tackling trouble areas ‘ Team Sport ’ Large Event Cleanup Is A Organization and preparation prove key to servicing public gatherings. By: Diane McCutcheon, Tom Montgomery K Keeping waste and litter under control at major sporting events that attract thou-sands of spectators and participants re-quires meticulous planning, attention to detail, and most importantly, a team effort from supervisors and cleaning crews. Everyone needs to be on top of their game to keep trash and litter out of sight and mind. At the U.S. Senior Open held in Omaha, Nebraska, more than 150,000 spectators and TV crews lined manicured fairways and greens kept liter-free by two shifts of 13 cleaning specialists and supervisors. The set routine required patrolling the golf course daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. throughout the week-long event. The project involved policing more than 1,400 trash receptacles located around the course, as well as 13 grandstand areas, dozens of hospitality tents and two club buildings. Everything from credentialing and scheduling to what to wear has to be ad-dressed for major events. Security was tight at the Senior Open, so cleaning staff were issued vendor identifi-cation badges to wear along with employer photo ID credentials. Each employee was required to wear golf attire with U.S. Senior Open and FBG logos. Open-toed shoes and jeans were pro-hibited. Gaining Familiarity Prior to the start of the Open, crew mem-bers were led on a walk-through to familiar-ize them with logistics and the areas under their care. A nearby airport was the check-in point where employees met to receive their cre-Building A Team The majority of team members were re-cruited especially for the event from the State of Nebraska – Eastern Service Area, which is a member of ResCare Workforce Services, a leading provider of job-related education, counseling and employment as-sistance in the U.S. An appreciation of golf and a desire to work outdoors were among the criteria used in selecting employees for the event. The dedicated temporary staff was supported by full-time employees and supervisors from other accounts who vol-unteered to give up a few of their days and evenings to help clean up the hospitality venues where the volume of refuse was especially heavy. Advanced planning and preparation was essential to managing the volume of refuse from the event that was televised to 50 countries on ESPN2 and NBC TV. An FBG crew member secures a trash bag onto his golf cart at the Senior Open golf tournament. 38 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® August 2014
CMM – Archives August 2014: 38
