Using Fall Protection Equipment Properly

Climbing White Tiger by Dean Croshere via flickr.com

Even though SkyPro and the SkyPro Mini greatly reduce the risk of fall when cleaning windows on buildings, it's always a good idea to brush up on fall protection best practices. Start the New Year off on a safe foot with this article by Craig Firi on the Construction Business Owner website.  

In 2011, the leading cause of worker fatalities on construction sites were falls, accounting for 251 deaths. Fatal falls are often the result of a lack of proper safety gear or the misunderstanding or misuse of equipment. The effectiveness of fall protection equipment, no matter how durable or reliable, is compromised when workers don’t use it correctly.

To ensure the safety of their at-height teams, construction companies must get serious about fall protection equipment and learn what systems and components are ideal for each job. Safety gear is not one-size-fits-all, nor does one product fit all applications.

You should be familiar with the following four functional categories of fall protection equipment:

Fall arrest – If any risk that a worker may fall…

Read the full article at Constructionbusinessowner.com.

Happy Holidays!

We hope you're enjoying relaxing and spending time with family and friends.

Best Wishes,
Sky Pro

Christmas Lights by Alcion via Flickr.com

OSHA Rules to Plan for in 2014

OSHA updates are on the horizon. EHSToday.com covers the expected rules changes so you can get a head start on planning for the upcoming year. 

Twice a year, OSHA publishes a regulatory agenda as a way to keep the regulated community informed regarding upcoming activity. The latest edition was issued in July 2013 and includes a list of 26 rules in various stages of development as well as milestones scheduled for completion in 2013.

While the progress on these OSHA rules is hypnotizingly slow, it is important to stay informed because OSHA offers the regulated community the opportunity to provide feedback and input during the rulemaking process. The agency also provides extensive supporting analysis – mandated by Congress – that can help an EHS manager get a head start on assessing his or her organization's readiness for these new or changing rules. The following are summaries of three rules that OSHA is working on that should be considered when planning for 2014 and beyond.

Read the full article on EHSToday.com.

Thanks for visiting us at ISSA/INTERCLEAN® North America 2013!

We were so excited to see everyone, and show off the Sky Pro system in Las Vegas at the ISSA/INTERCLEAN® North America 2013 show. If you want to see what all the fuss is about, or if you want to relive the show, check out the video on the ISSA.com website.

Click to see the video!

Ice Melt's Place In A Green Cleaning Program

It's getting frigid and greenery is a distant memory (in the Northern Hemisphere, at least!) However, should being green should be a priority? For a lot of people, traditional salt is used to prevent slips and falls, even though it's known to harm the environment. CleanLink is discussing green winter slip prevention.

According to Jan/san distributors, most facility executives in the snow states opt for the status quo when it comes to ice melt: a sodium chloride rock salt that is cheap, effective and easy to apply.

“What the facility executives care about is reducing slips and falls,” says Mark Petruzzi, vice president of Green Seal, adding that in that sense, rock salt does the job. “It’s cheap and it works — to a point.”

As building owners strive for LEED status, and custodial operations managers build their departments around environmentally sound practices, this pervading mentality is changing — and it’s only natural that ice melt manufacturers begin to follow suit.

But, standards on existing “green” ice melters are lacking. While some manufacturers have worked to develop a chemical blend that is both high performing and friendly to the environment, others have been charged with “greenwashing.” The void of information surrounding these products has made choosing a green ice melt especially confusing for buyers.

Read the full article on CleanLink.com. 

How Recycling System Reduced Water Use by 25 Million Gallons at the University of Alabama-Birmingham

Listen to or read the questions and answers from Matt Winslet, of the University of Alabama-Birmingham as he talks about their water recycling system that saved the university 25 million gallons a year. Green cleaning in action! Read the excerpt below from Facilitiesnet.com

Water Ripples, photo by Macky Franklin, via flickr.com

1. Briefly describe how the water recycling system works, and how the school uses the water that's collected.

UAB has three centralized chilled water plants with machines capable of 38,000 tons of cooling. Serving 47 campus and hospital buildings we use a lot of water in our cooling towers during the evaporative and blow-down process.

As condensate water is gravity-drained from air handler chilled water coils, it is intercepted and collected in small basins positioned locally at each air handler. Each local basin has a small level-controlled sump-pump sized to transfer collected water to a larger 500-gallon collection tank. The 500-gallon collection tank contains level controls that pump high-pressure, filtered condensate into the chilled-water return-line before it leaves the building. This rise in pressure is sensed blocks away at the central plant and water is relieved from the chilled water return line into the cooling tower. This in turn reduces makeup water required during the evaporative cooling process. Note that if either the small basin sump pump, high pressure return pump, or central plant tower relief valve fails, the water exits down the drain in the building as it has for many years. The system works very well with ground water sources too.

Read the full article on Facilitiesnet.com

SkyPro at ISSA 2013 in Las Vegas

Are you stopping by ISSA/Interclean North America in Las Vegas? Come check our booth! We're at 3901. For more photos and info about ISSA, check out our Facebook page.

Managers Discuss Sustainability Efforts

Sustainability Building by Hietsun Photography via flickr.com

Facility Maintenance Decisions hosted a round-table with building and grounds managers across the country on the topic of sustainability. SkyPro prioritizes being clean n' green with our window cleaning systems, so we wanted to hear what decisions real managers make to tackle these issues. Read more on Facilities.net, and check out the excerpt below. 

Devaney: [...] I once asked a group during a staff development training session, “What does sustainability mean to you?” So many related it to recycling. I was a bit surprised at that. So for the next hour we discussed sustainable initiatives. Recycling is much more than paper. We recycle lamps, batteries, engine oil, carpet, construction building materials, furniture, equipment, vehicles, to name a few. There is a sustainability policy associated with every department, from construction and design, procurement services, facilities, landscape and grounds, on through the academic programs. Planet, people and prosperity; relate one of the three, or all, in every business decision made, and you have a successful sustainable program.

Read the whole discussion on Facilities.net.

The four “I” words behind safety culture excellence

 This is an excerpt from an ISHN article.

ISHN Guest Blog: There is no “I” in the word “team,” but according to one of our customers there is an “I” in safety – four of them, in fact. Four “I” words sum up what this customer believes it took to get his organization to begin the safety culture improvement journey.

Illuminate: There is often a lack of understanding of what safety culture really is and how an effective improvement process takes place. There is general knowledge about regulations, the foundational basics of reacting to conditions in an effort to protect employees from the hazards that exist in the workplace. There is usually also some fairly general knowledge of visually recognizing unsafe acts and the need to address those who aren’t doing a job as safely as it could be done. Recognizing unsafe acts and conditions is not enough to achieve non-injury excellence for the people at the workface.

To read the full article, visit ISHN.com.

Understanding Enhanced Water Technologies

This is an excerpt from a CleanLink article.

Earlier this year, the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) Board focused its cleaning services for the Boston Logan International Airport on certain criteria, one of which was the “least harmful cleaning program” possible. In July, a decision was made to require the cleaning crew to use the most sustainable products and cleaning practices they could, while achieving the same cleaning results.

As a result, the airport — which services 29.3 million passengers a year — began using enhanced water to keep surfaces clean. The custodial program now utilizes a combination of aqueous water-activated technologies for chemical-free disinfection and floor stripping.

In doing so, Massport joins the ranks of hotels, schools, hospitals and office buildings that are exploring the benefits of water-activated cleaning technologies.

To read the full article, visit cleanlink.com.

Eight Safety Culture Takeaways

This is an excerpt from an ISHN.com guest blog.

Eliminate or reduce any safety vs. productivity conflicts.

Adopt and enact the philosophy and vision that ‘safe production is the number one priority’.

Develop a safety partnership between management and employees.

Actively involve employees in the safety improvement effort in meaningful ways. For example, facilitate [a] employee reviews of Risk Assessments/Job Safety Analysis and Rules & Procedures, [b] development of Safety Communications and Training; [c] employee development and implementation of an adaptive Behavior-Based Safety process, etc.

Insist managers visibly demonstrate their safety leadership
Get managers to [a] be role models and inspire people to comply with safety procedures / rules; [b] hold safety conversations with employees, [c] facilitate any corrective actions, etc.

To read the full article, visit ISHN.com 

Retrocommission for a Better Building

This is an excerpt from a Buildings article.

Want to improve your building’s performance but don’t know where to start? Use existing building commissioning (EBCx) to shine a spotlight on inefficiencies and create a list of improvement options.

Whether your building is 5 or 50 years old, chances are the property has been modified over time – changes to interior layout, shifts in occupancy, or structural alterations. These adjustments can weaken performance by slowly chipping away at energy usage, water consumption, equipment life, and occupant comfort.

“The purpose of existing building commissioning is to use a structured process to confirm that the building is operating in a manner that meets the current facility requirements,” explains Paul Levy, a certified commissioning professional with Kirlin Mechanical Services, a subsidiary of the John J. Kirlin Group.

To read the full article, visit Building's website.

Demand for Janitorial Equipment & Supplies to Reach $7.2 Billion in 2017

This is an excerpt from a CleanLink article.

US demand for janitorial equipment and supplies (excluding chemical products) is forecast to advance 1.7 percent per year through 2017 to $7.2 billion. Although not rapid growth, this rate will be an improvement from the more sluggish gains of the 2007-2012 period. Sales of many of these products declined from 2007 to 2009 due to the recession and its subsequent effect on business activity levels, when a large number of businesses delayed replacing or upgrading higher cost janitorial products and decreased the frequency of nonessential cleaning services.  However, many businesses began purchasing new equipment between 2010 and 2012 as the economy improved, helping sales of most products return to pre-recession sales levels.

These and other trends are presented in Janitorial Equipment & Supplies, a study from The Freedonia Group, Inc., a Cleveland-based industry market research firm.

To read the full article, visit cleanlink.com.

Overcoming Architectural Challenges of Window Washing

For window washers who use boatswain chairs or scaffolding, navigating buildings with irregular window offsets, overhangs, insets, recesses or other architectural challenges can be dangerous and time consuming. Even flat building surfaces require highly trained employees, which makes it more difficult to find qualified professionals.

Since each building is different, window washers must decide the best course of action for each individual descent. Adjusting the boatswain’s chair or scaffolding requires precision, which makes this traditional window washing method a slow, steady process. There is additional downtime when workers have to make adjustments each time they are ready to move on to the next section.

To help manage these challenges, there is a solution that is both safe and effective. Sky Pro’s Skydrowasher™ High Pressure Window Washing System uses high-pressure water to effectively scrub a building surface from up to three feet. It is ideal for cleaning buildings with irregular exterior surfaces. They are available in 4-foot and 8-foot cleaning path models to meet a range of needs. Find out more about the Skydrowasher on the Sky Pro website.

Safety 2013: How to Sell Safety to Difficult Employees and Managers

This is an excerpt from an EHS Today article.

Odds are, you’ve worked with a difficult employee or manager at some point throughout the course of your career. At the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) Safety 2013 conference, J.A. Rodriguez Jr., CSP, offered attendees tips to find common ground with difficult colleagues.

“I see the room is full today,” Rodriguez, senior manager with Raytheon Technical Services Co. LLC, said to the standing-room only crowd at Safety 2013. “Do we know some difficult people?”

If so, these audience members were in the right place. Rodriguez leaned on his 30 years of experience to outline how to turn “difficult” people into your biggest advocates. “It takes work, commitment and involvement, and it takes power within you to say it’s going to happen,” he said.

The the full article, including Rodriguez's strategies to help sell safety strategies, is available at the EHS Today website.

Healthier Workforces May Lead to a Healthier Bottom Line

This is an excerpt from an ISHN article.

Companies that build a culture of health by focusing on the well-being and safety of their workforce may yield greater value for their investors, according to a study published in the September issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (JOEM), official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).

The stock market performance of companies that had received ACOEM’s Corporate Health Achievement Award (CHAA), which annually recognizes the healthiest and safest companies in North America, was conducted at HealthNEXT LLC and analyzed by lead authors Raymond Fabius, MD, and R. Dixon Thayer, and colleagues. Companies that receive the award must be engaged in demonstrable and robust efforts to reduce health and safety risks among their employees.

To read the full article, visit ISHN.com.

FM Pulse: Despite Challenges, Job Satisfaction Stays High For Facilities Managers

This is an excerpt from a Building Operating Management article, which provides details on the publication's annual FM Pulse survey results. This year, 2,591 facility managers responded to the survey.

These should be the worst of times for facility managers. After two decades of steady pressure on resources, the Great Recession brought a whole new level of budget pressure to bear on hard-pressed facility departments. Staff was cut, retirements were delayed, demands rose, the working day often got longer, and raises were deferred and deferred again. But through it all facility managers have been resilient. Perhaps the best indication of how resilient is the job satisfaction ratings in Building Operating Management's annual FM Pulse survey.

From 2008, before the full force of the recession had been felt, through the depths of the recession, to this year, those job satisfaction numbers have remained remarkably constant. ... Those who indicated that they were satisfied ranged from 88 percent to 91 percent. Within that group, those who called themselves very satisfied ranged from 44 percent to 48 percent. The most striking change came in 2009, when the number who said they were very dissatisfied jumped from 1 percent to 8 percent, before falling back to 2 percent in 2010.

But those job satisfaction numbers don't mean that facility departments somehow escaped the Great Recession unscathed. Just the opposite.

The full article is available on the Building Operating Management website. (Links are below.)

From: FM Pulse: Despite Challenges, Job Satisfaction Stays High For Facilities Managers, Building Operating Management

Constant Improvement

This is an excerpt from an ISHN blog post.

What are you doing to be the best at what you do? Take a few moments and try the following exercise, which is a great process to improve areas in which you are already proficient.

What Activities Improve Safety The Most?

First, ask yourself what activities do you do that improve the safety of others in your area of responsibility. Really give this some time. Think of all the activities you do each day, week, month or year. Ask yourself which of these activities have the biggest impact on safety or have the potential to have the greater impact.

Write down all the activities you do that fit the criteria listed above. Take that list and do your best to prioritize it. Once you have done this, ask yourself which of these you do the best. The ones you are most competent in and feel comfortable doing. Now, look to see how you can become better in those areas.

The full article is available on the ISHN website.

Survey Reveals Drop In Pressure; Fewer Cutbacks For Cleaning Industry

This is an excerpt from a Today's Facility Manager article.

The cleaning industry has become somewhat more efficient with operations and keeping costs down in the last two years—and in the wake of an improving economy—a tone of cautious optimism is apparent. This is according to the 2013 Cleaning Industry Insights Survey from P&G Professional™.

According to survey respondents, cutbacks on luxuries have been reduced and pressures have eased. However, loss of business and customer dissatisfaction are the leading causes of worry, keeping key decision makers on their toes to ensure continued improvements and efficiencies.

The survey results were based on the responses of more than 400 cleaning industry professionals and key decision makers across healthcare, food service, commercial, and hospitality sectors. This study follows the inaugural survey which was released in late 2011.

The full article is available at todaysfacilitymanager.com.

What You Don’t Measure You Don’t Manage: Taking the Guess Work Out of FM Performance

This is an excerpt from a Facilities Management Journal article.

At a recent breakfast briefing held at the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) HQ to discuss the benefits of benchmarking FM performance, the very clear message from the speakers was “What you don’t measure you don’t Manage”.

According to the event speakers, the implication of neglecting to measure, is, at best, that you are not in a position to outline ways of improving your performance, at worst, your decision is a guess which can simply end up costing your organization more money.

Whether you are using in-house or a third party FM provider, the need to benchmark remains the same. It allows you to identify the value for Money you receive from your FM provider or to develop the business case to make any internal investment.

During the event all the speakers had a variation on the same message, to drive up standards and drive out inefficiencies you had to first know your current status, which means measure how you are currently performing. This also allows you to identify your objectives and formulate your strategy for delivering on your objectives.

The full article is available at fmjdata.com.

Competitive Safety: Breaking the Mold

This is an excerpt from an EHS Today article.

Organizations that compete for market share in products and services tend to cooperate and collaborate on safety. This mindset has led to a cooperative, kaizen environment in which the only winner is the one who can do the same things better than everyone else. Sure, we look for those tiny improvements and efficiencies and we are open to the next big program that can create a step-change, but we basically are all operating safety with the same strategy (or lack thereof).

It is the lack of safety strategy that is concerning. Few organizations have one. They have goals and wishes and programs designed to improve workplace conditions and enhance the cognitive and behavioral factors in workers that tend to lower accident probability. They have safety departments that focus on compliance, training and reactive safety activities. Since these mirror other organizations' safety efforts, there is an assumption that these are the right (and only) things to do. There are very few key processes in business that are managed with such basic lack of strategy.

At the core of this thinking is a more basic paradigm: business is what we do and safety is just a nagging problem that can keep us from doing it if we are not careful. Business is full of strategy. Rolling out a new product or service involves massive strategic thinking and planning. We seek competitive advantage and market share. How can we do things better, cheaper, faster, more fun or efficient than our competitors? We even look for products and services that don't yet exist. We do market research to determine feasibility and we test the new stuff on potential customers before we roll it out to the marketplace. After we enter the marketplace, we analyze competing products to make sure we maintain competitive advantage and look for further improvements we can make in our next generation of product.

The full article is available at ehstoday.com.

Managers Versus Leaders

This is an excerpt of an fmlink.com article, which was adopted from BOMI International course materials.

Leader and manager positions are different, although the same person may often perform the two jobs. Leaders, and those with effective leadership skills, manage employees and situations more efficiently and successfully.

Leaders are more task, goal, and relationship oriented, whereas managers are more operations oriented. Leaders have more effective interpersonal styles, and leader-member exchanges ultimately influence employees' behavior. Ultimate effectiveness, though, depends on appropriate leadership style.

Leaders are typically out in front. However, this does not mean they are always visible and actively involved in a function. For example, managers and supervisors can be out in front of a workgroup in terms of ideas.

• Leaders see possibilities and potential, and develop ideas that others do not see.
• They identify problems that have only begun to develop.
• They plan well in order to mitigate problems for others.

The idea is to have a manager who is also a capable leader. Functionally, however, differences between the two are obvious.
Characteristically, managers who are clearly leaders are distinct from other managers. Leader-managers actively embrace these roles:

• Visionaries: They can see the end result.
• Risk takers: They are willing to go all out.
• Motivators: They help inspire others with ideas or attitude.
• Initiators of change: They help move people or ideas in a new direction.

In addition, leader-managers responsibly exhibit these qualities:

• Provide direction: They share their ideas with colleagues.
• Play an active role: They are not indifferent to the work or to the people performing it. They are willing to roll up their sleeves.
• Function as part of a team: They are interactive in the process. 
• Delegate effectively: They allow others to learn and grow.

The full article is available on the Facilities Management News website.

Start as You Mean to Go On

This is an excerpt from an article in the Facilities Management Journal.

No one has a better understanding how a building operates in its day-to-day life than the facilities manager (FM). The responsibility for even the smallest of operational elements results in a much greater understanding of economy, aesthetic and efficiency and how all of these impact on the end user. Now, with the advent of Building Information Modeling (BIM), the role of the FM in the design process is expected to increase.

BIM is a completely different approach to designing buildings. It analyses a building’s efficiency at all stages of the life cycle, treating it as a holistic entity. As such, different aspects can be added, changed or removed to alter performance levels before work even begins. This step change in every aspect of building design has meant a review of processes of how decisions are made and the people involved in making them.

Alongside this development, a recent report from Building Research Establishment (BRE) and the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) looked at the results of a three-year study to increase the role and profile of FMs both in their organizations and relationships with other sector or industry professionals. One of the most interesting aspects, from the point of view of a partitioning company like Komfort is the setting out of the multiple benefits of involving FMs within initial design consultations and the common reasons they’re excluded from design processes.

The full article is available on the Facilities Management Journal website.

New Research Identifies Trust As A Business Critical Issue

This is an excerpt from an article posted on todaysfacilitymanager.com.

A new report prepared by Working Families and Lead Research Consultant Susanne Jacobs (and in partnership with Unum) has revealed not just the importance of the sense of trust between businesses and their employees in creating a high-performance work culture, but also what drives this trust and how it can be applied in a practical manner. The report, entitled Trust: The Key to Building Well-Being and Performance in the Workplace, describes the advantages of creating trust in the workplace for wider communities and societies.

The study examines the importance and influence of key external factors—work-life integration, workload expectations, and flexible working alternatives—as they relate to well being. In particular, work-life integration supported by flexible working was shown to provide a significant boost to operational performance.

Linda Smith, HR Director of Unum, says, “Given the unprecedented demographic, social and technological changes that have transformed the workplace over the last 30 years, businesses need to be smarter than ever about how they hire, develop, and retain talent. The report shows that any effective strategy needs to deliver an integrated approach that focuses on the issue of trust. By embracing flexible working, freeing up communication, and providing a balanced employee benefits package that delivers long-term financial security, firms can create a high-performance culture that delivers a real, competitive advantage.”

In the report, the benefits of a flexible working culture were shown to be equally important to both genders; they were also equally important to those with or without dependents. It also dispelled the myth about flexible working, demonstrating that there is no link between flexible working and “work centrality”— the importance employees attach to work in their life.

The full article is available on the Today's Facility Manager website.

Water Efficiency

This post is an excerpt from an issa.com article.

Americans have been blessed in the sense that, for most of our history, a shortage of water has just not been a big concern. Except for the Dust Bowl period in the 1930s and short-term droughts over the years, water has been plentiful and relatively inexpensive. However, this appears to be changing and, as it does, the shortage is likely to impact both consumers and companies, including those in the professional cleaning industry.

As far as the business implications, Marc Levinson, an economist with JPMorgan Chase, complained back in 2008 that most American companies are simply not taking water shortages or the cost of water in the United States seriously. According to Levinson, many firms filling out loan applications or seeking investors “provide a great deal of information about potential risks to their operations, earnings, [and] profits, but they don’t do an adequate job of disclosing the risks they face in the event of water shortages—even short-term ones.”

Furthermore, Levinson believes that the few companies that actually do think about water supply risks remain very shortsighted. “They figure they can truck in water,” he says. “But not only is it very expensive to truck in water, but they’ll be in competition with scores of hundreds of other [companies and consumers] scrounging to get water at the same time.”

The end result: The cost of water is going up in many parts of the country and will likely continue to go up, potentially impacting a company’s competitiveness, and in worst-case scenarios, threatening its ability to survive. In fact, many experts now believe companies closing plants or going out of business entirely due to rising water costs, water shortages, or the lack of dependable water supplies will become more commonplace in years to come.

And as the cost of water goes up, so too, will the cost for many agricultural products, including those used to manufacture green cleaning products. And as these costs escalate, those increased charges will be passed on to end customers.

The the full "Water Efficiency" article is available at the ISSA website.

Environmental Solutions Toolkit Links Analysis, Companies

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Commerce are announcing the launch of an interactive online reference tool for international audiences, which connects EPA environmental analysis and regulatory structure to U.S. solutions providers.

The U.S. Environmental Solutions Toolkit was developed as a joint venture between the EPA and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration (ITA) to offer environmental stakeholders in other countries a broad perspective on the U.S. approach to specific environmental issues. The Toolkit is a web-based resource that combines EPA expertise on solving environmental challenges with ITA’s catalogue of U.S. providers of related technologies. The newly launched resource emphasizes user-friendliness, featuring a series of interactive menus, search functionality, and adaptive formatting to allow for a range of mobile uses.

This is an excerpt of a full article from Water & Wastes Digest.

OSHA's Campaign to Prevent Heat Illness in Outdoor Workers

The following is an excerpt from OSHA's Campaign to Prevent Heat Illness in Outdoor Workers.

Heat illness can be deadly. Every year, thousands of workers become sick from exposure to heat, and some even die. These illnesses and deaths are preventable.

OSHA's nationwide Heat Illness Prevention Campaign aims to raise awareness and teach workers and employers about the dangers of working in hot weather and provide valuable resources to address these concerns. Begun in 2011, the Heat Illness Prevention Campaign has reached more than 7 million people and distributed close to half a million fact sheets, posters, quick cards, training guides and wallet cards. OSHA is again joining with other federal and state agencies and non-governmental organizations to spread the word about preventing heat illness. For example, OSHA is continuing its partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Weather Service to include worker safety precautions in their Excessive Heat Watch, Warning, and Advisory Products.

The OSHA website has several resources that can be used to prevent heat illnesses:

• The Educational Resources section links to information about heat illnesses and how to prevent them. Many of these resources target vulnerable workers with limited English proficiency and/or low literacy.
• The Using the Heat Index section provides guidance to employers to develop a heat illness prevention plan.
• The Training section includes a guide/lesson plan for employers and others to use in instructing workers on heat illness.  There are links to additional resources in other languages.
• The Media Resources section includes news releases, public service announcements (PSAs), drop-in articles about heat illness prevention that you can customize to share and campaign artwork.
• The Fatality map shows locations of outdoor worker, heat-related fatalities between 2008 and 2012. It is not an exhaustive list of all worker fatalities from heat exposure. The map provides a geographic reminder that Water.Rest.Shade. are vital to providing a safe and healthful environment when working outdoors in the heat.

For the full article, more resources and information, visit OSHA's campaign website.

Quality Results and Customer Satisfaction

Facility cleanliness impacts a customer or occupant’s impression of management or of the company as a whole. Therefore, keeping a clean facility can improve client retention and improve worker satisfaction within a facility. Automated window cleaning systems are designed to clean not only the windows and glass, but also to scrub the entire exterior of the building for a comprehensive clean. Some machines even offer an optional in-line water heater to deliver hot water for removing stubborn stains and soils. Plus, with a specially engineered, automated device performing cleaning applications, users can benefit from a uniform cleaning result, something that is difficult, if not impossible, to achieve with manual labor.

While no two cleaning applications are the same, most facility managers have similar goals: high-quality results that are achieved safely without impacting productivity. Automated window cleaning systems satisfy these demands without the time-consuming, laborious operation or safety hazards operation associated with traditional cleaning methods. Automated window cleaning expedites cleaning completion, with less labor and a consistent result.

Cost Cuts and Profit Growth with Automated Cleaning

Along with the primary safety benefits of automated window cleaning solutions, it's also worth addressing the cost cutting and profit-growth potential.

In many cleaning applications, the highest cost percentages arise from labor expenses. Manual cleaning operations are time-consuming and labor- intensive, ultimately translating into higher labor costs. Replacing these methods with an automated system can result in as much as 70 to 80 percent in labor savings. Implementing automated window cleaning systems can also cut equipment costs, as companies can avoid purchasing safety equipment, such as guardrails and harnesses, as well as squeegees, buckets and other cleaning supplies. Plus, some automated systems offer water-only cleaning, which also eliminates the additional cost of detergents.

Improving safety has a direct impact on a company’s bottom line, not only by reducing the actual pay-out for work-related injuries, but also from an insurance standpoint. By reducing the risk of window cleaning operations, companies can decrease the cost of required insurance coverage. Typically, insurance rates are directly correlated with how risky or potentially dangerous the specified task is. Therefore, by utilizing technology that eliminates the risk to employees, companies may be eligible to lower their premiums for the mandated liability insurance.

The Increased Safety of Automated Window Washing

When selecting a window cleaning solution, safety is a top priority. As previously discussed, the typical window cleaning solutions require workers to be suspended over the side of a building. The inherent danger associated with a boatswain chair or scaffolding mandates that employees be highly trained. These requirements can lead to additional expenses and a decreased availability of skilled employees.

With automated window cleaning solutions, operators remain firmly planted on the ground or rooftop, and they are not subject to the same safety risks that workers who are suspended in boatswain’s chairs and scaffolds must endure. Workers maintain control over device operation in order to produce the necessary cleaning results, but they are no longer required to put themselves in perilous situations that could result in falling multiple stories and sustaining severe or fatal injuries. By removing workers from harm’s way, companies can easily meet any strict OSHA and other safety guideline without providing additional safety equipment.

The Automated Window-Cleaning Solution

To meet the demand for a safe, effective cleaning solution, automated window cleaning systems have been developed to replace boatswain’s chairs and scaffolds. These units eliminate the need for employees to dangle over the edge of building, and instead, operators can safely control all window- washing activities from the ground or rooftop.

Automated systems offer diverse capabilities and are designed to increase cleaning quality and productivity by completing high-rise cleaning applications faster. Some systems can clean as much as 35 feet per minute and up to 65,000 square feet per day. Additionally, automated systems are engineered to effectively clean flat buildings without window offsets, as well overcome cleaning challenges presented by deep or irregular window offsets, curves, recesses, overhangs, protrusions, inset glass, asymmetrical frames or other obtrusive architectural features require.

With this solution, operators use a wireless remote control to perform and monitor all window-cleaning operations. The system can be easily integrated with existing rigging systems such as davit arms, rail hoists, anchors, outriggers or BMU crane systems. The hoist motor can either be operated from the roof attached to the rigging system, or users can implement a “self climbing” solution, which has the hoist motor and wire winder attached to the device. For flexible cleaning, there are three separate operation methods:

• A motorized roof hoist
• A self-climbing unit that has an integral motor
• A remote controlled unit that has an integral motor

For consistent cleaning results, some systems also feature a counter-balance design that uses dual hyper fans to ensure that the system attaches to the building contour, even when gusts and high winds are present. Further, to satisfy growing “green cleaning” standards, automated devices can utilize filtered, ultra pure water, eliminating spots without the use of harsh chemicals.

Boatswain and Scaffolding Window-Cleaning Challenges

The typical window cleaning solutions—working alone in a boatswain chair and working with a team that uses scaffolding—require workers to be suspended over the side of a building. Therefore, exercising extreme caution and attention to detail is crucial for a seamless, safe operation, as a single mistake could have potentially deadly consequences. The inherent danger associated with these cleaning solutions mandates that employees be highly trained in order to operate these devices, which can lead to additional expenses and a fewer number of skilled employees available.

Manual window washers are challenged with the fact that each building is different, so they must decide the best course of action for each individual descent. Traditional window washing is a slow, steady process that necessitates precision when adjusting the boatswain’s chair or scaffolding. These adjustments must be made each time workers are ready to move on to the next section, creating additional downtime that reduces productivity. Further, given that their equipment serves as their lifeline, regular inspections and maintenance must be performed to ensure that any and all equipment meets regulation standards, with any repairs or replacement resulting in costly downtime and additional expenses.

When working from extreme heights, injuries are not uncommon, and each incident can result in significant costs for a company from both a workers’ compensation and a labor standpoint. For instance, according to OSHA’s Safety Pays estimator, one work-related fracture can cost a company as much as $93,300 to cover the direct and indirect costs of the injury. This includes hospital bills, paid time off, administrative costs, replacement labor and more. As these expenditures add up, injuries can dramatically diminish the company’s profit margin.

Manual Window Washing: Current Methods

High-rise and skyscraper window washers are required to put themselves in dangerous situations, dangling over the side of buildings via ropes and using abseiling techniques to control their rate of descent. Some work alone using a boatswain’s chair, while others work in teams on scaffolding, but both present similar challenges and safety concerns.

The boatswain’s chair is a device that consists of a small seat that is suspended from a rope that attaches to the roof of a building. By using a seat instead of a climbing harness, workers experience limited range of motion during cleaning, but some boatswain’s chairs also feature a separate harness to protect against falls.

Companies also implement movable scaffolding for exterior cleaning applications. Movable scaffolding is similar to stationary scaffolding but uses a harness system to raise and lower the structure along the side of skyscraper buildings. Since scaffolding holds more than one employee at a time, workers are able to work in unison to complete cleaning jobs.

Safety Standards: ANSI/IWCA I-14 Window Cleaning Safety Standard

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) oversees the creation, promulgation and use of thousands of guidelines that impact businesses in nearly every sector. The International Window Cleaning Association (IWCA) was formed by a group of window cleaners in an effort to promote safety and education, as well as enhance professionalism
throughout the industry.

The ANSI/IWCA I-14 standard is designed to serve as a guide in the formation of safety rules and regulations for the industry. It is to be used as a reference by registered professional engineers and architects as well as by manufacturers of window cleaning equipment and devices. This standard applies to all window cleaning operations performed on the inside and/or outside of any building in which the window cleaner is working from a level that is located more than 48 inches (1200 mm) above grade, or above an adjoining flat roof or other flat surface. Employers must provide safety equipment and devices and maintain this equipment in safe operating conditions at all times.

Safety Standards: Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA)

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was established to ensure safe working conditions by creating and enforcing workplace safety standards by providing training, outreach, education and assistance. One of the administration’s many areas of expertise is fall protection. Work-related falls are one of the most common causes of serious injuries and deaths.

For occupations that require workers to perform tasks at high altitudes, such as window cleaning, OSHA requires employers to provide working conditions that prevent employees from falling off overhead platforms and elevated workstations. Each employee
should be protected from falling 6 feet (1.8 meters) or more by guardrail systems or personal fall arrest systems, such as harnesses, safety nets or handrails. Additionally, employers must also select and provide protective equipment at no cost to workers.

Transitioning from Traditional Cleaning Techniques to Improve Safety and Profitability

In today’s marketplace, businesses are seeking any advantage to gain a competitive edge. One way to improve public perception and company reputation is to maintain a clean facility from the inside out. While cleaning the inside of the building presents its own myriad of challenges, maintaining the exterior can be a dangerous, or even deadly, endeavor. Traditional window washing methods, such as boatswain’s chairs or scaffolds, require workers to hang precariously over the side of multiple story buildings and leave them vulnerable to falls and other injuries.

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), work-related fall hazards are a serious concern, resulting in over 700 deaths in 2010. Additionally, fall injuries constitute a considerable financial burden for companies. Workers’ compensation and medical costs are rising from occupational fall incidents, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are estimated at approximately $70 billion annually in the United Sates. These costly injuries directly impact a company’s potential for profitability.

With revenue growth driving most business models, facility managers need a solution that allows them to improve safety without impacting productivity or profitability. The evolution of automated window cleaning systems offers a solution that simultaneously meets these demands.

Good Safety is Good Business – How to Create a World-Class Safety Culture

This article was originally posted in Industrial Hygiene News.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2010 studies on occupational injuries and fatalities, there were over 3 million recorded cases of nonfatal workplace injuries and more than 4,500 fatalities in 2010 in private industry alone. Safety incidents cost businesses a vast sum in not just workers’ compensation but also by causing severe hits to productivity via lost work days, human resources time spent on incident investigation, decreased leadership efficacy and other operational and organizational costs. DuPont is proud to be known for its workplace safety and over the years has experienced first-hand how creating a safety culture leads to a more sustainable business. Following is an example of how DuPont helped one energy company undertake a safety culture initiative and the lasting benefits the company derived as a result.

Edison Mission Group (EMG) manages the competitive power generation business and other subsidiaries of Edison International, a generator and distributor of electric power and an investor in infrastructure and energy assets, including renewable energy. In 2006, an EMG company, Midwest Generation (MWG), an independent power producer that sells electricity in competitive wholesale markets, was in the midst of an increase in the severity of injuries, including fatalities, at its coal-fired plants. MWG senior leadership turned to DuPont for help in improving their safety record with the goal of achieving world-class safety performance. To accomplish this, DuPont began by evaluating Midwest Generation’s safety management against world-class systems in order to identify opportunities for improvement. From there, DuPont made recommendations on how MWG could develop a more effective safety system.

Read the full article here to learn how MWG implemented a superior safety system and the results they experienced because of it. 

Are You Keeping an Eye On the Future of Maintenance?

This article was originally posted in Maintenance Solutions.

Staffing issues. Budget woes. Communication breakdowns. Customer complaints. The list of challenges facing maintenance and engineering managers never seems to end, or even ease up a little. And as existing institutional and commercial facilities age and new facilities come online, a fresh batch of challenges arises.

Given this workload, managers could be forgiven for simply focusing their attention on existing and potential problems at the expense of keeping up with the future of maintenance. While that approach might be understandable, it's probably not wise in the long term.

One tactic for getting a handle on the future of maintenance, as well as for learning about maintenance management strategies and troubleshooting trends and technology, is tapping into the world of manufacturing maintenance. Why?

Michael Cowley, president of CE Maintenance Solutions and a columnist for Maintenance Solutions, pointed out the most important reason at the National Facilities Management and Technology Conference & Expo last month in Baltimore: Manufacturing figures out equipment problems more quickly because of the money involved in production downtime. A chiller breakdown in a university classroom building makes for some uncomfortable indoor conditions, at worst. But an equipment breakdown at a steel plant means a direct and immediate hit to the company's bottom line. The consequences are too dire to treat maintenance as anything but a vital component of success.

For this reason, managers would be wise to keep track of maintenance trends in the manufacturing world. But for managers who need to justify this time commitment to themselves or others, consider some of the benefits institutional and commercial facilities already have realized from adapting strategies and tactics from manufacturing.

Many facilities that once relied solely on reactive maintenance have made the move — or started to, at least — to preventive maintenance. A select few have even adapted some practices of predictive maintenance. Both strategies were developed and refined in manufacturing plants.

Front-line technicians in those plants also popularized the use of essential troubleshooting technology — infrared imaging and vibration analysis are just two examples — that institutional and commercial facilities have latched onto and are benefiting from.

To begin or continue tapping into the opportunities that exist in manufacturing, managers need to ask — and answer — some tough questions. How many of your professional peers are in manufacturing facilities? Do you benchmark your department's performance against that of their departments? When did you last spend time thinking or talking about the possible benefits to your facilities of strategies and technology common in manufacturing?

Such questions might be tough, but probably not as tough as the predicament managers could find themselves in if they choose to ignore the issue and its opportunities.

Advantages of Automated Window Cleaning Systems

Compared to traditional bucket and squeegee cleaning methods, an automated window cleaning system offers several benefits:

• Fast return on investment (ROI)
• Labor savings of 70-80%
• Now a safer job; it’s easier to find and retain labor 
• Safely operates from the top of your building or from the ground
• Cleans the entire exterior; not just the glass
• Uniform cleaning using only spot-free pure water—No chemicals required
• No buckets, chairs, squeegees or other objects that can fall
• Cleans much faster and better than hand washing
• Optional in-line water heater delivers hot water for removing stubborn stains
• Potential dramatic savings in liability insurance and worker’s compensation insurance
• Green chemicals can be injected if needed into the Sky Pro or SkyDro washer machines

The Life of a Window Cleaner

This article was originally posted in Blogger News.

According to those who did it, window cleaners have “adventurous jobs.” Others would call it dangerous. These people hang out over the sides of buildings on wooden platforms and safety ropes, keeping clean the numerous windows found on everything from skyscrapers to low-rise office buildings and shops. The people who undertake this task must not only have to know how to clean windows well but be up to the challenge of getting to these windows.

Window cleaners are in high demand. This is because architects keep trying to outdo each other by creating complex and admired buildings, making window cleaning a more difficult and more needed job. There are also risks involved in the job. About five to 10 window cleaners die each year in the United States. Despite this, window cleaners don’t worry much about falling or getting killed on the job. They take necessary safety precautions. Plus they are protected by the International Window Cleaning Association, a non-profit trade association that works to maintain the safety and quality of window washers among all kinds of window washing jobs.

Despite the risks, window washers generally enjoy their jobs. They like the freedom of not having a boss looking over them throughout the day. They enjoy the adventure of hanging from large heights. They also like the pay. Window cleaners can make between $10 to $12 to start. This can increase to $25 for more experienced workers, making it an ideal profession for young people and immigrants. In saying this, their services are expensive. A 25-story building can cost $100,000 a year for two or three cleanings. Smaller buildings cost about $4,000. Because of this, window washers must maintain a professional attitude in their work. At the end of each work day, they line up their gear like firefighters, organized and prepared for the next day of wherever a window may need washed.

Sky Pro Demonstration in Minneapolis

Sky Pro® Window Cleaning System is a self-contained, self-climbing automated high rise window cleaning system that can clean 50 feet per minute and 30,000 square feet per hour.

Washing Windows Without Automation

Washing windows without the use of automated systems is not only time-consuming but also can pose significant safety risks.

To sufficiently clean the outside of the windows on the upper floors of skyscrapers without automated equipment, window washers need to suspend themselves from what is called a boatswain’s chair. The chair is supported from davits located on the building’s roof. Scaffolding ramps can also be suspended from the roof davits. Window washers sit in the chair or stand on the scaffold with buckets or other containers of window cleaner and water. They scrub the window with the cleaner and squeegee the window to remove dirt and water.

Manually washing windows on a skyscraper this way is inherently dangerous. The number one most cited safety violation in 2010, according to OSHA statistics, is scaffolding. There are over 700 deaths per year on the job from falls in general with 3-10 window washer deaths.

Sky Pro Mini Provides Affordable Automated Window Washer

The Sky Pro Mini is an automated machine designed to clean windows and buildings up to 25 stories tall, while using less than two liters of water per minute. Weighing in at 47 kg, this lightweight, compact and easy-to-use unit fits in the back of a small truck or pull behind trailer to simplify transportation between buildings.

Using a reliable, variable speed Cordem winch motor, the Sky Pro Mini can clean anywhere from 2,000 to as many as 4,450 square meters in an average workday. Plus, Sky Pro's new finger brush technology ensures that windows, frames and smooth surfaces are cleaned thoroughly.

The system is available in two distinct models to clean flat and irregular building facades. Sky Pro can be conveniently purchased in a ready-to-use MINISYSTEM, which includes the cleaning unit, variable speed winch motor, roof outrigger, remote brush on/off controller, water hoses, tether cable, two lithium batteries to power the finger brush and a quick-charge battery charger. Sky Pro Mini starts at $22,985 and offers additional add-on features to meet individual application requirements.

Learn more about the Sky Pro Mini and see how it works or at the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJmYdHtlFA0.

Building Envelopes: The Outside Story

This article was originally posted in Maintenance Solutions. 

Facilities present maintenance and engineering managers with an array of evolving challenges and priorities. One constant, if overlooked, priority is proper maintenance of the building envelope. But this area of maintenance often presents more questions for managers than the initial problem suggests. In some cases, the answers to these questions can be disheartening, such as when workers must quickly perform large, burdensome projects.

A comprehensive building envelope maintenance program can deliver a range of important benefits to organizations. It can prevent building deterioration, reduce long-term maintenance costs, improve a building’s appearance, and reduce occupant disruptions caused by such problems as leaks.

Perhaps just as important these days, proper inspection maintenance of a building exterior can help workers identify and repair sources of energy waste caused by poorly installed or maintained exterior materials and components.

Inspection Issues

Maintaining building exteriors is essential for protecting the efficient operation and appealing appearance of a building. The envelope blocks the entry of water and wind, helping to prevent interior damage and disruptions and to maintain a comfortable environment.

If managers do not address these components as needed, the resulting failures and deterioration can prove costly in the long run. Exposure-related problems include damage from water infiltration, mold growth and loose elements falling from the exterior. A proactive approach to exterior maintenance can prevent these occurrences, reduce liability and keep tenants happy.

A maintenance program for building exteriors should include regular assessment and observation. Managers can implement the program using in-house workers who perform the inspections biannually. Specifically, inspectors should note areas of shifted or displaced elements, cracks, spalls, stains, or other forms of deterioration they can observe from the ground, roof, balconies, or terraces. Window cleaning crews can aid in inspections. Since they have access to upper stories of a building that maintenance staff probably can’t observe, ask them to report any exterior components or materials that might require attention.

Observations do not need to be confined to the exterior of the building. Inspectors also should record reports of water entry into a building, including when the entry occurred, its extent, and weather conditions at the time.

Read the full article here to learn more about facility exterior cleaning. 

Sky Pro® Window Cleaning System for Mid-Height Buildings

The Sky Pro® Window Cleaning System marks a technological breakthrough in automated window and building washing equipment. The brand new model, the Sky Pro Mini, is a smaller version of the Sky Pro Window Cleaning System. It is portable and ideal for cleaning windows on mid-height buildings. A two-person operation can safely, quickly and profitably clean not only windows, but an entire building. It is much safer and easier to use than manual window cleaning equipment.

The Sky Pro Mini weighs just over 100 lbs. and is made of lightweight aluminum so it will not rust or corrode. It folds down for easy transport and fits easily into the back of a pickup truck. It has removable transport wheels for easy and fast maneuvering. The unit is easy to set up and ready to work in minutes.

The Sky Pro Mini’s 40-inch, self-cleaning, quick-change brush cleans all surfaces gently and effectively. The brush uses finger foam technology that keeps grit and dirt from becoming embedded in the brush. The dual-motor design maintains brush torque and speed to assure an even cleaning motion. The unit cleans an entire building at a variable speed up to 30 linear feet per minute, translating to 25,000 square feet per day. It uses less than half a gallon of de-ionized or reverse osmosis water per minute and leaves a spot-free clean without chemicals.

Learn more about the Sky Pro Mini here.

Introducing the Sky Pro Safe Sky Rise Window Cleaning Blog

Welcome to the new Sky Pro Safe Sky Rise Window Cleaning Blog, designed to bring you the latest technology, trends and tips on safe and inexpensive window cleaning. The blog will include information, strategies and equipment we can offer to enhance your productivity while lowering the total cost of cleaning. In addition to providing our own expertise, the blog will also focus on relevant industry news and issues.

With participation from a variety of Sky Pro representatives, from product development and technology, marketing and sales, we ensure detailed technical information and knowledgeable opinions on a variety of window cleaning topics.

Sky Pro, a division of Nu-Star Inc., is a safe and inexpensive way to clean windows, frames and exteriors of high rise buildings. This self-climbing, automated equipment leaves windows spot free and lowers the total cost of cleaning by 70-80%, when compared to manual chair or scaffold cleaning.

For the latest information on window cleaning solutions, bookmark this page or add our RSS feed. We welcome your feedback on future posts, as well as suggestions for topics that you’d like to see covered in the future. Stay tuned!