Custodian wins workers' compensation case over perfume

SAINT JOHN, NB, Canada — After suffering a severe allergic reaction from perfume and cologne worn by students, a custodian at Saint John High School won a workers' compensation battle, according to the National Post.

This case, involving an unnamed custodian, is believed to be the first case in Canada where fragrances in schools have been classified as a workplace hazard, the story stated.

Gary Walker, principal of Halifax West High School, said: "I have a teacher I have sent to hospital several times in an ambulance. When Axe [body spray for men] first came out, she just dropped, the scent was so violent for her. During our parent meetings we talk about it, in our newsletters we talk about it, on our website we talk about it. We spend a lot of time on it."

According to the story, the woman, who has had similar reactions when exposed to pungent perfumes, suffered dizziness, labored breathing and "extreme chest pains" that spread across her chest and down her arms.

An appeal tribunal ruled that exposure to the perfume qualified as an injury arising out of the janitor's work, ordering the New Brunswick workers' compensation commission to accept her request for benefits, the story noted.

School District 8 has had a "scent-free" policy in place for several years now because of complaints from teachers and staff, the story added.

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San Jacinto Unified School District hires armed security guards

SAN JACINTO, CA — In response to recent incidents of night-shift custodians being assaulted, the San Jacinto Unified School District has hired armed security guards to patrol campuses, according to the Press-Enterprise.

According to the article, the decision to hire a firm to provide security detail for the district comes after the concept of Team Cleaning was introduced to increase the safety of custodians working in schools at night.

San Jacinto Unified School District Superintendent Shari Fox, who called the incidents "anomalies," said: "As of now, everyone is in Team Cleaning, so they are always with one other person, within hollering distance."

The San Jacinto Unified trustees voted earlier this week to hire a security firm for six months at a charge of no more than $65,000 plus $25 per alarm call, the story stated.

In a November 18 incident, a suspect, who demanded money from a male custodian at Edward Hyatt Elementary School and hit him with a stick, ran away after the custodian began yelling at him, the story noted.

In the most recent incident that occurred just after midnight on December 3, a female custodian was found unconscious at Jose Antonio Estudillo Elementary School, presumably the victim of an assault, the story added.

According to the story, the California School Employees Association (CSEA), the union representing the San Jacinto Unified School District custodians, feels hiring a security firm to ensure the well-being of night-shift custodians is a good and necessary move.

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Lake County votes to outsource maintenance work

NORTHBROOK, IL — The Lake County Board voted to privatize 13 county maintenance jobs yesterday, a move that will save the county more than $250,000, according to the Lake County News-Sun.

The Lake County Board voted to layoff the employees because their union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 5372, would not agree to delay their scheduled pay raise by a year, the story stated.

Lake County Administrator Barry Burton said: "The county has less revenue coming in and cannot afford to increase employee salaries. The reality is we don't like having to do outsourcing, but these are extraordinary times. We have to make cuts. This was a difficult decision we did not take lightly."

It would have cost $259,000 to give the 13 employees the $3.25 raise they wanted, but by outsourcing to Northshore Building Maintenance Inc., the county will save $275,000, the story noted.

The Lake County Board passed the resolution to outsource maintenance tasks with a vote of 17 to 6, the story added.

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Neshaminy School District eyes significant savings from outsourcing

LANGHORNE, PA — By outsourcing its janitorial services, the Neshaminy School District could save nearly $9 million over three years, according to the Bucks County Courier Times.

The Neshaminy School District anticipates that it will spend $15.8 million in three years if it renews a contract with its current union employees; however, by privatizing janitorial services with a company like Pritchard Industries Inc., the district foresees spending only 6.8 million in those same three years, the story stated.

Neshaminy School Board President Ritchie Webb said: "I want to point out that the board will exhaust every effort to negotiate a fair and equitable contract for both sides before using the outside contractors."

District janitors, represented by the Neshaminy Educational Support Professional Association, have been working on an expired contract since July and say they cannot afford the higher health premiums the district is proposing in negotiations, the story noted.

According to the Neshaminy School District website, "The union's refusal to adequately address the above issues, related primarily to benefits for full-time workers, leaves us little choice but to continue to consider contracting with third parties as a partial solution to the financial challenges we face."

The district plans to continually update their website on the status of the negotiations, the story added.

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Washington County School District unhappy with service contractor's work

CHIPLEY, FL — Nearly all of the six public schools in the Washington County School District expressed concerns over the quality of work performed by building service contractor Rite-Way Service Inc., according to the Foster Folly News.

According to the story, a major change occurred when the school district cut $300,000 from the cleaning contract with Rite-Way, seriously reducing the extent and thoroughness of daily cleaning.

The majority of complaints pertain to unclean restrooms, unswept and/or unmopped floors and insufficient cleanup in cafeterias and locker rooms, the story stated.

With the current cleaning schedule, custodians clean areas every other day, rather than the daily cleaning that occurred in the past, the story noted.

Rite-Way has changed crew members several times at some Washington County schools, hampering progress and instituting a new learning curve every time, the story added.

Washington County School Board member Terry Ellis, in explaining that Rite-Way is responsible for the cleanliness of the schools, said: "We are in the teaching business, not in the cleaning business."

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Study finds small businesses are curtailing cleaning

CINCINNATI — A recent survey conducted by Kelton Research for Procter & Gamble Professional found that 29 percent of small businesses have scaled back on workplace cleaning, according to a press release.

According to the release, more than 1,100 small business owners registered with the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) participated in the online survey that was conducted to identify how the economy has affected small business' cleaning standards.

Despite the fact that 31 percent of small business owners recognized "cleanliness and appearance" as having the greatest impact on customer first impressions, a significant number have curtailed their cleaning processes by either purchasing cheaper or generic products or eliminating professional cleaning services altogether, the release stated.

According to the survey, of those who have altered their cleaning practices, 44 percent report negative repercussions, such as rising customer and employee complaints and longer cleaning times when using cheaper products.

Pete Self, research and development manager for Procter & Gamble Professional, said: "Now more than ever, we recognize owners' needs for solutions that work at the speed of small businesses today and for information that equips them with cleaning best practices. Mr. Clean Professional provides small business owners with both powerful cleaning solutions as well as a 24/7 information resource, helping restore owners' confidence that their business' appearance makes a great first impression every time."

Six out of ten small business owners said time is the biggest barrier to keeping their workplace, whether retail or professional, as clean as possible; meanwhile, 14 percent believe staffing is the major hurdle to cleanliness, the release noted.

When asked what cleaning resources would be most beneficial, 49 percent of survey respondents cited the need for free resources and advice from trusted sources that help them get the cleaning job done, the release added.

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New York City Axes Green Buildings Plan

New York City Axes Green Buildings Plan

In theory, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s landmark plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by retrofitting leaky old buildings was a good idea. In the face of a global recession, and with a mandate for building owners to foot much of the bill, the owners didn’t agree. After fierce criticism, the city is dropping a plan that would have required older buildings — those measuring 50,000 square feet or more —to perform energy audits and subsequent efficiency upgrades.
If passed, the mandate would have applied to roughly 22,000 buildings, or nearly half the city’s square footage, requiring owners to upgrade light bulbs, old boilers and leaky windows. The legislation also would have represented a big push in the green building movement, since most cities impose efficiency standards on new construction only. In the city, buildings contribute 80 percent of the city’s total carbon emissions, and Mayor Bloomberg is trying to lower emissions by 30 percent by 2030.
A major sticking point was cost, with owners required to pay for most of the upgrades. Officials estimated private investors would need to kick in $2.5 billion for building improvements since the city only had $16 million in federal stimulus funds to pay for such changes.
Article continues: http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/climate-change/stories/nyc-nixes-green-buildings-plan

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