facility focus Bird Control For Maintenance Professionals The presence of birds can have negative impacts on a facility, leading to health hazards and image problems. By: Ashley Johnson Image courtesy of Bird-B-Gone Inc. M Maintenance professionals like building service contractors and custodial profes-sionals are often the first to know about any issues that occur at the building(s) where they provide services. Maintenance professionals are the eyes and ears of the building. When repairs are needed, these profes-sionals are the “go to” persons, putting re-sponsibility on them and trust in them to do the job. When birds are causing problems on buildings, knowing how to recognize the type of bird problem is essential for maintenance professionals to help eliminate the problem. The presence of pest birds may have several negative impacts: Health hazards, legal issues, unnecessary cleanup costs and repairs, loss of goods and negative image. Birds can carry any of over 60 known transmittable diseases that put customers and staff at potential risk of being infected through direct or indirect contact with bird feces. Birds in a building could cause health code violations. Depending on the type of business it could also result in fines, temporary closure and possible loss of goods, if contaminated. Bird droppings may also cause “slip and fall” injuries, increasing the legal liability for building owners, managers and mainte-nance professionals. If left unattended, the unsightly mess of birds defecating and nesting in visible areas of buildings could have a negative impact on a company’s image. Finally, pest bird droppings are acidic. The feces can stain and corrode building Knowing the exact bird problem that a facility is facing is the first step in implementing the proper bird proofing system. 42 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • October 2013
CMM – Archives October 2013: 42
