I get a look in a lot of my competitors' janitor closets (I do janitorial service in Phoenix AZ), and at the kit carried from building to building by the occasional crew doing route work. Lots of unsafe chemicals; lots of unnecessary chemicals; lots of opportunity for confusion and injury.
We find that most buildings can be cleaned, most of the time, using only 5 chemicals - including cleaning (and disinfecting or sanitizing as appropriate) glass, carpet spots, touch points and restrooms. Johnson's Alpha-HP, a hydrogen peroxide based cleaner/sanitizer, is our main "go to" concoction; also in the kit is a disinfectant, a metal polish, a light de-scaler, and an aggressive spot and graffiti remover. The "once in a while" products - heavy duty bowl acid, solvent carpet spotter, gum remover, etc. - stay on the vehicle, never entering the client building unless needed.
Keeping the standard kit down to 5 chemical bottles lets us keep all the chemicals in the caddy atop the trash can - no squirt bottles hanging from one's pocket, or off the trash can rim, ready to be jostled loose and to spill chemical on the client's carpet. Or to be set down and left behind.
Fewer chemicals in the standard kit means less confusion (you don't grab the glass cleaner rather than the disinfectant because they are both light blue), easier inventory control, and a healthier environment for the janitor, the client, and...the environment.
A bit about us:
My firm, CBN Building Maintenance, provides commercial cleaning services in Phoenix AZ and the wider metro area. We've been in business since 1974; hold the BBB's A-plus rating; and have long been in the forefront of the industry in environmentally sensitive cleaning for health, safety and security. Our program can generally improve Indoor Air Quality, in the size range of most allergens, by a factor of 50%, as reflected in our ongoing IAQ sampling.
I think this restriction a good step and I support it.
Posted by: whmis course | 11/23/2011 at 12:49 PM