News 

 
  • Safety Training Meeting

    February 10, 2010

    It was an exciting morning for the group of Area Managers and Site Supervisors as they gathered January 30th for the first quarterly safety training meeting of 2010.  They all knew that there was plenty on the agenda to look forward to and that they would all have a chance to chime in.  So, with coffee and doughnuts in hand, the Cardinal Training Center was opened for business.

    We were lucky enough to have John Paul-Surdo of JohnsonDiversey in our presence that morning for a refreshing take on the updated Healthy High Performance Cleaning Procedures.  After a general review of the program, which has gotten a great response from both our customers and employees, John took us on an in-depth look into the specific HHPC requirements that we will be implementing to our current customers.

     

    John Paul Surdo

     

    Continuing on with the "Green Theme", President Jim DeGrado introduced Cardinal's newest member to the family, The Ionator from Activeion.  The updated Activeion product delivers portable, on-demand, safe and sustainable cleaning by converting tap water into a powerful cleaner.  After a brief training and demonstration session, the Area Managers and Site Supervisors were both impressed and excited going forward with this piece of equipment in their arsenal.

     Jim Activeion

    Finally, as a yearly reminder for all Area Managers we reviewed in detail Cardinal's Employee Training Checklist.  This review is a reminder for all Trainers to pay special attention to the little things at each building we service, and re-emphasizes the importance of their initial training process.

     

     

     

     

  • It's Getting Hot in Here

    January 15, 2010

    Hot Spot Cleaning

    I think that we all could have assumed that children are more susceptible to infection by microbial pathogens picked up from their environments than adults exposed to the same pathogens, now there is substantial evidence that leads us to that same conclusion. There are many reasons for this increased risk, but the major factor is that children's immune systems and the natural protection against pathogens don't fully develop until adulthood. With the increased risk, crowding in schools, the fact that children have frequent hand-to-mouth and object-to-mouth contact, etc., make it very important to understand what environmental sources present the most important risks for infection.

    A surprisingly inefficient way of transferring diseases is direct person-to-person transfer from sneezes and coughs. Conversely, the transfer of human microbial pathogens to a surface or material that is touched by many other individuals, known as highly touched objects (HTO's), in the course of their daily lives and to allow each individual's touch-to-mouth or touch-to-hand-to-mouth practice spread the infection is highly efficient.

    The big questions are (1) whether or not microbial pathogens can survive on these surfaces, (2) which surfaces have the highest probability of holding microbial contamination and (3) how can they be best removed? Within the last few years these questions have been addressed through studies and highly touted papers.

    1. It was determined that common pathogens may persist on surfaces for times ranging from two hours to more than four years.

    2. With a wide variety of data recovery methods, results of these studies are difficult to determine, however a number of general conclusions can be made. Restroom floors and walls do not rank at the top of the list, most directly related to the idea that most cleaning efforts are focused there. Highly ranked HTO surfaces include the following: Children's playground equipment, faucets, armrests, phones and importantly computer keyboards. In schools, the previously mentioned HTO's were most contaminated with bacteria, while desktops, faucet handles and paper towel dispensers were most contaminated with viruses. Most importantly, the study showed that contamination levels had a strong positive correlation with student absenteeism due to illness. So in the case of schools, HTO's can be efficient in spreading person-to-person and person-to-home microbial contamination.

    3. While creating the best method for disinfection of HTO's is ideal, it is not easily obtained. A good example is the common method of applying a disinfectant as a liquid from a wiper. It has been determined that wipers vary greatly in their ability to release disinfectants to surfaces. In particular, microfiber-based wipers have shown to release far more disinfectants than their cheaper less effective cotton rag counterpart.

    HTO's can be an efficient way of spreading infections within schools and from schools to homes. The physical and organizational tools that can be used to clean and disinfect HTO's and to monitor the effectiveness of the cleaning and disinfection are well known and available. What is required is the knowledge that to implement and use these tools.

    For more information on Cardinal Building Maintenance, Inc. contact us at 708.385.3575 or info@cardbldgmnt.com

     

     

     

  • The New Look

    December 04, 2009

    I would like to welcome all visitors to the new Cardinal Building Maintenance, Inc. website.  Everyone at Cardinal is very excited about the new site and the opportunity to better serve you, our customers.  We are not stopping here. You will see something new every time you visit the site. What you find will be informative, relevant, and resourceful.  We are not in the business of wasting time; our focus is getting rid of your waste. 

    What you will find:

    Updated news and events from across the industry that will keep you informed and up to date.

    Important websites, articles, and videos that you can use as reference points to better educate your company.

    Cardinal Building Maintenance, Inc. services, cleaning tips, and company profiles.

    And much, much more…

    Thank you for visiting, enjoy. 

 
 

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Cardinal Building Maintenance, Inc. 4952 W. 128th Place Alsip,  IL 60803  Phone: 708-385-3575  Fax:708-385-3379  Email:info@cardbldgmnt.com