Healthier Workspaces
Flu season is fast approaching. All it takes is one person to show up to work with the sniffles, and suddenly all of the staff is overwhelmed and infected with the common cold or even the flu. This can be devastating for businesses — especially small ones — that don’t have a bunch of employees to call upon to fill in. On top of that, businesses, especially retail ones, have to be ready for the busy holiday season.
Until a few years ago, about 30% of commercial cleaning services in the New England area were being provided by franchised cleaning services and franchise cleaning operations. Changes in the Massachusetts labor laws forced cleaning franchise companies that were previously doing commercial cleaning out of the subcontract cleaning market.
Individuals looking to seek out jobs or work in the cleaning industry may not be aware of the changes in the Massachusetts labor law. There have been lawsuits and arguments where franchisees can or cannot be considered employees by their master company. In Massachusetts, cleaning franchises, specifically, are structured differently than a franchise in another state. Franchisees are considered employees under the Massachusetts labor law, and therefore it can make operating a traditional cleaning franchise difficult, since the law is different than the rest of the states in the country.
Continue reading “Massachusetts Cleaning Franchises & What You Should Know”
You may remember our post about hand sanitizers and how the repeated use of just sanitizer can be less effective than traditional hand washing. This time, we’ve come to talk about disinfectants.
When we say disinfectant, you may think of a spray like a bleach spray, but we also mean those seemingly useful wipe products. Disinfectants can be spread out across a variety of products, and it isn’t just limited to sprays. A disinfectant is essentially a substance that kills life and is regulated by the EPA under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodent Act. A disinfectant must be safe to use and undergoes a variety of testing to show that it can kill “life” (in this case, bacteria) and be effective.
A disinfectant can often be considered a pesticide as well, and many of the “harsher” chemical sprays require the use of personal protective equipment. Disinfecting a surface properly means cleaning the surface, applying the disinfectant, and then waiting a certain period of time in order for the disinfectant to properly work. Many of us just wipe up the disinfectant immediately after applying it; often times this is not correct and does not work as intended. Disinfectants are also commonly mixed improperly. Because of this, disinfectants can be very unlikely to work effectively, as effectively, or at all. Sanitizing with disinfectant is a very particular job that requires time and attention, and if not done properly, can have disastrous results.
Continue reading “Disinfectants: More Harm than Good?”