The Janitors' Closet

Identy thefts uncovered via food stamps

Our Maricopa County Sheriff's office has arrested four employees of local business, and is on the prowl for two more.  They had all gotten jobs via stealing identity (name and Social Security Number) from another local, who applied for food stamps, but was denied due to the income reported to the state in her name - the only reason the scam saw the light of day.

As the income generated by these six was reported, we gather that the employers in question were behaving legitimately - all the employees "on the books".  As the name and SSN were legit, E-Verify would have passed them (or did, depending on if the firms used the process).

You'd think, if our government really wanted to deter ID theft, and to discourage jobs being given to those ineligible for employment, that a quick check could be made - when E-Verify is used, of for that matter when payroll taxes are submitted the the State - of how many jobs that SSN is holding down, and perhaps (in, say, the case of six jobs) a question be raised.  Further, Social Security cards could be made a bit more tamper proof - embedded chip or electronic stripe, photo, hologram, etc.  One could even link the chip or stripe electronically to a database, so the potential employer could confirm that the card and the number are legit; maybe even display back to the employer a copy of the photo that should be on the card. It might discourage the Park-and-Swap trade.

In our janitorial screening program, we run an address check based on Social Security number.   We at least get an idea of how many places around the country a given SSN is holding down a job, and perhaps whether the applicant is the primary user of that number....   And we require a current Arizona Drivers License (hard to forge), and have access to the (hopefully) accompanying photo.  Given that we do thorough background checks on our applicants (court records, etc.), it makes sense to confirm exactly who the applicant is.

It's not, as they say, rocket science.

4.3 million dead in 2012 - from indoor air pollution

Somewhere between 30 to 150 times as many people die world-wide from indoor air pollution as die from the various possible effects of global warming, according to an estimate in an article by Bjorn Lomborg in Forbes, which I ran across via the Indoor Air Quality Council.

We do our little bit to address indoor air quality in our commercial janitorial accounts by employing HEPA filtered vacuums, vacuuming rather than dust mopping tile, microfiber wipes and damp mops, and so on.  According to our ongoing measuring of client indoor air quality, we cut daytime airborne particle count (in the size range of most allergens) about in half.  We claim thereby to benefit the health of our clients' employees; we don't generally claim to reduce mortality.

The mortality referenced in the article involves mostly third world folks without access to modern energy (electric, gas) to heat and light their homes, and to cook their food.  Their energy source becomes wood, brush and dung, leading to much smoke indoors and deforestation outdoors.

Last year, in a feel-good but quite misguided initiative, our American government announced that the US would cease funding loans for construction of third world coal plants, and encourage the third world to use instead more wind and solar.  Wind and solar are unaffordable, and not an option, for most of the third world (if they could afford expensive power, we'd not call them "third world").  To judge the effect of limiting coal fired electric power, one therefore ought compare coal not to wind and solar, but to the practical available alternative, wood and brush.  Wood and brush will likely emit more greenhouse gas than coal (even inefficient filters on coal plants are better than an open wood fire).  Wood and brush collection will denude the landscape, leading to soil erosion and a host of subsequent problems.  And folks will die.

In passing, I noticed several years back an inexpensive technology alternative that originated in Nepal, of all places.  In a small underground concrete chamber, an individual farmer disposes household and farm waste and a bit of water, in an oxygen poor environment.  The result is natural gas (mostly methane) - not a lot, but enough to provide a poor family minimal heat, light and cooking.  The residue is an effective fertilizer.  No down side is apparent.  The cost is somewhere around $500.00.

Seems too small scale a program to be of interest to our foreign aid professionals, either governmental or charity affiliated.

Why we do floor maintenance

Back in 2011, I noticed an article that I used, in a blog post, to connect Sears declining sales volume (and profitability) to declining floor maintenance in the stores, implying a chicken and egg relationship, in small part.  No profit, and you spend less on maintenance; but, no maintenance, and people stay away, so no profit.

Caught an article today, in the Phoenix Business Journal, on Sears closing even more stores and perhaps selling of its stake in a major string of Sears stores in Canada; both are a result of more losses and "burning through cash".  I'm guessing that management is scrimping even more on maintenance (if so, can't much blame them), but that a less than stellar appearance, especially in flooring, will help drive down customer visits, and profit.

Could have expected a continued decline.  Here's my original comment:

Good article on the economic impact of deferred maintenance in today's Wall Street Journal.  Miguel Bustillo's piece contrasts traditional chain store annual maintenance spending of $6.00 to $8.00 per square foot with Sears current level, about $1.90; he ties maintenance spending levels to Sears steady decline in sales since 2005.  ("No one really comes here anymore", said the only customer to be found at the Sears store visited.)

The article does not specifically mention janitorial floor maintenance, but that's got to be a major part of the store's deteriorating appearance; for several years, I've heard stories around the industry about draconian reductions in budget, burnishing schedules, and so on.  A tacky looking floor in a big box store is about the first thing you notice on walking in - and you tend to not walk in again.  That's why, in even our smaller accounts, we pretty much insist on including appropriate floor maintenance (periodic burnishing, as-needed refinishing) in our cleaning package.  A worn floor shouts lack of maintenance, lack of cleaning and sanitation, and lack of caring management.

Maintain it, and they will come (customers, that is).

LEED-Certified Buildings Are Often Less Energy-Efficient Than Uncertified Ones

Provocative article in Forbes.  A good deal of the issue with LEED certification is that a developer seeking certification need simply submit a computer model of the building's theoretical energy efficiency, before occupancy or even construction.

Further, "The LEED rating system is also gimmicky. Installing a bike rack gets you a point, while adding only the minimum number of parking spaces scores you two. This allows buildings to take the easiest and cheapest path to green glory without actually doing much for the environment. LEED developer Rob Watson has even admitted to “[throwing] a few gimmes in there.” In turn, some environmentalists have rightly criticized LEED as mere “green-washing.”

Beyond that, the certification itself can be expensive.  GSA figures that "soft costs" involved in LEED certification (such as fees for LEED consultants) add an average of $150,000 to the cost of new federal buildings.

In contrast, the Energy Star system requires the submission of real life utility bills.  No surprise that LEED and Energy Star results bear little resemblance to one another.

We recently performed an energy upgrade on our 2-story, 100-year old office.  New upstairs AC (a good deal more efficient than the 20-year old one it replaced), new duct-work (tighter and better placed that the old), removal and replacement of the matted down attic insulation, plugging of various holes at wall tops and so on, under floor insulation above the basement, door and some window seals, a new fridge - you get the picture.  It involved quite a chunk of change, but should pay for itself in a lower power bill over the next few years.

We upgraded, not to garner a certification or a plaque to put on the wall, but to save money in the real world, by saving energy.  I'm guessing that's a more effective energy saving process than filling our forms, getting certified, and in many cases, gaming the system.

Our Fire Department has lost some 850 keys to firms and apartments...

...but when you read further down, turns out it's 850 keys that fit some 9000 lock-boxes around Phoenix, which contain said business and residential keys.  That's a lot of keys.

At least the Fire Department is being pro-active.  They recognized the potential problem due to a news story about a court case up in Seattle; the Department is in the process of re-keying all the lock-boxes.   Expensive, to be sure, but a lot cheaper than burglaries.  I imagine that they will soon consider a better key sign-out and tracking system.

Like any commercial janitorial service, we keep track of a lot of keys.  We developed early on, and constantly refine, key check out and inventory systems; we prohibit our folks putting any kind of client name of address on keys (so that a dropped key is not so much of a problem); we duplicate any non-security key onto a "neutered bow" blank, to make duplication of the key we issue out to our cleaning crew more difficult; and we have our crews store alarm information in a different place from the keys, and client name and address in a different place still.  And, in the rare event of our loosing a client's keys, we send out a locksmith to re-key the facility - immediately.  Again, it's cheaper than a burglary.

A few years back, I signed a string of credit unions formerly serviced by one of the janitorial franchising operations.  Picked up the keys, branch by branch, that the individual franchisees had dropped off earlier in the day.  For some of the branches, I noticed little sticky tags on the keys: client address on one side, alarm code on the other.  Quite convenient.

I should have had the foresight to photocopy the keys, with address and alarm code, and hung the copy on the wall of our training room.  Next to the motivational two-by-four.