Commercial Cleaning and Safety During the Pandemic

Webinar Summary
IFA franchisor member Jani-King provided important perspectives from a janitorial and cleaning company as they confront increased demand for cleaning and disinfecting services due to the spread of COVID-19. The panelists outlined in detail the different approaches to cleaning and disinfecting to promote health and safety for franchisor companies, franchisees, and customers. The panelists also underscored the need to pay close attention to national, state, and local mandates and court orders about essential and non-essential business operations and restrictions.

Below are key bullet points from the webinar –

• Cleaning companies are providing increased cleaning and disinfecting services and have expertise in hospital, operating rooms, and urgent care spaces
• Suspensions and business closures mean that commercial cleaners are adapting to the changing needs of consumers and needs of franchisees
• Important to understand the difference, efficacy and use limitations of distinct commercial cleaning methods: 1) Manual disinfecting w/ EPA disinfecting; 2) Pump or Battery sprayers; 3) Electrostatic Sprayers
• Pay close attention to federal, state, and local mandates to comply with essential vs. non-essential business regulations to continue to provide your service as a commercial cleaner

Full Bullets -

• Stephen Weipart, Joe Carr (equipment sourcing and leasing), Jerry Crawford
• Mandates impacting essential and non-essential businesses
• Jani-King has 120 regional support offices worldwide
• 8,000 unit franchisees – availability of franchisees and their staff
• 60,000 customer locations
• Providing diverse customers and industries

Healthcare Services –

• Environmental Services to healthcare industry
  • Expertise in hospitals, operating rooms, surgeries
• Healthcare training program and operations guide
• Focused on infection controls for a variety of diseases
• Universal precautions – bloodborne pathogens, protective equipment, teaching about cross-contamination
  • Techniques – top to bottom, left to right, equipment and chemicals

1. Manual disinfecting w/ EPA disinfectants
2. Spray and foggers
3. Electrostatic sprays

• Daily task force monitors CDC, WHO, EPA, OSHA, and NIH for updates
  • Monitoring update from IFA
• Customer needs vary from industries
  • Deep cleans, day porters, need for approved chemicals, supplies, personal protection equipment (PPE)
• Suspensions and closures means that commercial cleaners are adapting
• Important to know the details set out in mandates and court orders
  • Review state and federal orders
  • Important to know language referring to essential and non-essential businesses/employees
• Letter of Purpose – provided authorizations to employees that they keep in their vehicles to prove that they are an essential service

• Equipment to dispense chemicals. All experiencing a shortage of supplies
• PPE – franchisees are using PPE in the field (mask, goggles, gowns, gloves)
• Low, Moderate and High risk levels to PPE – determine your need
  • Moderate = gown
• Cleaning is not disinfecting, but you must clean before you disinfect
• Disinfection – use of EPA registered antimicrobial chemicals to kill the virus
• Three methods of Disinfection
  • Manual Cleaning
    • Standard spray bottle
    • Dwell time – important per EPA guidelines
    • Microfiber cloth
    • Small facilities
  • Pump or battery sprayers
    • Vendor or home improvement store
    • Larger areas in short amount of time
    • Warehouse vs. call cener
    • Spray, dwell and wipe
  • Electrostatic sprayer
    • Positively charged droplets when released from sprayer
    • Attaches to negative object, and envelopes surface
    • No wiping away needed
• High frequency touchpoins
  • Light switches
  • Doorknobs
  • Handrails
  • Elevator buttons
  • Chairs and furniture
  • Desk items
  • Restroom faucets

• Franchisors and franchisees
  • Cashflow, collections
  • Labor – low, medium and high risk
    • Education and training
    • Recommend a reputable company
  • Customer loss and retention vs. new opportunities
• Questions to ask yourself as a franchisor:
  • Do franchisees feel safe?
  • Do their employees feel safe?
  • Are employees seeing what you’re doing to keep them safe at work?
  • What extra safety measures and disinfecting are you doing?
• What additional support can you provide
• What are you doing to drive business back to your franchisees?

Continuous education of employees and franchisees across the Jani-King company. Sending out weekly or more often communication. Developing with federal guidance new rules around social distancing

            Reminding people to follow best practices of cleanliness

In most hospital settings they don’t allow fogging/spraying. So it’s a manual disinfecting process. That does not apply outside a hospital setting. This virus is a droplet carried virus, so the latest guidance by the CDC tells us that the virus dissipates from airborne transmission after a few hours

Because this is a droplet borne virus, there is no indication that you need to clean ceilings

Jani-King – making concessions to master franchisees

            Communicating in writing to franchisees to get accurate billing