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Cleaning companies ‘more positive’
Cleaning companies are performing better than they were this time last year, according to new research which monitors the views and performance of employers. The Asset Skills Barometer Survey questioned a total of 94 employers about skills and other issues as part of a rolling six monthly programme.
“The Barometer Survey is a rolling programme that aims to chart the link between skills investment and productivity,” said Richard Beamish, chief executive of Asset Skills, the Sector Skills...
PHS sponsors FM award
PHS Washrooms was proud to sponsor the hotly contested Facilities Manager of the Year Award during the Health Estates and Facilities Management Association (HefmA) Exhibition recently.
A record number of entries was received, but after much deliberation from the judging panel, this award was presented to Craige Richardson, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. Richardson is a worthy winner of this award as his ongoing personal commitment to self-improvement and his ‘can do’ customer-focused...
International cleaning study gives cause for concern
Results of a recent international cleaning study, conducted across eight countries by the Hygiene Council, have given rise for concern.
The survey showed that kitchen areas are dirtier than bathrooms when it comes to bacterial contamination. More than half (52%) of taps tested were unsatisfactory compared to only 15% of toilet flush handles. In reality, taps within kitchen areas are much more likely to be the home of E. Coli and other harmful bacteria.
Tests confirm that just because...
‘Zombie companies’ - a new menace to the cleaning industry
There are now 70 companies in the UK cleaning services industry that are ‘Zombie’ businesses. These companies have seen their performance deteriorate to such as extent that they now exist merely to pay off their debts and survive.
David Pattison, author of the new Plimsoll Analysis, explained: “These companies are in a state, posting growing losses and, despite the obvious freeze in the credit markets, increasing their debts. They are Zombie businesses with debts at an average of 51% of...
‘Pay as you throw’ charges ruled out
Plans to let English councils charge or reward people according to their refuse have been thrown out by Eric Pickles, the new Communities Secretary. The plans, aimed at cutting landfill, were described by Pickles as ‘insulting’. The government plans to back rewarding people for recycling instead.
The announcement removes the prospect of charging households who put out the most non-recycled rubbish out. The move was in part a response to the UK’s need to reduce the amount of waste sent to...
Legionnaires danger highlighted
Sheffield’s Gems Hygiene is urging businesses to keep air conditioning units clean, particularly during the recent hot weather, to stop the onset of Legionnaires’ disease. Gems is highlighting the importance of regular sanitisation of industrial cooling systems, which are a key breeding ground for the legionella bacteria.
Sarah Wade, Gems’ marketing manager, said: “During the summer months, many UK businesses rely heavily on air conditioning, which unfortunately has been associated with...
BCA Cleanability Awards
