cleanthoughts Publisher Matt Gallinger [email protected] ext. 3159 The Technicalities Of Associate Publisher Micah Ogburn [email protected] Editorial Director Rich DiPaolo [email protected] Managing Editor Aaron Baunee [email protected] Assistant Editor Amanda Martini-Hughes [email protected] Account Executives Susan Pierce [email protected] Pat Harrington [email protected] Art Director Marty Harris [email protected] Graphic Designer Justin Lancaster ext. 3179 CLEANING Removing much of the human factor from the auditing and inspecting process. (516) 404-4532 ext. 3157 ext. 3154 I It is easy to understate the affect technol-ogy has had on our lives. Everything — yes, literally all of existence — has been influenced in some fashion by technological advances. The first Neanderthal to carve an arrow-head from flint was quite the revolutionary. Our lives as JanSan professionals, too, have been swayed by advances in chemi-cals and equipment or paradigm shifts of procedures. Particularly in the arena of auditing and inspecting, we are seeing the use of smart-phones, tablets, barcode readers and other such devices in lieu of traditional quality control techniques like visual assessment, checklists and manual scribing of notes. By removing much of the human factor from the equation, we are able to proliferate accuracy while simultaneously increasing expediency. Moreover, given the “intelligence” of these modern devices, we are better able to decipher data and develop directories that serve as benchmarks for future mea-surements. After all, how are we to ever gauge our cleaning effectiveness and strive to constantly improve if we are unaware of where we currently stand in relation to simi-lar operations or compared to our future goals? Word On The Street In speaking with several individuals at a recent training event, I found that a major-ity of them are using one or more devices in their inspecting and auditing processes. In some instances, folks say they are utilizing ultraviolet (UV) or black light bars to test for the presence of urine splatter, cleaning chemical residue or other rest-room soils unseen to the naked eye. Others are making use of adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP) meters to swab surfaces and test for the presence of living or once-living organic matter. A small percentage — though many claimed they are championing for the adop-tion of such technology in their operation — are using their smartphones or tablets to run software programs specific to quality assurance inspections. The reports generated, claim the users, are tabulated, reviewed and stored elec-tronically to allow for easy access to be shared or compared. I was surprised to learn that nobody in attendance was regularly using a slip meter to measure the slip coefficient of friction (SCOF) or a luminimeter to measure the gloss of a floor. Both tools are great ways to measure the safety of the surface and the effectiveness of your floor care regimen. So, aside from the five senses you were born with, what technological advances are you using in your inspecting and auditing process? Even if you are old school in your approach and still have to sharpen your pencil before checking off boxes indicating that an area looks and smells clean and has no visible refuse, you surely have a time-saving trick or two up your sleeve that can help your peers. CM (256) 715-0342 ext. 3153 Director of Business Operations Michael Perkins [email protected] ext. 3133 Ad Materials Manager Rebecca Wilson [email protected] CMI ® Administrative Manager Sharon Hillis [email protected] NTP Media, division of ext. 3137 ext. 3165 Editorial, Advertising & Publishing Offices 19BritishAmericanBlvdWest•Latham,NY12110-6405 (518) 783-1281 FAX: (518) 783-1386 Subscription Questions or Inquiries Toll Free (866) 721-4807 Outside U.S. (847) 763-1867 or e-mail [email protected] Subscribe / Renew / Change of Address: http://www.CMMOnline.com/Subscribe Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement #40612608 Canada Returns to be sent to: Bleuchip International, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2 Corporate General Manager Barry Lovette [email protected] Vice President of Operations [email protected] Brent Kizzire Chief Marketing Officer, Publishing Services Group [email protected] Hank Brown Vice President of Business Publishing [email protected] Tracy Aston-Martin Vice President of Finance [email protected] Brad Youngblood Director of Circulation & Fulfillment [email protected] Delicia Poole Circulation Manager Stacie Tubb Circulation Analyst Anna Hicks [email protected] [email protected] Editorial Advisory Board: Aaron Baunee, managing editor Send comments or thoughts on this topic or any other article that appears in CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® magazine, to [email protected]. Benjamin Tanner, Antimicrobial Test Laboratories; Bill McGarvey, Phillip Rosenau Company; Darrel Hicks, St. Luke’s Hospital; David Holly, The Ashkin Group; Kathleen Stanton, American Cleaning Institute (ACI); Jeff Cross, Cleanfax magazine; Russell Kendzior, National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI). CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management Online™ Service at www.CMMOnline.com 4 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • May 2012
CMM – Archives May 2012: 4
