Articles

Dr Gerba’s most recent research uncovers the link between unhygienic workplaces and sickness, and the affect on productivity. This is a very relevant area of research to New Zealand businesses; it’s proven that workplace productivity is affected by a dirty environment. Can you afford to lose productivity? The average office desk has 400 times more bacteria

How can you protect your office from becoming a comfortable spot for bacteria to grow? The world’s leading expert on germs is coming to New Zealand in July and will be calling on New Zealand authorities to lift commercial cleaning standards and promote hand washing to reduce preventable workplace illness and lost productivity. Dr Charles

World renowned expert on bacteria and viruses Dr Charles Gerba is calling on New Zealand workplace and education facilities to lift their standards of hygiene in order to lift the country’s productivity levels. “There is a direct link between workplace hygiene and productivity. The reality is that workplace illness is a significant health issue in

During a pandemic you will need to clean more thoroughly to minimise the spread of the virus. This applies particularly to the surfaces that people touch, i.e. door knobs, door push plates, kitchen areas, taps, microwave ovens, refrigerators, toilet buttons, soap dispensers, hand dryers etc. Schools can be a breeding ground for viruses and bacterial

One of the worst places for bacteria in an office is on the average desk or workstation. University of Arizona germ guru Professor Charles Gerba has studied bugs and bacteria for around 30 years.  More recently he has turned his attention to the workplace and in one study found that the average desk harbours 400

The Green Cleaning movement has gained momentum around the world – there is strong demand from governments, companies and the public to encourage environmental sustainability. Green Cleaning involves using refined cleaning processes that utilise environmentally responsible cleaning products and energy saving processes. Many companies and organisations have set a charter to achieve a “triple bottom

Because of concern in the cleaning industry about the low wages and poor conditions applied to employees of some unscrupulous cleaning companies, Crest wishes to make any potential customers aware that our personnel are paid and provided with a very “fair deal”, well above any industry averages. As a company, we take pride in delivering

A 2005 survey of tenants by an American company ‘ServiceMaster Clean’ found that unclean offices are a major concern of workers and create more sick days: 85% of office workers think regularly about the cleanliness of their office. Only 29% believe that their offices are being cleaned as effectively as possible. 64% of office workers

Office workers would be better off eating their lunch in the lavatory because of the filthy state of most desks, a report says. A poll of 500 employees found that only one in ten cleaned their desks, computer keyboards and phones twice a year. Connections, a Manchester based recruitment firm, said that the results of

With more care in the office and good hygiene habits – germs might not be wiped out completely, but they certainly can be wiped away. A 2001 American study set out to measure bacteria levels in the workplace and study the effect of a “wipe-a-day” cleaning routine. Carried out by respected microbiologist Professor Charles Gerba

New Zealand employers are losing the battle to keep staff, even as they offer generous pay increases of up to 6%, a remuneration survey says. The survey, by employment consultancy Hockem shows organisations have increased fixed packages by a median of 5.2 per cent to hold onto their existing workforce.  Hockem found that those who

Clean Start is an initiative spurred by trade unions to bring industry participants and customers to work together to raise standards of cleaning and create better conditions and remunerations for employees. The aim of Clean Start is to promote a set of principles to set a fair but commercially viable benchmark for the whole industry.