CM/Spotlight: Floor Care on workers and building occupants. When someoneʼs health is adversely affected, it reduces his or her activity, there-by limiting the productʼs sustainability. facilities that are not open 24 hours because it requires additional use of lights and heating/cooling units. In addition to energy waste, some tradi-tional floor maintenance programs result in water and product waste. Traditional mop-and-bucket methods require significantly more water and chemi-cals compared to newer application meth-ods, much of which is wasted in the process. Traditional mop heads absorb floor finish, leaving chemical in mop fibers after a proj-ect is complete. Also, studies have shown that employ-ees often pour too much finish for the job, wasting the leftover chemical or even washing it down drains. try in 2000. Of these, 15,200 were musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) requiring a median of seven days away from work. Traditional floor finishing methods that require repeated lifting of heavy buckets, applicator units or backpacks increase the risk of back and neck injuries. In addition, use of straight mop handles without ergonomic features in mop-and-bucket or flat-mop systems can increase risk of MSDs or other occupational-related injuries. You can avoid costly expenses such as workersʼ compensation claims, loss of pro-ductivity, complaints, waste disposal and shipping costs by implementing a green hard floor care program. Occupant Impact Some traditional finishing methods can have a negative impact on building occupants. For instance, the mop-and-bucket method is considered an open system that can release more volatile organic com-pounds (VOCs) into the indoor environ-ment than closed systems. As a result, building occupants are exposed to strong odors that often result in complaints. Resource Waste Cleaning professionals often attempt to eliminate the impact of cleaning on building occupants by closing down areas or sched-uling floor finishing for evening hours. Night cleaning increases energy costs in Staff Injury According to the most recent study by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 42,000 occupational injuries requiring time away from work in the janitorial indus-Give Your Floors A Green Sheen To find the most sustainable way to apply floor finish, look for new systems that 26 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • April 2009
CMM – Archives Apr 2009: 26
