Facilities are
faced with
unprecedented
budget cuts and
too often look
at cleaning as
an expendable
service.
Just as in a commercial setting,
the impact of poor cleaning
results in increased costs – repairs,
unplanned replacement costs
and remedial measures to correct
problems. A properly planned
and monitored green cleaning
program can not only improve the
health and performance of the
school's students and staff, but
improved health
can also provide a high level of
control and predictability over the
maintenance budget.
In a hospital, where you already
have patients with impacted
immune systems, there is an even
greater risk of negative impact.
Some cleaning chemicals can
cause headaches, asthma, burns,
permanent eye damage, major
organ damage, and even cancer.
As part of their progress toward
reducing their environmental
health impacts, hospitals are
looking for cleaning products
that eliminate potentially toxic
exposures to patients and staff,
as well as exposures to the
environment.
Finally, consider the impact on the
custodians themselves. Powerful
chemicals, many with potentially
harmful effects, equipment that
is not ergonomically designed,
matched with outdated
procedures have led to high
turnover rates and astronomical
workman's compensation claims.
In fact, insurance costs are often
the second highest cost of
maintenance after the labor itself.
A properly designed green
cleaning program, using safer
chemicals, dispensers to protect
the user from concentrated
products, ergonomically designed
equipment and an effective
training program can directly
impact two of the highest
personnel costs – turnover and
Workman's Compensation.
Despite having good facility
management programs in place,
in almost every case new ideas,
better practices and cost savings
have come out of a green building
implementation. For a building
manager, this can lead to increased
profitability.
Obviously, there are enormous
opportunities to reduce the
impact on both health and the
environment. A well-designed,
implemented and documented
green cleaning program can
address all of these issues,
improving the quality of our
indoor environment while
minimizing potential adverse
effects on health and the
environment as a whole.
|
|
