EXPERT ADVICE


‘TIS THE SEASON TO BE WARY


It’s that time of year again – long, dark evenings, a chill in the air and staff with half a mind on the job and the other half already making plans for Christmas.


The facilities manager or whoever is in charge of the cleaning team, whether it’s in-house or a contractor, needs to have their plans in place too.


Planning for maintenance and contingencies is important all year round, of course. But in winter, preparedness is critical.


It’s late, but not too late, to make, review and update these plans and procedures.


The most obvious and likely risk is adverse weather. Whatever your view on climate change, it’s hard to deny that weather events seem to be more unpredictable and extreme. But rainstorms and snowfall don’t need to be unusually severe or prolonged to cause flooding or send a slew of slush (and salty grit) across your otherwise immaculately maintained floors.


Assuming barrier matting is fit for purpose, the next step may be to review cleaning frequency in and around building entrances and lobby areas. This may need to be stepped up in response to adverse weather to maintain standards of cleanliness, protect flooring from excessive wear or staining, and for reasons of safety.


The demand for responsive and spot cleaning may also increase, as it’s the season too when staff parties and receptions can be hosted in carpeted areas not designed for serving of food and drink.


www.tomorrowscleaning.com


Winter is upon us and preparedness is critical, says Carl Robinson, Marketing Manager of Nviro, who reviews some of the main risks and the contingency planning required.


Carpet spotters are the cleaning team’s greatest ally after the streamers and crushed crisps have been vacuumed away. Dry foam or powder carpet cleaners can be very effective for removing stains, including wine and coffee. However, it is always advisable to consider the type of carpet as well as the source of the stain before choosing the best cleaning method. An expert cleaning team will have a range of products, equipment and experience to draw on.


If the season raises risks, Christmas can also present an opportunity to restore the appearance of floors and prolong their serviceable life. Depending on the business or organisation, quiet periods, staff holidays or closures make it easier to carry out the essential deep clean. Where staining is evident over an extensive area this is necessary anyway. But in any event, deep cleaning of carpets – and stripping and re-sealing/finishing hard floors – is an integral part of the annual and seasonal maintenance plans.


Holidays (and hangovers) are not the only reason fewer people may be at work. The norovirus (a.k.a. winter vomiting bug) is a seasonal visitor not just to hospitals. Do you or your cleaning services provider have a contingency plan for such an outbreak? This should cover the specialist anti- bacterial materials and dispensers to be deployed, a list of high-risk areas, cleaning procedures and intervals for common touch points, and instructions to building users and staff on proper hand-washing methods.


If the outbreak turns into a pandemic, caused by a virulent strain of flu, or indeed, avian or swine flu, the implications for the cleaning regime could be serious.


Previous experience suggests that roughly equal numbers of people will have asymptomatic as have symptomatic infection. People will remain highly infectious for four or five days.


For planning purposes, it should be assumed around 25% of the population will be affected in each wave, which can be weeks or months apart. The impact on public transport and supply chains can’t be predicted with certainty. But it is important to think through how services could be maintained.


Planning should take account of the need to incentivise staff in the early stages of infection not to come to work – as well as redeploying cleaning staff from other contracts to maintain minimum staffing levels. Communication plans, staff transport, stockpiling and self-delivery of materials are among the other factors that need to be taken into account.


An up-to-date contingency plan should put the cleaning contractor and any employer in a better place to anticipate problems and respond to events more quickly as they unfold.


As we approach the season to be merry, it’s prudent to be wary.


www.nviro.co.uk


Tomorrow’s Cleaning December 2015 | 73


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