–Operations Office Manager

Plastic bottles and grocery bags have long been the culprits of increased plastic waste around the world. The coronavirus pandemic has brought about a third culprit—disposable face masks, Fox News reports. Although the masks are made of plastic microfibers, there have been little to no guidelines on how to recycle them.

In a study published in the journal Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering, researchers from the University of Southern Denmark and Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey found that the masks cannot be readily biodegraded and may fragment into smaller plastic particles, namely micro-and nano plastics, that can become widespread in ecosystems. With people worldwide using nearly 130 billion disposable face masks each month, scientists warned that the masks will be contributing to the ongoing plastic problem unless recycling measures are taken.

Production of disposable masks is at a similar scale as plastic bottles. While 25% of plastic bottles are currently being recycled, face masks are being disposed of as solid waste due to the lack of recycling guidelines. When not properly collected, masks can be transported from land into freshwater and marine environments by surface run-off, river flows, ocean currents, wind, and animals that become entangled in the masks or ingest them.

Researchers offered the following suggestions to lessen disposable masks’ effects on the environment: 

• Set up mask-only trash cans for collection and disposal
• Consider standardization, guidelines, and strict implementation of waste management for mask wastes
• Replace disposable masks with reusable face masks like cotton masks
• Consider development of biodegradable disposal masks.

#EvergreenbInstallServices #EvergreenProjectManagement #Recycle

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Researchers offered the following suggestions to lessen disposable masks’ effects on the environment: 

• Set up mask-only trash cans for collection and disposal
• Consider standardization, guidelines, and strict implementation of waste management for mask wastes
• Replace disposable masks with reusable face masks like cotton masks
• Consider development of biodegradable disposal masks.

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TAGSEnvironment and SustainabilityCOVID-19

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Cleaning Company Fined for Underpaying Temporary Foreign Workers

March 23, 2021

The U.S. Department of Labor has fined Universal Cleaners LLC for violating the pay requirements of its temporary foreign workers, Up North Live reports.  

The Traverse City, Michigan-based company will pay US$56,734 in back wages to 10 workers who provided janitorial services for the company but were paid less than the required prevailing wage rate. The company will also pay $51,309 in civil penalties.

Universal Cleaners hired the employees through the H-2B visa program, which helps supply employers with temporary foreign workers they need while protecting U.S. workers’ access to the same jobs. However, the company violated the H2-B visa program on several counts including:

• Failing to advertise to U.S. workers that housing would be provided with this job
• Failing to subject potential employees to drug tests and lifting requirements although it advertised to U.S. workers that the job was subject to these stipulations
• Paying temporary foreign workers $10.50 and $11.25 per hour instead of the required prevailing wage rate for janitorial work of $12.56 per hour
• Employing a temporary foreign worker to do landscaping, despite being hired to work as a janitor.
• Failing to reimburse guest workers for their expenses traveling from and returning to their home countries.
• Applying for temporary foreign workers for employment from April 1 to November 30 but employing some workers outside of that period.
• Failing to notify proper authorities of the separation of one of the temporary foreign workers.

Universal Cleaners has agreed to use a controller to oversee all hiring, payroll and employment practices involving temporary foreign workers in the future.

By: Matt Hayas, Global Product Manager, Hydro Systems

After a year that has completely altered the framework of most work environments, COVID-19 vaccine roll outs provide businesses with an opportunity to think realistically about employees returning to corporate offices. While this may come in the form of staff returning to the office for just a few days a week or in smaller numbers, facility managers need to have a plan in place for reopening safely.

The consumer mindset around cleanliness has changed so drastically as a result of the pandemic that, even with widespread vaccination, facilities must maintain higher levels of cleanliness. In fact, a recent report from Honeywell suggests that 71% of the U.S. workforce does not feel completely safe working in their employers’ buildings and 61% believe building management is more likely to make short-term changes in response to the pandemic than long-term investments.

So how can facility managers reopen safely and help workers feel assured in their transition back to the office? Read on for strategies managers can implement to help uphold cleanliness.

Strategies for Maintaining Workplace Cleanliness

Consider the following recommendations to help ensure the cleanliness and safety of your facility for reopening and beyond.

• Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces daily – Cleaning and disinfecting high-touch surfaces should always be a priority because it reduces the risk of transmitting COVID-19 and other contagious diseases among people. To effectively clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces each day, consider using a chemical dispenser to accurately and reliably dilute and dispense chemicals into spray bottles, mop buckets and floor care machines. Dilution systems ensure the safety of cleaning staff and enhance product performance by making sure that chemicals are always at the right concentration. This is because when chemicals are diluted incorrectly, it can compromise the product’s ability to inactivate viruses and kill bacteria.

• Have clear social distancing guidelines in place – Space visual indicators, such as floor stickers, six feet apart and use wall posters to remind people to follow guidelines like mask wearing and distancing. Additionally, managers can limit building or room occupancies and space out workstations to reduce the risk of exposure between building occupants.

• Showcase proof of clean – Give employees confidence in the safety of their workplace by making the cleaning process more visible and showcasing a greater commitment to cleanliness and hygiene. For example, managers can try to reschedule cleaning staff for part of the workday, implement touchless hand soap and sanitizer dispensers throughout the facility and clean more frequently. Having hand soap and sanitizer dispensers in place also reminds employees and cleaning staff to regularly perform hand hygiene.

• Keep employees informed – Simply communicating what precautions a facility is taking to ensure a safe transition can go a long way with employees. This can mean informing them how frequently and thoroughly high-touch surfaces are cleaned, what new equipment is in use or indicating what products staff are using from the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s List N to disinfect surfaces. Many people will be unsure during this return-to-work phase. Clear and frequent communication can give workers greater confidence and peace of mind that their health and safety is a priority.

Cleaning the Workplace for the New Normal

At the end of the day, it’s important to remember that safety is the top priority when it comes to reopening corporate offices. This is why every facility manager needs to develop a thorough plan for promoting workplace cleanliness. Once COVID-19 cases diminish, employee concerns about workplace cleanliness and safety will still exist. The new normal calls for making commercial facilities clean, safe and comfortable so employees can be healthy, productive and collaborative in the long-term as they navigate life back in the office.

Our Project Management Install Standards for all Installs

Our WHY: Provide exceptional service to every client as we grow together

Evergreen Install Services, LLC was formed to provide Professional Project Management Installation Services for the Manufacturers and Distributors of Paper, Soap, Hand-sanitizer, JanSan Chemical Proportioning Industry, and Division 10 products such as Partitions and Lockers Marketplace. We specialize in, but are not limited to, large installations in Healthcare, Educational, Military, Government, Office, Retail, Sport, Manufacturing, Industrial and the Food Service Facilities. Evergreen seeks to establish lasting relationships with our clients by exceeding their expectations and gaining their trust through exceptional performance by every member of the Evergreen Team.  We serve our clients with Excellence in every aspect of the install process, No exceptions.

Evergreen Website: www.evergreenis.net

Why Choose Evergreen Install Services:

1. All Evergreen Install Services field associates work directly for Evergreen and have gone through an extensive screening process including Criminal and Sex Offender background checks and a Drug Test prior to being employed by Evergreen. 
2. Over 40 year’s business experience in Executive Level Project Management, Sales, Marketing and Construction
3. Professional Team of Install Specialist well trained on all aspects of Project Management and the Install Process, Evergreen associates are located throughout North America. We expand strategically to serve our clients’ needs and to control cost. 
4. Professional Dress Code 
5. Sound fiscal process.
6. Fully Insured-Commercial Liability/Workman’s Compensation
7. National Install Project Management Capabilities

Thank you for the opportunity to serve you,

Mark Rutherford

Evergreen Install Services, LLC

Partner / Director

734.780.6268

888.700.5635 x2

Evergreen is a project management installations company; we partner with our clients to manage their installs to ensure success and help grow their business.  

Our Goal is to “Serve” our client, and “Exceed” our client expectations through who we are, what we do and how we do it better than anyone else in the marketplace.

Eph: 2:10

#EvergreenInstallServices #EvergreenProjectManagement #EvergreenHandSanitizer #EvergreenHandSoap #EvergreenPaperTowel

The study was initiated at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Stockton, California, by McGurk and Environmental Services  Manager Michael Thomas. 

Although McGurk found in a previous study that more than 96% of environmental services (EVS) staff at six California hospitals realized that how well they did their jobs affected the health of hospital patients and staff, almost half admitted they didn’t clean around the patient bed and overbed tray area. This lack of cleaning was not due to laziness, forgetfulness, or lack of awareness about the importance of cleaning. The chemical  solution hospital officials had chosen due to its quick and efficient pathogen kill rate had a strong chlorine smell and patients had complained about the odor. So, staff either didn’t clean around patient beds, or diluted the product so much that it was no longer effective.

Hospital officials decided a change was needed to ensure high-touch areas in patient rooms were thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. Investigators in an earlier study had marked several high-touch areas in a hospital room with invisible fluorescent markers before EVS workers went in to clean. After EVS staff finished, the investigators inspected these areas with a black light, discovering that the markers remained on about half of these surfaces, signifying they were not thoroughly cleaned. These high-touch areas included the doorknob, overbed tray, bed rails, nurse call button, and phone.

Hydrogen peroxide wipes study

Hospital officials decided these areas, along with hand sanitizer dispensers, needed additional cleaning and began a study using volunteers. The volunteers were given a packet of accelerated hydrogen peroxide wipes to clean these areas every day. The wipes were chosen as they were safe and ready to use with no pungent odor.

The hospital found its Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) scores were higher once volunteers began wiping these high-touch areas. However, the study was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic as volunteers were no longer allowed in the hospital.

McGurk said the study will resume when the pandemic is over. However, he feels there was enough evidence from the study to recommend that hospitals implement the use of hydrogen peroxide wipes in patient rooms by EVS staff and other workers. For instance, food service workers can use the wipes to clean overbed trays before they give patients their meals, management staff conducting rounds can wipe bedrails, and nurses can wipe down surfaces when they attend to patients.

McGurk offered another recommendation to help stop the spread of infectious diseases in hospitals. As health care workers encourage patients to walk instead of staying in their beds all day, patients are given socks with rubber grippers on the bottom. McGurk suggests hospitals give patients two pairs of socks. “They can have red socks with no grippers for when they’re in bed. Red rhymes with bed,” he suggested. “And they can be given green socks with grippers for when they’re walking around. Green signifies go. This can prevent patients from bringing dirt from the floors into their beds and into the operating rooms.”

Want to learn more?

Jack McGurk is the president of Systems Improvement Initiators Inc. (Si3), a consulting firm that assists companies, hospitals, and health care facilities to improve operations and implement cost-effective environmental improvements. He is a member of IEHA, a division of ISSA, and engages in consulting and training with the association. 

Watch McGurk’s ISSA Show North America Virtual Experience session, Impacts of the Hospital Patient Care Zones, now on-demand with an All-Access Pass through March 31. Not registered? Get your pass at issashow.com/register.

Kathleen Misovic

ASSOCIATE EDITOR FOR CMM

Kathleen Misovic is associate editor for CMM. She has a degree in journalism and an extensive background in writing for print and digital media for various associations. Contact her at kathleen@issa.com.  Share Article 

© 1998-20212021 ISSA. All rights reserved.

#EvergreenInstallServicecs #EvergreenProjectManagment

January  2021

To Whom It May Concern,

Evergreen Install Services is a part of the construction and sanitation industry, specializing in large installations of the equipment used to dispense paper products, soap, sanitizer, and cleaning products. Evergreen has been working diligently to help fight COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic.

Evergreen fully supports the efforts of our administration, governors, and public health officials to slow down the spread of the COVD-19 virus for the benefit of the communities. The management of Evergreen has carefully considered the role of the company and its associates during this difficult time and the directives of the governors in the states where we work. The health and safety of our clients and Evergreen associates is our #1 priority. Since the installation of paper, sanitizer and soap dispensers are essential to the clients requiring our services we have taken the following steps to ensure their continued health:

• Each Installer works independently to complete his work resulting in social distancing just through the nature of their work.
• Screenings are conducted for the protection of our associates and our clients.
• Associates are provided separate hotel rooms while working away from home.
• No associate will be allowed to work if he/she has any cold or flu-like symptoms.
• Associates are required to carry hand sanitizer in their tool bags and are encouraged to frequently wash their hands.
• Associates are provided proper PPE according to the requirements of the facilities in which we work.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve you.

Mark Rutherford

Partner/Owner

Evergreen Install Services

O-888.700.5635

M-734.780.6268

www.Evergreenis.net

Our Why- “To provide exceptional service to all our clients as we grow together”

#EvergreenInstallServices #EvergreenProjectManagement

Environmental services teams struggling to keep up with upgraded cleaning protocolsJanuary 18, 2021

As hospital environmental services (EVS) staff struggle to keep up with the enhanced cleaning and disinfectant measures made necessary due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many are feeling they provide little value to the health care organizations where they are working, according to a study published in the American Journal of Infection.

The study was conducted by investigators from Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina, to review and identify factors associated with the disinfection practices of EVS workers in health care settings. It found that EVS staff face numerous barriers in performing their jobs: high work demands, us versus them attitudes, interruptions, perceptions of low status or value, and a lack of communication. Investigators determined these barriers could be improved through advanced training on cleaning and disinfection practices.

Many hospital housekeepers do not receive ongoing, systematic training, especially training focusing on interpersonal skills. “To sustain improvements in disinfection practices, education/training sessions need to be continuous,” the study states.

The effectiveness of EVS training needs to be measured through microbial assessments of health care facility areas before and after cleaning. Housekeeping staff also need a basic knowledge of pathogens. “The focus should be on how these pathogens can spread in hospital environments and what procedures EVS workers can implement to prevent the spread,” the investigators wrote.

The researchers stressed that health care organizations must demonstrate a long-term commitment to continuous improvement in disinfection outcomes. They concluded that hospitals and long-term care centers must make more of an effort to train EVS workers and ensure they feel valued.

Article from CMM Daily News January 18, 2021

#EvergreenInstallServices, #EvergreenProjectManagement, #EvergreenIS

Survey finds less than half of Americans believe hand drying is critical to infection controlSeptember 14, 2020

The importance of washing your hands after using the restroom, especially during a pandemic, is undisputable. A poll of 1,066 adults commissioned by Cascades PRO found that 84% say it is extremely important to wash your hands after using a public restroom.

However, the value of drying your hands is not as understood, with only 48% of respondents saying it is extremely important to dry your hands after using a public restroom. Health experts say bacteria are more likely to be transmitted from wet skin than dry skin, making proper hand drying a critical component of the hand-hygiene process.

Overall, the poll found that Americans are washing their hands more due to COVID-19. Almost three-quarters (73%) of respondents say they are washing their hands more often than they previously were. Americans are also starting to think about how they dry their hands, with more than half (51%) of survey respondents saying due to COVID-19, they are giving more thought to how they dry their hands after washing.

The poll also found:

• About 6 in 10 (61%) of respondents prefer paper towels from a touchless dispenser when drying their hands in a public restroom.
• About one-quarter of respondents (23%) say they prefer touchless air dryers.
• More than half (57%) of respondents said pre-pandemic they preferred paper towels from a touchless dispenser.
• The same number of respondents (23%) say they preferred touchless air dryers pre-pandemic and well as during the pandemic.
• Of respondents that prefer paper towels, the majority (57%) say they believe the towels dry more thoroughly than other methods.

Americans reported using paper towels for more than just drying their hands. When asked how they typically use paper towels in a restroom:

• 56% reporting using them to cover their hand while opening a door
• 43% reported using them to turn sink faucets on or off.

Since the coronavirus pandemic started, 71% of Americans say they are more concerned with touching surfaces in public restrooms. To prevent contact with restroom surfaces:

• 62% of respondents want touchless ways to enter restrooms
• 59% want automatic toilet flushers
• 59% want touchless trash cans.

Learn more about no-touch restroom dispensers and features.

Investigation finds cleaners skipping some frequently touched areasSeptember 16, 2020

As airport traffic slowly increases amid the coronavirus pandemic, airports across the country are touting their enhanced cleaning protocols and cleaning accreditations to reassure travelers. Some of these protocols include technology such as automated scrubbers that clean then disinfect surfaces using ultraviolet light. The American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) and the Global Biorisk Advisory Council® (GBAC), a Division of ISSA, have established a formal partnership to accredit airports that meet the highest levels of cleanliness and safety at their facilities to minimize risk from coronavirus and other infectious agents.

However, some airports are still struggling to keep up with higher cleaning frequencies and enhanced cleaning methods. An investigative unit with Inside Edition tested several high-touch surfaces for cleanliness at John F. Kennedy International Airport. The investigators found evidence that several of these surfaces didn’t appear to have been cleaned for several days.

Unit members applied invisible ink on several surfaces throughout Terminal 4 in the airport, including several rows of seats, doors, and handles in a men’s restroom, elevator buttons, and airlines check-in counters. When dry, the ink can only be seen with an ultraviolet (UV) light.

The investigators returned to the New York City airport three days later with a UV light to determine if cleaning had removed the ink from the surfaces. They found ink remaining on several of the areas, suggesting that the surfaces had not been wiped clean.

The restroom stall handles were still covered in the ink, as were the buttons in an elevator and the check-in counter. In the seating area, the row of seats still showed traces of the ink on the armrests.

A passenger removed the ink from one of the seats by wiping it down with a sanitizing wipe. Nearby, cleaning crews swept and mopped the floor, vacuumed the carpet, and removed trash. But the workers did not wipe down any of the seat armrests.

When learning the results of the investigation, officials with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said they will undertake a thorough review of cleaning and disinfecting protocols.

Officials with the company that operates Terminal 4 told Inside Edition they are committed to ensuring the safety of customers and that fluorescent markers aren’t always reliable indicators of whether a surface has been properly disinfected. However, they said they are implementing a program to verify their enhanced cleaning processes are effective. 

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Older adults and people who have severe underlying medical conditions like heart or lung disease or diabetes seem to be at higher risk for developing serious complications from COVID-19 illness. More information on Are you at higher risk for serious illness?

Know How it Spreads

• There is currently no vaccine to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
• The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus.
• The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person.
  • Between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet).
  • Through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks.
  • These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.
  • Some recent studies have suggested that COVID-19 may be spread by people who are not showing symptoms.

More details: How COVID-19 Spreads

Everyone Should

Clean your hands often

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
• If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.

Avoid close contact

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick
• Stay home as much as possible.pdf iconexternal icon | [Españolpdf iconexternal icon]
• Put distance between yourself and other people.

• Remember that some people without symptoms may be able to spread virus.

• Keeping distance from others is especially important for people who are at higher risk of getting very sick.

Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others

• You could spread COVID-19 to others even if you do not feel sick.
• Everyone should wear a cloth face cover when they have to go out in public, for example to the grocery store or to pick up other necessities.
  • Cloth face coverings should not be placed on young children under age 2, anyone who has trouble breathing, or is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.
• The cloth face cover is meant to protect other people in case you are infected.
• Do NOT use a facemask meant for a healthcare worker.
• Continue to keep about 6 feet between yourself and others. The cloth face cover is not a substitute for social distancing.

More details: Cloth Face Covers

Cover coughs and sneezes

• If you are in a private setting and do not have on your cloth face covering, remember to always cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze or use the inside of your elbow.
• Throw used tissues in the trash.
• Immediately wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, clean your hands with a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

Clean and disinfect

• Clean AND disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily. This includes tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, and sinks.
• If surfaces are dirty, clean them. Use detergent or soap and water prior to disinfection.
• Then, use a household disinfectant. Most common EPA-registered household disinfectantexternal icon will work.

Despite increased attention on the importance of handwashing, a new survey from the American Cleaning Institute (ACI) found that more than one-third of Americans are still not practicing proper hand hygiene.

The survey of 1,005 adults revealed that just over half (58%) of them make sure they scrub their hands for at least 20 seconds, and one in 10 admit they have not made any changes to their handwashing practices.

A majority (78%) of respondents said they are washing their hands more frequently with soap and water since the coronavirus pandemic began while almost half (46%) are using hand sanitizer more often.

When asked what hygiene or cleaning products they have used more often since the pandemic, the respondents replied:

• Hand soap – 69%
• Hand sanitizer – 59%
• Multi-purpose disinfectant wipes – 44%
• Multi-purpose spray disinfectant – 36%
• Paper towels – 35%
• Toilet or bathroom cleaner – 23%
• Bleach – 9%
• None of these products – 12%

Previous Studies Find Men Wash Less Than Women

Pandemic aside, a more than a decade’s worth of handwashing surveys, reports, and research have consistently found that Americans are lacking in proper technique—especially men, CNN reports.

Researchers have had to come up with clever ways to collect handwashing data, since when most people are asked if they washed their hands after using the restroom or before preparing food, even if they didn’t most people will lie and said they did.

In one especially sneaky study, research assistants at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan, hung out in four different restrooms on campus to unobtrusively record the actions of almost 4,000 male and female students. They found 15% of men didn’t wash their hands at all, compared with 7% of women. When men did wash their hands, only 50% of men used soap, compared with 78% of women.

A larger study used wireless devices at a busy highway rest stop in the United Kingdom to record how many people entered the restroom and used the soap dispenser pumps. After collecting data on almost 200,000 restroom trips over three months, researchers found only 31% of men and 65% of women washed their hands with soap.

Although there has not been much research done on the gender gap in handwashing, scientists believe it is due to socially programmed behavior, with many women traditionally focused on child, household, and personal care and many men exhibiting macho behavior to prove they don’t fear germs.

The few studies on the topic suggest that men and women respond to different types of messaging.  Women are motivated by messages that activate knowledge, such as soap kills germs, while men are motivated by messages that trigger disgust, such as if you don’t wash your hands before you eat, you’ll be ingesting germs.

#CMMCleaningMaintenanceManagement,#EvergreenInstallServices,#EvergreenProjectManagement