via Proctor & Gamble

CINCINNATI, Feb. 1, 2010
– Procter & Gamble Professional, the away-from-home division of Procter & Gamble, today released the findings of its “Cleaning in a Down Economy” survey, which revealed that 85 percent of surveyed cleaning professionals have adopted a “doing more with less” approach in response to current economic conditions. P&G Professional launched the survey to gauge how decision makers managing in-house or contract cleaning services in the health care, education, retail, commercial, foodservice and hospitality industries have reacted, and adapted, to recent business conditions. The findings point out that cleaning service managers have often had to tackle the same amount of labor with fewer employees, placing increased demands on staff productivity and cleaning efficiency. Many managers have been forced to streamline operations, with 76 percent reporting being under pressure from upper management to keep operating costs down over the last six months. To address these demands, nearly nine in ten respondents have made cut backs, including staff reductions. While these cut backs have not been easy, 97 percent of the decision makers surveyed feel they have been able to effectively keep expenditures down. In fact, more than nine in ten respondents using this “doing more with less” approach are likely to do so even after the economy improves. “Managers in charge of cleaning services were faced with belt tightening activities at the same time as the H1N1 outbreak,” said Matt Koloseike, customer development manager, P&G Professional. “To meet this challenge and ensure the effectiveness of their cleaning program, decision makers maximized efficiencies across the entire breadth of their operations, including getting more out of their staff and the products they purchased. We found the past year has opened a lot of cleaning professionals’ eyes to the efficiency benefits of simplified cleaning routines and effective, multipurpose products – both of which are core components of the cleaning solutions, and philosophy, that P&G Professional brings to its customers.” Cleaning Industry Prompted to Increase Efficiency Amidst Down Economy
When it comes to increasing efficiency and delivering cost savings, the importance of product selection was particularly noted, with 22 percent of respondents highlighting “products that get the job done right the first time” as most helpful when it comes to performing their cleaning services. Surprisingly, the survey also found that in spite of constrained resources, cleaning professionals primarily judge the value of a product based on its quality and effectiveness (56 percent) and versatility of use (36 percent) rather than its price point (5 percent).
“Cleaning in a Down Economy” Survey Highlights:
* Nine in ten (90 percent) cleaning product decision makers would rather find ways to perform their services more efficiently than raise prices for their customers or clients.
* Over two in five (41 percent) respondents feel being as efficient as possible with current resources is what is most vital to their business right now. In fact, 35 percent think keeping customers happy is more critical than other fiscal matters like growing the business (10 percent), keeping all staff members employed (6 percent) or making a profit (3 percent).
* More than six in ten (61 percent) of those willing to spend more on a product would do so if it enabled employees to work faster by getting the job done the first time. Additionally, 43 percent would spend more if the purchased product could replace multiple cleaning products they currently use.
* Eighty-one percent of respondents do not think having more cleaning products in their arsenal will lead to getting the job done right.
* The biggest hurdle for cleaning providers who are not performing at their best is having to train staff on how to properly clean (68 percent). With a high staff turnover during tough economic times, this is likely to get even more difficult.

Via issa.com:

Medical researchers at Mayo Clinic say they have decreased hospital-acquired infections among patients by one-third in areas prone to such infections by cleaning more often with a germ-killing formula, according to the Post-Bulletin, produced out of Rochester, MN.

“Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) is one of the leading pathogens causing hospital-acquired infection in the United States. It may cause diarrhea, colitis, sepsis and lead to prolonged hospitalization and death,” said the Post, quoting a Mayo announcement. “Researchers at Mayo studied hospital units where the rate of hospital-acquired illness was high with a new campaign they’re calling the ‘Wipe Out C. difficile Project.’”

“We chose the units studied because they had the highest burden of C. difficile disease,” said Dr. Robert Orenstein, an infectious diseases specialist. “This is in part because many patients were being admitted with diarrheal illness to these and thus the ‘colonization pressure’ was high. This means the more patients with this illness, the likelihood of transmission is greater.”

Researchers used the only formula approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for use against C. difficile.

“The process involves consistent daily cleaning of all high-touch surfaces with a spore-killing bleach disinfectant wipe for all patients on units with high endemic rates of C. difficile infection,” the Mayo announcement says.

“We educated our regular environmental service staff to switch from the product they used daily, which had no activity versus spots of C. difficile, to a new bleach wipe, which was sporicidal,” Orenstein said. “Otherwise, the cleaning process was similar. We assessed cleaning before and after and it was consistently excellent. This suggests it was the product change that made the difference.”

Deaths related to C. difficile increased from 5.7 deaths per million in 1999 to 23.7 deaths per million in 2004, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which notes that most such deaths occur in hospitals.

Via Cleanlink.com:

In an effort to improve the cleanliness of local school districts and stretch public funds, Georgia Schools Superintendent Kathy Cox has recommended implementing the Carpet and Rug Institute’s Seal of Approval* testing program for carpet cleaning products.

In a letter to Georgia’s 190 district superintendents, Cox noted that the Carpet and Rug Institute’s Seal of Approval testing and certification program could help districts maximize cleaning and maintenance budgets by guiding them to the most effective products. This, in turn, would save money by reducing labor costs and extending the useful life of carpet.

“In an era when school budgets are especially tight, it is my sense that using CRI Seal of Approval-certified products and equipment will save school districts money,” Cox said. “CRI does not make, distribute or sell any of these products; it simply tests for performance to assure that the best products are being used to maintain carpet,” she added.

Dalton Public Schools, located in the northwest corner of the state, has put in place the Seal of Approval program. At one time, carpets were maintained by school personnel. But as the school system grew, the district hired a local Seal of Approval-certified Service Provider and invested in SOA-approved vacuums. Onsite “spotting teams” respond to spills and stains immediately, using SOA-approved spot cleaning solutions. “Clean, safe schools enhance teaching and learning,” says Belinda Parrish, the Dalton Public Schools maintenance chief. “A clean environment is as important to a student’s success as a good breakfast.”

*The SOA program certifies effective and environmentally responsible carpet cleaning solutions, vacuums, extractors, and cleaning systems. Consumer and commercial products are independently tested and lists of qualifying products are posted on the CRI Web site. In addition, carpet cleaning professionals certified as Seal of Approval Service Providers are listed on the Web site by zip code and geographic area.

Via Cleanlink.com:

Federal and state officials, many facing record budget deficits, are starting to aggressively pursue companies that try to pass off regular employees as independent contractors, according to a New York Times article.

President Obama’s 2010 budget assumes that the federal crackdown will yield at least $7 billion over 10 years. More than two dozen states also have stepped up enforcement, often by enacting stricter penalties for misclassifying workers.

Many workplace experts say a growing number of companies have maneuvered to cut costs by wrongly classifying regular employees as independent contractors, though they often are given desks, phone lines and assignments just like regular employees. Moreover, the experts say, workers have become more reluctant to challenge such practices, given the tough job market.

Companies that pass off employees as independent contractors avoid paying Social Security, Medicare and unemployment insurance taxes for those workers. Companies do not withhold income taxes from contractors’ paychecks, and several studies have indicated that, on average, misclassified independent workers do not report 30 percent of their income.

One federal study concluded that employers illegally passed off 3.4 million regular workers as contractors, while the Labor Department estimates that up to 30 percent of companies misclassify employees. Ohio’s attorney general estimates that his state has 92,500 misclassified workers, which has cost the state up to $35 million a year in unemployment insurance taxes, up to $103 million in workers’ compensation premiums and up to $223 million in income tax revenue.

“It’s a very significant problem,” said the attorney general, Richard Cordray. “Misclassification is bad for business, government and labor. Law-abiding businesses are in many ways the biggest fans of increased enforcement. Misclassifying can mean a 20 or 30 percent cost difference per worker.”

Employers deny misclassifying workers deliberately. The businesses say the lines are unclear between employee and independent contractor.

Workers are generally considered employees when someone else controls how and when they perform their work. In contrast, independent contractors are generally in business for themselves, obtain customers on their own and control how they perform services.

Many businesses are dismayed about the tougher federal and state scrutiny.