Frequent and Proper Washing of Hands Keeps Sickness Away

Washing hands
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Martins Maintenance offers janitorial and maintenance services to keep business spaces impeccable. From its office in East Providence, Rhode Island, the company serves a variety of offices and businesses in the commercial, banking, governmental, industrial, retail, food and health, and educational sectors. Martins Maintenance strives to keep the workforce in Rhode Island and other New England states healthy by providing solutions that keep germs away from workplaces.

A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) on the impact of germs in workplaces is quite alarming. The report stated that about 80 percent of infections are caused by exposure to germs either through direct human contact or hand contact with surfaces contaminated by germs. Influenza alone is the cause of 75 million annual absences from work per year.

One of the major ways of preventing the spread of diseases caused by germs is frequent and proper handwashing. The CDCP encourages each American to embrace the benefits of frequent and proper handwashing through its campaign called “Life Is Better with Clean Hands.” The program is designed to motivate adults to live a disease-free lifestyle by making clean hands an important part of their daily lives.

According to the CDCP, people should wash their hands before, during, and after food preparation; before eating; before and after giving care to a loved one who is sick with diarrhea or vomiting; before and after treating wounds or cuts; after using the bathroom or toilet; after changing a baby’s diaper; after coughing, sneezing, or blowing one’s nose; after touching an animal, its feed, and waste; and after touching garbage. It is also important to wash your hands properly. Effective handwashing follows a simple, five-step process: wet, lather, scrub, rinse, and finally dry.

Three Benefits of Hiring a Janitorial Company

Maintenance Personel
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For more than three decades, Martins Maintenance has provided top-level janitorial services to Rhode Island-based companies of all sizes. Martins Maintenance has since expanded its services from its base in Providence, Rhode Island, to more than 50 offices nationwide. The firm is recognized as one of the leading contract maintenance companies.

Hiring a contract janitorial or maintenance company is an effective way for businesses to improve their reputation and ensure their employees have a healthy work environment. Some of the benefits of outsourcing janitorial duties to a professional company include:

Lower Absenteeism - Cleaning companies have access to professional-grade washers that can eliminate causes of illness such as bacteria, mold spores, and deeply embedded dust. Routine professional cleanings keep offices and other work areas clean and workers more healthy.

Maintaining Compliance - Since janitorial companies specialize in maintenance, they stay informed on all regulations and compliance codes related to businesses and properties. Businesses can rely on the expertise of the janitorial company to keep their own firm compliant without spending time and money to train their own staff.

Reduced Liabilities - A reputable janitorial service provider will include insurance in their contract. This limits liabilities for the business for both the contracted maintenance staff and any incidents arising from the cleaning itself (or lack thereof).

CDC Publishes In-Depth Report on Preventing Workplace Infections

Workers collaborating 

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Based in East Providence, Rhode Island, Martins Maintenance is a janitorial company focused on reducing workplace infections. Martins Maintenance educates employers and employees on healthy workplace practices. Some of its recommendations are based on evidence from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

In March 2019, researchers from the CDC published a comprehensive report that highlighted ways to make workplaces safer. The report was a culmination of an extensive evaluation of 66 investigations on infectious diseases in US workplaces between 2006 and 2015.

Researchers deduced that bacteria were the most common cause of infections, followed by viruses, fungi, and protozoa. Most of the cases of infection were concentrated in certain industries, such as health care and public service.

Many factors were to blame for the spread of infection, including ease of pathogen transmission, high office populations, poor workplace safety monitoring, and poor health policies and practices. The report recommended a host of measures to reduce workplace infections.

The measures include improving office ventilation to reduce risk of airborne diseases, requiring protective gear for workers in environments with known pathogens, training workers on safe working protocols, and developing robust in-house and sector-wide policies on office cleanliness.

How the No-Touch Kaivac Bathroom Cleaning System Works

All white bathroom

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A company furnishing janitorial contracting solutions for commercial buildings, Martins Maintenance serves clients in and around Rhode Island. Among its various services, Martins Maintenance of Rhode Island provides a range of programs related to germs and health in the workplace, such as employing the Kaivac bathroom cleaning system.

Founded in 1997, Kaivac specializes in scientifically designed, hygienic cleaning systems, and its bathroom cleaning systems were some of its first offerings. The systems aim to offer an alternative to the unpleasant aspects of cleaning a bathroom, as well as to eliminate the potential health problems sometimes associated with an unclean bathroom, such as urinary tract infections and digestive problems, not to mention the common cold. Accordingly, its systems feature no-touch technology and focus on removing contaminants completely.

The first step in employing a Kaivac bathroom cleaning system is to spray a customized cleaning solution on the low-pressure setting. Next, the area is rinsed with water at high pressure to release bacteria and soils from grout lines and cracks. Finally, the contaminants and liquid are removed from the floor using a vacuum wand. This system allows individuals to clean bathrooms without touching contaminants or leaving lingering contaminants on mops, rags, and sponges.

Color Coded Cleaning Supplies Reduce Cross-Contamination

For over 40 years, Rhode Island-based Martins Maintenance has provided cleaning and janitorial services to facilities across New England. Family owned Martins Maintenance strives to develop long lasting, reliable business partnerships with its clients so that expectations are met and maintained. The Rhode Island business is particularly concerned with preventing cross contamination of germs and bacteria within the buildings it services. 

In order to prevent the spread of germs and bacteria in interior spaces such as schools, businesses, restaurants, and healthcare facilities, janitorial service providers must take strict precautions against cross-contamination. Cross-contamination occurs when germs, bacteria, or dirt travel from one surface to another unrelated surface. People can unintentionally carry germs with them as they travel throughout a space. This can also occur when janitorial professionals use poor cleaning methods.

Conscientious janitorial services provide extensive training for their employees to prevent cross-contamination. Strategies include frequent hand washing, the use of rubber gloves, and assigning people to specific zones or areas within a building. Many contractors, including Martins Maintenance, also use color-coded mop-heads, buckets, and microfiber cloths in their battle against cross-contamination. With this system in place, cleaning professionals only use a certain color of cleaning supplies for a specific area. For example, red materials are used in restrooms while yellow materials are used in general work spaces.

Another weapon used in the war against the spread of infection is the self-contained, no-touch cleaning machine. This technology allows restrooms to be cleaned with antibacterial cleansers, rinsed with fresh water, and vacuumed clean in an efficient and safe manner.

Business owners should thoroughly research their janitorial service contractor’s established protocol for minimizing the risk of cross-contamination within the workplace. A healthy interior environment will only improve the safety of workers and others and enhance long-term efficiency.

Commercial Cleaning Can Prevent Spread of Germs in Office Restrooms

Martins Maintenance is a family-owned building services group based in Rhode Island. Providing more than 30 janitorial services to businesses of various sizes, Martins Maintenance particularly emphasizes its infection prevention programs to help prevent the spread of illnesses like the flu in office buildings.

Workplaces are common locations for the quick spread of viruses and infections. Restroom facilities in offices are particularly vulnerable to becoming a hotspot for germs. However, hiring a commercial cleaning service to disinfect and sanitize the place can help reduce the risk of employees contracting illnesses throughout the year.

A janitorial company with extensive experience in the prevention of infection in commercial restrooms will employ best practices to engage in effective cleaning. The company will use a chemical spray to remove bacteria to treat every surface within the facility, including toilets, urinals, and flooring. When the chemicals have been washed off with water, the group will then use a wet vacuum instead of a mop to remove the excess water. Then, the surfaces will be blown dry to prepare the restrooms for use by employees.

High-Powered Carpet Cleaning Services by Martins Maintenance

Located in East Providence, Rhode Island, Martins Maintenance, Inc., is a provider of various janitorial, commercial cleaning, and building contractor services. In order to maintain such a diverse line of offerings, Martins Maintenance maintains several distinct business units, including the Extraction In Action unit.

The Extraction In Action unit oversees a number of vehicle-powered carpet cleaning services. Drawing on the power of an automobile engine, truck-mounted carpet extraction systems provide clients with the most effective carpet cleaning services available. With the truck mount and vehicle essentially functioning as a singular unit, users can expect a highly powerful yet relatively quiet carpet cleaning experience that saves the cleaning crew time and effort compared to other types of extraction equipment.

The Extraction In Action unit is capable of addressing both spot cleaning needs and total carpet restoration projects. To learn more about the process, including how truck-mounted carpet extraction systems can positively impact a company’s cleaning budget, please visit www.martinsmaintenance.com.

The Four Categories of BASCAI Membership

Providing janitorial and maintenance services, Martins Maintenance is a Rhode Island-based company with more than 35 years of experience. To serve its customers better, Martins Maintenance maintains membership with various professional organizations in Rhode Island and beyond, including the Building Service Contractors Association International (BASCAI).

For more than five decades, BASCAI has provided business resources for contractors. Today, BASCAI has more than 1,000 members, from large corporations to family-owned organizations, from across 15 countries and the United States. Here are the four types of BASCAI membership:

- Building service contractors. This membership pertains to businesses that offer solutions to residential and commercial properties, from janitorial cleaning to maintenance, on a contract basis.

- Manufacturer/distributor/consultant. This membership applies to individuals and companies whose customers are maintenance professionals, building service contractors, residential cleaners, and related providers.

- Contract security. Contract security companies enjoy a specific membership opportunity dedicated to their line of work.

- Allied. This membership category applies to businesses and individuals operating in the building services industry that are employed by local or state councils, societies, or associations; architects, libraries, teachers, or other related entities; and custodians, housekeepers, janitors, or other independent cleaners or maintenance personnel.

Becoming a Certified Women-Owned Enterprise Brings Multiple Benefits

Based in Rhode Island, Martins Maintenance provides maintenance and janitorial solutions guaranteed to be effective to its customers. An equal opportunity employer and a certified Women’s Business Enterprise, Martins Maintenance employs more than 1,000 people around the world from its headquarters in Rhode Island.

Managed by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) is defined as a business that is majority-owned and controlled by at least one woman who is either a citizen or lawful permanent resident of the United States. A business that has attained WBE certification enjoys multiple benefits, including the following:

- Advocacy. WBENC supports women-owned businesses through ongoing research, nationwide surveys, and representation on key business forums.

- Promotion. Whether displayed on marketing materials or packaging, the WBE seal and Women-Owned Logo clearly identify women-owned businesses to facilitate their connection with customers. Additionally, WBENC announces each newly certified business through its press release system.

- Recognition. WBENC celebrates standout WBEs through several awards programs each year, including the Women’s Business Enterprise Star, the William J. Alcorn Leadership Award, and WBENC’s Applause Award.

To learn the rules and regulations for becoming a WBE, visit www.wbenc.org.

Common Microbes in a Public Bathroom Surveyed

East Providence, Rhode Island-based Martins Maintenance provides top-to-bottom janitorial services that facilitate the elimination of workplace germs. Serving clients across Rhode Island and the United States, Martins Maintenance employs advanced Kaivac systems in spraying down and vacuuming bathrooms.

A National Public Radio article brought attention to a study published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology that surveyed the pathogens present in four San Diego State University bathrooms. The finding was that the dominant bacteria was fecal in origin and was most prevalent on toilet seats and soap dispensers.

The true human-generated survivor was Staphylococcus, which is common on the skin and in the nose, and relatively harmless on those surfaces. Unfortunately, when staph bacteria get into the bloodstream, infections can be extremely dangerous, with one type in particular, S. aureus, resistant to most antibiotics.

The positive news is that the live staph strains surveyed in the study were relatively harmless and tended to be of the skin-colonizing variety. The take-home message from the study was that good hygiene, such as hand washing, remains important in a public bathroom environment.