According to the United States Department of Labor, janitors are the third most non-fatally injured workers in the country.  This presentation was given by Robert Moddrell and Mark Faries, M.S., during the 2011 Simon Institute Symposium in Salt Lake City. Since 2002, The University of Texas has realized a drastic reduction in worker’s compensation claims. The presentation highlights how The University of Texas partnered with the Fit Institute of Texas and established the criteria for why injuries occur in a cleaning operation.  This data was then used to assist in the development of an overall warm up program for custodians.

This presentation was delivered by University of Michigan’s John Lawter, associate director – plant, building and grounds services, to the Simon Institute Symposium in July of 2011.  Highlights of this presentation include data from a Sightlines report outlining University of Michigan’s performance in overall cleanliness.  Of particular interest is that University of Michigan was able to achieve this feat using  the least amount of financial resources in comparison to their peers.

This presentation was made by Chris Romero, custodial supervisor for Sandia National Laboratories, at the 2007 symposium in Williamsburg, VA.  The findings were part of Sandia’s installation-wide  pandemic planning initiative.  Important things to note in this presentation are how to effectively stock germicides, how to train on their proper usage and the different threats associated with a pandemic depleted workforce.  Also included is Sandia’s strategy for cleaning facilities in the event of a pandemic.   For more information about Sandia’s Pandemic Influenza Containment Strategy, click here.

Cutting Costs and Improving Outcomes for Janitorial Services

by: Jeffery L Campbell, Ph.D.

This research contains four case studies of custodial programs at  The University of North Carolina, The University of Michigan, The University of Texas – Austin and The University of Massachusetts.  Recent research reveals that janitorial budgets account for 30 percent of all facility budgets.  With the current economic trend, every aspect of the total facility budget is becoming more accountable.  This research highlights how four major U.S. universities implemented measurable standards, updated business practices, improved cleanliness outcomes and experienced significant savings.  These findings were published in the September/October 2011 issue of APPA’s publication Facilities Manager.

This presentation was delivered by  Michael Berry, PhD, at the 2006 Simon Institute Symposium.   In this presentation, Berry discusses the value of cleaning science; the effect of sick and mismanaged buildings; remediating the Frank Porter Graham building with a deep cleaning protocol and the findings from his 2006 publicly funded study of traditional housekeeping vs. the (OS1) cleaning process.  That study evaluated traditional housekeeping methods vs. a high performance cleaning program over the span of three months at The University of North Carolina.  It is also important to note that Berry also discusses key components of a high performance cleaning program in this presentation.

You can read the technical report on Traditional Housekeeping v. the (OS1) cleaning process here:  UNC Technical Report.  Also, for a read along companion to the presentation material, click here: Berry Symposium Presentation.

I’d like to be the first to welcome you to the newly redesigned Simon Institute website.  In the past, we’ve typically used this website as a brochure to highlight the major activities that we have coordinated for the past 11 years.

Simon Institute has grown and changed over the years and we realized it was time to overhaul the website to be a strong information portal for individuals and organizations searching for quality, on-going research related to the professional cleaning industry.   Specifically, our core research areas include improving ways to manage a custodial budget; improving indoor environmental quality; furthering the science of cleaning; and the health, safety, security, cultural and sociological impacts of cleaning on a building’s occupants.  This list is by no means complete or comprehensive. However, with the limited research that has been done on the ways cleaning affects the indoor environment, we feel like we have established a good foundation to get started.

On a personal note, I’m very excited about some of the new functions available on this website.  Specifically, we have a 10 year database of presentation materials that we’ve accumulated over the past decade.  These materials will be hosted in the Recent Posts section on the front page of this website and archived in the Research section.  Presentations will also be searchable by abstract.

Secondly, Simon Institute is going to start raising funds to sponsor cleaning workers to attend the Cleaning Industry Awards Banquet.  Recognition of the individual cleaning worker is a very special passion of ours.  We believe strongly that the time is long overdue for cleaning workers to be treated as first class citizens.  What better way to accomplish this than to sponsor a cleaning worker to attend an awards banquet and receive recognition?

Finally, this will be your information pipeline to all pertinent information related to Simon Institute Symposium.  Registration and Program Information will be posted here as it becomes available.

I’m excited to bring you this information in a fresh new way.

Very sincerely yours,

Ben Walker

Joe Gledhill, facility director for Provo City School District (PCSD), presented this before and after presentation outlining his experience implementing a brand name high performance healthy cleaning program.  PCSD implemented a complete logistics program that included new equipment, reduced chemical usage, standardized cleaning tasks and improved the occupants’ well-being.