February/March 2018

The pan-European magazine for the professional cleaning sector

FEBRUARY/ MARCH 2018

SPECIAL REPORT

STATISTICS

BUSINESS

Green cleaning - special product focus Starts page 56

Washrooms pet hates

Contract cleaning

Gender equality at work

Page 41

Page 25

Page 50

CONTENTS

February/March 2018 | Vol.26, No.1

BUSINESS

SPECIAL REPORTS

45 Equality - time to act is now

25 Contract cleaning data

Hartley Milner on the quest for gender equality in the world of work.

Statistics from the European Federation of Cleaning Industries (EFCI)

29 Small, but beautifully formed?

How do today’s compact scrubber dryers compare to traditional models?

36 Can robots fill the people gap?

How the Japanese cleaning industry is tackling people shortages.

41 Washrooms - what’s worst?

What irritates washroom users most about the facilities they use?

48 Save more than water A look at the advantages of using foam soap for hand washing.

49 Gender neutral on the rise

03 News

Advice for service providers on cleaning gender neutral washrooms.

53 Disruptive business models

14 European reports

How might online platforms affect the professional cleaning business?

20 ECH Award winners for 2017 72 Product review

56 The green gauge What aspects of their sustainability policies make companies most proud?

63 Skilful recruitment How to attract and retain the best talent for your business.

65 Minimising infection risks How has hygiene in healthcare progressed, and what are the key challenges?

70 Keep your workforce safe The health and safety issues around handling of cleaning agents.

Criterion Publishing Ltd PO Box 299, Chesham, Buckinghamshire HP5 1FP UK T +44 (0)1494 791222 F +44 (0)1494 792223 info@europeancleaningjournal.com www. europeancleaningjournal.com Subscriptions UK - £60 / Continental Europe - £70 / International - £80

Editor Michelle Marshall Features Writer Ann Laffeaty Advertisement director Chris Godman Advertisement sales executive Yankita Rae

Circulation Marie Payne

Italy, Spain & Switzerland Fabio Potesta Mediapoint & Communications Corte Lambruschini, Corso Buenos Aires, 8 V0 Piano, Interno 7 16129 Genova, Italy T +39 010 570 4948 F +39 010 553 0088 info@mediapointsrl.it www. mediapointsrl.it

European Cleaning Journal is published six times a year by Criterion Publishing Ltd. Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy and reliability of material published in European Cleaning, Criterion Publishing Ltd and its agents can accept no responsibility for the veracity of claims made by contributors, manufacturers or advertisers. Copyright for all material published in European Cleaning remains with Criterion Publishing Ltd and its agents.

ISSN 0968-901X ©Criterion Publishing 2018

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NEWS & EVENTS

Latest News & Events from ECJ

Dirty washrooms deter people from returning to a restaurant

New research has revealed just how many people are put off returning to restaurants because of the poor standard of the washrooms.

The survey commissioned by Cannon Hygiene was carried out by YouGov, who polled 2,012 Britsh adults. Over 97 per cent of those questioned would be put off returning to a restaurant or bar because of poor toilets. And 85 per cent will also warn friends and family members planning on going to a restaurant if the toilets are in a bad condition.

Unclean facilities (90 per cent), a lack of toilet tissue (89 per cent), no soap (70 per cent) and bad smells (63 per cent) are the biggest bugbears for the public when it comes to washrooms.

British people are also likely to squat above the toilet (29 per cent), lay toilet paper on the seat (24 per cent), and cover their hands when holding doors (23 per cent) to avoid touching unhygienic surfaces. Nearly one in five

(19 per cent) also admits to holding their breath in toilets.

Older Brits are more likely to care than millennials, with nearly all (99 per cent) over 55s saying unclean toilets would put them off returning versus 95 per cent of 18-24 year olds. Women are more likely to warn friends about bad standards than men (88 per cent versus 81 per cent).

Warning to restaurants Howard Sedgwick, managing director of Cannon Hygiene said: “Many of us are conscious of the upkeep of washrooms in public places, particularly those where food is being prepared as it suggests a lot about the hygiene elsewhere in the building.

“It’s a warning to restaurants, bars, hotels and others in the retail and leisure sector that their repeat business can go out of the window very quickly if customers are forced to use facilities that aren’t up to scratch.”

De nouvelles recherches montrent à quel point les clients répugnent de retourner dans un restaurant dont les toilettes ne sont pas propres. 658

The 2017 European Cleaning & Hygiene Awards were presented in Rome in November. Hosted by ECJ, these are the only pan-European awards for the industry. See what it takes to be a winner from page 20 of this edition.

The 2018 awards will be presented in Berlin. Keep up to date withe news at www.echawards.com

EVENTS May 15-18

March 19-21 2019

Interclean Amsterdam

The Cleaning Show

Amsterdam, Netherlands www.intercleanshow.com

London, UK cleaningshow.co.uk

September 27-30

May 21-23 2019

FIDEN Congress 2018

Pulire

Venice, Italy www.fiden.org

Verona, Italy www.pulire-it.com

October 5-6

September 24-27 2019

Budapest Cleaning Show

CMS

Budapest, Hungary budapestcleaningshow.hu/en/

Berlin, Germany www.cms-berlin.com

October 10-11

November 18-21 2019

Forum Pulire

ISSA/Interclean North America

Milan, Italy www.afidampservizi.com

Las Vegas, USA www.issa.com

October 16-18

October 26-29 2020

Chistodrom

ISSA/Interclean North America

Moscow, Russia en.chistodrom.com

Chicago, USA www.issa.com

October 29-November

November 15-18 2021

ISSA North America

ISSA/Interclean North America

Dallas, USA www.issa.com

Las Vegas, USA www.issa.com

To have your event included in Events, contact ECJ via email at: michelle@europeancleaningjournal.com

Aus neuen Untersuchungsergebnissen geht hervor, wie viele Menschen von einem erneuten Besuch eines Restaurants abgehalten werden, weil die Waschräume einen schlechten Standard zeigten.

Delle nuove ricerche hanno rivelato che numerosi clienti vengono scoraggiati dal tornare nello stesso ristorante a causa degli scarsi standard di pulizia dei bagni.

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 3

NEWS Shorter hand sanitiser use may be more effective say researchers

Using alcohol hand rubs for just half the time recommended

by WHO could result in better outcomes, according to European research.

The current WHO recommendation for healthcare staff is to use hand sanitisers for between 20 and 30 seconds.

However, clinicians often

L’emploi d’un rince-main à base d’alcool pendant la moitié de la durée recommandée par l’OMS pourrait donner de meilleurs résultats, indiquent des travaux de recherche en Europe.

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 4

complain that this period is impractically long for frequent daily use.

Researchers at the University Hospital of Greifswald in Germany decided to study the effects of reducing the amount of time spent using an alcoholbased hand rub from 30 seconds to just 15 seconds.

After testing 10 commerciallyavailable hand sanitisers they discovered that each of them provided equal or higher efficacy when used for 15 seconds compared with the 30 second period. And antimicrobial results were similar in both cases.

“Basically the statement of our study was that the efficacy

Wenn alkoholische Einreibepräparate nur die Hälfte der von der WHO empfohlenen Dauer verwendet werden, könnte dies laut einem europäischen Forschungsbericht immer noch zu besseren Ergebnissen führen.

in reducing bacterial load was not significantly different when performing hand antisepsis for 15 seconds or 30 seconds,” said researcher Romana Klasinc from the Medical University of Vienna’s Department for Infection Control.

Researchers also discovered that when hand sanitising required less time, clinicians were more likely to use hand rubs since the practice became more convenient.

“These results indicate that shortening the application time for hand antisepsis significantly increased the frequency of hand antisepsis actions,” said the authors.

Utilizzare prodotti per la cura delle mani a base di alcool per metà del tempo consigliato da WHO potrebbe dare dei migliori risultati, come emerge da una ricerca europea.

NEWS Study reveals dirtiest places in an airport are at check-in A new study suggests the dirtiest places in an airport are the self check-in kiosks, which we almost all use these days. In fact they are 200 times more germ-ridden than your toilet seat at home.

Insurance website InsuranceQuotes.com conducted 18 tests across six surfaces at three major US airports, swabbing each surface several times and then averaging the amount of colony-forming units (CFU) - viable bacteria and fungal cells-per square inch.

According to their findings, the average self check-in screen at airports contained 253,857 CFU (to compare, an average of 172

CFU are found on household toilet seats).

And that’s just the average number found across the screens tested - one kiosk recorded over one million CFU per square inch.

Surfaces swabbed In second and third place - with 21,630 CFU per square inch and 19,181 CFU per square inch respectively - are gate bench armrests and water fountain buttons. Those levels are comparable to the amount of bacteria found in the average kitchen sink, which studies have shown is one of the dirtiest spots in the home.

Keep up to date with news at the ECJ website Selon une nouvelle étude, l’endroit plus malpropre d’un aéroport serait la zone devant les kiosques d’auto-enregistrement.

Aus einer neuen Studie geht hervor, dass die Checkin-Automaten die am stärksten verschmutzten Orte in einem Flughafen sind.

Uno studio recente rivela che i posti più sporchi in un aeroporto sono i banchi di auto check-in.

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 5

NEWS EXTRA Italy’s cleaning sector - challenges and opportunities Lorenzo Mattioli, president of Italian contract cleaning association ANIP, offers an exclusive overview of the country’s market. ANIP is affiliated with Confindustria, which represents and protects the group of companies which provides cleaning services, multi services and integrated services on a national and community level - politically, institutionally, together with trade unions in negotiating National Collective Labour Agreements.

ANIP has over 100 members employing more than 30,000 workers representing a turnover of over €1 billion annually.

Cleaning companies have now gone beyond the simple concept of ‘cleaning’ that may have once existed. Today’s businesses are increasingly involved in ‘governance’, taking care of buildings, and even entire parts of the city - therefore we more frequently use the terms ‘integrated services’ and ‘facility management’.

There are thousands of small and medium sized companies and fewer large ones, the total number was estimated to be 46,027 in 2012 up from 27,399 in 2005. It is no coincidence that the number of calls to tender within the public sector has increased by 22 per cent between 2007 and 2012.

Often, in order to help others understand better this world of integrated services, I refer to a slogan used by the great sociologist Francesco Alberoni during his speech at the first edition of Facility Management LIFE (Labour Intensive Facility Event), organised by ANIPConfindustria. ‘Services for life’; which makes what was previously the accessory now the main element, as facility services have become important

and decisive factors directly impacting on the quality of life, functionality and beauty of the spaces and buildings.

In my opinion there are three scenarios that demonstrate an immediate future where it will be possible to individualise the development and advancement of the market. The first and most important is Industry 4.0 where innovation, ICT, sharing and efficiency through integration of solutions is already being introduced into the arena of ‘smart services’.

The use of communication tools such as M2M (Machine to Machine) is revolutionalising the traditional ways of working within the world of services. The new frontier of automisation allows for integration of systems between service providers which promises levels of efficiency which were unimaginable just a few years ago.

Complementary tech The path of technological innovation will not be a ‘substitute’ for the workforce, but complementary to it. In this area we want to make clear its distinction when compared to the other sectors - we will remain a ‘labour intensive’ sector, because our technological innovations will not eliminate our jobs but will bring new qualifications and higher levels of professionalism to

Lorenzo Mattioli est président de l’association italienne du nettoyage professionnel ANIP. Il s’entretient avec ECJ des problèmes du secteur, des effets de la conjoncture économique sur les activités de celui-ci, et des évolutions les plus positives qu’on a pu y relever ces cinq dernières années.

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 6

our employees.

A sustainable future for the country must pass through the services sector. A product, a company, a building, a business, an urban plan in order to be energy efficient, renewable with a low environmental impact must not only be designed with these goals in mind, but more importantly must be managed, maintained, and shared, while continuing to respect its green credentials.

This means also economically, through the intelligent sharing of technological innovations connected digitally.

Another very promising scenario is related to the enhancement of cultural heritage, where the role of facility management plays a crucial part in the development and management of Italian

Lorenzo Mattioli ist Vorsitzender des italienischen Vertragsreinigungsverbandes ANIP. In seinem Gespräch mit dem ECJ äußert er sich zu den Herausforderungen, mit denen sich die Branche konfrontiert sieht, wie sich die wirtschaftliche Situation auf sie auswirkt und was die positivsten Entwicklungen während der letzten Jahre waren.

cultural heritage. Here there is untapped potential – with their expertise facility management companies are best placed to offer a level of strategic support to cultural heritage management services high enough to enable a modern and sustainable development of Italy’s cultural heritage.

Opportunity Finally, governments are increasingly being called upon to take care of cities, through the preparation of integrated plans for action for the provision of services to public citizens and in the programming of the management of public affairs (ie, spaces and buildings). Here there is a scope for integrated services to guarantee concrete results with ongoing urban regeneration policies.

Lorenzo Mattioli è il presidente dell’associazione italiana dell’associazione delle imprese di pulizia e servizi associati ANIP. In questo articolo, espone a ECJ le sfide che il settore deve affrontare, come la situazione economica sta influendo il settore e quali sono stati gli sviluppi più positivi degli ultimi anni.

It cleans when everyone else has gone home

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NEWS Looking ahead to Interclean Amsterdam this May

Interclean Amsterdam, Europe’s largest professional cleaning exhibition, takes place from May 15-18. Organiser Amsterdam RAI is expecting more than 30,000 visitors from over 130 countries.

Taking place over 12 halls and featuring 800 exhibitors from more than 40 countries the show will feature a variety of cleaning and hygiene segments - Washroom, Equipment and Machines for example - along

Interclean Amsterdam, le plus important salon européen de la propreté professionnelle, aura lieu du 15 au 18 mai et réunira 800 exposants provenant de plus de 40 pays.

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 8

with an outdoor area for exterior, high pressure and window cleaning.

New for 2018 are three new segmented areas: Laundry, Waste Solutions and Healthcare.

Also featuring for the first time are the On-Premise Laundry (OPL) pavilion, the Zero Waste LAB and the Healthcare Cleaning LAB. With its skills workshops, the Healthcare Cleaning LAB will run alongside the Healthcare Cleaning Forum.

On the Interclean stage there will be a programme of seminars on a range of topical subjects.

And the Washroom of the Future will be introduced - a showcase for the latest toilet technology demonstrating how

Die Interclean Amsterdam, Europas größte Messe für die Reinigungsbranche mit 800 Ausstellern aus mehr als 40 Ländern, findet vom 15.–18. Mai statt.

the Internet of Things (IoT) can change the industry’s approach to washroom cleaning.

As usual the Interclean Amsterdam Innovation Award will be presented on the first day of the exhibition, recognising the most original, practical, sustainable and profitable solutions available.

And there will be new areas designed for visitors to network, rest and relax. These include the Refresh lounge, where visitors will find Auping beds for taking a powernap and easy access to healthy food; and the Lucart Beer Garden. www.intercleanshow.com • ECJ is the official media partner of Interclean Amsterdam

Interclean Amsterdam, l’evento più rilevante del cleaning professionale in Europa, si terrà dal 15 al 18 maggio e ospiterà 800 espositori provenienti da oltre 40 nazioni.

NEWS Hand hygiene collaborative raises compliance to 85 per cent Hand hygiene compliance improved dramatically at five Swiss hospitals following an 18-month multi-strategy programme aimed at improving procedures.

A suite of changes were introduced at the five hospitals in 14 locations across Switzerland in a bid to improve hand hygiene. For example staff were given better access to alcohol-based hand rubs and enhanced education on the importance of hand hygiene.

Performance measurement and feedback analysis were used to drive change while healthcare workers received hand hygiene prompts and reminders. And leadership engagement plus

a focus on safety culture were among other strategies employed.

Researchers looked at 59,272 hand hygiene opportunities during the course of the study period.

At the end of the 18 months it was found that hand hygiene compliance had improved from 61.9 per cent to 88.3 per cent across the board. The compliance figure was then sustained at 88.9 per cent for a full year after the intervention.

Least likely to wash The greatest change in behaviour was noted among physiotherapy staff whose hand hygiene compliance increased from 50 per cent to 90 per cent.

Wenn alkoholische Einreibepräparate nur die Hälfte der von der WHO empfohlenen Dauer verwendet werden, könnte dies laut einem europäischen Forschungsbericht immer noch zu besseren Ergebnissen führen.

Those healthcare workers found to be least likely to wash their hands were X-ray technicians whose compliance rates improved from 45 per cent to 80 per cent

À la suite d’un programme à stratégies multiples d’une durée de 18 mois, la conformité aux exigences du lavage des mains a connu une amélioration spectaculaire dans 5 hôpitaux suisses.

after the study.

Results of the Hand Hygiene Breakthrough Collaborative were published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.

L’osservanza dell’igiene delle mani è enormemente migliorata nei cinque ospedali svizzeri che hanno seguito un programma multi stragegico durato 18 mesi.

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 9

NEWS ISS management changes Global facilities services provider ISS is to make a number of changes to its executive group management with effect from March 1.

Europe will be consolidated from four operating units to two. Richard Sykes, currently regional ceo of Western Europe, will become regional ceo for Northern Europe. Jacob Götzsche, currently regional ceo of Central Europe, will become regional ceo for Continental Europe.

Group chief operating officer Martin Gaarn Thomsen is to leave ISS. He will be succeeded

by Troels Bjerg, currently regional ceo of Northern Europe.

Jeff Gravenhorst, ISS group ceo said: ”Martin Gaarn Thomsen joined ISS in 1999 and has held numerous positions across the group, including group chief operating officer since February 2016. He has played an important role in implementing the ISS Way Strategy and we are sorry to see him leave but wish him well as he takes up a new opportunity.

“Troels Bjerg joined ISS in 2009 and has performed regional ceo roles across Northern and Eastern Europe, being instrumental in winning and developing some of our most important key account customers.”

• Le prestataire mondial de multi-services ISS a procédé à certains changements au sein de sa direction.

• En Chine, des agents de nettoyage d’hôtels de luxe ont été surpris en train de nettoyer les tasses à thé de clients avec des brosses à toilettes.

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 10

Cleaners caught on camera Cleaners at luxury hotels in China have been caught on camera cleaning guests’ teacups with toilet brushes. Footage then shows them using the same brush to scrub down the toilet and bath.

Cleaners were filmed by undercover journalists at the Kempinski Hotel, the Shangri-La Hotel and the Sheraton Harbin Xiangfang Hotel in Harbin, northwestern China. Also captured on film were cleaners dipping towels into the toilet bowl and folding duvets on the floor.

One cleaner used the same cloth to clean tea cups, the waste paper bin and then the toilet. When challenged by the

• Das globale Gebäudetechnikunternehmen ISS hat einige Änderungen an der Konzernleitung vorgenommen.

• Reinigungskräfte in chinesischen Luxushotels wurden dabei gefilmt, wie sie die Teetassen der Gäste mit Toilettenbürsten putzten.

reporter she admitted that her actions were against hotel policy but added that she was “too lazy” to follow the rules.

In a statement on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Facebook, Sheraton Hotels said it “deeply regretted” what had happened and added it intended to provide additional training to stress the importance of hotel policy.

Meanwhile, Kempinski Hotels stated that it had taken additional steps to make sure that employees adhered to the “strictest standards of hygiene”. And Shangri-La Hotels claims to have begun an investigation immediately after seeing the video.

• La ISS, fornitrice globale di servizi, ha apportato dei cambiamenti nel suo Executive Group Management.

• Gli addetti alle pulizie negli hotel di lusso in Cina sono stati ripresi dalle telecamere a circuito chiuso mentre pulivano le tazze dei clienti utilizzando gli spazzolini dei wc.

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NEWS EXTRA “Up to 40 per cent of cleaning could use autonomous solutions” ECJ editor Michelle Marshall speaks to Nilfisk’s recently appointed president and ceo Hans Henrik Lund about his ambitious plans for future direction of the group.

Hans Henrik Lund arrived at Nilfisk as its new president and ceo in August of last year, bringing with him a strong background in technology, digitalisation and product development. He has held leadership positions in global companies over 25 years. “I’ve been lucky enough to work for businesses that are customer focused and market driven,” he says. This history means Lund brings with him an interesting new perspective on both the Nilfisk company and the professional cleaning sector as a whole.

Lund’s objective is now to “inspire and set a vision” for one of the industry’s leading developers of cleaning systems and solutions. “There’s a real purpose in what we do as an industry,” he explains. “We make the world a cleaner place, which is very inspiring. And we work with customers who understand the value of clean – we are doing something really important. What we do impacts on business and it impacts on wellbeing, I very much appreciate that.

“And we have well qualified experts and competition in the field.”

He continues: “Innovation runs in the DNA of Nilfisk and I come from a tech industry where that is the top priority. One obvious area for us to focus on is robotics, because we feel the value proposition is so clear.”

The company committed to the development of autonomous cleaning solutions in 2016 when it launched The Horizon Program, a schedule of multiple product launches in partnership

Hans Henrik Lund

with Carnegie Robotics. Its Liberty A50 autonomous scrubber dryer made its debut last year, with further developments to come.

Lund is now raising the stakes as far as robotic solutions are concerned however. He is so committed to the more widespread introduction of robotics into the market that “we have said that within five to seven years up to 10 per cent of our revenue will be from autonomous solutions. That’s the right way to go, and we will make it work. Customers are not the ones to be convinced, we need to make it happen.

Significant payback “We are partnering with more than one company to solve any challenges still associated with the technology,” Lund continues.

“The right sensors and the right cameras are all there but let’s assume you’re cleaning a shiny black floor for example.

The time of day, sun coming through the window and shining on that floor – various factors will currently still affect the robot’s performance.”

Hans Henrik Lund est le nouveau PDG de Nilfisk, le fournisseur de systèmes de propreté basé au Danemark. Michelle Marshall, rédactrice en chef d’ECJ, s’entretient avec lui de ses ambitions pour le groupe.

Every environment is different and that must be taken into account when developing and refining autonomous machines he believes. “There is definitely a need for them now, however, and our customers recognise that. The payback is significant, and the payback is very clear.”

Lund is also confident there will be changes in how autonomous cleaning machines are designed. “Currently standard cleaning machines are being made autonomous. In the future we must design for not having a human involved in the operation at all.”

From Nilfisk we will see an entire range of autonomous machines. “This would cover all the different aspects of floor care, including vacuuming for example,” he explains. In his opinion “up to 40 per cent of the total professional cleaning market can be addressed by autonomous solutions”.

What about the other machines in the company’s portfolio? “We will continue to make small innovations to our other products,” says Lund. “We are also asking ourselves, do we

Hans Henrik Lund ist der neue President und CEO beim Anbieter von Reinigungslösungen Nilfisk, dessen Hauptverwaltung sich in Dänemark befindet. Michelle Marshall, die ECJ-Redakteurin, unterhält sich mit ihm über seine ambitionierten Pläne für die Gruppe.

really need so many products?

Could we simplify the ranges?

“We are not simply selling products, however, we are selling services and innovations within those services. For example after-market services account for 35 per cent of revenue which is a sizeable chunk.

Most is analogue currently but it could be exciting to digitise maintenance, to make cleaning more transparent. This would then involve us in the ecosystem of smart buildings with the exciting possibilities crosssector collaboration could bring.”

Lund is convinced the professional cleaning sector is going through fundamental change and his focus is on placing Nilfisk at the forefront of that change.

“Do we do this at full speed, or do we allow other companies to lead the way?” he says. Hence the ambitious plans and targets.

“It will happen. Having that vision will drive the commitment.

“I have already witnessed this trend in other industries – cleaning is currently going through the classic technology adoption curve.”

Hans Henrik Lund è il nuovo presidente e amministratore delegato della fornitrice di servizi di pulizia Nilfisk, la cui sede è in Danimarca. Michelle Marshall, la redattrice di ECJ, lo intervista per discutere dei suoi piani ambiziosi per il gruppo.

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 13

UPDATE: GERMANY Gearing up for future challenges The cleaning sector in Germany is facing a shortage of workers. ECJ’s Alexandra Lachner speaks to Steffi Reuter of the BIV contract cleaning association.

The basic requirement for career and further professional development options in Germany is the three-year training course for contract cleaners. There are many routes open to apprentices following their initial training, explains Steffi Reuter: “From further training to facility and divisional manager via the certified cleaning and industrial hygiene technologist qualification through to the master craftsman training scheme and to a degree course in contract cleaning and industrial hygiene management/technology – it is even possible to specialise in pest control and disinfection.”

This range makes the contract cleaning sector one of the most diverse in Germany. Over 640,000 people throughout the country are employed each day in the cleaning and hygiene business in the workplace. There are over 20,000 businesses offering an astonishing range of services – from small specialist companies concentrating on façade and monument cleaning to full-service providers.

What degree of influence do current trends such as digitalisation and sustainability exert on the future career profile in the industry? Steffi Reuter explains: “Qualified practical training embracing the latest developments is important to ensure continuing quality.

Familiarity with technical tools such as tablets and apps for example, will in future be taken much more for granted than now. Young people should also be enabled to carry out cleaning processes in such a way that minimum possible harm is caused to human beings, materials and the environment. The challenge therefore is to impart Notre correspondante en Allemagne, Alexandra Lachner, se penche sur le thème de la formation dans ce pays, examinant les tendances en la matière et le manque d’opérateurs spécialisés et de stragiaires.

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 14

knowledge about both modern and at the same time alternative, gentle cleaning treatments and dosage techniques.”

It is pleasing to note the volume of work in the contract cleaning sector is not only remaining steady but is in some cases even growing as clients outsource more and more contracts – for example winter services, maintenance of park areas or catering. “It is for this very reason that we, like many other trades in Germany, are experiencing a severe shortage of skilled labour. Contract cleaners are in demand everywhere and the range of services offered is becoming more and more diverse.”

According to an assessment carried out by the German Federal Employment Office, there is actually no nationwide shortage of skilled labour overall in Germany. There are however pinch points in certain technical occupations, both in construction work and in some health and care professions. These are driven by demographic changes, companies’ greater willingness to recruit staff and the continually increasing level of employment in recent years.

This is reason enough for the BIV to focus strongly on attracting new trainees so as to be equipped to face future challenges. “It is important to get the message across to young people,” comments Steffi Reuter.

“We made a start by launching at end of 2017 - this takes the viewer through the process of searching for a suitable skilled occupation in everyday working life and shows the workplaces of a contract cleaner. We hope such initiatives will help to attract young people to our profession.”

Unsere DeutschlandKorrespondentin Alexandra Lachner betrachtet die Ausbildungssituation im Land – die sich abzeichnenden Trends und den Mangel an spezialisierten Arbeitskräften und Auszubildenden in der Branche.

La corrispondente tedesca Alexandra Lachner prende in esame la situazione del training in Germania, le tendenze future e la carenza di manodopera specializzata e le persone in formazione nel settore.

UPDATE: SWEDEN Kung fu cleaning Slip and falls represent the majority of workplace accidents. In Sweden judo seems to be the weapon to fight them, thus making sure cleaners too “get a grip”. This from ECJ correspondent Lotte Printz. ”Slippery surface.” “Wet floor.” We are all familiar with the caution signs cleaners are so kind to put up for us in public places.

As slip-and-fall accidents are the most common and most serious workplace accidents, It wouldn’t be out of place if we put up some caution signs for the cleaners themselves.

In Sweden however, they are taking different measures to try to prevent these types of accidents. Late in January, which is generally known as the most slippery month of all in Sweden, it was announced the insurance company AFA Försäkring has joined forces with the Swedish Judo Federation to teach judo falling techniques to relevant staff in the labour market and this may benefit both cleaners and window cleaners alike. Both professions are in exposed positions when it comes to slip-and-fall accidents.

Recent statistics show there were 304 serious falls among Swedish cleaners and window cleaners in 2015. In comparison, there were “only” 51 among firefighter personnel.

Since 1974 AFA Försäkring has kept an injury registry and spends an annual 150 million Swedish kronor (approximately €15 million) on development and prevention, which now results in this alternative solution following in the wake of several preventative, more tangible steps that have been implemented in general work environment efforts in recent years to reduce the number of workplace slip-and-fall accidents.

Judo fighters are supposed to be able to fall hard without getting hurt and judo training should thus improve possibilities of protecting against serious injury. Judo will Les glissades et les chutes sont à l’origine de la plupart des accident du travail et, pour conjurer ce risque, des nettoyeurs suédois se sont mis à pratiquer le judo, rapporte Lotte Printz.

increase falling qualifications so to speak.

“Judo offers physical training of balance, explosive muscle strength and body awareness.

If you know how to fall, you’ll be less afraid of falling, which again will lead to less muscle tension and thus less likelihood of falling,” says Kristiina Pekkola, spokesperson for the Swedish Judo Federation, in a press release.

Judo saw the light of day in Japan in 1884 and had a high status in the US in the early 20th century when president Theodore Roosevelt practised judo twice a week. The Swedish adopted the sport in 1948, but with its approximately 20,000 members in a country which has 240,000 registered football players it is small even today. The majority of judo fighters are children between the age of seven and 12, but now – with this unique project being introduced – working adults also get a chance to get to know and reap the fruits of this sport.

We’ll have to wait and see whether we’ll also hear cleaners in Sweden uttering Japanese judo terms at the end of a working day or whether a Zlatan Ibrahimovic of judo will emerge from the Swedish cleaning sector in the future. But the stakeholders are quite confident that this initiative will make a difference.

“Hopefully the falling techniques and workplace judo training will also help to improving workplace happiness and team building. And eventually reduce sick leave,” says Kristiina Pekkola.

Singing the 1970s smash hit Kung Fu Fighting (replacing fighting with cleaning?) while wiping wet floors may lift the spirits even more!

Rutschen und Stürzen repräsentieren den Großteil der Unfälle am Arbeitsplatz – in Schweden wird jetzt von Reinigungskräften Judo eingesetzt, um dagegen anzugehen, berichtet Lotte Printz.

Scivolate e cadute rappresentano la maggior parte degli incidenti sui luoghi di lavoro. In Svezia viene utilizzata dagli addetti alle pulizie la disciplina del judo per affrontare questi pericoli, ce ne parla la corrispondente Lotte Printz.

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 15

UPDATE: NETHERLANDS

UPDATE: UK

Is it all about ‘the experience?’

What does the new year bring?

ECJ Dutch reporter Jacco Vonhof, chairman of VSR, examines the increasing focus on total user experience when it measuring cleaning quality.

UK reporter Lynn Webster looks ahead to the challenges we face this year and speculates on how the cleaning sector can move forward.

Besides the technical quality of cleaning there is now increasing focus on the quality ‘experience’.

Indeed, if you ask people using a building how they experience the quality of cleaning they will not only judge how clean it is.

They will also mention how friendly the cleaning staff are, the use of professional materials and whether it smells nice in the toilets.

Having said that, experience is very subjective. This makes it intangible and that can be challenging. Certainly for us as Vereniging Schoonmaak Research (Cleaning Research Association), where cleaning is approached from the scientific angle: for us, measuring technical quality is the holy grail. Therefore when we invited quality experience expert Iris Bakker, D.Eng. to come and speak during our annual event recently, we stepped out of our comfort zone.

“Experience is currently a poor consolation,” argued Bakker. In saying this she refers to trends like a striking purple bench in the reception area. Or complex posters in the toilets. This doesn’t make people happy.

Bakker argues we need to get back in touch with ourselves.

“Sucking a straw, staring out of the window at work. Such things make people more creative and are how ideas are generated. People become happy when doing things they like and experiencing a purpose. When talking to people, we ask: are you happy? However ask an organisation and we say: is it successful? But an organisation is nothing more than a group of people.”

So, is experience overrated? Is it really just about good cleanNotre reporter aux PaysBas, Jacco Vonhof, qui est également le président de l’organisation VSR, examine l’importance que l’on accorde à l’expérience quand il s’agit de mesurer la qualité des interventions de nettoyage.

ing? It’s not that either but, in Bakker’s opinion, experience cannot be influenced by one small detail in the organisation.

It’s about the full picture.

“We experience the environment with every one of our 12 senses.” By this she is referring to the 12 senses from the famous philosopher Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925). Touch is one of these, and from that we know people like to feel cocooned, for example with a wall behind them. “This is essential for a sense of psychological safety and therefore for intellectual power,” explains Bakker.

Colour also plays a role. Lots of black and grey can create an unpleasant environment.

While plants and colour make things feel comfortable. This can make a room ‘feel’ good. Or not.

Bakker says: “There is a connection between the body, soul and mind and this is how we experience an environment.”

According to Bakker these types of aspects can also be applied in a cleaning contract.

The question that remained after the event was: how do you manage on an experience basis rather than on quality?

And this brings us to a point that I often argue: add value as your client’s cleaning partner.

We are not just there to clean the toilet, it is thanks to us that people work in a healthy building. And the same applies to experience: we can play a role in the employees’ or guests’ experience. For example, by leaving a written card (“I hope you enjoy your stay”) in a hotel room, or extending a heartfelt greeting.

If you are struggling to do this in practice, find out more. That’s what trade associations are for.

Der NiederlandeKorrespondent des ECJ und VSR-Vorsitzender Jacco Vonhof untersucht den zunehmenden Schwerpunkt auf Erfahrung bei der Feststellung der Reinigungsqualität.

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 16

Il corrispondente olandese di ECJ Jacco Vonhof, presidente di VSR, prende in esame l’interesse sempre maggiore che si dà all’esperienza quando si tratta di valutare la qualità delle pulizie.

As we begin another year entering into debates over our changing position with our colleagues in the EU - we have even less time remaining of what some would say has been a turbulent decade. The thoughts of some clients and colleagues still remain focused, moving forward and revitalising their businesses while talking of growth, rebranding and generating future success.

Then we consider perhaps what the end of last year left us with. There were many reports of takeovers, merger and how the cleaning market is moving towards significant consolidation with so many acquisitions across the various elements of business. Should we therefore consider how this is impacting on the marketplace, especially for procurement teams, and the effect this has on the clients, customers and inevitably the employees?

Consolidation has stretched across all sectors of the cleaning industry from global manufacturing - amalgamating specialist areas of expertise such as technical, security, cleaning, environmental and ancillary services into the parent business - to growth plans which enable development of a range of services across a wider geographical area, to constantly deliver high standards and improved efficiencies.

Then we were hit with the news of the Carillion collapse.

Many hundreds of words will have been written, read and digested on this story with considerable debate and fall-out in the media before we are in print. However it is also likely many questions will remain Notre reporter au Royaume-Uni, Lynn Webster, contemple les problèmes qui nous attendent cette année et s’interroge sur les progrès possibles du secteur de la propreté.

unanswered and even more concerns will be raised. This will be investigated further in line with financial regulations and the security of pension funds.

So is consolidation right for the cleaning industry? The merging of services into one ideally should strengthen, reinforce and stabilise the outcomes. These quotes gathered from some of those involved in recent activity would lead us to believe so: “ … A strong partner to support future growth initiatives and drive further expansion ..” “ ….. provide product security, and deliver measurable value to customers…” “ …. partnership will energise a more rapid market…”

We are entering the Chinese Year of The Dog, in fact one of the earth dog - its key characteristics being highly communicative, serious, and responsible in work - with the drive towards the principles of serving others with employees putting their hearts and souls into their respective task. The business drivers for ‘dogs’ will be steered by hands-on people who in turn, can initiate a strong desire to make profits.

In the Year of the Dog, under its grounded Element of Earth it is imperative to look after those close to you, to manage finances securely and to work hard. Predictors claim not all problems that loom will be actually be problems at all. Perhaps it is time to move forward slowly with the combination of these values, or are the big businesses becoming too big in a dog eat dog world? Perhaps it is now time to welcome the new puppies into this world.

Die britische ECJKorrespondentin Lynn Webster wirft einen Blick voraus auf die Herausforderungen, mit denen wir uns dieses Jahr konfrontiert sehen werden und spekuliert, wie die Reinigungsbranche vorwärtsgehen kann.

La corrispondente del Regno Unito Lynn Webster fa un’anticipazione delle sfide che ci aspettano quest’anno e fa delle speculazioni su come il settore del cleaning può progredire.

UPDATE: ITALY

UPDATE: FRANCE

Recognition for association

Paris invests in cleaning equipment

ECJ Italian correspondent Anna Garbagna brings news of success from the contract cleaning association ANIP-Confindustria.

As part of Paris’ “cleaning enhancement plan” the city government has invested in 170 new road sweepers and vacuums. Christian Bouzols, French correspondent, reports.

There was an excellent closing for the year 2017 and a dynamic start to 2018 for ANIP-Confindustria, the Italian Association of Cleaning and Integrated Services Companies.

In fact, at the end of last year ANIP took the top prize at the ECJ European Cleaning & Hygiene Awards in the category ‘Best initiative to raise the profile and perception of the cleaning sector’ for the event LiFE (Labour Intensive Facility Event) and the ANIP Roadshow.

This was for having worked to bring out the profile and the perception of the cleaning sector, giving visibility to an important sector which is not yet fully understood at national level.

The trophy was received by president Lorenzo Mattioli at a gala dinner in Rome, attended by the key players of the sector at European level.

ANIP found a new way to confront issues and opportunities concerning the sector by means of engaging and modern communication. A serious and thorough job, which was fully acknowledged by the awards jury.

The association also competed with the nomination of Lorenzo Mattioli as ‘Inspirational leader of the year’.

2018 started with the presentation of a volume which gathers the contributions of the second edition of LiFE. In the presence of president Mattioli, MPo Dario Ginefra (Commission of Productive Activities at the Chamber of Deputies), Nicola Di Battista (director of the magazine Domus) and Silvano di Curcio, lecturer in facility management and scientific director of Patrimoni PA net. The meeting - coordinated by Claudio Cerasa, director of the newspaper Il Foglio - was the opportunity to Anna Garbagna, notre correspondante en Italie, nous renseigne sur les derniers travaux de l’association italienne des entreprises de propreté, ANIPConfidustria

emphasise that a closer relationship between the associated institutions and a strengthening of the image of facility management in the perception of the general public could help ANIP-Confindustria to grow further.

“Today our sector,” said Mattioli, “is ready to accept major challenges that will be able to improve the country - let’s think about, for example the integrated management of cultural assets. We are optimistic looking to the future, even if the road ahead is still long.

The important works cry out compared to how little known we are in Italy. This recognition has been already achieved in many European countries, including France and Germany.”

Dario Ginefra invited the facilities industry to meet a new challenge. “The motivation for a new framework law on services must come from you, a proposal which could be an opportunity for recognition and acknowledgement by the government of the importance and opportunities in the service industry - which is often perceived in a less than positive light.”

The speakers traced the possible courses of action, starting with some unavoidable topics, expressed in person by Mattioli, namely “the lost opportunity of the procurement code and the need to avoid any further delay to the constitution of Confindustria Servizi, an opportunity for which the foundation have already been laid down.”

The contribution of Nicola Di Battista, which considered the facilities sector as a driving sector for modernity, was valuable on a technical level. He stressed the need to follow the philosophy of care and recycling in the management of urban spaces.

Die italienische Reporterin Anna Garbagna bringt die neuesten Nachrichten über den ANIP-Confindustria, den Verband der Vertragsreinigungsunternehmen.

La corrispondente italiana Anna Garbagna ci informa sulle ultime novità dell’associazione delle imprese di servizi di pulizia ANIP-Confindustria.

At the beginning of February the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, called a press conference in a local workshop to see the new machines that shall be cleaning the streets of the French capital starting next June. The operation was part of the city’s “cleaning enhancement plan”.

Most of the refuse collection vehicles (83 per cent) operating in Paris now work on natural gas and the efforts implemented on this modernisation programme shall be continued in 2018 with the allocation of a €32 million budget to the purchase of new machines, explained Hidalgo.

New vehicles The plan is to deploy 170 new road sweepers and vacuum cleaners, including 25 hybrid or electric models, across all the capital’s arrondissements (districts). During the press conference journalists were shown four of these new vehicles, including two pavement washers - one being an electric version - and two street vacuum cleaners operating on petrol.

“These machines are cheaper to run, higher in performance, easier to handle, less polluting and less noisy,” explained Karim Meherhera, supervisor for street cleaning, happily. “We’ve engaged in new cleaning methods,” added Mao Péninou, assistant in charge of all issues relating to cleanliness and sanitation.

However beyond these efficient new road cleaning machines, there’s another matter to attend to. In December, on the shores of the Seine, a municipal employee in charge of cleaning filmed a refuse collector overflowing with rats, an incident that renewed the Dans le cadre du programme de propreté renforcée de Paris, les autorités ont investi dans l’achat de 170 nouveaux engins de nettoyage de voirie, rapporte Christian Bouzols, notre correspondant en France.

debate on the presence of these beasts in the capital. The mayor of Paris insisted in reminding the city’s people that cleanliness was everybody’s responsibility. “Cleanliness depends on the involvement of all. For sure, you need the tools, but you also need civic behaviour and a commitment by the people of this city, particularly in respect of not leaving food anywhere,” she stressed.

Rat problem In 2017 the municipality of Paris carried out more than 1,800 rat disinfestation operations. These measures were taken by closing public parks, laying baits in green spaces, installing wire meshes on sewer drains, and substituting metal containers for plastic bag lined waste bins. Last September, the city authorities dedicated €1.5 million to the fight against rats.

However this hasn’t satisfied the opposition within the municipal council, who are deploring the current situation.

The April/May edition of ECJ will feature an extensive preview of Interclean Amsterdam.

Register now at the website to reserve your copy

Als Teil des Pariser „Reinigungsverbesserungsplans“ hat die Stadtverwaltung in 170 neue Straßenkehrmaschinen and Kehrsaugmaschinen investiert. Unser Frankreich-Korrespondent Christian Bouzols berichtet.

Nell’ambito del “Piano di potenziamento della pulizia” di Parigi, l’amministrazione della città ha investito in 170 nuove spazzatrici e aspirapolveri industriali, ce ne parla il corrispondente francese Christian Bouzols.

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 17

Celebrating 30 years of Innovation In 1988, Paul Wonnacott founded Vectair Systems Ltd, as a small Company with a big vision. A Company that wanted to make a difference in the hygiene industry across Europe. The Company wanted to make products and systems that not only were innovative and futuristic, but also stood the test of time.

Fast forward to 2018 and that difference has been realised. Not just in Europe, but across the globe. Vectair Systems are now in over 130 countries worldwide, have EMEA Head Offices in Hampshire, UK and North American Headquarters in Tennessee, USA as well as manufacturing partners and plants situated in Hong Kong, Thailand, Europe, North America and Canada, among other places.

During May, at the Interclean 2018 show held in Amsterdam, Vectair Systems and their team will be celebrating their 30th anniversary. A remarkable feat in an ever challenging, ever changing, ever competitive industry.

Vectair Systems lead the way in aircare, nonaerosol air freshening, odour control, scent marketing, hygiene dispensing solutions, feminine hygiene systems and infant care.

Pioneering technology, such as Vibrating Mesh Fragrance Technology and the multiaward winning, Multi-Phasing Technology, have changed the way facilities think about their aircare provision and how we manufacture air fresheners in general. This is partly due to the great focus on the efficacy, efficiency and sustainability of each product designed at Vectair HQ. RENOWNED AND RESPECTED From humble beginnings and a heritage of supplying hand dryers and air freshening, the Company have grown to become a well-respected and renowned manufacturer known for their cutting edge technology and ability to change with the times.

The focus on providing the customer with a high quality system that makes the customer stand out in their own channel was and is the driving force behind the Company ethos. Paul Wonnacott, President & CEO, says; “We take pride in the quality, design and innovation that is invested in our products. We want to make your lives easier with cost effective, easy-to-use systems that work for you. And we want to make sure that they last.”

A SHIFT FROM TRADITION - ADAPT OR FALL BEHIND One way Vectair Systems have been able to succeed and continue to innovate in their field for 30 years is their understanding of the customers - their needs and their wants.

“Another key factor is identifying key trends in the market and accurately forecasting what the newest trend will be.

Then comes the design and development of new technologies to cater to these” says Paul Wonnacott. “One of the biggest recent changes I’ve seen in the cleaning market, and more specifically the aircare sector, is the evolution of fragrance from the inside to the outside of the washroom.”

For the cleaning sector, this has meant a shift from traditional practices. Historically, organisations would choose to fragrance their washrooms as a solution to mask unpleasant smells. The smell of drainage would be covered up by a sweet smelling citrus scent. The choice of scent wasn’t so much driven by what was most pleasant, but instead much more about which fragrance was the strongest to mask the most pungent odours.

Now, however, it is common to see a whole network of decision makers wanting to fragrance areas both inside and outside of the washroom, and for different reasons. It is no longer just about the perception of a clean and fresh washroom, but instead, the whole user ‘experience’. Organisations are realising the powerful ability of scent to deeply connect with our emotions.

PREFERENCES CONSTANTLY CHANGING With the rise and impact of social media, we live in a constantly changing world. Opinions waver, opinions change almost daily on a variety of subjects. Fragrance preferences are constantly changing too. More and more links are being made between scents and memories, travel and experiences.

The UK Telegraph recently asked its readers ‘what is your smell bucket list?’ and suggested the ’21 smells before you die’, which included roses in Morocco, lavender fields in Provence, cinnamon in Mumbai, pine trees in the Alps, and maple syrup in New York. Each smell was connected to a place, evoking memories and positive connections.

“Recently I read about the grand opening of ‘Le Grand Musée du Parfum’ in Paris – the world’s first perfume museum. Set inside a 19th century mansion, the museum provides a multi-sensory journey through the history and science of scent and perfume-making” says Paul Wonnacott. “Scent has become not just a science, but a culture – and a culture that we need to immerse ourselves in to stay ahead of the times.”

ALL ROADS (AND CANALS) LEAD TO AMSTERDAM Interclean 2018, held in the beautiful and quirky city of Amsterdam, The Netherlands during May, is an ideal setting for Vectair Systems to celebrate turning 30. Like Amsterdam, Vectair Systems are unique and original, set apart from their competition with their innovation. As each of the different and unique canals lead to different parts of the city, it reflects the different channels Vectair Systems operate in, and the heritage and uniqueness that their products provide.

Visitors to the Company booth this year will be in for a surprise, that’s according to Wonnacott (keeping things close to his chest); “This year, visitors to our booth can expect an array of surprises. We pride ourselves on innovation and high quality products. This year is no different. Our booth has a treat for all visitors and something going on every day of the show.

We invite all visitors to our booth for a unique experience and we look forward to seeing many friends, customers and new prospects in Amsterdam.”

Come & celebrate with us: Stand 205 | Hall 12 Location: Rai Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands | Event: Interclean 2018 Dates: 15-18 May

EUROPEAN CLEANING & HYGIENE AWARDS

Driving up standards Avril McCarthy from Derrycourt received the award for the Greatest Individual Contribution to Driving up Standards at the European Cleaning and Hygiene Awards 2017 in Rome. Ann Laffeaty discovers what made her stand out from the crowd.

The cleaning sector is nothing without its people. And in such a labour-intensive industry it is the very best of those people – the most outstanding cleaners, managers and company ceo’s - who push the boundaries and consistently drive up standards.

The unsung heroes of cleaning are often those who provide the client interface – the coordinators and managers who are seen by the client around their building every day. These are the people responsible for ensuring that all specification conditions are met and that high standards are consistently maintained.

This is what we were seeking when we put up our Greatest Individual Contribution to Driving up Standards within a Cleaning Operation award. We asked for nominations from people working alongside contenders, either from the client side or from within their own organisations.

The 2017 winner was Avril McCarthy, general manager of family concern Derrycourt Cleaning Specialists based in Dublin, Ireland. She was nominated by the company’s sales and marketing manager Susan Spillane.

Spillane joined Derrycourt as Avril’s assistant in 2009 and since then has held

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 20

several roles, working alongside McCarthy at all times. She now occupies the post of sales and marketing manager.

“Avril has built on the foundations of the company laid out by her parents and inspired all those who have worked alongside her,” said Spillane. “She has created a corporate entity and a force to be reckoned with within the contract cleaning arena.”

Derrycourt Cleaning Specialists was established in 1992 by McCarthy’s parents managing director Ann O’Hanlon and director Martin O’Hanlon, each of whom have more than 32 years’ experience in the cleaning sector. With their combined knowledge the couple has built a strong and reputable company which has earned its position as an industry leader.

McCarthy is very much involved with all delivery aspects of contracts at the company’s 600-plus client sites and she oversees all departments. Spillane praises her hands-on management style, her ability to readdress goals where required and her aptitude for driving change.

“No two days are alike for Avril because she manages both the company’s head office function and its client engagement,” says Spillane. “She regularly multi tasks and keeps a cool and level head as she does so. In my opinion it is Avril’s ability to adapt and quickly respond to any situation that makes her stand out.”

McCarthy was delighted that her colleague singled her out for recognition.

“However, I was also surprised - and slightly embarrassed – to be nominated.

“Throughout the years I have worked hard to improve in everything I do, both personally and professionally. I have been

told by my colleagues that I demand high standards from them, but I demand even higher standards from myself.”

Among her key achievements at Derrycourt she cites a 10-fold increase in turnover plus several high-profile contracts.

“Since I started in 2000 we have grown our workforce and created an organisational structure that supports all clients and staff,” she said.

“We invest heavily in training and we use best-in-class facilities and methodologies which has paid huge dividends to our organisation.

“Quality is at the forefront of every action we undertake in the company. We have a clear strategy plus regularly-reviewed objectives which provide us all with a common goal.”

Derrycourt has achieved numerous awards over the years. The firm claims to have been the first Irish contract cleaning company to win a Golden Service Award on three consecutive years. It also won a second European Cleaning and Hygiene Award at the 2017 event for Excellence in Client Contractor Partnership.

McCarthy herself is an approved BICSc assessor and has held the posts of chairperson and vice-chairperson of the Irish Contract Cleaning Association.

She is very proud of what she has achieved so far. “My future plans for the company are to focus on quality while integrating new IT systems into the business and continuing to innovate on behalf of our clients,” she said. “This will ensure that we provide an excellent service and stay ahead with educational and training advancements so that we can develop our staff to their fullest potential.”

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battery technology

EUROPEAN CLEANING & HYGIENE AWARDS

Service based on needs Cleaning industry distributors are the “glue” that bind manufacturers and endcustomers together. And the very best of them act as true business partners to the companies they supply. Ann Laffeaty talks to Simone Bertocci, director general of WE Italia which won the 2017 European Cleaning & Hygiene Award for Excellence in Added Value Initiatives by Distributors.

A distributor’s job is to provide the interface between customers and manufacturers. They are the “go-between” whose raison d’etre is to provide the best possible deal for both parties and to ensure that the supplier and end-customer are equally happy with the outcome.

This is a complex task that can be a minefield for distributors. But WE Italia sees it differently. “Every time we solve a customer’s problem it is a pleasure for us,” says director general Simone Bertocci.

This can-do attitude is one of the reasons why the company was awarded the European Cleaning & Hygiene Award for Excellence in Added Value Initiatives by distributors in Rome in November 2017. Category entrants were required to illustrate how their distributor business offered true innovation in client solutions above and beyond the simple function of delivering cleaning products.

WE Italia offers a bespoke service that is geared specifically to customers’ needs.

“There is never just one answer to a prob-

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 22

lem so we aim to provide the best solution for each individual case,” says Bertocci.

“The localised structure of our organisation enables us to pay close attention to specific problems faced by our customers.

Our ethos is to be always close at hand, wherever our customers happen to be.”

Set up in 2012, WE Italia distributes chemical products, cleaning machines, tissue paper, disposables and other cleaningrelated products through its network of 37 operators. “These dealers pool their strengths and combine their efforts to create an organisation that can compete with the major players on the Italian market,” said Bertocci.

“Besides providing the most suitable products for specific sanitation and cleaning needs we also offer training and technical support which is channelled directly through our local members.”

WE Italia prides itself on its sustainability credentials, he adds. “Our commitment is about lowering the consumption of natural resources and respecting the environment while also using products correctly,” said Bertocci. “Besides being in our own interests and those of our customers, running a sustainable organisation is in the best interests of future generations.”

WE Italia aims to reduce the level of transport-related consumption across its network. ”We also significantly reduce the amount of CO2 emissions in the atmosphere and our range features concentrated products plus smart packaging and dispensing systems which are all aimed at reducing waste and costs,” he said.

An example of WE Italia’s environmental work can be seen in the company’s “environmental saving” certificate which it

received from washroom hygiene company Lucart in early 2017. “By selling Lucart toilet paper made from drinks containers we helped them to saved 17,516 trees in 2016,” said Bertocci. “This also helped the company to reduce its Co2 emissions by 914.141 kg.”

Closeness to customers is another of WE Italia’s strengths. “Fortunately here in Italy, personal relationship between sales agents and customers are still very important in order to succeed,” he said. “We focus on meeting our customers’ requirements and identifying their actual needs.

We then provide professional advice and propose the most convenient solution based on accurate market assessments.”

He is proud to have won the award. “We entered because we are the largest group in Italy in terms of turnover with €136 million,” he said. “As a result we wanted to introduce ourselves both to ECJ and to other European players.”

There were several reasons why WE Italia was selected for the award, according to ECJ editor Michelle Marshall.

“Sustainability at the heart of the company’s business,” she said. “Not only has WE Italia cut CO2 emissions, it has also reduced transport-related energy consumption and costs throughout its logistics network.

“Its product range focuses on cleaning concentrates, smart dispensing systems and environmentally-responsible packaging as a further illustration of its sustainability commitment. And WE Italia supports its customers in developing more efficient and sustainable operations, offering advice and guidance based on individual needs.”

EUROPEAN CLEANING & HYGIENE AWARDS

Sustainability at the heart The sustainability policies of cleaning company Markas earned it a 2017 European Cleaning and Hygiene Award at the Rome event in November. Ann Laffeaty asks Markas about the hospital project that made it a winner.

Sustainability is not simply a matter of producing glossy reports and impressing customers with business ethics. It demands a continuous and lifelong approach.

This is what we told companies hopeful of winning the European Cleaning & Hygiene Award 2017 for Sustainability – Best Practice. We then asked them to demonstrate how the principles of sustainability were fundamental to their culture.

And the deserving winner was Markas which earned the award for its contract at the Montichiari Hospital in northern Italy.

“The aim of the Montichiari Hospital project – which began in October 2016 was to reduce the environmental impact of the cleaning process while at the same time improving quality of service,” said Markas Italy director quality and control Andrea Tezzele.

“Improvement measures were implemented in two phases to cover mop washing and surface cleaning. For mop washing we switched to Werner & Mertz EUEcolabel certified products which resulted in a significant reduction in detergent consumption on an annual basis.

“We then introduced the same manufacturer’s Green Care products for surface cleaning in conjunction with an automatic system. This had the benefits of produc-

ing no waste and controlling consumption while also allowing us to use reusable bottles for spray cleaning.

“Finally we switched from a hypochlorite detergent to a low impact electrolyte chlorine product, improving the disinfecting performance.”

At the end of the field test the company noticed some marked sustainability improvements. “These included a reduction in the consumption of chemical products used, better cleaning results and a complete absence of the chlorine smell that usually occurs after the disinfection of surfaces,” said Tezzele.

Staff at Montichiari Hospital worked closely with Markas to implement the changes according to the facility’s medical director Paola Giansiracusa. “Thanks to our successful collaboration we managed to make a significant contribution towards environment protection,” she said.

“This was also an excellent opportunity for us to organise meetings with our colleagues to deepen environmental understanding and to train them on the use of new environmental products. By using more environmentally sustainable products we are helping to lay the groundwork for a better future.”

Markas, which was founded more than 30 years ago, has always shown a commitment to social and environmental responsibility. The company aims to minimise its environmental impact across all sites and last year launched the “GoGreen @Markas” initiative inviting employees to leave their cars at home and find more sustainable ways of travelling to work. Awards were given out to those employees who opted into the scheme

and switched to commuting by bus, bike or car-sharing.

The company is opening new headquarters next year in Bolzano in the South Tyrol. The facility will use intelligent building management to enhance energy efficiency by forecasting the weather and anticipating heating and cooling requirements.

The building has also been designed to incorporate extensive green spaces to enhance employees’ well-being. And all construction materials have been screened for harmful substances that could have a detrimental effect on air quality.

Markas claims to be among the first companies in its sector to obtain the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for its “Markas System” cleaning service. This aims to identify solutions capable of reducing environmental impact and compensating for any CO2 emissions produced.

Markas recently received EMAS registration (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme) from the European Union. This is awarded to companies that have an environmental management system to promote the continuous improvement of their environmental performance and to publish an environmental statement.

The company was honoured to receive the European Cleaning & Hygiene Award 2017 for Sustainability – Best Practice according to Tezzele.

“Receiving our ECH award in such an important category shows us that we are on the right track with our present efforts and strongly inspiring us to do even better in future,” she said. “In this way can set a good example for other companies to follow – and this is something of which we are very proud.”

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 23

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EUROPEAN STATISTICS

Contract cleaning data The European Federation of Cleaning Industries (EFCI) – the umbrella organisation representing the contract cleaning sector across Europe – has published its latest survey on the cleaning industry in Europe.

Market penetration by cleaning contractors is now estimated to be at a level of around 65 per cent. The fact 35 per cent of cleaning services are still performed inhouse obviously represents significant potential for economic development. Three groups of countries can be separated in terms of their contracted-out statistics.

The first group with a penetration rate of 70 per cent or higher includes the Netherlands, Austria, Luxembourg, Portugal, the UK, Spain, Finland and France. The second group with a rate of 55 per cent or higher includes Germany, Sweden, Norway, Italy, Belgium, Denmark and Slovenia.

The third group has a rate lower than 55 per cent and this includes Poland, Hungary, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.

Market sectors Data for the European Federation of Cleaning Industries (EFCI) survey is gathered from its member associations on the basis of a questionnaire and the latest report relates to the year 2014. In that year cleaning contractors achieved a total turnover of €73.925 billion in the 20 European countries covered by the survey.

This represents a significant recovery after the global financial and economic crisis between 2008 and 2010. On average the annual turnover growth in the industry over the last 25 years is at 9.35 per cent.

Germany, France, UK, Italy and Spain are the five largest national markets. Together, they represent around 72 per cent of the total European turnover.

Market penetration The market penetration is defined as the share of the global cleaning services contracted out to specialised cleaning companies with the difference being performed in-house. This figure, which is very important for the industry, is quite difficult to evaluate precisely. In most countries surveyed, the basis for this estimation comes from sales statistics provided by manufacturers of cleaning products and machinery.

The latest report also looks at developments in various segments and breaks them down by market share. The majority of total turnover is still in office cleaning at 51.8 per cent with the many other sectors following a long way behind – the next largest is schools and leisure at 8.5 per cent; then industrial sites at 8.1 per cent; and hospitals at 7.3 per cent. There is a diversification of activities towards integrated services and facilities management, however no data is available.

Number of companies The total number of cleaning contractors in the 20 countries covered by the survey was 171,560 and the improved economic situation led to an increase in the number of companies in the majority of countries: Austria, Finland, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

Figures on the breakdown of companies according to their turnover do not exist in most of the countries covered by the survey. So the breakdown of companies has been carried out according to the number of employees, however it is widely assessed that, on average, companies employing more than 500 people – about 1.39 per cent - achieve almost half of the

total turnover in the industry.

The professional cleaning sector is still largely dominated by small companies, with 77.15 per cent of them employing less than 10 people. The number of small companies has been increasing since 2008 while the number of large companies remains stable.

Germany however, appears to be the exception. There, 7.5 per cent of cleaning companies employ more than 500 people, 18.5 per cent employ between 50 and 500 people, 5.5 per cent employ between 10 and 50 people and 68.5 per cent employ less than 10 people.

In national terms, the most important increase in the number of companies between 2012 and 2014 could be registered in Norway (+53 per cent), Luxembourg (+26 per cent), Sweden (+25 per cent), France (+23 per cent) and Switzerland (+18 per cent).

The strong increase in Norway is mainly due to the increase of self-employed people that establish companies, to the favourable national economic climate and to a recent actualisation of previously underestimated figures. In Luxembourg, Sweden and Switzerland, the company increase is directly related to an underestimation of previous figures and a strong increase of business activities, in parallel to the turnover growth in these countries.

In France the increase can be explained by a recent actualisation of the previously underestimated figures and by a continuous recourse to the widespread status of “self-entrepreneur”, established in 2010.

Growth in the number of companies can also be seen in Austria (+7.1 per cent), the Netherlands (+5.2 per cent), Finland (+3.8 per cent), Spain (+1.2 per cent) and Italy (+0.45 per cent). These figures can be mainly explained by the favourable economic climate.

Employment In 2014 more than 3.39 million people were employed in the cleaning industry, compared to 3.32 million in 2012. This Continued page 26

February/March 2018| ECJ | 25

EUROPEAN STATISTICS Contract cleaning data (continued) represents an increase of 2.3 per cent over two years.

Germany remains the biggest employer in absolute figures with 18.18 per cent of the total workforce and employment growth of 6.2 per cent between 2012 and 2014. Then come France, the UK, Italy and Spain, all between 14.2 per cent and 9.74 per cent of the workforce. In total around 68 per cent of the total cleaning sector workforce is employed in those five countries.

Working periods Most cleaning services are still carried out outside the usual periods of occupation of the premises, according to the report. This is particularly true for office cleaning, but also applies to commercial premises and buildings with public access.

On an EU average cleaning services are performed either early in the morning (27 per cent) or in the late afternoon/beginning of the evening (37 per cent).

In Finland and Sweden however, daytime cleaning is the norm and represents 75 and 73 per cent of the total respectively. Poland and Norway are in joint third place at 50 per cent followed by Denmark and Belgium where daytime

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 26

cleaning accounts for almost half of the total. In the rest of Europe daytime cleaning is still limited – in fact the average of 30 per cent is reduced to 13.7 per cent if those six countries are not taken into account.

So despite technical developments such as cordless and quieter machines most clients are still reluctant to accept daytime cleaning. In its Joint Declaration for the cleaning industry the EFCI and trade union organisation UNI-Europa stress its benefits which include more opportunities for

full-time work, improved professionalism, employee motivation and recognition and better work/life balance.

Part-time work remains the dominant form of employment and covers 66 per cent of the workforce. Over time however, the trend has been downwards, as it represented more than 80 per cent in the late 80s and even in 1995 it was 75 per cent.

Finland is one example where full-time work has taken over from part-time employment – in 2001 60 per cent of cleaners were part-time and this had decreased

EUROPEAN STATISTICS

to 33 per cent in 2014. Together with Poland, at 30 per cent, it has the lowest level of part-time work in Europe.

The average duration of work in the cleaning industry across Europe is still relatively low – on average 23 hours per week. At national level there are some interesting variations. In Germany for example, the average duration of work has decreased from 20 to 15 hours, in Switzerland from 18 to 12 hours and in the UK from 15 to 13 hours. Meanwhile in France it has increased from 22 to 27 hours, and in Spain from 25 to 28 hours.

Traditionally women constitute the major part of the workforce in the sector, indeed they represent on average 72 per La Fédération européenne du nettoyage industriel (FENI) a publié son sondage le plus récent de l’industrie de la propreté professionnelle en Europe.

Ce sondage montre que la crise de 2008-2010 est véritablement terminée pour un secteur en pleine reprise. Les marchés les plus importants sont les marchés allemand, français, britannique, italien et espagnol. Dans les vingt pays couverts, le document fait état de l’existence d’un peu plus de 170 000 entreprises de nettoyage.

cent of the total number. Over a longer time scale between 2006 and 2014 it is interesting to note the average proportion of women in the sector has been continually decreasing, as in 2006 the figure was 77 per cent.

Many women Austria (89 per cent), followed by the Czech Republic (85 per cent), Luxembourg and Slovenia (both 80 per cent) are by far the countries with the highest rate of women in the cleaning sector, while Belgium (57 per cent), the UK (57 per cent), Norway (60 per cent) and Denmark (64 per cent) on the other hand, show to be between 15 per cent and eight per cent Die European Federation of Cleaning Industries hat ihre neueste Umfrage zur europäischen Vertragsreinigungsbranche veröffentlicht. Daraus geht eine gute Erholung der Branche nach der Wirtschaftskrise 2008–2010 hervor. Die größten Märkte sind Deutschland, Frankreich, Großbritannien, Italien und Spanien, und in den erfassten 20 Ländern gibt es etwas mehr als 170.000 Vertragsreinigungsunternehmen.

below the European average.

Another characteristic of employment is the high proportion of workers from ethnic minorities or migrant workers: the EU average is 40 per cent.

Because of inevitable demographic change there will be some significant challenges to face in the future says EFCI. Those changes include fall in fertility, increase in life expectancy and the ageing of the baby-boomer generation. This will make it more difficult to recruit and retain employees, which is where EFCI says daytime cleaning may be among the solutions as it will allow longer working hours and may make the sector more attractive for young people.

La federazione europea del settore del cleaning (European Federation of Cleaning Industries) ha pubblicato il suo più recente sondaggio sul settore degli appalti dei servizi di pulizia in Europa. Il sondaggio mostra una sana ripresa economica per il settore dopo la crisi economica del periodo 20082010. I mercati maggiori sono Germania, Francia, Regno Unito, Italia e Spagna e sono presenti oltre 170.000 imprese di appalti di servizi di pulizia nelle 20 nazioni interessate.

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 27

SCRUBBER DRYERS

Small, but beautifully formed?

Is there a growing trend towards smaller scrubber dryers, and how do the latest compact models compare in performance with traditional-sized machines? Ann Laffeaty asks the question.

“Customers need lightweight machines that offer a high cleaning performance and good mobility and that can also operate quietly in noise-sensitive areas.”

How important is size? It is often a question of fashion and the dimensions of the equipment we use largely depends on current trends.

For instance, when technology made it possible to create ever-smaller electronic gadgets it became something of a status symbol to own a tiny mobile phone or MP3 player. At around the same time, television screens were becoming larger as we sought to recreate a cinematic experience in our own living rooms. And over-sized “airport exclusive” books became popular as they gave the impression of providing more value.

However convenience has its own role to play in the size of the equipment we buy. Many people are now purchasing books electronically in order to avoid having to cart around that “airport exclusive” on holiday. And our phones are increasing in size again as we recognise the convenience of having a larger screen to work with.

It is against this background that smaller, lighter cleaning machines are being manufactured as modern electronics and slimmer batteries make them possible. But is there significant demand for these new compact machines? And how can manufacturers incorporate all the elements of a functional scrubber dryer into a smaller footprint?

Kärcher’s scrubber dryer product manager Daniel Friz believes the growing demand for smaller, more compact machines over the past five years has been mainly for practical reasons.

“Customers need lightweight machines that offer a high cleaning performance and good mobility and that can also operate quietly in noise-sensitive areas,” he said. “Compact machines facilitate efficient cleaning in restricted areas while lightweight models are easier to handle, particularly when overcoming obstacles such as steps and thresholds.”

Smaller machines are also easier to store than larger models, he points out.

“And the clean, dry result produced by a

small scrubber dryer outperforms that of a mop.”

However it is a challenge for manufacturers to incorporate the same level of features into a machine with a smaller footprint, according to Friz. “Sometimes we need to think differently and alter some elements to offer a customercentric solution that provides additional value,” he said.

Compact Kärcher models have a 200° turnable brush head and can work both forwards and backwards, he says. “We also use a lithium-ion battery in our newest model which can be completely charged in just three hours, tripling the service life,” said Friz. ”This allows the user to work uninterrupted for at least an hour. And if the machine is operated using the resource-saving eco!efficiency mode, battery life can be increased by around 50 per cent.”

Agility trend According to Friz the current trend is for agile machines that can be used in restricted spaces and narrow corridors.

“The larger the scrubber dryer, the more cumbersome it is when cleaning in confined areas,” he said. “Also, a machine that is too big for its purpose will not work in an efficient way. But the converse is also true: a machine that is too small for use in a large area will reduce cleaning efficiency.

So there is a future for machines of all sizes, but for different applications.”

Kärcher’s smallest machine is the BR 30/4 C which has a 30cm working width.

The company also offers the BR 35/12 C, a small walk-behind machine with foldable push handle, as well as a micro ride-on machine with a 51cm working width and a 70-litre freshwater tank. “This can easily be transported via an escalator which means it can be used on different floors in a hospital or shopping centre,” said Friz.

Nilfisk’s global floor care product manager Anders Sandstrom agrees that customers are increasingly demanding Continued page 30

February/March 2018| ECJ | 29

SCRUBBER DRYERS Small, but beautifully formed? (continued) smaller, more compact machines.

“The main reason for using a scrubber dryer is to improve on the result that can be achieved with a mop or similar tool,” he said. “Better cleaning performance and faster access to the cleaned area afterwards are the main benefits of a compact machine.”

But smaller, lighter machines can never offer the same mechanical cleaning capabilities as a larger, heavier scrubber dryer, he says. “This is because the ground pressure for the cleaning tool will be lower,” he explained. “Also, a smaller machine will carry less cleaning solution and the tank capacity will be lower. So while smaller machines are expected to out-compete larger ones they will be more useful in congested areas and for spot cleaning.”

According to Sandstrom it is difficult to manufacture a small machine that behaves and acts like a large one. “However as batteries become smaller and more powerful this will help to improve the design of small scrubbers along with their productivity.”

Growing demand He believes the market for compact scrubber dryers will only expand in future.

“At Nilfisk we believe the consumer side will grow significantly as people increasingly choose to optimise their cleaning at home,” he said. “The choice of machine size is connected to area size, application and how often cleaning will be performed.

Since the labour cost is higher than the cost of the machine, cleaning time needs to be optimised by using the correct machine type and size.”

The company’s compact models include the Nilfisk SC100 and the Nilfisk SC250.

The SC100 cord machine can easily switch from cleaning hard floors to carpets which means it works well in small shops, restaurants and hotels that have different types of flooring, according to Sandstrom.

And the SC250 lithium battery model is capable of removing loose debris and is aimed at fast food restaurants, bakeries, gas stations and coffee shops.

Lindhaus claims to be something of a pioneer of compact scrubber dryers. “Our LW30-38 electric and LW30 L-ion models - developed in 2007 – are still the market reference,” says president Michele Massaro. “The new battery version is aimed at high-traffic areas such as airport washrooms and trade shows while the electric version is suitable for office buildings, restaurants and hotels.”

He agrees with other manufacturers that compact scrubber dryers are replacing mops and buckets in some facilities.

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 30

“This is because they are faster and more productive and they leave the floor dry immediately,” he said. “They are also eco-friendly since they use less water and detergent than manual tools. And they can be used on difficult-to-clean floors.”

But he says some manufacturers’ small machines are simply large machines with a smaller footprint. “In my opinion a compact scrubber dryer should be made to a totally different concept,” he said. “For example, the tank size should be smaller to create a lighter machine with a sleek profile and the suction should work in both directions. And the base should be very low to enable it to fit under furniture.”

Managers of smaller premises are increasingly replacing mops and buckets with compact scrubber dryers according to Truvox international sales and marketing director Gordon McVean.

“They share the growing realisation that manual mopping does not effectively clean floors and is an inefficient use of labour,” he said. “And it doesn’t present a very professional image to the public either.”

He says the increasingly popularity of non-slip floors in place of hard, shiny and potentially slippery surfaces has been another factor. “This type of flooring is harder to maintain without an appropriately equipped scrubber dryer, and a compact machine is the best entry point for someone deciding to mechanise their floor cleaning,” he said.

“Not only are smaller premises upgrad-

ing from mops to scrubber dryers, so too are establishments where mops have been used in areas such as in kitchens, behind counters, in toilets and in receptions.

Daytime cleaning boost “Compact scrubber dryers are sufficiently manoeuvrable and flexible for these tight situations –particularly if they can clean under tables and furniture. And they’re also easy to store.”

According to McVean the shift towards daytime cleaning has boosted demand for machines that are smaller, quieter and less obtrusive. “Hence the popularity of cordless compact scrubber dryers,” he said.

A small scrubber dryer can still wash, mop, scrub and dry floors in one pass argues McVean. “The advances made in design over the years means they are still productive, while the application of lithium ion battery technology adds further flexibility without compromising productivity.”

He believes all signs point to the continued popularity of smaller scrubber dryers.

“The switch to battery power with all its advantages is fuelling this trend,” he said.

“The challenge is to make smaller scrubber dryers that are ever more efficient while ensuring that they are still manoeuvrable, versatile and capable of low-level cleaning.

Further improvements in the running time of lithium ion batteries must also be harnessed.”

Truvox offers the Multiwash 340 which has a 34cm cleaning width plus the Multiwash 240 - the company’s most compact

SCRUBBER DRYERS model - with a 24cm cleaning width. Both machines have cylindrical brushes said to be capable of scrubbing into grout lines and on uneven floors.

Like other manufacturers, Hako is witnessing a strong trend towards smaller, more compact scrubber dryers according to application technology trainer and consultant Klaus Serfezi. “Machines with a solution tank capacity of less than 10 litres are particularly popular with customers,” he said.

“There are a number of reasons for this trend. For one thing, there is less unoccupied floor space than there used to be.

Even large shopping centres now tend to rent out the corridor space between shops to small vendors and the few remaining free areas are full of nooks and crannies.

Therefore the outdated two-step cleanLes autolaveuses compactes connaissent-elles une popularité croissante pour un usage dans des couloirs, petites pièces et zones difficiles d’accès ? La technologie permet-elle d’y incorporer tous les éléments d’une autolaveuse aux riches fonctionnalités? C’est ce que cherche à savoir Anne Laffeaty.

ing process has had to be replaced with the cleaning and drying method that small scrubber dryers can provide.”

Easier to use He adds that compact machines are easier to use than a mop and bucket.

“However, considering the relatively high initial purchase price, the decision as to whether or not a machine will pay off economically needs to be weighed up on a case-by-case basis.”

According to Serfezi, today’s smart technologies make it easy to integrate all the necessary features into a smaller machine such as an efficient water pump and suction system.

“However it is often wrongly believed these smaller machines will have a sufficient capacity to carry out intensive cleanWerden kompakte Scheuersaugmaschinen für den Einsatz in Gängen, kleinen Räumen und schwer zugänglichen Bereichen beliebter? Und erleichtert es die Technologie den Herstellern, alle Elemente einer hoch funktionellen Scheuersaugmaschine in einer Maschine von geringer Größe unterzubringen, fragt Ann Laffeaty?

ing tasks, which is not the case,” he adds.

Compromises need to be made when configuring a smaller machine, says Serfezi. “What is omitted essentially is the option to adjust the water flow,” he said.

“And more often than not the drying performance of a smaller machine will leave a lot to be desired.”

Hako offers a 10-litre machine with cylindrical brushes for cleaning structured or tiled floors in locker rooms, indoor swimming pools and kitchens. Also available is a 12-litre disc brush machine for use in small entrance areas, narrow corridors and confined spaces.

Whether or not more compact scrubber dryers will grow in popularity in future remains to be seen, he says. “If they do it will need to be proved that these smaller models are economically efficient,” he said.

Le lavasciuga pavimenti compatte stanno diventando sempre più popolari per essere usate nei corridoi, stanze piccole e aree difficili da raggiungere? E la tecnologia sta rendendo più facile per i produttori incorporare tutti gli elementi di una lavasciuga pavimenti molto efficiente in una di dimensioni ridotte, chiede Ann Laffeaty?

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 31

PRODUCTS: SCRUBBER DRYERS Easy to move Designed for use in medium-sized supermarkets and large-scale retailing is the Versa walk-behind scrubber dryer from Comac. With two disc brushes this machine comes in either 55 or 65 cm working width.

Because it is compact and easy to manoeuvre it is suitable for use in partially obstructed spaces, while the vacuum motor leaves the floor dry and safe to walk on immediately.

Fitted as standard are new self-levelling splash guards, which besides adapting automatically to brush wear also keep any splashes of water inside and prevent small solid residues or non-soluble dust particles from getting into the machine. www.comac.it

Range of four There are four scrubber dryers in the Discomatic range from Wetrok - Duomatic Esprit, Duo-

matic Intense, Duomatic Endurer and Duomatic Impulse - completing its portfolio of midsized machines.

All four models share common elements such as the patented Power Whirl nozzle technology for drying while passing.

The compact Duomatic Esprit comes with the Touch’n’Clean handle for automatic machine stop and go. Duomatic Intense is designed specifically for the cleaning of medium-sized areas,

featuring a Power Shot function for quick removal of stubborn dirt and Quick Refill automatic chemical dosing system.

For large areas there is Duomatic Endurer with its 80-litre tank. And Duomatic Impulse is the specialist for hygienesensitive applications and comes with an easy to rinse twin tank system. www.wetrok.com • La Versa, l’autolaveuse accompagnée la plus récente de Comac, s’utilise dans des supermarchés et sur de grandes surface de détail.

• Wetrok a ajouté les modèles Duomatic Intense, Esprit, Endurer et Impulse à sa gamme d’autolaveuses de taille moyenne.

• Versa ist die neueste handgeführte Scheuersaugmaschine von Comac, die für Supermärkte und große Einzelhandelsgeschäfte entwickelt wurde.

• Wetrok hat seine Produktfamilie mit mittelgroßen Scheuersaugmaschinen um die Modelle Duomatic Intense, Esprit, Endurer und Impulse erweitert.

• Versa è la spazzatrice con operatore a terra più nuova della Comac adatta per supermercati e grandi centri di vendita.

• La Wetrok ha aggiunto alla sua linea di lavasciuga pavimenti di medie dimensioni i modelli Duomatic Intense, Esprit, Endurer e Impulse.

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 32

PRODUCTS: SCRUBBER DRYERS

Speed, accuracy The latest scrubber dryer launch from Nilfisk is the SC401 walkbehind machine - boasting speed, accuracy, ease of use and low sound level.

Featuring a 43 cm scrub deck equipped with brush or pad, this machine can work up to four hours on a fully charged battery and up to 100 minutes before the solution tank needs to be refilled. It leaves the floor completely dry thanks to the

Brand new

behind and ride-on models.

Features include circular brushes, adjustable water flow, parabolic squeegee, adjustable handle and easy maintenance. www.eurosteam.fr

Simple, durable

Eurosteam has developed a new range of battery scrubber dryers called TooLav - there are walk-

Said to be easy to move through narrow areas and simple to maintain, the scrub deck is protected by PPL rollers to prevent the machine from marking walls. www.adiatek.com

Adiatek’s Jade Orbital scrubber dryer boasts simple design, durable construction and value for money. With its traction motor of 400W it can climb steep ramps without pushing.

optimum water pick-up provided by the curved squeegee system.

SilenTech technology reduces the sound level to 60 dBA in silent mode while the simple dashboard features just three buttons. The patented elastic strap system makes squeegee maintenance easy, and the detergent mixing system prevents overdosing of chemicals. www.nilfisk.com • Nilfisk a lancé la SC401, une autolaveuse accompagnée qui se distingue par sa rapidité, sa précision et sa facilité d’utilisation.

• Sous l’appellation TooLav, Eurostream a lancé une gamme de cinq autolaveuses à batterie.

• L’autolaveuse Jade Orbital 50 de la société Adiatek se distingue par une conception simple et une construction durable.

• Neu von Nilfisk ist die handgeführte Scheuersaugmaschine SC401, die Schnelligkeit, Genauigkeit und Benutzerfreundlichkeit bietet.

• Neu von Eurosteam ist eine Produktreihe mit akkubetriebenen Scheuersaugmaschinen unter dem Namen TooLav, die in fünf Ausführungen angeboten werden.

• Die Scheuersaugmaschine Jade Orbital 50 von Adiatek bietet ein einfaches Design und dauerhafte Konstruktion.

• La novità della Nilfisk è la lavasciuga pavimenti con operatore a terra SC401 che vanta velocità, accuratezza e facilità di utilizzo.

• La novità della Eurosteam consiste nella gamma di lavasciuga pavimenti alimentate a batteria TooLav, composta da cinque modelli.

• La lavasciuga pavimenti Jade Orbital 50 prodotta dalla Adiatek vanta un design semplice e una struttura resistente.

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 33

PRODUCTS: SCRUBBER DRYERS

• Tennant a introduit l’autolaveuse autoportée T350, une machine à conducteur debout à ergonomie et contrôle maximum.

• La CT51 est la autolaveuse à batterie de la société IPC et que celle-ci présente comme réunissant les fonctionnalités de quatre machines.

• Les autolaveuses autoportées et compactes Numatic comprennent des réservoirs 80 litres d’eau propre et d’eau sale, et un dispositif anti-basculement.

• Neu von Tennant ist die Standon-Scheuersaugmaschine T350, die für optimalen Bedienerkomfort und Kontrolle konzipiert wurde.

• CT51 ist die akkubetriebene Scheuersaugmaschine von IPC, die laut eigenen Angaben vier Maschinen in einer vereint.

• Die kompakten AufsitzScheuersaugmaschinen von Numatic sind mit Frisch- und Schmutzwassertanks von je 80 Liter sowie einem Antikippsystem ausgestattet.

• La novità della Tennant è la lavasciuga pavimenti con pedana per l’operatore T350 progettata per il massimo comfort dell’operatore e il perfetto controllo.

• CT51 è la lavasciuga pavimenti alimentata a batteria prodotta dalla IPC che vanta di essere quattro macchine in una.

• La lavasciuga pavimenti compatta con operatore a bordo è dotata di serbatoi di acqua sporca e acqua pulita da 80 litri e da un sistema antirovesciamento.

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 34

Stand up Tennant’s T350 stand-on scrubber dryer is designed to reduce overall cleaning costs - it can clean over 2,500 square metres per hour.

The company says the standon design is more comfortable for the operator and makes it possible to clean more effi-

ciently in a variety of spaces and applications. And the on-board systems are intuitive to use.

The T350 also features Tennant’s ec-H2O NanoClean technology - designed to reduce water consumption by up to 70 per cent. www.tennnantco.com

Four in one

Next ECJ - April/May

Tight spaces

According to IPC its CT51 scrubber dryer is not just a battery powered scrubber dryer, it is four machines in one thanks to interchangeable brush heads.

This means it can be transformed in into a single 50-55 cm disc, a twin 60 cm disc, a twin 70 cm disc, or a 55 cm roller.

Thanks to the Advanced Productivity Control (APC) system, the electro valve controls water flow. And the double battery life (DBL) means the battery lasts longer, up to 1,000 rides.

Eco Select technology allows the operator to reduce the speed of the brush and, at the same time, to limit the water flow. www.ipcworldwide.com

Numatic says its Compact RideOn (CRO) machines are comparable with most walk-behinds of the same size - and designed for easy cleaning in tight spaces.

Features include 80-litre clean and dirty water tanks; antitip system; on-board battery charger port; extending and flexible filling hose; and TwinFlo vacuum motor for optimum pick-up. www.numatic.co.uk

PRODUCTS: SCRUBBER DRYERS New battery RCM’s Combo sweeper/scrubber is now available for the cleaning of wide indoor areas thanks to the new battery version. The E version joins diesel and LPG models.

The front steering wheel ensures visibility and accuracy for the operator while the high performance filter can retain the finest dust. Two hydraulically controlled counter-rotating roller brushes sweep and wash at the same time, while the curved squeegee leaves the floor dry. www.rcm.it

floor pads, brushes, drive and vacuum motors.

Along with its comprehensive line of replacement parts for sweepers, TVH offers a range of other tools. The Maxi sweeper, for example, can be used to clean shop floors and large surfaces.

Other models in the line include SmartSweep and Lazy Sweeper - both are mechanical devices that can be fitted to a fork lift truck so that it can be used as a sweeper. There is also the SmartSweep cleaning application, the Magnetic sweeper and the Hydro sweeper. www.tvh.com

Steering wheel All parts From TVH comes a complete range of parts for scrubber dryers and sweepers - squeegees,

The brush head of Kärcher’s walk-behind scrubber dryer BR 45/22 C is controlled directly via the KART steering wheel which makes it highly manoeuvrable the company says.

• RCM hat die Scheuersaugmaschine für große Flächen in einer akkubetriebenen Ausführung vorgestellt: den Combo E. • TVH propose une gamme étendue de pièces pour autolaveuses et balayeuses.

• L’autolaveuse accompagnée BR 45/22 C de Kärcher recourt au concept KART de guidage de machine par volant de direction.

With a working width of 450mm and the lithium-ion battery, this machine is suitable for cleaning surfaces in heavilyfurnished areas and can run for up to two hours.

The brush head sets the driving and cleaning direction, whilst the driving power of the roller brush moves the machine forward. When the brush is turned inwards the machine even cleans when moving backwards.

The KART system enables it to clean at right angles from a wall and reach into corners.

The stainless steel handlebar is height adjustable and can be folded for transport. www.karcher.com

• RCM a lancé la Combo E.612, une version à batterie de la Combo, son autolaveuse de grandes surfaces.

• TVH bietet eine große Auswahl von Ersatzteilen für Kehr- und Scheuersaugmaschinen.

• Die handgeführte Scheuersaugmaschine BR 45/22 C von Kärcher ist mit dem Lenkkonzept KART ausgestattet, bei dem der Bürstenkopf unmittelbar über ein Lenkrad gesteuert wird.

• La RCM ha lanciato la sua lavasciuga pavimenti per aree larghe Combo in versione alimentata a batteria, il modello Combo E. • La TVH propone una ampia gamma di parti per lavasciuga pavimenti e spazzatrici.

• La lavasciuga pavimenti con operatore a terra BR 45/22 C prodotta dalla Kärcher è dotata della tecnologia KART che guida la testata di rulli per mezzo di un volante.

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 35

CASE STUDY JAPAN

Can robots fill the people gap?

Japan’s cleaning industry is increasingly dominated by automation and robotic solutions, which is mainly caused by the growing difficulty professional cleaning companies experience in finding qualified staff. But what is the impact of this development on the industry and where does the cleaning industry stand in terms of employing robots? Bobbie van der List writes for ECJ.

Japan has around 127 million inhabitants, but if nothing changes to the current birth rate of 1.4 children per woman – the world’s lowest fertility rate – the total population is expected to further decline to 117 million by 2030. Even more worrisome are predictions for 2060: if the birth rate stays like it is Japan’s population will drop below 100 million. To make this demographic picture even more pessimistic, one should just look at how elderly take up a disproportionate share of the total population: in 2016 one in four citizens was at least 65 years old.

Why are these figures relevant for the professional cleaning industry, you might wonder? Well, the above reality of the Japanese population is especially damaging for the cleaning industry, as this is one of those sectors that will be hit hardest when there is a declining population, and thus a declining workforce. The average age of cleaning staff in Japanese cleaning companies is comparatively higher in that sector than in other sectors. This can be drawn back to the fact that many elderly in Japan don’t have a sufficient pension to enjoy their old age. Cleaning is a great means for Japanese elderly to earn extra income,

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 36

to add to their pension. Yet one can’t expect this practice to continue forever, as they will retire at some point. What would happen then, that’s the milliondollar question.

While the demography of Japan is not very optimistic for the cleaning industry, another social-economic issue is surfacing and has led to unexpected growth of the professional cleaning industry. In Japan, a growing number of women, who traditionally took care of the household, are now pursuing their own career, leading them to outsource cleaning to professionals. This is reflected by the growth of businesses active in housekeeping. In the last decade, the total number of housekeeping companies tripled to 700. According to analysts the market is expected to grow further to 5.3 billion dollars, which is mainly caused by the mix of an ageing society and the higher labour participation rate of women in Japan. It means that competition for skilled cleaning staff is only increasing.

Difficult to solve The above has really proven to be a difficult issue to solve for both the government as well as for the business world. Big corporations often don’t know where to look for qualified cleaning staff.

What makes the issue more troublesome is the fact that Japan, unlike the UK, has a bad track record when it comes to letting in migrant workers to solve shortages on the labour market. And Japanese media point out that this reluctance won’t be taken away, even though a huge labour time bomb is ticking.

The Japanese government is therefore increasingly aware that humans alone can’t solve all of Japan’s problems, in fact, the government is planning to make Japan less people-dependent. This becomes clear when you have a look at Japan’s vision for the future, one that has been labelled “supersmart society”. This policy entails government spending of about 26 trillion yen (approximately €226 billion) in science and technology, over a period of

five years, starting last year (one per cent of Japan’s gross domestic product).

What’s happening with the money?

One company that showcases how this is helping them to provide a more efficient professional cleaning industry is Murata Machinery - a company involved in factory automation and logistics systems, and working hard on solutions for the cleaning industry. We speak with Hideshi Nakanishi, manager business development at the centre of the research and development department. He confirms that the professional cleaning industry has problems finding enough staff to fulfil the requests they receive from companies – industrial cleaning takes up most man hours and has the biggest need for cleaners.

How is Murata Machinery making a difference? According to Nakanishi it all boils down to the SE-500IX II – which is the first ever robotised industrial vacuum cleaner. Murata Machines has developed the software of this product that is further developed by Amano Corporation.

Buffing machines and floor polishers, Amono explains, give a beautiful buffed finish to floors in commercial facilities and convenience stores. Automatic scrubbers, in addition, are mainly used in train stations, commercial buildings and factories around Japan. Carpet cleaners strip away dirt and grime from carpets subject to heave usage such as in offices and hotels. Amano cleaning solutions such as road surface cleaners and sweepers are highly efficient for cleaning paths both indoors and outdoors, and the company is one of the biggest players in the Asian cleaning market.

For a company like Amono the SE-500IX II is a life saver, Nakanishi explains. “Before it would take more machinery and more manpower to actually do the same work as the SE-500IX vacuum cleaner does.”

He points out how previoulsy it would take between two and three cleaning machines to clean. What is the secret of the success of this vacuum cleaner? “First,

CASE STUDY JAPAN I would like to emphasise that the product is easy to use. You don’t need to be an engineer to operate this vacuum cleaner. It is quite simple: you push one button, then you first walk the route that is necessary, you click the ‘operate’ button and you’re ready. The robot will repeat everything: brushing pressure, water quantity, vacuum strength, everything can be programmed very easily. It literally takes one hour of training and you will save a lot of time,” Nakanishi explains.

The question is, to what extent can we expect this type of product to be implemented on a far larger scale – which could have a severe impact on the global professional cleaning industry. Nakanishi laughs when he hears this concern, as he doesn’t expect landslide changes. “There is definitely a cost challenge here. The salary for this type of cleaning operation is relatively low. But the cost of the robot on the other hand is very high compared to that of a human. The problem is that today’s robots are just too expensive.”

this is an issue for robotics developers for the cleaning industry. To export more successfully, one has to clear regulation issues and that depends on the countries you want to export to.”

Airport as testing ground Nakanishi is very optimistic about the future, as he can say that the robotic vacuum cleaners are already fully in operation at one of Japan’s most visited sites: Tokyo’s Haneda airport.

With the Tokyo 2020 Olympics coming up, Japan’s Haneda Airport has initiated a robot experimental programme recently. It is called Haneda Airport Robot Experiment Project 2016 in cooperation with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Through this project the government wants to give cleaning companies the chance to test and improve their robotic technologies and promote the deployment of robotics in the

services sector.

Robots developed by 17 companies have been introduced to the airport to support travel services, thereby testing their operational safety and service efficiency in public spaces. The goal is to accelerate the adoption of robotic technologies and hence improve service quality. Travellers will see robotic ground crew at the departure lounge located south of Haneda Airport’s Domestic Terminal 2 for example.

The project could prove to be an interesting testing ground for the global cleaning industry, as the deployment of robots in a place visited by millions of people every year can teach us a great deal about the interaction between robots and people. But, as Nakanishi from Murata Machinery concludes, ultimately the cleaning job cannot be done by robots alone. “So finding enough staff will continue to be very important for cleaning companies.”

Labour shortages Yet some Japanese companies are taking the risk to solve the problem of labour shortages. For instance, Japanese retail conglomerate Aeon is to introduce 400 robotic cleaners to its shopping centres across the country in the beginning of April 2018. The company explains how “self-driving cleaning machines will replace conventional floor washers operated by humans”. This will happen at night, when shoppers are out of sight. Interestingly, the deployments of robotics will save the company up to 150 million yen (€1.16 million). The company is not buying Amano Corporation’s SE-500IX II incidentally.

In some countries however, there is a bigger interest for this type of equipment, simply because labour is more expensive.

“In Singapore the labour cost is lower than in Japan, so we noticed we couldn’t sell there. In Australia on the other hand, they are interested, as salaries are comparable to Japan.” In case he wants to export his product to Europe there will be other issues. “We cannot introduce it there yet due to EMC regulations, they have more severe CE-marking. In general, Au Japon, le secteur de la propreté adopte de plus en plus des solutions automatisées et robotiques, cela s’expliquant surtout par la difficulté grandissante qu’éprouvent les entreprises du secteur à trouver des personnels qualifiés. Quel en est l’impact sur le secteur et quelle est l’attitude des entreprises de propreté à l’égard de la robotique dans les tâches de nettoyage ?

Die japanische Reinigungsbranche wird in zunehmendem Maße von Automation und Roboterlösungen dominiert, was vor allem dadurch verursacht wird, dass es professionellen Reinigungsunternehmen immer schwerer fällt, qualifizierte Mitarbeiter zu finden. Doch welche Auswirkungen hat diese Entwicklung auf die Branche, und welche Position nimmt die Reinigungsbranche in Bezug auf den Einsatz von Robotern ein?

Il settore del cleaning in Giappone è sempre più dominato da soluzioni di automazione e robotica e la principale causa è la crescente difficoltà che le imprese di pulizie professionali incontrano nel trovare personale qualificato. Ma quale è l’impatto di questo sviluppo sul settore e qual è la posizione dell’industria del cleaning in termini di utilizzazione dei robot?

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 37

WASHROOM HYGIENE

Washrooms - what’s worst?

No paper, no soap, bad smells, poor hygiene - what irks washroom users the most about the facilities they visit? And how can washroom providers put these issues right? Ann Laffeaty finds out.

The most common complaints from customers relate to problems that render away-from-home washrooms unhygienic and unusable.

We all have our pet hates about the public washroom. Some of us are particularly repelled by bad smells while others detest being confronted with dirty sinks or empty toilet paper dispensers.

Inefficient warm air hand dryers are a turn-off for many, particularly when we are forced to queue for them. And blocked, dirty toilets and messy floors are an issue for some.

But what are the biggest toilet taboos as far as washroom hygiene companies are concerned? And how do they address them - or preferably, prevent them from occurring in the first place?

“The worst-case scenario in any washroom is a lack of toilet tissue,” says Essity’s communications director Renee Remijnse. “Hand hygiene is the next most important issue and end-users dislike having to queue to use a hand dryer.

Where people are unwilling to wait in line they may be tempted to leave the washroom with damp hands or dry them on their clothes. And their dripping fingers will then lead to messy, wet floors.”

Essity carries out global research into people’s washroom attitudes and publishes the findings every two years in its Hygiene Matters Report. The company’s latest report reveals that 62 per cent of people are concerned that public toilets expose them to health risks while 42 per cent of people avoid such facilities altogether.

Should be easy However, keeping a washroom fresh, clean and hygienic while also being well stocked with products should be easy according to Remijnse. “But we all know that it is a challenge,” she adds. “It’s a question of choosing the right system for the washroom’s needs and combining it with a cleaning routine that fits the facility’s visitor peaks and profile.”

She claims a well-equipped washroom is easy to manage provided the maintenance team is armed with the right data and customer knowledge. “Since we introduced Tork EasyCube we can clearly see

that data-driven washrooms are the solution for customer complaints,” she said.

Tork EasyCube uploads information about dispenser levels and washroom usage to the internet via sensors placed in dispensers and on doors. This data can be accessed remotely by cleaners and facility managers using a smart phone or tablet.

Plan in advance “The system enables cleaning staff to know ahead of time which supplies to bring on their trolleys so that they can restock dispensers while taking the minimum number of trips,” she said. “This type of needs-based cleaning allows us to keep dispensers replenished around 99 per cent of the time.”

The company has also recently introduced a high-capacity hand towel system to address the issue of queuing for hand drying. Towels inside the Tork PeakServe Continuous system are compressed to allow the dispenser to hold 2,100 towels – more than twice as many as in other system according to Remijnse.

The most common complaints from customers relate to problems that render away-from-home washrooms unhygienic and unusable according to Jangro’s operations director Joanne Gilliard.

“These include blocked toilets, a lack of available toilet tissue and soap dispensers that are either empty or broken,” she said. “And it is often the case that one problem exacerbates another. For example a blocked toilet will not only be unfit for purpose, it will also cause bad smells because flushing is not possible. And if a hand towel dispenser is empty, water will drip on to the floor and those wet floors will harbour germs while also creating a risk of accidents.”

She agrees with Remijnse that running out of toilet paper is the worst-case washroom scenario. “These days there is no excuse for such an occurrence due to the huge choice of excellent toilet tissue dispensers available,” she said. “These often hold several rolls or tissue packs Continued page 42

February/March 2018| ECJ | 41

WASHROOM HYGIENE Washrooms - what’s worst? (continued) at a time which decreases the number of refills required and minimises the risk of dispensers running empty.”

A second bugbear among users is encountering a soap dispenser that is either broken or empty, says Gilliard. “One of the main jobs of a washroom is to ensure that everyone leaves the room with hygienic, clean hands,” she points out.

Personal preference Jangro offers a range of dispensing units that are claimed to be accessible and easy to use for everyone. These include the Jangronauts range which is aimed at children and designed for use in schools, nurseries, restaurants, hotels and shopping centres.

“Everyone has a personal washroom dispenser preference but facilities often opt for one standard model throughout,” said Gilliard. “Offering options such as manual and touch-free dispensers plus a range of soaps can help to boost hand hygiene compliance among all users.”

She claims that people’s expectations of washroom standards today are higher than ever. “Social media has played a part and there is generally a far greater awareness of health, hygiene and infection prevention,” she said.

Dirty, unhygienic facilities are among the pet hates of CWS-boco’s customers according to senior PR Madeleine-Lisette Pilpin. This emerged from research commissioned in 2017 in which the company polled the views of more than 1,000 people in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands.

“Cleanliness was considered to be important or very important for 97 per cent of those surveyed, while 59 per cent of respondents claimed to consistently avoid public toilets,” she said. “And 73 per cent of people said they would be willing to pay for a truly hygienic toilet.”

The toilet seat is a particular concern for users, said Pilpin. “Only a quarter of respondents said they had no problem with sitting down on a public toilet seat, whereas 36 per cent said they never sit down,” she said. “And more than twothirds of people claimed they wanted the option of disinfecting the toilet seat in the washrooms they visit.”

Like other manufacturers, Metsä Tissue has commissioned its own surveys into washroom visitors’ opinions says managing director Mark Dewick. The most recent study was carried out in 2015 and polled 3,500 people in Germany, Denmark, Great Britain, Finland, Norway, Poland and Sweden.

“We discovered that people were wary

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 42

of warm air dryers and of picking up infections from the toilet seat, soap pump and taps,” he said. “And the elements they appreciated most were a clean toilet, a fresh supply of soft paper and a pleasantsmelling soap.

“From the study it is fair to say having no paper or soap along with messy floors represented a worst case scenario for customers. The message that emerged from our research was that people wanted washrooms that had been cared for, cleaned and well stocked.”

Supply inconvenience A break in the toilet paper supply is an obvious inconvenience for everyone, according to Dewick. “Second to this is the perception that the toilet paper is not hygienic because it has been in contact with the floor or touched by others, maybe because of the way it is dispensed,” he said. “This is why a self-presenting toilet roll where the paper is kept hygienically inside the device helps to ensure that the

paper is fresh and clean.”

Like Essity’s Renee Remijnse he says queues for warm air dryers are another pet washroom hate. “This can be easily avoided by supplying paper towels that people can grab and move away to dry their hands on if necessary,” he said. Metsä offers a range of Katrin hand towel dispensers.

Unlike other manufacturers, Dewick feels there has been little change in the public’s attitudes towards washrooms.

“I don’t think people’s expectations are higher than they used to be - I think they have always been high,” he said. “People expect the hygiene standards in public facility washrooms to be the same - or better - than at home.

“However the advent of social media means that news stories both good and bad have become more prevalent and news travels further - and faster - today.

So it has never been more important for organisations to deliver high quality washrooms in order to protect their brand.”

WASHROOM HYGIENE Grubby washrooms, bad smells and discarded towels on the floor are some of the biggest gripes of Vectair’s customers according to head of marketing Louise Goldsmith.

“A new study by Hotels.com reveals that people want cleanliness above all in their hotel experience, valuing it 35 times higher even than free internet,” she said.

“However cleanliness is as much about the perception of overall freshness as about the facility actually being clean.”

Small changes can alter a customer’s perception of a washroom, she said. “For example, a simple change to using a hand dryer instead of paper towels can reduce the “messy” look of discarded towels on the floors while automatic air fresheners keep the environment smelling fresh without much extra effort.”

Vectair’s products include V-Air SOLID air fresheners and VIBE programmable large space fragrance dispensers.

“The fact there are several types of automated washroom systems that can be set to last 30 days or more means there is no real excuse for bad-smelling washrooms or soap dispensers with no soap,” Goldsmith added.

Lavabos sales, files d’attente aux sèche-mains, mauvaises odeurs, distributeurs de papier hygiénique vides - ces situations fâchent les utilisateurs. Nous interrogeons les fournisseurs sur les meilleurs moyens de les prévenir.

Toilettenpapierspender – wir befragen die Bereitsteller von Waschräumen, was die Endbenutzer am meisten ärgert – und wir erfahren, welche Schritte sie unternehmen können, um dies anzugehen.

Schmutzige Spülbecken, Schlangen vor den Händetrocknern, unangenehme Gerüche, leere

Continuous challenge She believes it is a constant challenge to keep washrooms fresh, clean and hygienic at all times. “You are relying on members of the public to take responsibility for their actions and to have a level of respect for their surroundings,” she said.

“This is the biggest challenge – you can’t manage people.

“But you can try to offer solutions that

make their experience easier and encourage them to use the facilities in the best possible way.”

She believes the future of managing visitor complaints lies in the increasing use of smart technology.

“A smart washroom will feature the deployment of wifi, sensor technology and clever algorithms to enable soap dispensers and air fresheners to count how many people have visited the washroom and calculate when refills will be required,” s he said.

“This is the future, without a shadow of a doubt. The challenge lies in whether a high-tech product can be manufactured at a price that the user is prepared to pay, given that the washroom is in an area where companies will cut back expenditure when times are hard.” quali sono le cose inaccettabili che irritano gli utenti finali e scopriamo quali sono le misure che si possono prendere per affrontare questo problema

Lavandini sporchi, code per usare gli asciugamani, cattivi odori, dispenser di carta igienica vuoti – chiediamo ai fornitori di prodotti per le sale da toilette

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 43

PRODUCTS: WASHROOM HYGIENE

• Nouveauté proposée par Prochem Europe, le système CR2 de nettoyage multi-surface sans contact répond aux besoins de toilettes et d’autres surfaces humides.

• Jangro a étendu sa gamme Jangronautes en introduisant des distributeurs de savon sous « prêt gratuit » afin d’encourager l’hygiène des mains parmi les enfants.

• Destiné à réduire les files d’attente devant les toilettes et à alléger la tâche des nettoyeurs, Essity propose la serviette continue Tork PearkServe pour le séchage des mains.

• Les bâtons de décrassage Pumie et Flexi-Scour de la société US Pumice se dispensent de tout produit chimique agressif.

• Satin Ellipse est la gamme supérieure des distributeurs de toilette qu’a lancée Kennedy Hygiene Products.

• JVD a mis au point un séchoir à hauteur réglable et témoin lumineux qui s’utilise dans la zone de séchage de piscines.

• Signé Unicorn Hygienics, le Saniliner est un nouveau sac poubelle enduit d’un agent antimicrobien.

• Neu von Prochem Europe ist das berührungslose Reinigungssystem CR2 Multi-Surface für Waschräume und andere Nassbereiche.

• Jangro hat die Produktreihe Jangronauts mit der Einführung der kostenlos verliehenen Seifenspender erweitert, mit dem die Handhygiene unter Kindern gefördert werden soll.

• Das Tork PeakServe Continuous Hand Towel von Essity wurde konzipiert, um Warteschlangen in Waschräumen zu reduzieren und die vom Reinigungspersonal benötigte Zeit zu verkürzen.

• Die Bimssteinprodukte Pumie Scouring Sticks und Flexi-Scour von US Pumice machen scharfe Chemikalien überflüssig.

• Satin Ellipse ist die Premium-Produktfamilie mit Waschraumspendern, die von Kennedy Hygiene Products vorgestellt wird.

• JVD hat einen Haartrockner zur Verwendung in öffentlichen Schwimmbädern entwickelt, der eine beleuchtete Trockenzone und einstellbare Höhe bietet.

• Bei Saniliner von Unicorn Hygienics handelt es sich um einen neuen Hygienebehälterbeutel mit einem antimikrobiellen Wirkstoff.

• La novità della Prochem Europe è il sistema di pulizia no-touch CR2 MultiSurface per bagni e altre superfici umide.

• La Jangro ha ampliato la sua gamma Jangronauts con l’aggiunta di dispenser di sapone a titolo di prestito gratuito per incoraggiare l’igiene delle mani fra i bambini.

• Il prodotto Tork PeakServe Continuous Hand Towel della Essity è progettato per ridurre le code nelle sale da toilette e per far risparmiare tempo agli addetti alle pulizie.

• I prodotti Pumie Scouring Sticks e Flexi-Scour della US Pumice non necessitano di prodotti chimici aggressivi.

• Satin Ellipse è un dipenser per sale da toilette di prima qualità lanciato dalla Kennedy Hygiene Products • La JVD ha sviluppato un asciugamani adatto per l’uso nelle piscine pubbliche dotato di una luce nella parte asciugante ed ha un’altezza regolabile.

• Saniliner della Unicorn Hygienics è un nuovo sacchetto per rifiuti igienici che contiene un agente antimicrobico.

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 44

Clean washroom New from Prochem Europe is a no-touch cleaning technology for washrooms and other wet areas that can also be used on carpet and upholstery. The CR2 Multi-Surface it says, eliminates the need for mops and brushes and combines a high pressure cleaner with a vacuum system.

The machine works by breaking down loose dirt and grime from porous surfaces and hardto-reach areas so they can be effectively removed using the squeegee and vacuum system.

It can be used to clean toilets, urinals and floors without the operator coming into contact with contamination. And there’s no need for chemical mixing as the solutions container fits to the machine case for automatic dosing. www.prochem-uk.com

Free on loan

hand hygiene facilities. The new Tork PeakServe Continuous Hand Towel from Essity is designed to prevent supplies from running out even in the busiest of washrooms. The towels are supplied compressed to make them 50 per cent more compact than other hand towels.

Tork PeakServe towels are delivered in a continuous action from the top which means the unit will never jam and each towel is delivered in three seconds. Aimed at high-traffic sites such as conference venues, stadiums, concert halls, busy healthcare facilities and transport hubs, the units cater for up to 600 more washroom visitors between refills than other hand towel dispensers says the manufacturer. www.tork.co.uk

Pumice cleans Jangro has enhanced its Jangronauts range with the introduction of new free on-loan soap dispensers to encourage and promote good hand hygiene amongst children. Its website has also been upgraded with a number of new free downloadable resources including puzzles, stories, posters, hand washing certificates, colouring sheets, games and stickers.

There is also a free teachers’ pack available to download which offers hand washing ideas while an educational video has also been produced.

Two different soap dispensing systems are available to loan at no cost when soap cartridges are purchased. www.jangronauts.co.uk

Smooth running Two of the most complainedabout problems in public washrooms relate to toilet paper run-outs and a lack of available

Pumie scouring sticks and Flexi-Scour from US Pumice are designed for removing stains, hard water deposits, scale and build-up in washrooms. They can be used with cleaning agents or water and are claimed to be environmentally neutral.

For hard-to-reach areas there is Flexi-Scour, while Pumie Toilet Bowl Ring Remover has a handle to reduce operator contact with cleaning agents. www.uspumice.com

Premium line New from Kennedy Hygiene Products is the premium Satin Ellipse line of washroom dispensers. This satin chrome range is suitable for luxury

washrooms and encompasses hand washing, hand drying, toilet tissue, air freshening, sanitising and feminine hygiene units.

The satin chrome gives the dispensers a stainless steel appearance while the durable lacquer finish eliminates visible fingerprints during use for simpler cleaning. www.kennedy-hygiene.co.uk

Hair dryer New from JVD is a hair dryer for use at swimming pools, featuring 180° rotation and a noise level of 70 dBA. It is protected against the chlorinated atmosphere and equipped with an induction motor.

The casing is protected against vandalism and the unit is said to be easy to use thanks to lighting on the drying zone and adjustable height. Three colours are available. www.jvd.fr

Bin liners Unicorn Hygienics says its new Saniliner antimicrobial sanitary bin liner helps to improve the ease of removing sanitary waste from washrooms. It incorporates an active antimicrobial agent that eliminates up to 99 per cent of bacteria and germs.

The agent inhibits bacteria in 25 minutes while diffusing a fresh lemon scent to remove unwanted odours. www.unicorn-hygienics.com

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PRODUCTS: WASHROOM HYGIENE

• Grâce au produit S3500 de la société Hygolet, l’utilisateur de toilettes peut étendre une pellicule de plastique ultra-mince sur le siège d’un sanitaire.

• Packing 90 est un spécialiste des distributeurs de sacs en plastique pour toilettes.

• Le système Solupak est une gamme de nettoyants et désinfectants chimiques, conditionnée dans des sachets dosés à l’avance et solubles dans l’eau.

For seats The Hygolet S3500 is the latest hygienic toilet seat innovation from the company - it dispenses a fresh sheet of hygienic, skin-friendly, microthin plastic film for every washroom user to sit on.

Designed with both the washroom user and facilities team

• Der S3500 von Hygolet spendet eine neue, hygienische mikrodünne Plastikfolie, die Waschraumbenutzer auf Toilettensitze legen können.

• Packing 90 ist auf Hygienebeutelspender für Waschräume spezialisiert.

• Beim Solupak-System handelt es sich um eine Produktfamilie mit chemischen Reinigungsmitteln und Desinfektionsmitteln in vordosierten wasserlöslichen Portionsbeuteln.

• Il prodotto S3500 della Hygolet eroga ad ogni uso da parte degli utenti delle sale da toilette, un copri-seduta per wc in plastica igienica ultrasottile.

• La Packing 90 è specializzata in dispenser di sacchetti igienici per sale da toilette.

• Il sistema Solupak è una linea di detergenti e disinfettanti chimici confezionati in buste predosate e idrosolubili.

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 46

in mind, the sensor-activated system also provides visual proof that the hygienic plastic is replaced upon activation. A screen shows the fill-level of the compact and quick-to-replace roll of hygienic film as well as the battery level.

Users can choose between a battery-powered system or

transformer connected to the mains. Thanks to its flexible mounting system the system can be installed on almost all toilets. www.hygolet.com

Pre-dosed

Bags dispensers Packing 90 is best known for its Hygiene Bag sanitary bags dispenser for use in ladies’ washrooms. It also offers the tissue dispensers Cosmetic Box and Cosmetic Cube, which are made of plastic and available in white, chrome, satin, gilt, black and other colours. All of them can be customised with a logo. www.packing90.it

Solupak cleaners and sanitisers have been designed for daily cleaning where storage space is limited and where handling of neat chemicals is to be avoided.

The eco-friendly chemicals come in pre-dosed watersoluble sachets (PVOH), which cuts down on bulk storage and ensures there is no skin contact with concentrated chemicals.

The sachets come with pictorial guidance - one sachet per bottle, machine or bucket, and the products are colour-coded.

There is zero waste, all packaging is recyclable and the products dissolve in water. www.solupak.com

PRODUCTS: WASHROOM HYGIENE

Seal and conceal JaniWrap is a new solution for sealing and concealing blocked or malfunctioning toilets in high traffic venues. Designed to be very simple to use these self-adhesive polythene sheets can be applied to the toilet or urinal to clearly show that it is ‘out of service’ and being attended to.

Supplied in a storage tube, each JaniWrap kit contains 30 applications. It can be stored on cleaning trolleys to make it available for quick application. www.cs4uk.com/janiwrap

Untouchable The Untouchable is a multifunctional no-touch tap offering water, soap and disinfectant in one unit. Developed by Ophardt

is designed for use in many different applications.

The interface is based on the concept of: select above, receive below. By swiping above the tap the user cycles through its available liquids - when the appropriate liquid has been selected they place their hands under the tap to start dispensing.

The automatic hygiene flush prevents the build-up of bacteria from standing water, touchless operation prevents crosscontamination, and the stainless steel AISI 316 body wards off bacteria and corrosion.

The Untouchable can be wallmounted or countertop and

customised in any of the 213 RAL colours. www.ophardt.com

Mechanical San Jamar has added new models to its roll tower dispenser line, Summit and Classic Simplicity Essence. Features include a low pull force which offers

hands-free dispensing of most types of roll towel.

Simplicity Essence models also feature state-of-the-art cutting blades that last twice as long as other mechanical hands-free models, claims the company. No batteries are needed, for easy operation and maintenance. www.sanjamar.com

• JaniWrap est un dispositif pour la condamnation de sanitaires bouchés ou non en état de fonctionnement.

• Le robinet compact et sans contact The Untouchable dispense de l’eau, du savon et du désinfectant à partir d’un appareil unique.

• Sous les appellations Summit et Classic Simplicity Essence, Sam Jamar a réalisé de nouvelles versions de ses distributeurs de serviette roulées.

• Bei JaniWrap handelt es sich um eine Lösung zum Verschließen und Kaschieren verstopfter oder ausgefallener Toiletten.

• Untouchable ist ein kompakter, berührungsloser Hahn, der Wasser, Seife und Desinfektionsmittel in einer Einheit bietet.

• San Jamar hat neue Modelle für die Produktfamilien mit PapierhandtuchRollenspendern Summit und Classic Simplicity Essence entwickelt.

• JaniWrap è una sistema per sigillare e coprire le toilette bloccate o malfunzionanti.

• Untouchable è un rubinetto compatto senza impulsi manuali che eroga acqua, sapone e disinfettante in un’unica unità.

• La San Jamar ha svilppato nuovi modelli per le sue linee di dispenser di rotoli di carta, Summit e Classic Simplicity Essence.

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 47

WASHROOM HYGIENE

Save more than water In an average office-based business 65 per cent of water use occurs in the washroom.

The advantages of foam soap are endorsed by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) in the UK, which estimates water savings of up to 50 per cent can be made. Deb Group takes a closer look.

It’s easy to take the water you use for granted. However demand for natural resources is reaching unprecedented levels.

Sustainability and environmental awareness are at the top of the agenda.

Scarcity of water is of global concern.

Saving diminishing resources is a responsible strategy for every commercial organisation. It is also a strategy that can make sound economic sense.

Hand hygiene should be a key part of any company’s environmental audit. Making the change from liquid soap to a foam alternative for hand washing can deliver significant savings in water consumption.

It might appear a simple change, but once implemented it can be the catalyst for significant environmental benefits. It can also potentially impact on your bottom line.

In an average office-based business without a canteen 65 per cent of water use occurs in the washroom. Independent industry studies have revealed people who wash their hands with foaming hand soap use 16 per cent less water to lather and rinse than those using a liquid soap counterpart. If you also educate your employees in the right handwashing technique of - dispense, lather, tap on, rinse - water consumption can be reduced by up to 45 Dans une entreprise moyenne du secteur tertiaire, 65 pour cent de la consommation d’eau a lieu dans les toilettes. Au Royaume-Uni, le programme WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) estime qu’il est possible de réduire cette consommation de près de 50 pour cent en utilisant du savon mousse. Deb Group examine la question de plus près.

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 48

per cent. The efficiency of this method is clear - when the only water involved is used to rinse the soap away.

The advantages of foam soap are endorsed by the UK Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), which estimates water savings can be achieved of up to 50 per cent. For every 100 people employed, this can equate to an annual water reduction of up to 56,000 litres. As hand washing typically involves the choice of warm water, savings can also be achieved in energy use and CO2 emissions.

The consistency of foam soap delivers a range of benefits. Each hand wash requires 36 per cent less product on average. Foam soap is eight times more spreadable than lotion soap. It also spreads more rapidly which, when combined with the feel of the product, delivers a satisfying experience.

The bubbles of air forced into the product provide its softness and natural lathering, requiring less effort from the user. Less soap is used per wash, therefore less soap ends up in the environment. Also, because chemicals are not needed to thicken it, foaming soap biodegrades more easily.

The financial benefits are equally satisfying. If your current liquid soap order comprises three cases (six litres of product per case); how many individual hand washes might you expect before you need to order again? The total is an initially impressive18,000.

Order just two cases of foam soap instead and your employees will enjoy a total of 17,148 hand washes. For one third less product ordered, you will achieve almost the same total. With each hand wash requiring less soap, the same amount lasts longer, and at less cost.

The environmental impact reveals more than just numbers. If you order one less In einem durchschnittlichen bürobasierten Unternehmen entfallen 65 Prozent des Wasserverbrauchs auf den Waschraum. Die Vorteile der Schaumseife werden in Großbritannien von der eingetragenen Wohlfahrtsorganisation WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) unterstützt, nach deren Schätzungen Wassereinsparungen bis zu 50 Prozent möglich sind. Deb Group wirft einen näheren Blick darauf.

box this equates to six less cartridges - six less labels and six litres of chemicals less.

It means a reduction in the diesel being used – and emissions produced – in transportation. Manufacturers need to make less soap per unit they sell. As for the distributor, there is less space taken up in warehousing.

Using a foam hand wash translates to approximately one-third more washes in the same amount of packaging - meaning the cartridge has to be replaced less often, which ultimately saves time and money. In contrast to bulk systems there are many sealed cartridge dispensers that are particularly robust and some manufacturers offer a guarantee for life.

Foaming soap dispensers release less soap than regular liquid soap dispensers. But does using less soap equate to less efficacy? Research shows there is no significant difference in the cleaning ability between 0.7ml of foam soap as compared to 1.1ml of lotion soap.

A range of foam formulations also carry the EU Ecolabel Certificate. This is good to know in terms of reduced environmental impact, but also underlines their continued efficiency and comfort in use.

In a world where water restrictions are becoming commonplace, every business is feeling the pressure to respond responsibly. Switching to the use of foam soap is one key step you can take immediately. One where significant financial and environmental savings can also be achieved simultaneously.

Reductions in the use of soap and water for hand hygiene mirror the reduction of emissions in transportation; packaging for distribution and the chemicals involved in manufacture. For any commercial organisation this is a clean ethical choice.

In una attività di media dimensione, basata sul lavoro in ufficio, il 65 per cento del consumo di acqua avviene nelle sale da toilette. I vantaggi del sapone in schiuma sono avallati nel Regno Unito dal programma sugli sprechi Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) che ritiene che si possano ottenere risparmi fino al 50 per cento. Il Deb Group prende in esame questi dati.

WASHROOM HYGIENE

Gender neutral on the rise Paul Thorn of unisex toilet facilities specialist Washware Essentials offers advice on cleaning of gender neutral washroms to service providers.

Gender neutral washrooms are becoming increasingly common throughout Europe, with many schools, universities, restaurants, workplaces and public buildings now adopting unisex facilities.

While this trend may seem controversial to some, it comes as a welcome move for progressive communities that appreciate the need for transgender people to feel comfortable when using the bathroom.

Furthermore, gender neutral facilities remove the social stigma of parents helping children of the opposite sex when using toilets, as well as disabled people and carers of the opposite gender.

While the pros and cons of unisex toilets have been discussed at great length, most notably in the aftermath of President Trump’s decision to revoke guidelines allowing transgender children to use school toilets matching their identity, the general move towards inclusivity has thrown up interesting conversations amongst the professional cleaning community.

Owing to the fact they don’t usually have urinals, gender neutral washrooms tend to be larger than gender-segregated amenities, with several individual cubicles naturally requiring more space. If urinals are present, they’re often partitioned away from the rest of the room, ensuring an element of privacy but also increasing the floor space.

Unisex toilets also tend to have more individual sinks, longer counters, more soap dispensers and they’re likely to have larger mirrors. They will usually be busier, Les toilettes universelles deviennent toujours plus courantes à travers l’Europe. Leur nettoyage présente quelques problèmes particuliers. De plus, certains agents de nettoyage ne se sentent pas à l’aise en y intervenant.

Paul Thorn, de la société Washware Essentiels, signe un article sur cette question.

seeing as more people will be expected to pass through. Thus ultimately, gender neutral toilets take longer to clean than staff may otherwise be used to.

As such it’s essential facility managers take this into account, ensuring contractors are given sufficient time to carry out their duties. Failing to adjust cleaning schedules accordingly can put staff under undue pressure, potentially leading to corners being cut.

A common objection to unisex toilets is the idea that men are dirtier than women, so the fairer of the species may be unfairly inflicted upon if they’re forced to share facilities. However in reality, both sexes expect high standards of cleanliness.

In fact some would say women’s toilets are often messier. When questioned on the gender divide Roderick Mason, owner of a washroom supplier in America, told the Chicago Tribune: “Shredded toilet paper on the floor is something you only see in women’s rooms. It’s just all over the floor in every bathroom.”

Interestingly, Mason went on to make the point gender neutral bathrooms may actually lead to cleaner facilities in the long run: “I would suspect there would be more consideration for the other sex.

You’re always going to have slobs who don’t care, but I would think some people would change their behaviour.”

The jury remains out on that one for the time being, but there’s certainly nothing to suggest a move to unisex toilets would see anyone suddenly encounter worse conditions than they currently do.

Sophie Rice recently wrote an excellent guide to creating a superior washroom experience, offering expert advice on hygiene, but I’d like to also advocate the colour-coding technique that can come in handy for gender neutral washrooms.

As mentioned above, unisex washrooms tend to be larger, which can lead to time pressures for cleaning staff, but by using colour-coded cloths, there’s a reduced risk of cross-contamination when in a hurry.

Essentially the idea is to use different coloured cloths for different amenities. For example blue for toilets, green for mirrors, yellow for sinks and counters, etc. This ensures you don’t spread germs from one area to another and a strict approach will maintain a high level of hygiene, even if you’re cleaning against the clock.

While no official studies have been released on the impact of gender neutral bathrooms on cleaning standards, anecdotally I’ve heard a small portion of cleaning staff feeling uncomfortable about the issue. Thus, it’s important to provide reassurance there’s no need to worry about entering gender neutral bathrooms; bringing down the barriers and embracing inclusivity should promote togetherness, not awkwardness.

Indeed gender neutral bathrooms pave the way for removing the etiquette dilemma that exists when male cleaners enter female washrooms, and vice versa. In such instances it’s considered good practice to put a sign up notifying patrons that a cleaner of the opposite sex is in attendance. For unisex facilities a sign denoting the sex of the cleaner will become less of a necessity, as people will expect to cross paths with anyone and everyone.

Gender neutral toilets are already common across Asia and Africa, and the West is slowly catching up. Rather than presenting any problems, it should be business as usual for the cleaning community, but you may want to bear in mind these unspoken rules of toilet etiquette for unisex bathrooms. www.washwareessentials.co.uk

Geschlechtsneutrale Waschräume sind in ganz Europa immer häufiger zu finden. Ihre Reinigung präsentiert besondere Herausforderungen, und manchen Reinigungskräften ist es möglicherweise auch etwas unangenehm. Paul Thorn von Washware Essentials schreibt für das ECJ.

Le sale da toilette senza distinzione di genere stanno diventando sempre più comuni in tutta Europa. La lora pulizia presenta delle sfide particolari e inoltre alcuni degli addetti alle pulizie posso sentirsi a disagio all’idea. Paul Thorn della Washware Essentials scrive per ECJ.

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 49

BUSINESS: WOMEN’S RIGHTS

Equality: the time to act is now

Britain is celebrating 100 years since women first won the right to vote in parliamentary elections. The milestone moment may not have marked the end of their struggle for a voice in state affairs but it did prove pivotal in paving the way for the eventual inclusion of women across all spheres of political life, writes Hartley Milner.

The world of work is proving every bit as tough a nut to crack for women’s rights activists campaigning in the spirit of the suffrage movement today.

Unhelpful stereotypes that continue to define the role of women in society follow them into employment and stalk them throughout their careers. Women must graft harder for recognition than their male colleagues and are less likely to be promoted or earn as much for doing the same work. Men are paid more than twice as much in some industries and huge pay

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 50

inequities have been exposed in recent months in iconic UK institutions such as the BBC and NHS. New figures show that the gender pay gap grew faster in Britain last year than in any other of the 28 EU member states and is now the fifth largest after Estonia, the Czech Republic, Germany and Austria.

So it comes as no surprise that UK women’s groups have been quick to seize upon the suffrage centenary as an opportunity to speed up the momentum for decisive change.

“One of the most powerful things about the centenary is that it reminds us all of our power to change and challenge injustice,” said Jemima Olchawski, head of policy and insight at the Fawcett Society.

“By standing together, the women’s movement changed the course of history.

We’ve come a long way in the last 100 years but there is still plenty to do – women still dominate the lowest paid

roles, earn on average 14 per cent less than men when they work full time and are more likely to work in jobs below their skill level. And high levels of sexual harassment and violence remain commonplace. The centenary is an opportunity to galvanise the majority of people who support gender equality and want to see change now.

“Traditional gender roles are still very powerful in the workplace. Our labour market is highly segregated, with women making up the majority of those in the lowest paid caring roles whilst men dominate in higher paid roles such as the skilled trades. Men hold the majority of the most senior and powerful roles – there are only five female chief executives in the FTSE 100. It’s often suggested that women need to be bolder in putting themselves forward more or asking for pay rises, but the evidence shows that women who ask for a rise are more likely to have their request turned down and to

BUSINESS: WOMEN’S RIGHTS be judged negatively for asking.

“These inequalities are harmful to women but also represent a massive missed opportunity. If we don’t properly value the work that women do or the skills they bring, we’ll never solve our productivity crisis or meet the UK’s skills needs.”

One report estimates that improving equality in the workforce could add an extra €169 billion to the UK economy.

Meanwhile, employers are increasingly seeing an opportunity to improve their bottom line. The Fawcett Society is working with organisations to help them understand the cause and nature of gender imbalance and implement solutions that will end income inequality.

And employers have a powerful incentive to act. New legislation requires organisations that employ more than 250 people to publish their gender pay gaps by April 4 or risk unlimited fines and convictions. Olchawski believes this is already focusing employers and motivating them to take action.

“From now on, we’ll all be able to see which organisations are driving change and which are falling behind,” Olchawski said. “But knowing about the gap isn’t enough to close it. We’re urging employers to use the opportunity to delve a bit deeper into the figures and to develop a meaningful action plan with ambitious targets.”

One piece of good news is that figures for 2017 from the Office for National Statistics show female employment in the UK at its highest level since records began 40 years ago. Between September and November, 70.8 per cent of women aged 16 to 64 were in work, up from 69.8 per cent a year earlier and compared to just over 53 per cent in employment in 1971 – a rise of 17.8 per cent.

Ending pay inequality More women, too, are in management positions across all employment sectors and now comprise 34 per cent of senior officials and managers against 25.5 per cent in 2016. Some headway has also been made towards ending pay inequality.

For women working full time, the average weekly wage stood at €14.90 per hour in

Les stéréotypes négatifs qui entourent encore le rôle des femmes au sein de la société ne les quittent pas quand elles entrent sur le marché du travail, car les femmes ont, à tâches égales, moins de chances de promotion et de gain que les hommes. Hartley Milner écrit pour ECJ.

2017… 9.1 per cent less than the hourly rate of €16.50 earned by men in full-time work. The gender wage gap is now at the lowest since records began in 1997 when it was a whopping 17.4 per cent.

However, campaigners point out that progress has stalled in recent years and the disparity in earnings today is just 0.4 per cent less than in 2012 when women earned 9.5 per cent less than men.

The Young Women’s Trust is calling for 2018 to be a year of action on gender inequality in the UK. Chief executive Dr Carole Easton said: “2017 was the year that women’s voices started to get more of a hearing…2018 must be the year that people listen and act. One hundred years on from gaining the right to vote, women at work still face huge inequalities. They are more likely than men to be on low pay, in insecure jobs and to face sexual harassment.

Discrimination, high childcare costs and gender stereotypes shut many women out of the workplace altogether.

Slow progress “Progress is proving slow; at this rate, today’s young women will retire before equality in the workplace becomes a reality. We need urgent action to improve young women’s prospects and give them hope for the future. This means giving them the right skills and support to find jobs, ensuring decent and flexible jobs are available, making childcare accessible and affordable and changing the law to ensure under-25s are entitled to the same national living wage as everyone else. This would benefit businesses and the economy too. Without action, today’s young women face a lifetime of inequality.”

The charity recently released the findings of research it commissioned in which 4,000 young people were asked to list in order of importance eight key actions for promoting gender equality in the UK. In the survey, 89 per cent of men and 94 per cent of women said judging women on their ability, not their appearance, was important. Next came employers and the media needing to do more to treat men and women more equally. Young females consistently gave each action a higher

Die Rolle der Frau in der Gesellschaft wird weiterhin mit nutzlosen Stereotypen definiert und diese folgen ihr auch immer noch an den Arbeitsplatz, wo Frauen weniger Aussicht auf eine Beförderung haben und für die gleiche Arbeit weniger verdienen als Männer.

Hartley Milner schreibt für das ECJ.

rating than young males and, in particular, thought more women role models in the workplace, getting women into maledominated industries and closing the gender pay gap were important.

Despite having firm ideas about how to achieve gender equality, young people were not hopeful it would happen soon. More thought scientists will have discovered life on another planet by the time they are 40 than that there will be as many women as male MPs or business leaders, or that gender discrimination in the UK will be a thing of the past.

Eliminate discrimination Britain made zero progress in tackling inequality between the sexes over the past decade and now lags behind Sweden, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands and France in the EU’s latest gender equality league table (GEI). The top performing country is Sweden with a score of 82.6 out of 100, with 100 signifying complete gender equality. The most improved country is Italy, which made a big leap forward and gained 12.9 points to place itself on rung 14 of the ladder. Greece moved to the bottom with 50 points.

On the face of it, Britain’s score of 71.5 points compares favourably with the EU average of 66.2. However, the EU’s rating is just four points higher than 10 years ago and women’s rights campaigners say it only serves to highlight the woeful progress made since gender equality was enshrined as one of the European Union’s founding values. It goes back to 1957 when the principle of equal pay for equal work became part of the Treaty of Rome. The World Economic Forum suggests that, globally, the gender gap would take 100 years to close at the current rate of progress…provoking a defiant response from the European Women’s Lobby (EWL).

“Women are not willing to wait 100 years for equality,” says EWL secretary general Joanna Maycock. “It is high time for the EU to act decisively to accelerate the pace of change, to show that we are serious about the rights of all citizens. The EWL will continue to use its collective voice to resist, collaborate and demand equality for every last woman.”

Gli inutili stereotipi che definiscono il ruolo delle donne nella società le seguono anche nell’ambito lavorativo nel quale le donne hanno meno probabilità di fare carriera o di guadagnare tanto quanto gli uomini pur svolgendo lo stesso lavoro. Hartley Milner scrive per ECJ.

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 51

ONLINE PLATFORMS

Disruptive business models Housekeep is an online platform which is currently disrupting the home cleaning service market in London. ECJ editor Michelle Marshall speaks to its founder and ceo Avin Rhabheru about his business model, and his plans to enter the commercial cleaning market this year.

Founded three-and-a-half years ago Housekeep is a platform that takes the process of booking domestic cleaning services online. Currently serving the London area it is disrupting the home cleaning services market and its founder Avin Rhabheru has ambitious plans for its growth.

Rhabheru was a venture capitalist and angel investor when he decided to seek opportunities to start his own company.

He had solid experience in scaling businesses and through his connections from that time he has secured the backing of top investors who also offer him the full spectrum of their expertise. “What they liked about our business model,” explains Rhabheru, “was that this is a very big potential market, it’s very fragmented, and we are offering a subscription service.

Our investors are backing the size of the opportunity and the team that can make it work.”

Having raised over €1 million from top venture capitalists and angels Rhabheru and his team scaled the business rapidly to over 10,000 subscription clients and more than 1,000 cleaners. Monthly growth has been 10 per cent since the company was founded and Housekeep is

now profitable, turning over more than €11 million. As a business operating online it relies on customer reviews and it has over 70,000 five-star, with a 70 per cent Net Promoter score. It is already the largest provider of house cleaning services in the UK, with just 0.5 per cent market share.

So how does the business work? Eighty per cent of Housekeep’s revenue comes from clients who have a weekly clean.

“One-off cleans are not really worth the effort for us,” Rhabheru explains. Customers book cleaners, manage their account and pay online, paying a simple price per hour. They keep the same cleaner for every visit and all cleaners are vetted and background checked. The customer has full control of the cleaning schedule and can send special instructions via the cleaner’s app.

Easy to use Housekeep’s customers love the easyto-use online platform, however what matters most to them is still the quality of clean, trust and reliability says Rhabheru.

“Their feedback has confirmed that very strongly. Ease of booking and payment are further down the list of priorities so we must fulfil all their expectations.”

To do that, the workforce is key and Rhabheru understands how instrumental his cleaners are in building the business.

So he monitors very closely that they are happy in what they do. “We aim to improve the lives of our cleaners when they work with us,” he explains. “They earn more than other domestic cleaners and they benefit from better levels of support.

We seek their feedback on a regular basis and we have found their highest priorities are support from headquarters, respect and flexibility.”

The cleaners also make full use of the online platform. Each selects when they want to work and based on their availability the system creates a schedule of both regular and one-off cleans. The best route for the cleaner to take to that day’s jobs is then generated automatically so the

schedule is as time-efficient as possible.

“Every cleaner works via our app which offers all manner of different data and information,” continues Rhabheru. “They manage their whole day, billing is triggered which each job has been completed and a feedback email is sent to the client.

“Working in this way gives us total transparency, as we can also track the progress of each cleaner. That’s a key benefit for both parties.”

As with all cleaning businesses, one of the key challenges is staff turnover, which is fairly high. “Some housekeepers simply leave, some don’t get high enough ratings. We rely on ratings and the system triggers alerts when cleaners are getting low scores from customers.” There is no official training programme.

Housekeep’s target is to reach a turnover of €113 million through domestic cleaning only, just in London. However Rhabheru is intent on building a much bigger business and he has already decided his next steps. “We will now expand to new cities and we will start to offer commercial cleaning services.”

He continues: “Small business owners, for example, often don’t want to bother having a specification and a contract for cleaning. Our cleaners sometimes have plenty of time between appointments and they could find a batch of jobs close to each other so they can walk between each one. That’s highly possible in London.”

Commercial ambitions There’s also potential to work with contract cleaning companies operating locally he believes. “Some cleaning companies are experiencing challenges we may be able to help with using with our technology. For example we can turn on a postcode and source cleaners fairly quickly. We could work alongside contract cleaners, for example, to provide cleaners to fill in jobs at certain times.

“It’s the same cleaner base, same technology, with local digital marketing. Could Continued page 54

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 53

ONLINE PLATFORMS Disruptive business models (continued) the big companies work with us to make their core business more efficient? So we may have cleaners who do both house and office cleaning…”

As far as its own operation is concerned Housekeep sees small offices, shops, estate agents, etc as key target markets. “We can manage clients with multiple sites, we do have that capability,” Rabheru says. “We can also change billing to weekly/monthly for example – we could also issue invoices rather than insist on online payment.” He adds some office cleaning is already being booked via its existing online platform.

“Potential customers are easy to identify,” concludes Rhabheru. “What we must do is differentiate ourselves based on the quality of clean as well as the online technology benefits we offer.” www.housekeep.com Housekeep est une plateforme en ligne qui a causé des remous dans le marché des services de nettoyage résidentiel à Londres. Michelle Marshall, rédactrice en chef d’ECJ, s’entretient avec son fondateur et directeur général Avin Rhabheru sur le modèle de gestion de cette entreprise et sur son intention d’entrer sur le marché de la propreté commerciale cette année.

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 54

Bei Housekeep handelt es sich um eine OnlinePlattform, die gegenwärtig für Wirbel auf dem Markt für Hausreinigungsdienste in London sorgt.

Die ECJ-Redakteurin Michelle Marshall unterhält sich mit Gründer und CEO Avin Rhabheru über sein Geschäftsmodell und seine Pläne, in den Markt der kommerziellen Reinigungsdienste einzudringen.

Housekeep è una piattaforma online che sta attualmente sconvolgendo il mercato dei servizi di pulizia domestica a Londra. La redattrice di ECJ Michelle Marshall intervista il suo fondatore e direttore generale Avin Rhabheru per sapere del suo modello aziendale e i suoi piani per penetrare il mercato del cleaning commerciale quest’anno.

SUSTAINABILITY

The green gauge Most organisations today claim to be sustainable. So how do the sustainability trailblazers set themselves apart from the rest?

ECJ finds out what aspects of companies’ sustainability policies make them particularly proud.

A sustainable outlook on the part of any organisation used to be the exception rather than the rule. Those companies keen to demonstrate a real concern for the environment would set themselves apart from their rivals by coming up with bold targets for recycling, saving energy and tackling climate change.

But these days nearly every company claims to be sustainable. And the number of different topics that the term “sustainability” encompasses has been growing fast - at the same rate, in fact, as those weighty reports that are increasingly used to highlight an organisation’s “green” credentials.

But buried amongst all this literature, which sustainability achievements make companies particularly proud?

The introduction of a carbon-neutral cleaning system was Facilicom Cleaning Services’ proudest moment.

“C2Zero is the first system of its kind in the European cleaning industry,” claims managing director Jan Hein Hemke. “It enables us to identify those elements of our service that are producing carbon and offset them to ensure that our activities at clients’ sites are carbon neutral.

Work closely together “We then work closely with our supply partners to identify and implement improvements to reduce carbon output.

We introduced this ‘added value’ system across our clients’ sites during 2017 to help them meet their CSR goals.”

Facilicom is also proud of its Employee Assistance Programme, says Hemke. “All

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 56

our colleagues can tap into this service which provides them with confidential 24/7 access to a qualified counsellor,” he said. “This allows staff to seek financial, legal, family and medical advice plus support on any other issue.”

The company’s sustainability policy incorporates the “people, planet, profit” ethos – elements that Hemke claims are all intrinsically linked.

“Our people are our prime asset and we are dedicated to ensuring they are trained effectively and that they fully understand our policies and protocols,” he said. “This enables them to work safely and to respect the environment in which they operate.”

He believes that today’s focus on sustainability will only become stronger in future. “It’s not something you can pick up and put down and if anything, its significance will grow as our impact on the planet become more obvious,” said Hemke. “A few years ago no-one was aware of the issue of microbeads, for example. It is unlikely that this will be the last sustainability issue we need to address - even if we were able to manage all those problems of which we are already aware.”

Essity is particularly proud of its long-term sustainability vision says communications director Renee Remijnse.

“We were among the first global hygiene companies to put together a separate report for our work on sustainability issues,” she said. “We were also an active player in the foundation of the Forest Stewardship Council which is the most well-respected forest certification scheme on the planet today.

“And we are proud of our results regarding climate change, energy, water and fibre-sourcing as well as our strong focus on breaking taboos on topics such as incontinence and menstrual hygiene.

We are also delighted to have been recognised for our strategies by key institutions such as CDP and WWF.” Education in hygiene and health is

also important to Essity. “We educate approximately two million women, children, parents and nursing staff every year in subjects such as menstruation, puberty, skincare, incontinence and hand hygiene,” said Remijnse.

“From our perspective, working sustainably is not an optional activity: it is necessary in order to develop our business and safeguard the wellbeing of coming generations. Customers, consumers and employees – both future and existing – expect big companies to take responsibility for the environment.

And we expect every employee to pursue the most sustainable solution for each specific task.”

Key focus Like Hemke she believes sustainability will continue to remain a key focus for companies. “For Essity sustainable business has always been about the future and we see no reason not to maintain that focus,” she said.

“Sustainable business leadership will come to be defined by how well companies approach topics such as climate resilience, inclusive growth, innovation, human rights and ethics.”

Kärcher believes its own focus on innovative and sustainable products sets it apart from its rivals. “Each new product is assessed according to its environmental impact and how it contributes to our sustainability targets for 2020,” said head of sustainability management Andreas Mayer. “Sustainability is not just a buzzword for Kärcher - it has been a part of our company culture right from the start.”

For the past five years the company has had a clear strategic approach to sustainable management via a range of business processes. “We have set up a Sustainability Excellence programme and we’ve defined 14 sustainability targets for our group,” said Mayer. “I think this differentiates us from other companies but to be honest, sustainability is becoming increasingly standard for

SUSTAINABILITY most organisations.”

He says Kärcher’s customers have come to expect a sustainable approach.

“It is not a question of whether we want to be sustainable, it is more a matter of how we can continuously improve our sustainability performance worldwide,” said Mayer. “From my point of view, sustainability is a clear distinguishing feature and a competitive advantage.

There is also a business case for sustainability: when systematically implemented it can be the driver for innovation such as in our eco!efficiency products or for new business models such as the sharing economy.”

Like other commentators he believes the focus on sustainability will only increase in future. “This may either be through legal requirements or due to customer or public interest,” he said.

Nilfisk is particularly proud of its new CSR strategy according to head of corporate social responsibility Ann-Katrine S Friis. “This was established in 2017 and includes specific focus areas and action plans going forward,” she said. “We are also proud of our Code of Conduct which

has been followed up by a global training system translated into 13 languages.”

She believes the company’s close links between innovation and CSR sets Nilfisk apart from other companies. “For example, we believe that up to 10 per cent of the company’s revenue will come from autonomous solutions within five to seven years,” she said. “Furthermore we estimate that 40 per cent of the total market for professional cleaning can be addressed by the use of robotics.”

Deliver on goals Autonomous cleaning solutions will enable the company to deliver on its CSR goals, according to Friis. “They will help us to come up with sustainable cleaning solutions that have a high focus on health and safety,” she said.

The company’s four key sustainability goals concern society, environment and climate, customer relationships and employers.

“Today’s companies are held accountable for their impact on social and environmental issues such as climate change, human rights, child labour, the

environment and labour standards,” said Friis. “This adds new risks and complexities – but also new opportunities. At Nilfisk we believe these new business opportunities are a major driver of the CSR agenda going forward.”

Metsä Tissue refers to sustainability as “in its genes”. “As a result we are proud to be at the leading edge of innovation in enhancing the sustainable nature of our industry,” says managing director Mark Dewick Metsä Fibre’s new bioproduct mill in Äänekoski, Finland, is said to be the first in its class to operate entirely without the use of fossil fuels and produce no carbon emissions. “To enhance the circular economy, all side streams from the mill’s production are used as materials or for renewable energy,” said Dewick.

This is an achievement of which Metsä is particularly proud, he said. “The mill is leading the industry towards a new era of resource-efficiency through operating with zero fossil fuels,” he said. “It has received wide interest, both nationally and in the EU.” The facility is a significant producer of

Continued page 58

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 57

SUSTAINABILITY The green gauge (continued)

renewable energy according to Dewick.

“It generates 2.4 times the amount it consumes and increases the renewable energy production in Finland by at least two percentage points,” he said.

Dewick agrees with other manufacturers that sustainability is increasingly becoming the norm for reputable companies.

“Certainly for medium to larger companies it would be difficult to operate in today’s business climate without a sustainability policy of some kind,” he said.

Purchasers more aware Jangro’s operations director Joanne Gilliard agrees with this viewpoint. “Endusers are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental impact of the products and services they choose,” she said.

“Purchasers now expect reputable cleaning and janitorial companies to make sustainable choices where possible.

Manufacturers are therefore under growing pressure to balance this preference for eco-friendly products with an ability to meet the needs of consumers.”

She says the Jangro Enviro Concentrates range is a particular source of pride for the company. “These are economical, low-dosage products that are designed to cut down on packaging as well as on chemical impact,” she said. “The idea is to reduce waste throughout the product’s lifecycle by using smaller bottles and combining this with concentrated formulas that last longer.

“We recognise that every cleaning product – from chemical agents to pure water - has some impact on the environment so we look at the whole lifecycle of our products to gauge À une époque où toutes les organisations parlent de durabilité, nous interrogeons des entreprises sur les aspects de leur politique de durabilité dont elles se targuent le plus. À votre avis, quels sont les éléments qui vous distinguent des autres entreprises durables?

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 58

their sustainability.”

Like other commentators she believes the focus on sustainability will continue to grow. “Recycling and ‘smart packaging’ will become increasingly important since these are among the simplest and most effective ways of minimising our impact on the environment while also making sense from a business perspective,” she said. “As awareness grows, so too will the demands on reputable companies to make more sustainable choices.”

Diversey’s sustainability executive director Daniel Daggett believes that new sustainability challenges will emerge and grow over the next few years.

“For example, supply chain disruptions due to natural disasters and climaterelated events will require resilient and efficient systems,” he said. “There will also be growing societal needs for the cleaning industry to help provide safe food, clean water, hygiene, improved working conditions and equality. But these challenges also represent an opportunity for those organisations that can provide solutions.”

Diversey’s approach to sustainability is holistic and covers environmental and social initiatives, says Daggett.

“We have aggressive internal goals for water conservation, energy efficiency, greenhouse gas reductions and waste prevention,” he said. “Our sustainability platform includes many other activities such as responsible chemistry, ethical supply chain and corporate social responsibility.

“Our R&D department also integrates sustainability into the innovation process with a keen focus on customers.

In diesen Tagen, wenn jedes Unternehmen Nachhaltigkeit für sich in Anspruch nimmt, fragen wird Firmen: Auf welche Aspekte ihrer Richtlinien zur Nachhaltigkeit sind Sie am stolzesten? Und was unterscheidet Sie von anderen nachhaltigen Unternehmen?

We’ve studied our direct and indirect environmental footprint and know that our biggest opportunity for improvement lies in developing solutions that help our customers to conserve water, save energy, prevent GHG emissions and eliminate waste.”

According to Daggett clear trends suggest sustainability is becoming increasingly integrated into business strategy. “Smaller companies that once focused only on selling greener products are increasingly adopting sustainable practices within their offices and manufacturing plants,” he said. “Meanwhile larger companies continue to raise the bar with new and transformational initiatives.”

Here to stay Diversey’s new vision - A healthy and safe world where people are free to live their lives - combines the triple bottom line of sustainability with a focus on environment, social, and economic aspects.

Daggett claims to be proud of everything the company has accomplished during the past 12 years in his current role. “We’ve developed new products that have substantially reduced waste and improved efficiency while our internal sustainability programmes have improved operations and lowered our environmental footprints,” he said. “In 2003 Diversey partnered with WWF and joined the Climate Savers programme, committing to an eight per cent reduction in GHG emissions. Our employees were so successful that the final accomplishment was a 48 per cent reduction in emissions by 2013.”

He agrees with other industry leaders sustainability is here to stay.

“Sustainability, by definition, will continue to be important,” he said. “Those organisations that are unable to balance environmental, social, and economic demands will become obsolete.

“But the companies that view sustainability as an opportunity by providing solutions in a constrained world will be rewarded. The buzzwords will continue to evolve, but what is good for the planet and the people will ultimately be good for business.”

Al giorno d’oggi, quando tutte le organizzazioni affermano di essere sostenibili, chiediamo alle imprese: di quali aspetti della vostra sostenibilità andate più fieri? E cosa pensate che vi distingua dalle altre imprese sostenibili?

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PRODUCTS: GREEN CLEANING

• Les aspirateurs à sec T 9/1 Bp et BV 5/1 Bp à dos de Kärcher tournent sur batterie lithium mais ont la même puissance que des machines à cordon.

• Unger présente des outils conçus pour réduire l’usage de produits chimiques et conserver les ressources naturelles.

• Eco Range est le nom de la gamme Brightwell de solutions écologiques de dilution et de dosage de produits chimiques.

• L’ensemble de 16 tampons de nettoyage de sols de la gamme Full Cycle de Wecoline sont fabriqués en matériaux recyclés et homologués par Green Seal.

• GV Kolumbo Lavorpro est un générateur de vapeur à gazole qu’il n’est pas nécessaire de brancher sur une alimentation en eau.

• L’appareil Toucan ECA de Robert Scott est un système de bionettoyage à activation électrochimique proposé en versions murales et montées sur plan de travail.

• La Spray Grand Finale de la société Aztec et la version la plus récente de sa machine d’application de produits chimiques Grand Finale.

• Sowohl der Trockenstaubsauger T 9/1 Bp als auch der Rucksack-Staubsauger BV 5/1 Bp werden von einem Lithiumionenakku betrieben, sie weisen aber dennoch die gleiche Leistung wie schnurgebundene Maschinen auf.

• Laut eigener Angaben wurden die Geräte von Unger so konzipiert, dass der Verbrauch chemischer Reinigungsmittel reduziert und gleichzeitig Rohstoffe konserviert werden.

• Die Eco Range von Brightwell ist eine Produktfamilie mit umweltfreundlichen chemischen Verdünnungs- und Dosierungslösungen.

• Alle 16 der Wecoline Bodenpads Full Cycle von Americo werden aus Recyclingmaterial hergestellt und sind mit dem Green Seal ausgezeichnet.

• GV Kolumbo Lavorpro ist ein tragbarer, dieselbetriebener Dampferzeuger, bei dem kein Anschluss an die Wasserversorgung erforderlich ist.

• Bei Toucan ECA von Robert Scott handelt es sich um ein Bioreinigungssystem mit elektrochemischer Aktivierung (ECA), das in Ausführungen mit Wandhalter oder für die Arbeitsfläche erhältlich ist.

• Bei Spray Grand Finale von Aztec handelt es sich um das neueste Modell des Auftragsgeräts Grand Finale für chemische Lösungen.

• L’aspirapolvere a secco T 9/1 Bp e l’aspirapolvere dorsale BV 5/1 Bp della Kärcher sono dotati di una batteria agli ioni di litio ma hanno la stessa potenza delle macchine con filo.

• La Unger afferma che i suoi attrezzi sono progettati per ridurre l’uso di prodotti chimici e preservare le risorse naturali.

• Eco Range della Brightwell è una linea di diluizioni chimiche e di soluzioni di dosaggio verdi.

• Tutti i 16 dischi per pavimenti Wecoline Full Cycle della Americo sono prodotti con materiali riciclati e certificati da Green Seal.

• GV Kolumbo Lavorpro è un generatore di vapore portatile alimentato a gasolio che non necessita di collegamento con l’impianto idrico.

• Toucan ECA della Robert Scott è un sistema di bio-pulizia ad attivazione elettrochimica disponibile nei modelli montati a parete o da appoggio.

• Spray Grand Finale della Aztec è il modello più nuovo della macchina per l’applicazione di prodotti chimici Grand Finale.

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 60

Cordless

QuickChange resin bag with FloWater technology to ensure efficient water flow through the entire filter vessel, improving resin efficiency and increasing its lifetime. www.ungerglobal.com

Concentrate

Kärcher’s dry vacuum cleaner T 9/1 Bp and backpack vacuum BV 5/1 Bp feature refined lithiumion battery technology which it says delivers the same power as corded machines.

With a fully charged battery, the vacuum cleaners have a run time of 24 minutes and both have an energy-saving setting, the eco!efficiency mode - this can extend run time to 46 minutes.

For continuous operation, says Kärcher, two batteries are required in the energy-saving mode and the new quick charger BC 1/7 fully charges a drained battery in 60 minutes. www.karcher.com

Top priority Unger says it aims to develop cleaning tools that reduce the use of chemicals and conserve natural resources.

The erGO! clean floor cleaning system, for example, is designed to be easy to operate with minimum effort and the removable reservoir tank eliminates the need for a bucket - reducing water consumption.

The Unger Stringray meanwhile, is a glass cleaning tool that uses 39 per cent less glass cleaner than other systems claims the company. And for cleaning with pure water the HydroPower DI features the

From Brightwell Dispensers comes environmentally conscious dilution and dosing solutions with its ECO range.

ECOMIX is a venturi system, where the precision proportioner is connected to mains water, creating a vacuum and diluting a predetermined ratio of chemical into a final solution.

For environments where water pressure is not always stable or supply is not easily accessible there is the dosing system ECOSHOT which doses a shot of chemical between five and 30ml into a container.

And the latest addition is the ECOMULTI, a dispensing system that enables users to dilute up to four chemicals from one unit. www.brightwell.co.uk

Certified green All 16 Wecoline Full Cycle floor pads from Americo now have the Green Seal certificate for environmental innovation. The certification is based on faster biodegradation in landfill conditions and 100 per cent recycled material/natural fibres.

The pads are made exclusively from recycled PET plastic from drinks bottles, biodegradable materials that deteriorate faster than conventional pads says Wecoline. www.wecoline.com

Steam machine GV Kolumbo Lavorpro is a portable steam generator with a diesel fuel boiler - it does not need to be connected to the

water supply because it has a tank, or the electricity supply.

The manufacturer says the unit consumes very little water and cleans without the need for chemicals. It also leaves no residue and the operator does not need any PPE. www.lavorpro.com

Bio-cleaning Toucan is an electrochemical activation bio-cleaning system from Robert Scott that comes in two wall-mounted units depending on the size of the facility. There is also a worktop model.

Electrochemical activation (ECA) technology has two components – water (straight from the tap) and table salt (sodium chloride), which is dissolved in the water. The components

are activated using a form of electrolysis whereby a small electrical current is applied to the solution using a specialised electrolysis cell. This, says Robert Scott, produces hypochlorous acid, which is a disinfectant, and sodium hypochlorite solution, a cleaning agent. www.robert-scott.co.uk

Latest version The Spray Grand Finale is the newest version of Aztec’s Grand Finale chemical applicator floor chemical application machine.

With a 61 or 91.5cm pad the machine can lay down chemical at up to 3,252 square metres an hour. The new model features a spray nozzle and flexible hose. www.aztecproducts.com

PRODUCTS: GREEN CLEANING Minimum impact Greenspeed says its objective is to make its chemical solutions sustainably and responsible. The company offers ecological washing and cleaning agents which have a minimum impact on the environment during their entire life cycle.

The company also tests and measures the biodegradability of the whole product, ensuring minimum toxicity for aquatic organisms.

The detergent bottles consist of 75 per cent green PE and 25 per cent recycled plastic, as well as being renewable, reusable and recyclable. The green PE is made of sugar cane-based plastic. And detergents are highly concentrated. www.greenspeed.eu

Disposable According to Chicopee its Microfibre Floor Mop is eco-friendly despite being disposable, as it requires only a small amount of cleaning solution. And the Microfibre Light cleaning cloth picks up 99.99 per cent of dirt without the use of chemicals.

Also in the company’s range is the J-Cloth Plus Biodegradable wipe which is biodegradable and compostable. www.chicopee.com

Freshen up Jangro has expanded its Enviro Concentrates range with the addition of new A7 Air Freshener and Fabric Deodoriser. This is designed for use on fabrics which

cannot be cleaned in a washing machine such as curtains, soft furnishings and carpets.

Only a small dose is required and this can be accurately measured and used with trigger bottles and trigger spray heads.

Each one-litre bottle of A7 provides up to 50 trigger spray bottles of solution. www.jangro.net

Energy efficient Specialising in the production of Class A+ vacuum cleaners is Lindhaus. Among its latest launches is the backpack model LB4 Superleggera L-ion/Electric which is said to be lightweight and versatile - it can be used as a backpack, canister vacuum, carpet cleaner and blower.

LS38 L-ion/Electric is a multifunction vacuum sweeper for hard floors and carpets with Hepa-certified filtration system.

And the HF6 eco FORCE is a multifunction canister vacuum cleaner with accessories. www.lindhaus.it.

• Greenspeed s’est donné l’objectif de produire des agents de lavage et de nettoyage exerçant le minimum d’impact sur l’environnement.

• Chicopee prône les qualités de son tampon à microfibres de lavage de sols, qui est à la fois jetable et écologique car il ne nécessite qu’un minimum de produit chimique.

• Jangro a étendu sa gamme de concentrés Enviro par l’adjonction du diffuseur d’ambiance et désodorisant de tissu A7.

• Lindhaus aligne une gamme d’aspirateurs de Classe A+ qui se signalent par leur faible consommation électrique.

• Greenspeed hat sich zum Ziel gesetzt, seine Wasch- und Reinigungsmittel mit möglichst geringer Auswirkung auf die Umwelt zu produzieren.

• Laut Angaben von Chicopee handelt es sich bei dem Microfibre Floor Mop zwar um ein Einwegprodukt, das aber dennoch umweltfreundlich ist, da es nur eine geringe Menge eines chemischen Reinigungsmittels benötigt.

• Jangro hat die Produktreihe Enviro Concentrates mit umweltfreundlichen Konzentraten um den A7 Air Freshener and Fabric Deodoriser erweitert.

• Lindhaus bietet eine Produktreihe mit Staubsaugern der Energieeffizienzklasse A+, d. h. einem sehr niedrigen Energieverbrauch.

• L’obiettivo della Greenspeed è quello di produrre prodotti di pulizia e di lavaggio che abbiano il minimo impatto ambientale.

• La Chicopee afferma che il suo mop Microfibre Floor Mop è monouso ma allo stesso tempo rispetta l’ambiente in quanto necessita di pochissimi prodotti chimici.

• La Jangro ha ampliato la sua gamma Enviro Concentrates con l’aggiunta dei prodotti A7 Air Freshener e Fabric Deodoriser.

• La Lindhaus propone una gamma di aspirapolveri Classe A+ che vantano un basso consumo di energia.

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 61

PRODUCTS: GREEN CLEANING

• Filmop a mis au point l’Alpha Split pour ses chariots de nettoyage afin de permettre la collecte séparée de déchets.

• Pour le nettoyage de chewinggum, OspreyDeepclean Gumbusters propose l’appareil à vapeur sèche à batterie GB1.

• TTS a apporté des améliorations a son Dosely, dispositif qui imprègne les têtes de balayage humide d’un liquide de nettoyage.

• Selon Fimor, son matériau de raclette serilorCLEAN offre une alternative durable au caoutchouc naturel.

• Filmop hat zum Einsatz auf seinen Moppreinigungswagen das System Alpha Split entwickelt, das die getrennte Abfallsammlung ermöglicht.

• Beim GB1 von Osprey Deepclean GumBusters handelt es sich um einen kabellosen, batteriebetriebenen Trockendampfreiniger zum Entfernen von Kaugummi.

• TTS hat den Dosely, einen mechanischen Reinigungslösungsspender für Mopps, verbessert.

• Fimor teilt mit, dass sein Abziehermaterial serilorCLEAN eine dauerhafte Alternative zu Naturgummi darstellt.

• La Filmop ha progettato il sistema Alpha Split che permette la raccolta differenziata dei rifiuti e che può essere usato sui suoi trolley per mop.

• GB1 della OspreyDeepclean GumBusters è un erogatore di vapore secco cordless e alimentato a batteria per la rimozione della gomma da masticare.

• La TTS ha apportato delle migliorie al suo dispenser meccanico di soluzioni di pulizia per mop Dosely.

• La Fimor afferma che il materiale serilorCLEAN usato per i suoi tergivetro è durevole ed è un’alternativa alla gomma naturale.

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 62

Recycling pledge From Filmop comes a range of Plastic Second Life certified products using recycled plastics.

The latest addition is the Alpha Split waste collection system, a customisable trolley with up to eight different compartments for waste collection. The 90-litre bag holder has a lower pull-out

tarmac and asphalt - when used with its biodegradable prediluted chemical the dry steam dissolves gum on contact with minimal effort. www.ospreydc.com

cleaning side of the mop and chemical dosage is regulated (it can be varied for different requirements).

And for the operator physical effort is reduced as transportation of buckets filled with presoaked mops is eliminated. www.ttsystem.com

Green colour

On demand

drawer that enables the user to have one collection unit with a specific compartment for each kind of waste. The range is completed with different colourcoded bins. www.filmop.com

Removes gum The GB1 is a cordless batterypowered dry steamer for gum removal from OspreyDeepclean’s GumBusters. Claimed to be fully functional for up to seven hours from one overnight battery charge this unit is virtually silent in operation so can be used in populated areas.

Gum deposits can be removed from all surfaces including

Dosely is the soaking station from TTS that allows operators to soak flat mops on demand, directly on its Magic trolleys.

This it says, saves on water and chemical consumption.

With Dosely the operator soaks only the mops they really need rather than soaking many more that won’t be used.

Soaking is done only on the

Fimor has developed a squeegee material which it says is a durable alternative to natural rubber - serilorCLEAN. Features include green colour, three times less plasticiser then before, no banned phalates, no mercury and improved pick-up.

And Fimor says this squeegee material lasts several times longer than natural rubber, being largely unaffected by oils, chemicals, bleach and other common floor cleaning agents.

Available as sheets, in flat mono or triple layer, and custom-moulded. www.fimor.fr

RECRUITMENT

Skilful recruitment Lorraine Thomas, managing director of Metzger Search & Selection talks about how companies attract and retain the best talent in the market.

Contract cleaning is a vibrant industry with a wide variety of businesses, from owner– managed SMEs to multinational corporate companies. The low start-up costs make the industry extremely dynamic and a desirable vehicle for entrepreneurial success. It is developing into a meritocratic industry where hard work is rewarded with progression.

While the barrier to entry is accessible, attracting the right people and creating a strong team is still vital to securing longterm business and contract extensions.

Contractors will always have to be one step ahead to keep their clients happy by exercising a customer-focused approach, and undertaking successful professional relationship-building.

Preferred employers There are certain challenges to how a business becomes the preferred employer in an industry which is full of opportunity, but may not always be at the top of the list for talented individuals in the support services sector.

Over the last 10 years it wasn’t unusual for many cleaning operatives to start off by working to top-up their earnings, perhaps while studying. The teamwork and camaraderie in the cleaning industry has Comme le secteur de la propreté ne se signale pas toujours par le soutien qu’il accorde à ses employés, les entreprises de propreté risquent de se heurter à des difficultés si elles visent à devenir des employeurs préférés. Lorraine Thomas, administratrice déléguée de l’organisation Metzger Search & Selection, formule des suggestions sur la manière dont les entreprises peuvent attirer et garder les meilleurs talents.

been known to persuade these workers to stay on as they enjoyed the job. The initial attraction of an active, non desk-based job with flexible working hours could be replaced with the prospects for progression and this is how talent can be developed in-house. These days, this only applies to those who wish to invest in career themselves progression with one company as the gig economy has become a popular means of working for the ‘millennial’ generation, who prefer more flexible working hours rather than being a permanent member of staff.

For the ones who remain, and ultimately become business leaders, the best follow a path through to management and up to director level. Key skills are passed down from experienced team members and managers, up to the point at which external providers are needed to take the development to the next level. Training then becomes a vital resource as employees who are progressing through the ranks may need to learn more about IT, finance, management or health and safety to add to their proficiencies.

as part of the overall picture in terms of hierarchy, succession planning and ultimately the recruitment policy. Once this is understood the person specification needs to be mapped out in terms of the motivations, aspirations and key skills needed to perform in the role. It is also worth determining why the candidate needs to come from the cleaning sector and how looking further afield may be beneficial.

Often an external viewpoint can be useful at this stage to give a broader perspective, especially if specialist industry knowledge can be applied.

Create the right team

There is support available from the independent training bodies in each European country. Operatives who show initiative and willingness to train from the outset are often the ones who will fare well higher up the management ladder.

When looking for new management talent, the groundwork needs to be put in at the beginning to ensure a successful recruitment campaign. The first part of the recruitment process is to understand the strategic goals of the business and the plans that are in place to achieve them.

From this the role can be understood

Metzger has success stories of employees from other complex service industries such as catering and security who have moved seamlessly into the cleaning industry. The sometimes complex nature of tendering for or running a cleaning contract can be comparable to these sectors and therefore, talented individuals can make the transition and become assets. By bringing in new talent from other allied industries, companies gain a fresh perspective and often benefit from new ideas, while fostering loyalty in an employee who gains industry knowledge from their new employer.

In the end, valuing your employees and creating the right team for your organisation will go a long way to making your client relationship, your employees and your business successful. In uncertain times, with political and economic shifts on the horizon, offering a stable and reliable employment culture, will help you grow and retain a skilled and satisfied workforce who will also invest themselves in your organisation. www.metzger.co.uk

Es gibt bestimmte Herausforderungen, wie ein Reinigungsunternehmen zum bevorzugten Arbeitgeber in einer Branche wird, das nicht immer an erster Stelle der Liste für Mitarbeiter im Support-Services-Sektor steht.

Lorraine Thomas, Managing Director bei Metzger Search & Selection, bietet Ratschläge, wie Unternehmen die besten Mitarbeiter anziehen und halten können.

Per una impresa operante nel settore del cleaning, diventare il datore di lavoro preferito in un settore come quello dei servizi, che non è sempre al primo posto fra le scelte di lavoro, presenta delle sfide particolari. La direttrice esecutiva di Metzger Search & Selection Lorraine Thomas offre i suoi consigli su come le imprese possono attrarre e tenere in organico i talenti migliori.

Get support

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 63

HYGIENE IN HEALTHCARE

Minimising infection risks The concept of hygiene for health is never more relevant or more critical than in the healthcare sector itself. Hospitals are the most demanding of buildings, where the highest of hygiene standards must be consistently maintained. How has this sector progressed in recent years, what lessons have been learned and what are the key challenges to be faced in the future? ECJ speaks to Dr Stephen Dalton, vice president, global marketing for healthcare and infection prevention at Diversey.

“Environment and surface cleaning is as equally important as hand hygiene protocols in combating HAIs. You should think of the two together.”

Why are hygiene and high standards of cleaning are vital in the healthcare sector and what are the consequences of poor hygiene standards?

Our understanding of the role the hospital environment plays in causing Healthcare-Acquired Infections (HAIs) continues to evolve. Within healthcare locations, HAIs create significant morbidity and mortality.

On any given day, about 80,000 patients have at least one HAI, ie, one in 18 patients in a European hospital has an HAI (source: eCDC, 2013) while in lower and middle income countries, the figure can be closer to one in five patients (WHO, 2011).

Healthcare without infection is a key patient safety goal in all countries.

In moving towards that, we must consider the survival of transmissible pathogens in the healthcare environment. For example, if you take the Klebsiella pathogen it has been recorded as living from two hours to 30 months on a surface.

Similarly Acinetobacter can survive from three days to five months and Staphylococcus Aureus (including MRSA) anything from seven days to seven months.

So that is why the we believe the environment and surface cleaning is as equally important as hand hygiene protocols in combating HAIs. You should think of the two together – fantastic, if you wash your hands when you are visiting or working in a healthcare location, but if the surfaces are not being decontaminated then every time you touch a surface you are exposed again to those pathogens.

Higher risks Remember too that previous patient illness can affect the risk for the next patient in the same room or even potentially ward area. Dr Jon Otter, the highly respected UK infection prevention expert found that if the person in the room before you had C.diff, your risk of catching it has doubled – and with MRSA the risk is even higher.

What are the most challenging aspects of cleaning and hygiene in the healthcare

sector for the team at grass roots level?

I want to split my answer into two parts. One point is in most hospitals, the cleaning team cleans once a day - but people have an expectation the hospital will always be clean. An American study found that over 80 people come in and out of the room in a typical patient day. And the bed rail is touched 256 times a day!

Completely cleaned I am not advocating it is cleaned 256 times a day, that would be overkill, but I do advocate you can’t just clean it once and think that the job completely done.

The other part to my answer is that on a more practical note, the amount of technology and equipment now in a hospital room such as ultrasound equipment, MRI scanners or blood pressure monitoring devices, creates its own challenges.

Have the techniques, working methods, tools and equipment developed in recent years to make high cleaning standards achievable?

I look back nearly 15 years when MRSA was a big issue in the UK and there was huge political pressure for things to be done. Consequently the UK adopted microfibre cloth cleaning - actually after Scandinavia had already adopted it. It became popular because it resulted in an improved level of surface cleanliness.

I would argue though that the adoption of microfibre has brought its own problems. In an industry with a high turnover of staff, who is responsible for washing the clothes? Do they know how often to wash the cloths and the proper washing protocols? And does the hospital cleaning team have all the microfibre cloths needed and how long do they have to spend checking them at the start of each shift?

So now we are seeing rapid take-up of pre-wetted wipes. Pre-wetted wipes mean that you don’t have to dilute the product, you don’t have to worry how much liquid is on the wipe because it is already done for you. It saves time because you don’t have the setup.

Continued page 66

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HYGIENE IN HEALTHCARE Minimising infection risks (continued) Touchless ultraviolet (UV) disinfection seems to be an increasingly popular technique. What are your thoughts on that?

I see it as a useful and additional adjunct to other hospital cleaning methods. When cleaners are not told that their cleaning performance is going to be measured , the average cleaning performance is 50-60 per cent, meaning that if you put 10 markers in a room six will be removed and four will remain.

Patient as customer If you have patients who have had C.diff or MRSA, when you’ve done your discharge clean, touchless disinfection techniques are a good additional step to reduce the risk for the next patient.

The other thing about touchless disinfection is that in some countries fogging or misting is an accepted thing to do in operating rooms at the end of each day. But fogging can be corrosive and it has health and safety risks in that you can’t go back in to a room until it has cleared. A system like touchless UV eliminates those risks.

In recent years what are the key lessons that have be learnt by cleaning service providers who are servicing hospitals?

Generally Europe is moving to a US style set-up where the patient is viewed as a customer. Hospitals are encouraging their cleaners to reach out to their patients to check that they are happy because patient satisfaction scores are clearly key.

Now other countries have similar ambitions because happy patients tend to recover better.

I think people are understanding the importance of keeping the environment in a hospital not just looking clean but being hygienically clean to reduce infections.

They are therefore putting more focus on training people and making sure those people are motivated to do a good job.

Has part of this increased recognition also led to the increasing adoption of the term environmental services rather than hospital cleaner?

Job title change I don’t think you’d find anyone calling themselves a housekeeper now. Environmental services is the accepted name.

Following the US practice, I see it being La notion voulant que l’hygiène soit déterminante pour la santé n’est jamais autant vérifiée que dans le secteur de la santé. C’est pourquoi les hôpitaux présentent des exigences toute particulières, car l’hygiène doit y être maintenue constamment aux plus hautes normes. Quels ont été les progrès du secteur dans ce domaine ces dernières années, quelles leçons en a-t-on tirées, et quels seront les défis à relever à l’avenir ?

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adopted in the UK but I also see it, or some equivalent of it, being adopted in other countries as people are moving away from housekeeping - mainly I think to convey that this is a step up in terms of the risk they are managing.

What are the most important challenges facing the healthcare sector and in turn the service providers working within it?

One is hand hygiene because it is the perennial issue. The second now is surface/environmental hygiene and we’ve discussed why that is important and the third is one is trying to stop the overuse of antibiotics. That’s what keeps infection prevention people up at night because the more you use antibiotics, the more resistance there is - ultimately a doomsday scenario if you will but one that I hasten to add is not just around the corner.

Operationally, the reduction in beds in western Europe is a good thing. If you can get people in and out of hospital quicker, it is better for them because they are back with their families or in their own homes. It reduces risk of infection because they are not around for as long and you don’t have to build such large hospitals - but what it does do is put pressure on the turnaround of the rooms and the cleaning.

care machines into hospitals, the infection prevention teams there are generally comfortable with a concept that says you need some human interaction but less people walking up and down corridors for the sake of it - not that floors aren’t very important things to clean - is better. If you have less traffic, you’ve got less risk. In a couple of cases too where we have sold the robotic floor care machines in children’s wards we have actually put shrink wraps on them so they look like toy trains to humanise them.

Efficiency expectation

The thoughts and condolences of everyone at ECJ and Diversey are with his wife and two young sons for their loss.

Because you have a high occupancy all the time you really have to make sure you can clean those rooms efficiently and effectively and deal with the pressures that people don’t want to be kept waiting when they are being admitted to hospital.

The final challenge is understanding that balance between how quickly you can clean a room and how effectively you can clean it. So the faster your disinfectant works, the better it is. And if you have a fast system of touchless disinfection at the end all the better.

You talked earlier about the more emotional connection of the cleaner and happy patient and outcomes. Yet you also said that human error, forced failings are a big part of the problem. What about cleaning robots then in a hospital environment?

For large areas of floors, using robotic cleaners is a compelling argument. Whenever we sell our Diversey robotic floor Das Konzept von Gesundheit durch Hygiene ist nirgends relevanter oder wichtiger als im Gesundheitswesen selbst. Krankenhäuser sind die anspruchsvollsten Gebäude, in denen die höchsten Hygienestandards fortwährend eingehalten werden müssen. Welche Fortschritte hat es in diesem Bereich in den letzten Jahren gegeben, welche Lehren wurden gezogen und wie lauten die wichtigsten Herausforderungen, die zukünftig zu erwarten sind?

Dr Steve Dalton Tragically Steve Dalton collapsed within minutes of completing this interview for ECJ and died just two days later on February 10 2018 from a brain aneurysm.

Steve devoted 25 years of his life in service to Diversey. Most recently, he held the position of vice president global marketing healthcare and infection prevention - a role he truly loved. Prior to that he was vice president R&D and also led the integration of Intellibot Robotics as its general manager.

Il concetto di igiene per la salute non è mai più rilevante o critico che nel settore della sanità stesso.

Gli ospedali sono i più esigenti fra gli edifici, dove i massimi livelli di igiene devono essere mantenuti in maniera consistente. Come è progredito questo settore negli ultimi anni, che lezioni si sono apprese e quali sono le sfide principali che si dovranno affrontare in futuro?

PRODUCTS: HEALTHCARE

Hygienic hands With hand hygiene standards in healthcare facilities becoming increasingly stringent, CWS developed Paradise Disinfect which has a bactericidal and limited virucidal effect to satisfy hygienic hand washing and disinfection requirements.

The disinfectant gel is absorbed quickly and leaves skin feeling clean and not sticky, says CWS, and it has been dermatologically tested. The 500 ml bottle in the dispenser contains enough disinfectant for around 170 uses and it can be easily changed thanks to the ‘click-in’ system.

In order to ensure correct use pictures are integrated directly

into the dispenser stand showing users the proper way to disinfect their hands. www.cws-boco.com

Plant-based From Salveco comes a new biocidal formula for hand disinfection based on lactic acid of vegetal origin. The patented formula has undergone a Simplified Market Authorisation process

by EU authorities.

This, says Salveco, is because it achieves high disinfection standard with very low concentrations of lactic acid and is totally biodegradable. www.salveco.fr

Next edition of ECJ - April/May

Healthy floors Truvox says its Multiwash scrubber dryer leaves floors hygienically clean as it washes, mops, scrubs and dries a variety of floor surfaces in one pass.

The cylindrical, counter-rotating brushes also clean effectively in the grout lines of tiled floors – dislodging the embedded dirt that can harbour bacteria. And the colour-coded polypropylene brushes are easy to sanitise.

And for cordless cleaning there is the Multiwash 340/Pump Battery that delivers 50 minutes runtime on a single charge. www.truvox.com

• Pour le nettoyage hygiénique des mains, la société CWS propose le Paradise Disinfect, un produit bactéricide aux effets virocides limités.

• Salveco a lancé une nouvelle formule biocide pour la désinfection des mains basée sur de l’acide lactique d’origine végétale.

• L’autolaveuse Multiwash de Truvox réalise la propreté hygiénique de planchers en les lavant, épongeant, frottant et séchant en une seule passe.

• CWS bietet Paradise Disinfect, das mit bakterizider und begrenzt viruzider Wirkung für eine hygienische Händewaschung sorgt.

• Salveco hat ein neues biozides Händedesinfektionsmittel auf der Grundlage von Milchsäure auf pflanzlicher Basis vorgestellt.

• Die Scheuersaugmaschine Multiwash von Truvox sorgt durch Waschen, Moppen, Schrubben und Trocknen in einem Durchgang für hygienisch saubere Böden.

• La CWS propone Paradise Disinfect che è dotato di un effetto battericida e di blando virucide per il lavaggio igienico delle mani.

• La Salveco ha lanciato una nuova formula biocida di disinfezione delle mani a base di acido lattico di origine vegetale.

• La lavasciuga pavimenti Multiwash della Truvox lascia i pavimenti igienicamente puliti in quanto lava, pulisce, spazzola e asciuga in una sola passata.

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 67

PRODUCTS: HEALTHCARE

• Proposé par le groupe Deb, le programme DebMed vise l’hygiène complète et le soin intégré des mains.

• Comme produit nouveau, Greenspeed propose le système à tampon plat magnétique Click’M C, conçu pour un nettoyage confortable et efficace.

• La nouvelle pompe hygiénique jetable pour le système distributeur Ingo-Man de la société Ophardt est susceptible de réduire les coûts et d’améliorer l’hygiène.

• Bei DebMed von Deb Group handelt es sich um ein integriertes Händehygiene-Compliance- und Hautschutzprogramm.

• Neu von Greenspeed ist das magnetische Flachmoppsystem Click’M C, das im Hinblick auf komfortables und wirkungsvolles Reinigen konzipiert wurde.

• Die neue dosierbare Hygienepumpe für das Spendersystem ingo-man von Ophardt resultiert nach eigenen Angaben in einer Kostensenkung und verbesserten Hygienestandards.

• DebMed della Deb Group è un programma di conformità integrato per l’igiene delle mani e la cura della pelle.

• La novità della Greenspeed è il sistema mop piatto e magnetico Click’M C, progettato per le pulizie efficienti e comode.

• La Ophardt afferma che la nuova pompa monouso per il sistema di dispenser Ingo-Man riduce i costi e migliora gli standard di igiene.

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 68

Compliance DebMed is an integrated healthcare hand hygiene and skin care compliance programme from Deb Group, designed to increase hand hygiene compliance and reduce HCAIs. The programme uses an electronic monitoring system

to capture and monitor hand hygiene compliance following the WHO Five Moments. It aims to increase compliance rates, staff skin health and patient safety, while eliminating the inaccuracy caused by direct observation. www.debmed.com

Easy clicks

Hygienic pump

The Click’M C flat mop system, says Greenspeed, makes floor cleaning as easy and hygienic as possible. The user simply pushes the frame of the Click’M C into the pocket of the microfibre mop, presses it firmly into place, and releases it after cleaning using foot pressure.

After cleaning the operator presses the green button with his foot to release the frame and slide the used mop into the laundry bag without touching it.

Click’M C is comparable with three different Greenspeed microfibre mops which means all floors can be cleaned using the system. www.greenspeed.eu

Ophardt says the new disposable hygiene pump for its Ingoman dispensing system reduces costs and improves hygiene standards. This single-use model minimises the need for medical reprocessing of stainless steel pumps, while ensuring strict hygiene standards are met through the pump’s selfdestruction upon removal.

When an empty soap, sanitiser or lotion bottle is removed from the dispenser, the stem of the pump separates from the pump head and remains in the container.

The packaging of the individually wrapped single use pumps is torn and used as a glove to place the pump in the dispenser.

Upon removal the stem remains in the empty bottle and the head is removed separately from the dispenser.

All components are made of plastic and can be recycled. www.ophardt.com

PRODUCTS: HEALTHCARE

Don’t touch To prevent transmission of pathogens on high-touch surfaces in healthcare applications Diversey has developed two no-touch devices - the MoonBeam3 and SKY 7xi. Both use powerful ultraviolet (UV) technology to kill pathogens.

The portable MoonBeam 3 is to be used in conjunction with regular cleaning and disinfection: it uses three individually adjustable arms to disinfect patient care equipment, fixtures, bed rails, work stations, monitors and more. Cycle times are as low as 90 seconds.

The SKY 7xi meanwhile, is a mobile device disinfection solution that disinfects tablets and

smartphones with high intensity UV light in one minute or less.

Both offer chemical-free, fumefree pathogen elimination. www.diversey.com

Take control

The roll is fully enclosed in the dispenser, which prevents cross-contamination as users only touch the sheet they use.

The system has been designed to help control and reduce usage with the new centrefeed format - the high capacity 314-metre rolls contain 1,280 sheets. www.kimberly-clark.com

Ready to use

Kimberly-Clark Professional developed the Scott Control Toilet Tissue system to complete its Scott Control washroom solution for healthcare professionals. It is compatible with the company’s one-wipe-clean Aquarius dispenser, a sealed unit with no dirt traps.

Wecoline Clean ’n Easy cloths and floor mops are designed for in-between cleaning of care environments and treatment rooms. This line of ready-to-use non-woven, dry or impregnated or dry microfibre products boast quick and hygienic cleaning of beds, bedside cabinets and sanitary units.

The materials are designed for single use for optimum hygiene standards - savings are also to be made in the elimination of laundering cloths and mops. www.wecoline.com

• Diversey a développé le MoonBeam 3, un dispositif de désinfection portable, ainsi que l’appareil mobile de désinfection SKY 7xi.

• Kimberly-Clark Professional a introduit le système de gestion de papier hygiénique Scott Control.

• Wecoline Clean ‘n Easy est une gamme de tissus et tampons de lavage de sols imprégnés et prêts à l’emploi.

• Diversey hat das tragbare Desinfektionsgerät MoonBeam 3 und die Desinfektionslösung für Mobilgeräte SKY 7xi entwickelt.

• Das Scott Control Toilet TissueSystem wurde von Kimberly-Clark Professional vorgestellt.

• Bei Clean ‘n Easy von Wecoline handelt es sich um eine Produktfamilie mit gebrauchsfertigen, imprägnierten Tüchern und Bodenmopps.

• La Diversey ha sviluppato MoonBeam 3, un apparecchio portatile di disinfezione e SKY 7xi, una soluzione di disinfezione mobile.

• La Kimberly-Clark Professional ha lanciato il sistema di carta igienica Scott Control Toilet Tissue.

• Clean ‘n Easy della Wecoline è una linea di panni e mop pre-imbevuti e pronti all’uso.

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 69

HEALTH & SAFETY

Keep your workforce safe Lauren O’Connor from Zoro, a supplier of cleaning products and personal protective equipment, takes a closer look at your responsibilities as an employer when it comes to your staff working with cleaning agents.

Each year there are an estimated 13,000 deaths in the UK linked to past exposure to chemicals and dust at work, according to statistics from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Among the potentially hazardous chemicals used in the workplace, cleaning agents are one of the most widely used across a huge range of industries.

As an employer, you have a duty of care to your employees to ensure that you do everything reasonaby possible to protect their health and wellbeing. So, if your staff work with cleaning agents, you will need to take the right steps to make sure they are properly safeguarded. These can be both preventative and control measures, such as adopting procedures with the lowest risk, supplying the right equipment, and providing appropriate training.

Below, I’ll cover five key points that you need to consider when protecting your staff when they are using cleaning agents.

Read on to find out more.

Undertake a risk assessment The first step towards protecting your employees is to undertake a

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 70

risk assessment. Though this should be something that you’re constantly reviewing for your whole workplace, you may wish to carry out an assessment with a focus on the use of cleaning agents.

This process with help you to identify hazards around working with cleaning agents, as well as ways to eliminate or reduce them.

You will need to take a walk around the areas in which cleaning agents are stored or will be used, noting down any potential hazards you can see, as well as who is at risk. Remember to read the manufacturer’s instructions before doing so, as they may highlight safety concerns that you could miss otherwise. Be sure to talk to your employees too, as they can have an insight into any tasks involving cleaning agents that you might not be aware of.

Next, you should look at the controls that are currently in place to deal with potential hazards to see if they are still adequate. If not, you will need to come up with new measures to deal with them, preferably to eliminate the threat altogether. For example, if the fumes from a cleaning agent can be hazardous, moving them to a location that is very well ventilated would be more favourable than providing respiratory protective equipment.

You can find detailed guidance about how to carry out and record a full risk assessment on the HSE’s website (www. hse.gov.uk/risk).

Establish procedures for handling cleaning agents Some of the risks that you identify during your assessment may concern the handling and storage of cleaning agents. To address these, you will need to establish a set of procedures for your staff to follow when they are transporting, using, and storing chemicals. These procedures should be communicated to your workforce through training, which is covered later in the article.

As part of your procedures, you will

need to establish the best ways of handling chemical agents to reduce risk.

Think about ways to minimise contact with potentially hazardous substances, as well as ways to avoid unwanted spillages, then advise your staff about the best technique to do so. Consider methods of improving hand care, such as providing hand wash stations, so employees can remove contaminants swiftly.

Storage of cleaning agents is also important, as this is where they will spend most of their time when not in use.

Your staff will need to keep a rigorous inventory of the chemicals you have on your premises and where they are located.

This will help you to track when products go out of date, as well as ensure that they are being stored alongside other agents that pose no risk if mixed.

An up-to-date inventory will ensure that you will be able to spot when something has gone missing. You can supplement this by keeping potentially hazardous chemicals in a secure location that only trained cleaners can access, reducing the risk of theft or misuse by an unqualified person.

Follow the manufacturer’s instructions at all times Each of the cleaning agents you use should come with a set of instructions from the manufacturer that dictates how they should be diluted, mixed, and used safely. You need to follow these to the letter, because misuse can often lead to accident or injury. For example, one cleaning agent might be perfectly harmless on its own, but if mixed with another, it may become hazardous — a detail that will be documented on the manufacturer’s instructions.

Be sure to include hazards identified in the instructions when you are carrying out your risk assessment. You’ll also need to include controls to address these hazards in your procedures. Some of these steps may include purchasing premixed chemicals to eliminate any risk of mixing or diluting altogether, or providing

HEALTH & SAFETY specialist measuring devices to prevent staff from using the wrong quantities.

Ensure you have the right PPE and that it’s always available Though it’s preferable to completely eliminate the risks of using cleaning agents, you can issue personal protective equipment (PPE) to your workforce as a last line of defence. Equipment like rubber gloves, safety goggles, respirators and coveralls can help to reduce the risk to your employees.

It’s important to make sure that any PPE you provide is appropriate for the job. For example, one task may not be particularly hazardous and may only require gloves, whereas another may need full skin protection. However you also need to consider whether equipment is comfortable and practical for the job.

For instance, if a task is quite fiddly, bulky Lauren O’Connor, de la société Zoro, un fournisseur de produits de nettoyage et d’équipements de protection individuelle, examine les responsabilités patronales à l’égard de travailleurs appelés à manipuler des produits de nettoyage.

protective gloves might not be the way to go, and you may need to opt for something thinner and more fitted, Any PPE that you provide always needs to be available when it is needed.

Your staff should be made aware of when they need to use it and where it is stored for quick and easy access. As an employer, you also have the responsibility for maintaining PPE and replacing any damaged items. You should make your staff aware they should report any defective equipment as soon as they notice it, so that it can be immediately replaced or repaired.

Provide the right training for your workforce No risk assessment and cleaning agent procedure can be properly implemented without providing your staff with the necessary training. Your workforce will Lauren O’Connor, die bei Zoro, dem Lieferanten von Reinigungsprodukten und persönlicher Schutzausrüstung, tätig ist, betrachtet genauer, welche Pflichten Sie als Arbeitgeber haben, wenn es um das Arbeiten Ihrer Mitarbeiter mit Reinigungsmitteln geht.

need to be made aware of any new controls you are putting in place so they can safely go about their work. Any training you provide should be suitable for its intended audience.

Be sure to cover any dangers of using, mixing, or diluting particular products, as well as guidance about how to handle and store cleaning agents. You should also make it clear when any PPE you have provided should be used and how your employees can access it. You can supplement your training regime by putting up safety posters and providing reference material.

Cleaning agents can be hazardous if not handled safely. However, by following our advice to carry out a risk assessment and implement effective safety controls, you will have taken a big step towards having a safer workplace. www.zoro.co.uk Lauren O’Connor della ditta fornitrice di prodotti di pulizia e attrezzature per la protezione personale Zoro, valuta attentamente le responsabilità degli imprenditori quando si tratta del loro personale che maneggia i detergenti.

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 71

NEW PRODUCT REVIEW

• Proposé par RENclean, REN Restore est un système manuel pour la restauration de contremarches d’escaliers roulants.

• Advanced Engineering a mis au point le FroZone pour le nettoyage de réfrigérateurs et de congélateurs à leurs températures de service.

• Finbin Wave est l’appellation d’une série de poubelles élégantes de recyclage et de réception de déchets en acier inox proposée par Leafield Environmental.

• Le système de gestion de papier hygiénique Coreless Mid-size de Tork se traduit pas une réduction de déchets, de matériaux d’emballage et de temps de recharge de distributeurs.

• La Soap Company a lancé sa nouvelle collection de produits écologiques et holistiques de soin du corps et des mains ainsi que de savons fabriqués à froid.

• Produits nouveaux, les perches Elite de Spinaclean assurent le nettoyage de gouttières et s’accompagnent d’une perche télescopique pour applications internes.

• Le nettoyant à mousse Express Foam, de la société Holchem, est destiné aux établissements alimentaires, laitiers et de mise en bouteilles.

• REN Restore ist ein manuelles Reinigungssystem von RENclean zur Instandsetzung der Setzstufen bei Rolltreppen.

• Advanced Engineering hat FroZone zur Reinigung von Tiefkühl- und Kühlzellen bei Minustemperaturen entwickelt.

• Bei Finbin Wave handelt es sich um eine Reihe von eleganten Recyclingund Abfallbehältern aus gebürstetem Edelstahl von Leafield Environmental.

• Das Tork Coreless Mid-size Toilet Paper-System bedeutet weniger Abfall, weniger Verpackung und Zeitersparnis, da die Spender in kürzerer Zeit nachgefüllt werden können.

• The Soap Company hat die neue Kollektion mit luxuriösen umweltund bienenfreundlichen Hand- und Körperprodukten und kaltverarbeiteten Seifen vorgestellt.

• Neu von Spinaclean sind die Elite Dachrinnenreinigungstangen und eine Teleskopstange für interne Anwendungen.

• Das Reinigungsmittel Express Foam von Holchem wurde für den Einsatz in Lebensmittel-, Molkerei- und Getränkebetrieben entwickelt.

• REN Restore è un sistema di pulizia manuale prodotto dalla RENclean per ripristinare le alzate delle scale mobili.

• La Advanced Engineering ha sviluppato FroZone per la pulizia sottozero nei frigoriferi e freezer.

• Finbin Wave è una gamma di contenitori di classe per il riciclo e i rifiuti in acciaio inossidabile prodotti dalla Leafield Environmental.

• Con il sistema di carta igienica Tork Coreless Mid-size Toilet Paper si ottiene: meno spreco, meno imballo e meno tempo impiegato a riempire i dispenser.

• La Soap Co ha lanciato la sua nuova collezione di prodotti pregiati per le mani e per il corpo che sono ecologici e rispettosi del mondo delle api e inoltre dei saponi preparati con il metodo a freddo.

• Le novità della Spinaclean sono i pali per la pulizia delle grondaie Elite e un palo telescopico per applicazioni interne.

• Il detergente Express Foam della Holchem è progettato per essere usato nelle fabbriche di lavorazione e produzione di cibo, bevande e prodotti caseari.

February/March 2018 | ECJ | 72

Clean escalators REN Restore is a low-cost cleaning system for restoring the risers of escalators, developed

by RENclean. This liquid solution is sprayed by the operator and activates a micro gel that sticks to the metal surface. It does not drip onto the escalator mechanicals or chain drive system.

The static escalator is then scrubbed with the REN Riser Brush to dislodge the accumulated dirt - this has three profiles to clean the curved riser surface and reach into the crevice adjoining the treads. Wiping with the REN Riser Pad removes the remaining grime. www.rawlins.co.uk/brand/ ren-clean

For cold stores New from Advanced Engineering is a cleaner developed for low-temperature work, called FroZone. This is formulated to work at sub-zero temperatures of up to -25°C which enables on-the-spot cleaning without waiting for the temperature to rise.

This, says the company, reduces the time necessary for cleaning while minimising downtime and disruption.

The non-metal corrosive formula means it’s safe to use on aluminium, stainless steel and copper surfaces - so it can be used to clean freezer heat exchanger surfaces with no risk of damage. It is also suitable for freezer walls and floors. www.advancedengineering. co.uk

The next wave

Leafield Environmental has launched the Finbin Wave line of recycling/waste bins designed for shopping malls, airports, galleries, museums, hotels, etc.

There are three styles of bin - single, double and triple - each available with open top or optional arched cover for outdoor use.

Wave bins are manufactured in brushed, 430 stainless steel and are also available with a powder coat finish on galvanised steel.

Waste is collected in plastic sacks, held in place with pivoted sack retention frames. The 100-litre capacity under each aperture makes Wave bins suitable for heavy footfall locations. www.leafieldrecycle.com

Eco-certified The Soap Co has launched its new collection of luxury eco and bee-friendly hand and body products and cold processed soaps. Created with ecocertified ingredients that aren’t harmful to aquatic life, the vegan and biodegradable eco range is created by a workforce 80 per cent of whom are blind, disabled or otherwise disadvantaged.

The range - Geranium & Rhubarb and Wild Nettle & Sage - is made with 13 natural oils. www.thesoapco.org

More poles Spinaclean has introduced the next generation of Elite gutter cleaning poles, compatible with Industrial 85 SkyVac gutter cleaning machines. The new carbon fibre poles are 15 per cent wider and five per cent lighter.

Visit the ECJ website for latest news

Coreless tissue

Essity’s Tork Coreless Mid-size Toilet Paper system is now available in the company’s Elevation dispensers which are available in both black and white.

The system’s benefits include reduced waste, less packaging and less time spent refilling dispensers says Essity. There are no cores to dispose of and no plugs or wrappings to discard.

The paper is tightly wound to make rolls more compact, with rolls claimed to typically last up to five times as long as conventional products. www.tork.co.uk

Also new is an internal telescopic high-level cleaning pole, ultra lightweight and again made from carbon fibre. This can reach up to 18 ft high and stands less than 5.5 ft when closed. www.spinaclean.com

Express foam Express Foam is the new alkaline cleaner designed for open plant cleaning in food, dairy and beverage plants from Holchem.

It’s a long cling product for extended contact of detergent with soiling but fast dispersing when rinsed - this reduces rinse time and water consumption.

The formula is phosphate- and EDTA-free. www.holchem.co.uk

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