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CK Group achieves ISO 14001
Following on from its recent Safe Contractor accreditation for achieving a high standard in health and safety services, CK Group has now also been awarded ISO 14001 for its environmental management system. ISO 14001 demonstrates the group’s awareness of, and commitment to, the successful management of the impact of its operations upon the environment.
In order to meet the demands of the standard, CK Group had to demonstrate that it is: actively reducing pollution by recycling waste (thereby minimising transfer to landfill); monitoring and acting to reduce emissions to the environment; improving energy efficiency and reducing the use of natural resources; as well as delivering awareness training to all of its operatives. CK Group also had to demonstrate that as its business grows, it does so on the basis of achieving continual environmental impact improvement.
Ian Pether, managing director of CK Group, said: “It is testament to the continued hard work, training and development of everyone at CK Group which led to achievement of this certification. Not only has it helped us improve our internal environmental awareness, it clearly demonstrates to our clients our commitment to a sustainable environment."
CK Group has long advocated a reduced environmental impact within the provision of its services - the promotion of microfibre, steam cleaning, and ultrasonics decontamination to reduce chemical use for example.
www.ckgroupservices.com
£9 million contract awarded by CityWest Homes
The Public Sector division of Residential Management Group is continuing its longstanding partnership with CityWest Homes, following the award of a £9 million contract to provide facilities management to half of Westminster City Council’s housing stock.
Darren Levy, director of customer services at CityWest Homes, which looks after more than 21,000 properties in Westminster, said: “We have worked with RMG for a number of years and have been thoroughly impressed with the high standards of service and the in-depth knowledge that the company and its team provides. We are confident that this is the right decision for our organisation and look forward to a successful ongoing relationship in the coming years.”
The five-year contract has been awarded as part of a restructure of housing management services. RMG will provide facilities management services such as cleaning and grounds maintenance to all of CityWest Homes management areas.
RMG Public Sector is a dedicated service for local authorities which combines commercial knowledge with a strong sense of social responsibility. It offers housing options services, housing management services, community regeneration, interim management, performance management, EU procurement, promoting resident and stakeholder consultation, and training.
Jas Sidhu, operations director at RMG, said: "We are delighted to have been awarded this contract to continue our longstanding partnership with CityWest Homes.”
www.rmgltd.co.uk
Antimicrobial copper combats HCAIs
The Centre Hospitalier de Rambouillet near Paris is the first hospital in France to install antimicrobial copper touch surfaces to fight pathogens and reduce the risk of healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) for its patients.
Bed rails, trolleys, taps, handrails, door handles and push plates made of copper and copper alloys have been fitted in the intensive care and paediatric units. Antimicrobial copper touch surfaces are proven capable of continuously eliminating bacteria, viruses and fungi - including MRSA, C. difficile and Influenza A - 24/7, from clinical environments.
Rambouillet’s director, Jean-Pierre Richard, said: “Based on 15 years of scientific research carried out in laboratories and in hospitals that demonstrates copper’s antimicrobial properties, we decided to equip our intensive care and paediatric units accordingly. We decided to affect a proactive risk prevention policy by using innovative materials that will have no impact on the way the medical staff work.
The main purpose of this operation is to improve the well-being and safety of our patients.” Dr Patrick Pina, head of Rambouillet Hospital’s hygiene department, said: “Being confronted with germs and bacteria that are more and more resistant to antibiotic treatment means that disease prevention is now a priority for us. It is crucial for units like intensive care and paediatrics to take measures to prevent any propagation of pathogens that might lead to an epidemic among patients who are particularly vulnerable.”
Dr Pina is responsible for assessing the impact of this infection prevention measure on the rate of HCAIs in the hospital, and data generated will be used to inform the French Ministry of Health’s evaluation of adoption of antimicrobial copper surfaces in healthcare.
He added: “The assessment protocol we have developed will enable us to determine whether copper can play a central role in the prevention of infections in hospital. We hope our results will be as promising as the ones obtained in the United States.”
Last July, Professor Michael Schmidt of the Medical University of South Carolina presented at ICPIC, in Geneva, on the initial results of a study carried out in three American hospitals, revealing that replacing just six key touch surfaces with antimicrobial copper equivalents reduced patients’ risk of acquiring a healthcare- associated infections by over 40%.
Director Jean-Pierre Richard explained: “There is growing evidence that the environment has a significant role to play in the transmission of infection, and alongside standard hygiene practices such as systematic hand washing, copper touch surfaces help to considerably reduce microbial contamination. Antimicrobial copper works as a supplement to standard infection prevention measures, working to reduce surface contamination in between cleans where non- copper surfaces will harbour bacteria and viruses until they are next cleaned.”
Claude Rambaud, chairwoman of the Lien - a patients’ association - said: “Every year, nosocomial diseases kill 3500 people who go for treatment in French hospitals. This figure is comparable to the annual number of road accident victims! To summarise, the fight against these infections must be a cause for national mobilisation. If the results of the French study are conclusive, as has been the case with every study carried out thus far in hospitals around the world, we must take them into account and ensure copper is seen as a serious way of improving policies aimed at reducing risks in hospitals.”
www.antimicrobialcopper.org
Reducing the C. diff burden in Gloucestershire hospitals
Cases of Clostridium difficile infection have been successfully reduced at a Hospitals Trust in Gloucestershire following the introduction of measures that includes hydrogen peroxide vapour bio- decontamination.
Clostridium difficile is the leading cause of hospital-acquired diarrhoeal disease in the UK. Controlling its incidence in hospitals is a key target for the government and healthcare professionals.
Three years ago, Gloucestershire Hospitals implemented a series of infection control procedures ranging from the introduction of cohort wards, antibiotic control and empirical treatment for suspected C. diff infection cases, to Bioquell’s hydrogen peroxide vapour (HPV) bio- decontamination. As a result of these measures, the Trust achieved a 65% reduction in C. diff infection rates.
Last year, just 267 cases were recorded, compared to 771 C. diff reported in 2007. Significant reductions were achieved almost immediately (518 cases in 2008 and 302 cases in 2009) demonstrating the effectiveness of a coordinated approach.
Over the three-year period, 2763 areas were decontaminated using HPV within the hospital. HPV is a highly effective treatment that can clear the rooms of all biological contamination, providing a clean environment for patient re-admission. Typical cycle treatment times vary by room size. At Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, an average size single occupancy room took approximately two hours to decontaminate.
Larger multi-occupancy bays took on average four hours to decontaminate after which patients could be re-admitted.
C. diff endospores are usually highly resistant to decontamination and can survive for months on surfaces such as taps, sinks, bed rails, light switches and tables, creating a reservoir of infection. C. diff can then be either directly transferred to patients via the environment or indirectly transferred to patients via the hands of healthcare workers. The HPV process ensures complete surface sterilisation as the vapour penetrates throughout the room. It is also highly effective against endospores, breaking down cellular structures and the internal cell contents.
Deputy nursing director, Paul Garrett, said: “HPV technology has played an important part in helping to reduce C. diff infection as part of an overall bundle of interventions. The approach helps to decontaminate hard-to-clean medical equipment, such as monitors, due to the vapour process. The Bioquell system has now been successfully integrated into the daily operations of our hospitals.”
www.bioquellcorp.com
Servest to clean new Heathrow pods
Servest has won the contract to provide cleaning services for the new Heathrow pod transport system at London’s Heathrow Airport. Appointed by pod developers Ultra PRT, Servest will be responsible for cleaning the new personal rapid transit system (PRT) officially launched this month. Commissioned by BAA, it provides on-demand transport for customers travelling from the business car park to Terminal 5.
The unique Heathrow pod system consists of 21 low energy, battery powered, driverless vehicles capable of carrying four passengers and their luggage along a dedicated guide way to and from the terminal.
The pods will offer around 500,000 passengers travelling between the two stations at the Terminal 5 business car park and the station at T5, a stylish five-minute journey. Servest ensures the cleanliness of both the stations and the vehicles - meaning each is in perfect condition before every passenger journey.
Ultra PRT managing director, Fraser Brown, said: “Servest carries out all our cleaning needs on all the vehicles and buildings which make up the new Heathrow pod system. We selected Servest based on its competitive pricing and the professionalism of its representatives.
Passenger feedback about the service has been very positive, and the fact that each vehicle is spotless inside and out and always ready for use has been recognised by pod users and is key in building a service we can all be proud of. We have certainly been impressed with Servest’s performance so far. Our confidence in Servest means that we can focus on providing a service for passengers knowing the vehicles and stations they are using will be clean and always ready for use.
From the outset we were clear that we would expect more than just cleaning services from Servest as the cleaning staff are often representing us on the frontline - meeting customers and being asked questions regarding the system on a regular basis. We are delighted with the excellent customer service skills they demonstrate in these situations.”
This Heathrow pod system forms part of BAA's £4.8 billion investment in Heathrow - improving the passenger experience and reducing the environmental impact of the operation through the development of cutting edge, green transport solutions. It offers a completely new form of on-demand public transport - one that delivers a fast, efficient service to passengers and brings considerable environmental benefits, saving more than half of the fuel used by existing forms of public or private transport.
www.servest.co.uk
Marigold challenges industry to ‘Glove Up’
Hand and arm protection specialist Marigold Industrial is challenging those with responsibility for health and safety in the workplace to beat the clock and equip ‘virtual’ staff with the right gloves for the job with a brand new online game.
‘Glove Up’ - www.marigoldglovegame.com - sees players pit their skills on three levels of difficulty trying to equip virtual members of staff with a pair of gloves from the company’s new cut resistant Puretough P series, which features the new Indicator System.
When a level has been completed players are asked a question which, if answered correctly, will see the player move on to the challenge of the next level.
Running from October to the end of 2011, players will be ranked by their scores, and the person with the highest score at the end of the year will take the first prize of a trip to Portugal for two people.
Other prizes available for high scorers will include an iPod Nano, a set of mobile speakers and, for the highest weekly, a USB stick.
“We are delighted with the way Glove Up has been developed and hope as many people as possible take the time to play and see how they score,” said Melinda Ferrari of Marigold Industrial Ltd. “It is meant to be enjoyable, but there is still a message underlying the game - one of the importance of ensuring that workers are equipped with the right gloves for the job - especially when dealing with cut hazards. Glove Up has been produced in a range of European languages and the scores will be listed on a leaders board so players will be able to see who is at the top and how many points are needed to be scored to be in with a chance of the taking one of the prizes.”
