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Helping our customers care for the planet

Climate change has been at the top of the news agenda lately, largely due to the Extinction Rebellion movement. Ten days of marches, arrests and disruption brought London to a standstill in April, with the protest causing further chaos in Paris more recently.

I watched the news with a mixture of awe and confusion – inspired by the sentiment, after all, it is a hugely important issue and something we, at Jangro are passionate about. However, I questioned their tactics.

 

On one hand, scenes of activists lying down on busy roads, blocking major bridges and even gluing themselves to trains and buildings gained extensive publicity – bringing the issue to the fore of people’s consciousness. On the other though, saving the planet is everyone’s responsibility. Such actions caused huge disruption to hard-working Londoners, and, because of this, they, as well as viewers, may not have been sympathetic to hearing their call to build a more sustainable world.

But is there another, more effective strategy to achieve change? We believe one of the best ways to reduce our footprint is for companies and corporations to implement effective sustainability policies, procedures and products – and the cleaning industry is well placed to lead this.

At Jangro, we are committed to making sustainable choices, minimising our carbon footprint and reducing the potentially harmful effects of our business. After all, the day-to-day operations and many of the products used in our sector inevitably have an impact on the environment.

That’s why we are constantly working hard to offer our customers more environmentally friendly, yet effective, options. In fact, we recently launched a new eco-range catalogue, which features products designed or formulated to have a minimal impact on the planet.

We are also proud of our popular Enviro range of concentrated cleaning and sanitising products, including our innovative soluble sachets, which are designed to deliver chemicals easily and economically, as well as to reduce our reliance on plastics.  This prevents plastic bottles and packaging from ending up in landfill or in our oceans and waterways. It saves time and money too, through the lower logistic costs of handling smaller and lighter products, whilst also reducing the CO2 emissions from transportation.

As a business, we aim to reduce our emissions whenever and wherever possible. For example, through reduced fuel consumption and lower exhaust emissions in our delivery fleet, as well as saving paper, water and energy in our offices.

So, although Extinction Rebellion has grabbed the headlines recently, here at Jangro, we won’t be chaining ourselves to your lorries in protest. Instead, you’ll find us constantly innovating and developing products and systems, which not only minimise our own environmental impact, but also that of our customers.

Now, wash your hands please!

Getting dressed independently, feeding themselves, knowing right from wrong and being kind. These are all basic skills that children are taught from a young age, and take with them into their adult lives.

 

One important life skill that is drummed into us as children but can often fall by the wayside is the art of handwashing. Despite the proven health benefits, research shows that only 61% of respondents wash their hands properly with warm water and soap after using the toilet.

When you consider how easily germs are transmitted via direct and indirect touch, perhaps it’s not surprising that in other studies, faecal matter was found on one out of every six smartphones, or that a typical worker’s desk has hundreds of times more bacteria per square inch than an office toilet seat? Or that money really is dirty? In a recent study 19 different types of bacteria, and two life-threatening superbugs including MRSA, were found on coins and notes. Listeria was also found on 20p, 50p and £1 coins and notes.

Quite frankly, these statistics are enough to make you feel queasy. Good hand hygiene is one of the most effective ways to achieve health for yourself, your family and communities, and to prevent the spread of infection. That’s why we wholeheartedly support the World Health Organisation’s Clean Hands Save Lives campaign. This year, their worldwide advocacy day takes place on 5th May 2019, and calls for everyone in the healthcare sector to practise good hand hygiene.

Sharpening up cleaning skills

Readers of our blog will know that here, at Jangro, we are passionate about training.

Good learning not only equips workers in our industry with the knowledge to perform best practice and produce excellent results, but it also ensures that they able to work safely, without compromising their own, or indeed others’, health and safety.

For operatives working in areas where there are sharps (needles and other objects used to puncture the skin), cleaning can be extra hazardous. With the correct management, however, the risk of accidents can be reduced. That’s why we have expanded our unique and innovative e-learning system, LMS (Learning Management Solution) with a new module dedicated to Sharps Handling.

Research in the healthcare sector suggests that the incidence of sharps injuries are likely to be under-reported. It is quite possible that this could be happening in our industry too, since there is no industry data related to operatives who have reported needle stick injuries as part of RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations).

We are committed to ensuring the safety of workers in our industry. Our new Sharps Handling module is designed to help operatives reduce their risk of sustaining an injury. The course takes 30 minutes to complete and teaches operatives what constitutes a workplace hazard; how to identify the various risks caused by sharps injuries; risk management; the roles and responsibilities involved with managing this waste; and why PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and other tools are important.

We are delighted to add this essential module to the Jangro LMS.  As well Sharps Handling, there are also modules in Manual Handling, COSHH, Health & Safety, Colour Coding and Infection Control, Washroom Hygiene, and much more.

Available free to all Jangro customers and their staff, the Jangro LMS has won many industry awards, including, most recently, first place in the Tomorrow’s Cleaning Awards.

Jangro Solution Health and Safety