed 'Rateocracy', is putting unprecedented pressure on companies to act transparently, highlighting one of the major shifts in how the workplace is changing in response to technology and cultural expectations. Sharing knowledge and best practices: ISSA/Interclean CEE just two months away Finding new ways to share knowledge and best practices is increasingly important. The recently announced seminar programme that will be running alongside the ISSA/Interclean Central & Eastern Europe event in April will address many ongoing issues and hot topics for municipalities, government, policy makers and building owners, aiming to attract a more diverse audience. The show, which is being held from 22nd - 24th April 2015 at the Warsaw International Expo Centre in Warsaw, regularly attracts an international audience of cleaning professionals from Eastern Europe, the Baltic states, Balkan region and South-Eastern Europe. CMS 2015: 'People and the Market' is focal point of 2nd International CMS Congress
Leading figures from the cleaning sector around the world, from Europe, the US, South Africa, India and China, will be discussing current aspects of this subject in a global context. Betco announces new FiberPro carpet care equipment
The FiberPro 15 Series Box Extractors are said to deliver the power of a truck mount extractor with the portability of a self-contained extractor. Dear Jan, Albert Einstein famously said that the definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results. After analysing the findings of the most recent National Rail Passenger Surveys, I worry that a similar condition has taken hold of train operating companies in the UK. The unchanging results of these surveys reflect a level of complacency, even when it comes to easy wins like train presentation. Passengers make clear that train cleanliness can make or break a journey, so why is it so low on the priority list of train operating companies?
"Employers' appetite for taking on workers shows no sign of abating. This is reflected by the record number of people aged 16-24 in work. Apart from the modest increase in redundancies, all of the employment indicators are moving in the same positive direction. Lake District council prosecuted over bin lorry deaths A council in the Lake District has been fined £120,000 after two women were killed by reversing rubbish trucks within a year of each other. South Lakeland District Council was prosecuted by the Health & Safety Executive after an investigation found the local authority had failed to tackle the risks from reversing vehicles. Carlisle Crown Court heard the first incident happened on a single-track lane off Easedale Road in Grasmere in June 2010. Mary Cook had been walking down the track while on holiday with her husband when she was struck by a reversing rubbish truck. The 54-year-old from Nottingham died from her injuries.
Sustainable Waste Solutions earns landfill-free verification from NSF International Sustainable Waste Solutions has earned landfill-free verification from NSF Sustainability, a division of the global public health organisation NSF International. Landfill-free verification demonstrates that more than 99% of waste generated by Sustainable Waste Solutions never reaches a landfill but is rather reused, recycled or processed as waste to energy. Cresswell gains FORS Bronze accreditation
The FORS is a voluntary scheme for fleet operators, designed to raise the level of quality within fleet operations, and to demonstrate which operators are accomplishing its high standards. Regent Samsic accredited as recognised Living Wage service provider
The accreditation by The Living Wage Foundation reflects Regent Samsic's commitment to the Living Wage in its core business while additionally raising its perceived importance by the company's customers. The Cleanzine Archive Search We keep an extensive archive of news stories and product information that have featured in past issues of The Cleanzine. If you would like to run a search of the The Cleanzine web site using the search tool below please just go ahead by entering in the name of the person, product or company or any other key words that you are looking for. How to contact us at The Cleanzine:
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clicking the link above. Hospital Hygiene 
Our weekly updated Hospital Hygiene features current developments and product solutions cleaning and hygiene industry manufacturers are coming up with. Read More. Recent UK News
Cleaners more likely to lose their lives to alcohol than those in other work
BSA 'Responsible Cleaner Scheme' published
System Hygienics awarded a three-year contract at Papworth Hospital
Papworth Hospital is the UK's largest specialist cardiothoracic hospital and the country's main heart and lung transplant centre, treating over 23,700 inpatient and day cases and 65,000 outpatients each year from across the UK. |
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