Larger high traffic facilities also seem to have frequent plumbing problems, like clogged toilets and urinals, from the improp-er disposal of paper towels. “Hand dryers have reduced the cost and maintenance associated with paper towels in the stadium’s restrooms,” says Jim Nolan, vice president of operations at Gillette Stadi-um, home of the New England Patriots, and recent adopter of high-speed and energy-efficient hand dryers. With the newly-installed hand dryers at Gillette Stadium, the New England Patriot’s facility maintenance staff can focus on other areas of concern that impact the fan experi-ence, like cleaning up spills to prevent slips and falls. that are earned through the adoption of en-ergy-saving initiatives. For example, high-speed and energy-ef-ficient hand dryers qualify for several LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) credits from the U.S. Green Building Council. Those energy-saving certifications and credits transition into another benefit of high-speed hand dryers, money savings. The Great Hand Drying Debate For the hygiene skeptics, high-speed hand dryers come in hands-free models that re-duce the spread of germs. Some newer versions are also producing anti-microbial wall guards and incorporating certified HEPA filtration systems that require stringent standards of 99.97 percent filtra-tion. HEPA filters improve the quality of the air by removing potentially present bacteria and particulates in the room that are 0.3 microns or larger. This settles the debate about hand dryer hygiene as these HEPA filter models deliver clean, filtered, purified air, which is often requested — and even required — in the healthcare and foodservice industries. Additionally, Dr. Franklin R. Cockerill III and his colleagues at the Mayo Clinic in Roch-ester, Minnesota, conducted a randomized trial to determine the effects of four hand drying methods for removing bacteria from washed hands. In a year-long study of 100 people who volunteered to have their hands contami-nated with bacteria, researchers found that hand washing got rid of the same amount of germs regardless of drying style. Results were reported in Mayo Clinic Pro-ceedings (75:705 -708). Scientist P.D. Meers and K.Y. Leong’s let-ter to the Journal of Hospital Infection stated, “[There is] no bacteriological reason to ex-clude [hand dryers] from the clinical areas.” Remember, it does not have to be an “all or nothing” approach. Simply installing high-speed and energy-efficient dryers as an option in restrooms can help save time, money and the envi-ronment. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) installed both hand dryers and paper tow-els in their Washington, DC headquarters, which resulted in reducing the total number of scheduled trash pickups from five to four pickups per week. This hybrid approach led to reduced amounts of diesel fuel being used, lower air-borne emissions during transportation and significantly less paper towel waste going into landfills, all while saving $30,000 annu-ally in dumpster fees alone. CM www.cmmonline.com Money Savings These hand dryers reduce waste, human resources and energy-consumption that equate to time that can be spent on other problems impacting cleaning and mainte-nance. New American-made hand dryer models average less than a one year return on in-vestment including the installation costs of installing the wiring to the restroom. With the capacity to hold nearly 70,000 people for any one event, installing the hand dryers at Gillette Stadium produced a sig-nificant decrease in costs associated with paper towels. The Patriots used an average of over 6.2 million paper towels a year, which was re-duced almost completely by installing high-speed hand dryers. They saved over 95 percent, representing a savings in excess of $50,000 annually, ver-sus the cost of paper towels including their maintenance and waste, while reducing the facility’s carbon footprint by 70 percent. Something else to consider, “The con-tinuous plumbing calls combined with the high levels of restroom maintenance were taking up a considerable amount of time and costly resources,” says Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s Director of Facilities Engineering David Stout. He also argues that damp, used paper towels regularly pile up around trash recep-tacles, and they can be a serious breeding ground for germs when left unattended. That alone was reason enough for North-west Memorial Hospital to adopt hand dry-ers. A study published by the European Clean-ing Review affirms that, “unless paper towel waste is regularly cleaned up, it can be a last-ing source of bacteriological infection.” Environmental Savings High-speed hand dryers also represent a dramatic savings in energy consumption and a reduced carbon footprint. New hand dryer models operate in a third of the time required by traditional models. One model dries hands in as fast as ten to 15 seconds, using 80 percent less energy than conventional dryers and is designed to run on a 15-amp service — which is great for older buildings that were previously unable to satisfy the energy requirements needed to run older models. Both new and older facilities are now able to adopt environmentally-friendly hand dry-ers that reduce the carbon footprint of hand drying by 50 to 75 percent. Retired Colonel Deborah Roberts, a for-mer construction and facilities officer says, “The National Guard is America’s represen-tative around the world. Being green is criti-cally important — it’s part of our global mis-sion. We’re environmentally conscious and using dryers to reduce paper going into the waste stream makes a strong statement.” The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a beacon for green building and design, and reports an estimated 50 percent sav-ings on energy due to the installation of high-speed, energy-efficient hand dryers in their LEED Platinum Washington, DC headquar-ters — not to mention the 95 percent in waste reduction diverted from the landfill. New hand dryers also help organizations qualify for green certifications and credits 29
CMM – Archives December 2013: 29
