District considers outsourcing custodial and maintenance positions

WEST WINDSOR, NJ — In an effort to reduce a $2.75 million budget gap, the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District is looking to outsource its 125 custodial and maintenance positions, according to the Times of Trenton.

By contracting a third-party firm to provide the district with maintenance and custodial services, it could save money from not having to maintain its own staff and the requisite payroll and benefit costs associated with it, the story stated.

According to the story, many local residents are upset that the district would, even with a budget deficit looming, consider outsourcing the positions and placing "strangers" in their schools.

Some in the community, including district staff, are concerned that outsourcing custodial and maintenance positions will lead to a downgrade in quality that will adversely affect the district's facilities and their occupants, the story noted.

West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District Board of Education President Hemant Marathe said: "There are jobs at stake. I fully understand why people are having this kind of reaction. We are happy with the service [our current employees] are providing us, people don't seem to raise concerns about strangers coming into our district with them. Every person when you hire them is a stranger at first. Does that mean you can't hire anybody?"

The district has recently privatized school bus transportation and food service, and proponents of outsourcing feel privatizing district custodial and maintenance positions is a logical cost-saving measure, the story added.

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Bedbugs are a formidable foe

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ — Bedbugs, once thought of as a problem only in cheap hotels with poor sanitation, can actually infest anywhere individuals move in and out frequently, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

According to the article, bedbugs can be found in hotels, college dorms, apartment buildings and other places and, from there, they easily hitchhike on clothing or in luggage to a home or office.

For decades, bedbugs were largely controlled with powerful insecticides, but they have reemerged since dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and other such chemicals were banned and classified as harmful to humans, the story stated.

Clay Scherer, an entomologist with the DuPont Company, said: "It doesn't matter whether it's a high-end or low-end hotel; all are at risk, and all types have been known to be infested. [Because no substitutes for older insecticides have been developed,] there is no surefire way to control bedbugs yet."

Experts like Richard Cooper of Cooper Pest Solutions Inc. say it is unlikely one will be able to detect bedbugs with just a cursory inspection of a hotel room, and because of this, it becomes extremely difficult for hotel housekeepers to note a possible infestation and act accordingly to remediate the problem, the story noted.

Many properties do not have a problem with bedbugs because they are proactive against an infestation by adhering to a pest control program; however, with the increase in international travel, concerns are slowly rising, the story added.

Ed Grose, executive director of the Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association, said: "They're very guarded about it. But if I put on a seminar about bedbugs, they're very interested."

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Stephen Ashkin selected to help revise LEED-EBOM

BLOOMINGTON, IN — The Ashkin Group and the Green Cleaning Network LLC have been selected to work with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) as it prepares a revision of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance (LEED-EBOM), according to a press release.

According to the release, Stephen Ashkin, long considered the "father of green cleaning," is president of The Ashkin Group and Sustainable Dashboard Tools LLC, co-founder of Green Cleaning University and founder of the Green Cleaning Network.

Although the new standards will not be released for two years, the preparatory planning work, including feedback and comments from the industry, is needed by January 30, 2010, the release stated.

Ashkin said: "Based on our experience working on the LEED-EB Core Committee, we have been asked to gather comments directly from the [cleaning] industry about LEED and its impact on green cleaning. Comments will be summarized and then presented to the LEED Technical Advisory Groups (TAG) for consideration as they revise the prerequisites and credits for the 2012 Rating Systems. I believe it is crucial that all segments of our industry get involved with this process. The revisions made will impact our industry for years to come. I want our industry to [continue to] play a leading role in not only promoting green and sustainable issues, but setting some of the rules for creating healthy, high performing buildings."

Because Ashkin believes this process is so important, a new website — http://www.ashkinleedeb.com — has been launched specifically for collecting comments from industry professionals, the release noted.

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OSHA's $472,900 combustible dust bust

ROSEMOUNT, MN — The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently cited Endres Processing LLC with safety and health violations that include exposing workers to combustible dust hazards, according to Occupational Health & Safety.

According to the story, Endres Processing, which manufactures an animal feed supplement from unsold bakery products, was hit with four willful violations and five serious violations totaling $266,900 in fines following a health inspection.

The willful violations allege a lack of explosion protection, the failure to equip process equipment with combustible dust collection systems, hazardous accumulations of dust and the use of electrical equipment that was unsafe to use in areas with combustible dust accumulation, the story stated.

The serious violations address hazards from workers breathing the dust, allowing combustible materials in areas where workers were welding and unsafe electrical equipment and practices, the story noted.

According to the article, OSHA also initiated a safety inspection that resulted in the issuance of two willful violations and 21 serious violations, adding fines of $206,000.

Endres Processing has 15 business days to comply, request an informal conference with the OSHA area director or contest the 32 safety and health violations totaling $472,900 in fines before the independent U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC), the story added.

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Ten things a cleaning service won't admit

WASHINGTON — There are at least 10 things a cleaning service will not tell you about the services they offer or, if they do disclose such information, it will be ambiguous and likely not the answer you were seeking, according to the Wall Street Journal.

It is recommended to ask a cleaning service for at least five references from customers who have utilized said company's services within the last six months and to check with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to ensure the company employs sound business practices, the story stated.

Bill Griffin, president of Cleaning Consultant Services Inc., said: "[Unfortunately, there's no way of knowing what you'll get until it's too late, since anyone] with a spray bottle, rag and business card can call himself [or herself] a housecleaner."

Ten things a cleaning service will never admit are:

1. "We're as good as our word. And that's not very good."

2. "We're more about a quick clean than a thorough job ..."

3. "... That is, if our workers even know what they're doing."

4. "The first time's going to cost you."

5. "You're letting a bunch of strangers in your house, you know."

6. "We're bonded — for what that's worth."

7. "Sorry, that doesn't quite translate."

8. "Sure, I'll work under the table — but you're the one who pays if we get caught."

9. "If I get hurt in your house, we'll both be in pain."

10. "We don't always make up for our mistakes."

Experts suggest asking a prospective cleaning service about the training its employees receive, something that can help eliminate confusion as to whether a specific cleaning service is ideal for you, the story noted.

Another good tactic is to call the cleaning service with special requests the night before, and have supervisors relay requests to housekeepers and janitors before they arrive the next day, the story added.

According to the article, there are more than 30,000 cleaning services operating in the United States, and although many of them are reputable and have a track record to prove it, it behooves consumers to ask questions and be inquisitive of a cleaning service before patronizing their offerings.

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Health officials note decline in infection rates

WASHINGTON — U.S. health officials said that H1N1 influenza A (swine flu) virus infections appear to be on the wane nationally, even as the number of American children dying from the illness continues to rise, according to the HealthDay Reporter.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) latest report, "visits to doctors for influenza-like illness nationally decreased sharply this week over last week with all regions showing declines, though deaths continue to be higher than expected for this time of year."

The decline in cases means that 32 states are now reporting widespread flu activity, down from 43 states the previous week, marking a four-week decline in reported cases nationally, the story stated.

Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD) at the CDC, said: "We are seeing an increase in serious pneumococcal infections around the country. Pandemics put us at risk for not just flu problems, but also bacterial pneumonia problems."

Many doctors say the declining trend of infected persons is typical with the pattern observed when the seasonal flu vaccine is administered to more and more individuals, the story noted.

The CDC's latest report follows news that the ongoing pandemic may be driving a spike in dangerous pneumonias among younger patients, 234 of whom have died since April, the story added.

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Fogging disinfectants claim to quickly eradicate the flu virus

BOERNE, TX — As an alternative to the labor-intensive process of wiping down surfaces to disinfect them, some companies have developed products to quickly and effectively disinfect entire areas, according to KENS-TV.

Disinfection foggers are a combination of chemicals applied directly to the surface of walls and furniture, even into air conditioning filters, to disinfect both high- and low-touch surfaces, the story stated.

Willie Adams, Ph.D., vice president of Action Restoration Inc., said: "You know, they're always telling you 'wash your hands.' Well, if you treat the surface, now you've got an extra way not to get it on your hands. The residual can be reactivated with moisture. So if someone were to sneeze, which is a typical way that the contaminant is going to be laid down on the surface, then the moisture from that sneeze would actually reactivate the chemical."

The products, which are used worldwide by the U.S. military, schools, hospitals, offices, jails and other places, are distributed by a commercial fogger and kills what is on the surface in one to two minutes; after it dries, the chemicals continue to provide a protective barrier, the story noted.

According to the story, many companies say their products can kill the H1N1 influenza A (swine flu) virus in a building and keep it away for months.

The chemical disinfectant can be applied in a matter of hours, saving time and money and getting people back into their buildings and back to work quickly, the story added.

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