World news:


Survey results for carpet cleaning injuries


A recent survey of carpet cleaning technicians has found that some have experienced injuries while using carpet cleaning equipment when working at both residential and commercial facilities.


The January 2012 survey was conducted for U.S. Products, a leading manufacturer of professional carpet cleaning equipment, and was first posted on the company’s Facebook site. As of 3rd February 2012, 69 respondents had completed the survey.


Asked which type of portable carpet extractor—conventional box or upright dolly design—is the easiest to transport, two-thirds said an upright dolly design machine is the most mobile. 22% voted for conventional


box machines, while the rest reported they were unsure.


When asked if they have ever experienced an injury using a portable carpet extractor regardless of the type, slightly more than 74% said no; 26% responded yes.


Digging deeper, 65% of the respondents said they believe today’s carpet extractors “are getting easier to move and manoeuver.” Only 4% disagreed, while 31% said today’s machines are about the same as those made a few years back when it comes to manoeuverability.


“Certainly not all but some [portable carpet extractor] manufacturers have made significant


[ergonomic] improvements in their machines,” says Mark Baxter, Engineer and Product Manager with U.S. Products. “They are lighter and easier to maneuver. Extractors with an upright, dolly design have definitely proved to be more ergonomic, helping [to] keep injuries down.”


Baxter adds that reducing injuries when performing carpet cleaning and other cleaning tasks is a more serious matter than many end users realize.


“The [U.S.] Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that more than 40,000 janitors and professional cleaners have job-related illnesses or injuries each year. As carpet extractors are designed more ergonomically, the number of job-related injuries in the carpet and professional cleaning industry likely will be reduced considerably.”


www.usproducts.com


Disability app designed by London terrorism survivor


Daniel Biddle, a survivor of the 7/7 bombings, who lost both his legs, spleen and left eye, has created a smartphone app to help people with disabilities travel around London more easily.


His Ldn Access app details step-free access, ramps and usable toilet facilities at thousands of venues.


Mr Biddle says he created it after finding that his wheelchair had made many venues become inaccessible to him.


There has always been something a little different about your typical Japanese toilet.


Lavatories with heated seats, built-in bidets and remote control functions have been in operation in Japan for some years. But a jewel- encrusted toilet worth around £85,000 – now that’s something new.


Not that this particular toilet was actually used as a functioning loo, however. Instead it was installed in a shopping centre showroom to put a smile on the faces of the Japanese after a particularly difficult year.


Japanese toilet maker Inax teamed up with Austrian jeweller Swarovski to build a lavatory studded with more than 72,000 pieces of cut


WORLD NEWS 18 | TOMORROW’S CLEANING | The future of our cleaning industry


"What happened on 7/7 robbed me of the ability to just go anywhere," he told the BBC. "I can think of numerous instances where I've stopped somewhere to use the toilet or gone to a restaurant only to find it is impossible. There is such a lack of useful information for people in a wheelchair, those with learning difficulties or people with a visual or hearing impairment."


Japanese toilet draws in the crowds


crystal. The finished item was put on display in a showroom in Tokyo's Ginza shopping district.


The Inax brand is owned by Lixil, an interior- fixture company. "2011 was a really tough year for Japan, with the earthquake and tsunami disasters," said Lixil's Shintaro Kaai. "We wanted to do this to cheer everybody up."


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