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THESTANDARD<br />
THEN & NOW<br />
01 |<br />
THESTANDARD<br />
EDITION 2 | <strong>2021</strong> | BICS.ORG.UK
Hello and welcome to this<br />
edition of THE STANDARD<br />
We hope you are all keeping well and<br />
have managed to enjoy some of the lovely<br />
warm weather we have recently been<br />
lucky enough to have, after what felt like<br />
the longest winter ever.<br />
<strong>The</strong> cover story - This one’s dedicated to something<br />
special – something that will make a difference to the way<br />
we deliver BICSc training going forward. Special, because<br />
it will contribute to an increase in the number of people<br />
working within our sector who can attain recognised<br />
industry training at a time that works for them.<br />
Yes, BICSc training is now available online! This is a<br />
mammoth milestone that has coincided with our 60th year,<br />
and it’s worth celebrating. Inside, Neil Spencer-Cook, our<br />
Chief Operating Officer and BICSc virtual world engineer,<br />
will be covering everything there is to know about the<br />
wonders of the BBS Virtual Training Suite.<br />
We are, of course, still offering face-to-face training.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Training Suite in Northampton re-opened in April, and<br />
we have seen a steady stream of candidates through the<br />
doors since then.<br />
From those who work on cruise ships who are preparing to<br />
welcome back passengers to those who are working within<br />
retail and healthcare environments, which proves again that<br />
the principles of what we train can be applied in any setting.<br />
You can also enjoy a fascinating career story from our<br />
deputy chairman, Soo Bartholomew. As well as a member’s<br />
story from CleanTec who have created an employee-owned<br />
commercial cleaning company. You can also find out who<br />
this year’s BICSc awards finalists are. We are keeping<br />
everything crossed that we will be able to host a live<br />
event come September, it would be wonderful to be able<br />
celebrate properly, more about our plans inside!<br />
In other news – with 89% of you backing our ‘get colourcoding<br />
legislated for the cleaning and hygiene industry’<br />
campaign it came as a bit of a surprise to learn that our<br />
petition proposal to introduce this as a standard for<br />
the commercial cleaning world was rejected by the UK<br />
government. We will now be progressing this topic via the<br />
All-party Parliamentary Group to at least bring it to the<br />
attention of those who may be able to support a movement<br />
that ultimately controls cross-contamination. To find out<br />
more about the APPG and what’s happening, head over<br />
to C & M’s website, their recent webinars were very<br />
informative.<br />
Until next time, from all of us here at BICSc we hope you<br />
enjoy this edition.<br />
Best Wishes<br />
Michelle Iland,<br />
PBICSc Marketing<br />
& Events Executive<br />
If you have a story to share, drop me<br />
an email at marketing@bics.org.uk<br />
and you could feature in the next<br />
edition of <strong>The</strong> <strong>Standard</strong>
FEATURING<br />
IN THIS ISSUE...<br />
Page | Cover story<br />
03 Welcome to the<br />
virtual world of<br />
BICSc Training<br />
Page | <strong>The</strong> Technical Edit<br />
10 Principles of Cleaning<br />
Science with Denise<br />
Hanson, FBICSc<br />
Page | BICSc Annual Awards<br />
11 Announcing the Finalists<br />
Hello from the Chairman,<br />
Lorraine Davis, MBICSc<br />
As we return to the new normal, it is<br />
important to remember the lessons learnt.<br />
One of the most important of these is effective hand hygiene. <strong>The</strong>n of course<br />
there is social distancing and adequate ventilation within buildings.<br />
A new focus has fallen upon the cleaning operative and accredited training now<br />
forms part of most professional induction programmes.<br />
Some of the lessons learnt will be hard to forget. Unfortunately, others will fade<br />
with time. We are still stridently attempting to turn the spotlight on a nationally<br />
recognised scheme for colour-coding in the cleaning and hygiene industry. We<br />
have great hopes that the APPG (All-party Parliamentary Group) will not only<br />
realise the importance that correct colour-coding brings to the industry, but will<br />
also bring this to the Government’s attention. If anything good is to come out of<br />
this pandemic for the cleaning industry, it should be that the perception of the<br />
cleaning operative changes forever and the importance and self-respect of the<br />
operative has been enhanced.<br />
Page | <strong>The</strong> Ishikawa Diagram<br />
15 Ceramic floor tiles with<br />
James Marston, MBICSc<br />
Page | From Northamptonshire<br />
17 to the high seas<br />
P&O Cruises introduce<br />
BICSc standards<br />
Page | My Career in Cleaning<br />
19 With Soo Bartholomew,<br />
MBICSc<br />
Page | <strong>The</strong> View from HQ<br />
24 Meet Simon our cleaning<br />
operative<br />
Page | International Update<br />
26 with Chris Ryan,<br />
MBICSc<br />
Page | New Members<br />
30 March – May <strong>2021</strong><br />
So, when a cleaning operative is asked what they do for a living, they no longer<br />
have to reply: ‘I am only a cleaner.’<br />
With best wishes<br />
Lorraine<br />
"We have great hopes that the APPG (All-party Parliamentary<br />
Group) will not only realise the importance that correct colourcoding<br />
brings to the industry, but will also bring this to the<br />
Government’s attention."<br />
02 |<br />
THESTANDARD
Welcome to the<br />
virtual world of<br />
BICSc Training<br />
With Neil Spencer-Cook, MBICSc<br />
Chief Operating Officer<br />
It’s been a year of firsts for<br />
the world as a whole, and<br />
that has meant firsts for<br />
BICSc and BBS.<br />
One of our firsts was started in March this year, with the<br />
launch of the BBS Virtual Training Suite to complement<br />
our face-to-face training. We had been hosting training<br />
over MS Teams during the earlier part of the year,<br />
but this had its limitations and still tied candidates to<br />
learning at a set time.<br />
Whilst we were utilising MS Teams we investigated and<br />
set up a virtual training platform. <strong>The</strong> chosen platform<br />
allows candidates to have access to training at a time<br />
suitable to themselves over a set number of days – they<br />
can start the course and return to it over a period of 7 or<br />
14 days depending on the course.<br />
All of the courses available are taught in<br />
several ways, there is variety in each course,<br />
and they allow the candidate to soak up the<br />
information at their own speed.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are presentation lessons, presentations with a<br />
narrative, video presentations, video demonstrations,<br />
quizzes and virtually all courses come with a resource<br />
centre for useful downloads.<br />
For those of you familiar with the BICSc Cleaning<br />
Professional’s Skills Suite (CPSS) you will be aware that<br />
accredited training involves an assessment, for CPSS<br />
training the assessment remains, but we now offer the<br />
ability to be assessed remotely via a Teams call at a time<br />
suitable to the company and/or candidate.<br />
We started the process with the ‘passport to a career<br />
in cleaning’ the Licence to Practice (LTP), and by the<br />
end of May we had trained and assessed just under 200<br />
candidates through the Virtual Training Suite.<br />
This course was complemented with the renewal of<br />
the LTP. As you all know, the LTP needs to be renewed<br />
every 3 years, this is the easiest way to renew, it doesn’t<br />
involve a face-to-face assessment and can be completed<br />
and passed completely virtually. As candidates will have<br />
previously been assessed in the usual way, this new way<br />
to renew aims to ensure that the knowledge has been<br />
retained and a compulsory question-and-answer section<br />
is how this is now assessed.<br />
Following on from this, nine of the most popular skills<br />
from CPSS were added. By the end of the year we are<br />
aiming for at least twenty of our most popular skills to be<br />
available to you virtually.<br />
This year has also seen the introduction of the<br />
Healthcare Skills, these are an adaptation to the skills<br />
within CPSS to ensure they comply with the newly<br />
released National <strong>Standard</strong>s of Healthcare Cleanliness<br />
<strong>2021</strong>. We will also be adding the ten most trained skills<br />
in Healthcare to the Virtual Training Suite.<br />
03 |<br />
THESTANDARD
All courses come with a resource centre<br />
for useful downloads
To make what we have available even more accessible<br />
to you, our members and customers, we have created<br />
several training bundles to get you started or add to<br />
what you already hold.<br />
It doesn’t stop there, we are also in the process of converting<br />
all Cleanlogic courses so they can be delivered virtually.<br />
Currently available is the Control of Cross-Contamination<br />
(one of our most popular courses during the pandemic for<br />
obvious reasons) and the Principles of Cleaning Science, the<br />
rest of our existing offering will be available soon.<br />
Let’s not forget the FREE courses that are available as well,<br />
Hand Hygiene Explained and Understanding BICSc Colour-<br />
Coding are available now, more are planned in the coming<br />
months.<br />
We were keen for the Virtual Training Suite to be useful to<br />
all and that includes our Accredited Training Members. We<br />
are aware, particularly now, that training and assessing<br />
your staff can be a challenge timewise, so we have<br />
options to help you. We can provide the available courses<br />
(LTP and 9 skills at the moment) to you so your cleaning<br />
operatives can be trained ready for your assessors to<br />
complete the assessment.<br />
<strong>The</strong> price you pay for this will also include the issue of the<br />
skills card so for a small amount more than the cost of a skills<br />
card you can save your business the time that you would<br />
usually take to train.<br />
Of course, if you are using the Assessors App (another first<br />
for BICSc, which was released in September 2020) there is<br />
no paperwork as your assessments will be sent directly to us<br />
from the app, and we can complete the production of the<br />
skills cards, there is no need for an additional PO for this as<br />
it will have been addressed when we give your operatives<br />
access to the Virtual Training Suite. We can also let you have<br />
reports on the operatives you have enrolled, so you know<br />
where they all are and how far they have progressed. If this<br />
is something you are interested in, please do get in touch, we<br />
are more than happy to work out a way to make things easier<br />
for you.<br />
We were keen for the Virtual Training<br />
Suite to be useful to all and that<br />
includes our Accredited Training<br />
Members. We are aware, particularly<br />
now, that training and assessing your<br />
staff can be a challenge timewise, so we<br />
have options to help you.<br />
05 |<br />
THESTANDARD
<strong>The</strong>re’s more…<br />
We are also in the development stage of the BICSc<br />
Supervisor's Certificate, this will be a 360-degree course<br />
for your supervisors or future supervisors. It will mean<br />
they are trained in LTP and 7 skills, and cover topics such<br />
as, how to train a cleaning operative, Health and Safety,<br />
Cross-Contamination, Cleaning Science, HR skills, customer<br />
service and more. Once available this will be one of the most<br />
comprehensive courses for a supervisor within the cleaning<br />
and hygiene industry. With so many of you asking for a<br />
qualification like this, our aim is that this certificate fills the<br />
obvious industry gap.<br />
<strong>The</strong> pandemic has meant life has changed considerably in<br />
many ways over the last fifteen months, but for our industry<br />
it hasn’t been as negative as it has been for others. We are<br />
now seeing the benefit of cleaning and hygiene being bought<br />
to the forefront of people’s minds, which can never be a bad<br />
thing. Another plus is the cleaning operative is becoming<br />
more visible and, more importantly, more respected.<br />
Part of the BICSc mission statement is<br />
‘to protect the operative’ and one of<br />
the best ways to do this is through<br />
professional training.<br />
We are continuing to review our training offering, it’s never<br />
ending, and we are looking at ways we can make our training<br />
more accessible to all that wish to take it up.<br />
It is looking like the introduction of the BBS Virtual Training<br />
Suite has helped and with over 1,500 people enrolled on<br />
courses in its first 2 months, we are pleased to see you are<br />
taking up the available options.<br />
Finally, there’s many more courses to come, so do keep<br />
checking back and an keep an eye out for our newsletters.<br />
As always we will keep you up to date with new releases<br />
and developments.<br />
Best wishes,<br />
Neil<br />
06 |<br />
THESTANDARD
Member's Story<br />
My Time Training<br />
With BICSc<br />
My name is<br />
Sarah Ford,<br />
and I am the<br />
relationship<br />
manager<br />
and trainer<br />
for cleaning<br />
operatives at Top Mops.<br />
When I started a few years ago, I noticed a flaw in what<br />
is a great company and a lack of fully preparing staff<br />
to go out onto sites of all shapes and sizes. Quickly I<br />
took this under my wing, I site visit with staff, and show<br />
them the standards that not only I, but as a company we<br />
expect. I carried this on until I started to follow BICSc<br />
on social media and realised that there was more I could<br />
do to not only better myself but empower our staff in<br />
the same way.<br />
In November 2020, during the lockdown, I started with<br />
my Licence to Practice, which I did remotely. I made up<br />
a cleaning cupboard at the head offices and struggled<br />
with Wi-Fi as Maureen Kelso (BICSc verifier) and myself<br />
muddled on through. I work with a lot of schools and<br />
healthcare settings, meaning that doing the assessment<br />
on a site was a no-go.<br />
Passing the Licence to Practice, I’d already set my eyes on a<br />
higher goal. I arranged with the lovely office staff at BICSc<br />
to do my Accredited Trainer training. If I was going to be<br />
the best that I could be, to help our operatives be the best<br />
that they could be, I needed to ensure that I was doing<br />
everything to standard.<br />
After it was postponed by 5 months, I got to the<br />
Northampton Training Suite and was met by Sarah, who was<br />
lovely, and made me feel welcomed – despite my nerves.<br />
Within 30 minutes I’d been introduced to how the course<br />
was to go, where everything for my assessments were and<br />
we jumped straight into the first unit.<br />
We smashed through the units, having a laugh along<br />
the way and before I knew it, it was onto the trainer<br />
training. Possibly the most nerve-wracking part as I was<br />
the only one on this session of the course so had to<br />
‘train’ Sarah.<br />
<strong>The</strong> course was so great, has given me additional<br />
skills to be able to not only do my job better, by being<br />
a better operative myself, but to also be a better version<br />
of myself while training others to be the best they<br />
can be…<br />
Sarah was professional, approachable, and friendly.<br />
She helped me to calm my nerves and was fantastic at<br />
making me feel at ease, especially when, at times, my<br />
personal anxiety crept in.<br />
<strong>The</strong> course lent itself perfectly, while I am somewhat<br />
of an academic, I’m also someone who learns and<br />
retains more from ‘doing’ the theory, followed by a<br />
demonstration, and finally getting to physically do the<br />
tasks was a great way to engrain the skills into me.<br />
To be a trainer, you need a certain type of personality,<br />
it takes a certain level of confidence, which thankfully<br />
I have, but there are skills to it too. Things to know to<br />
look out for, a certain method behind the application of<br />
knowledge and skill that Sarah Gilson (a BICSc trainer)<br />
passed onto me perfectly.<br />
I think I was very lucky to not only travel to the centre,<br />
but to have Sarah delivering the course to me.<br />
I’ll remember systematic overlapping passes forever!<br />
I say it in my sleep now.<br />
I cannot wait to be in a position to see the<br />
team at BICSc again for my assessor training.<br />
Congratulations to Sarah, who is<br />
finalist in this year's Outstanding<br />
Candidate of the Year category!<br />
07 |<br />
THESTANDARD
Rubbermaid Commercial<br />
Products Europe’s<br />
innovative mop design puts<br />
user experience first<br />
Cleanliness and infection control remain<br />
at the forefront of public and corporate<br />
consciousness thanks to the coronavirus<br />
pandemic, prompting a permanent shift in<br />
cleaning culture and expectations.<br />
Cleaning staff in public spaces - such as shops, hospitals<br />
and, in some countries across Europe, reopening schools<br />
and workplaces - face heightened responsibility to<br />
control infection. Now more than ever, the visibility<br />
of cleaning solutions across these facilities provides<br />
much-needed reassurance to facility users that their<br />
health and safety is of high priority. It comes as no<br />
surprise, therefore, that the global cleaning industry is<br />
experiencing significant growth: in 2020 alone, 154,000<br />
cleaners were employed across Europe* and facilities<br />
are placing more emphasis on high quality solutions, as<br />
cleaning is no longer confined to the background.<br />
To meet this growth, and the need for high-quality<br />
sanitation, Rubbermaid Commercial Products (RCP)<br />
provides a range of solutions that offer an innovative<br />
approach to professional cleaning. Utilising ergonomic<br />
mopping systems, and superior microfibre technology,<br />
RCP’s mops are designed to provide fast and effective<br />
cleaning, in addition to improved user experience.<br />
<strong>The</strong> HYGEN PULSE Microfibre Mop, for example,<br />
contains numerous features in its design to make<br />
cleaning a faster and stress-free experience. <strong>The</strong><br />
patented onboard reservoir and solution system evenly<br />
dispenses three sprays of cleaning liquid behind the mop<br />
when triggered by the trigger handle. <strong>The</strong> targeted spray<br />
function helps to reduce waste, while the lightweight<br />
design and non-slip handle tip make the HYGEN PULSE<br />
suitable for use in a variety of environments and by<br />
a diverse workforce. <strong>The</strong>se features are especially<br />
important in the context of a global cleaning industry<br />
that is under the microscope, where speed, visibility, and<br />
efficacy of cleaning call for equipment that is innovative<br />
without compromising ease of use.<br />
In addition to ergonomic features for improved user<br />
experience, RCP’s mop range is designed to provide a<br />
high-quality clean. Made from a combination of superior<br />
Microfibre with in-built scrubber technology, RCP’s<br />
HYGEN Disposable Microfibre Mop Pads are a simple<br />
but highly effective option for cleaning staff. Suitable<br />
for dusting and mopping, the pads are colour-coded<br />
to prevent cross contamination and can be easily used<br />
in conjunction with the HYGEN PULSE. Vitally, these<br />
durable pads have been proven to remove up to 99.8%<br />
of various viruses**when combined with water alone.<br />
<strong>The</strong> HYGEN Disposable Microfibre Mop Pads’ ability to<br />
provide an effective clean without the use of chemical<br />
cleaning agents provides a low-cost cleaning option<br />
suitable for every sector and type of facility.<br />
As an industry-leader, Rubbermaid Commercial Products<br />
Europe adds value for facility users that goes beyond<br />
products that prioritise cleaning efficiency, ergonomics,<br />
and hard-working developing technologies. With the<br />
visibility and efficacy of cleaning solutions mattering<br />
more than ever, RCP is committed to supporting users<br />
with best practice advice, to ensure they can meet this<br />
growing need. This handy guide can be found on its<br />
Resource Centre.<br />
Rubbermaid Commercial Products<br />
* EFCI’s Activity Report 2018-2020 – European Cleaning and<br />
Facility Services Industry<br />
** Tested against the following viruses: Methicillin-resistant<br />
Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), Clostridioides Difficile (C.<br />
Diff), Pseudomonas Aeruginosa (Pseudo), and Feline Calicivirus<br />
Surrogate for Norovirus.
How to manage<br />
travel-related quarantine<br />
in your business<br />
Following a review of the<br />
red-amber-green travel<br />
list, the government<br />
announced on 3 June that<br />
Portugal is being removed<br />
from the green list and<br />
being put onto the amber<br />
list as of 8 June.<br />
That means that anyone traveling back from Portugal<br />
after that date will now have to isolate for 10 days<br />
upon their return. <strong>The</strong>re were also seven more<br />
countries added to the red list.<br />
As we move more into summer, and your people<br />
might be thinking of booking holidays – or even<br />
already be on holiday – it’s essential that you’re<br />
confident in how to manage any travel-related<br />
quarantine your employees might have to undertake.<br />
<strong>The</strong> experts of BICSc partner, Citation, have put<br />
together a free guide with the key considerations<br />
you need to make when an employee has to<br />
quarantine, from what pay they’re entitled to, to<br />
what to do if travel is a part of their job.<br />
AMBER<br />
FROM 8TH JUNE<br />
Your BICSc<br />
member benefit<br />
If you’d like to chat about how Citation can<br />
help with the HR and Health & Safety side of<br />
your business, just give them a call on 0345<br />
844 1111, or fill in their call-back form and<br />
they'll get right back to you.<br />
Quote ‘British Institute of Cleaning Science’<br />
when enquiring to access your member benefit.<br />
DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE GUIDE<br />
09 |<br />
THESTANDARD
<strong>The</strong> Technical Edit<br />
Principles of Cleaning<br />
Science<br />
With Denise<br />
Hanson FBICSc,<br />
Head of Technical<br />
Services<br />
<strong>The</strong> hardness of water is a classification of the likelihood<br />
of limescale being an issue for the cleaning operative.<br />
Water is said to be hard where more than 121milligrams<br />
of calcium carbonate is present in a litre of water, 61<br />
milligrams to 120 milligrams being moderately hard and<br />
under 60 milligrams is classified as soft water.<br />
Running this course online for the first time<br />
made me consider just how relevant the<br />
Science of Cleaning is in these strange times. I<br />
thought I would use this technical edit to start<br />
to explore the components that we identify as<br />
the key factors of this premise.<br />
Training<br />
Water<br />
<strong>The</strong> first of these is the element of water, we all generally<br />
acknowledge that water is key to our cleaning processes but<br />
how often do we actually look at the issues that water can<br />
cause as well? Limescale and rust being just two of the most<br />
physically evident of them for most of us, although for our<br />
Celtic customers the requirement of descaling may well be<br />
an alien premise.<br />
<strong>The</strong> map identifies the water classifications for the UK,<br />
clearly identifying the majority of Scotland, Wales and the<br />
South West as soft water areas.<br />
Soft to moderately soft<br />
Medium to moderately hard<br />
Hard to very hard<br />
Temperature<br />
Cleaning<br />
products<br />
Time<br />
Mechanical<br />
action<br />
Soft water meaning not only that issues with scale are far less<br />
prevalent but additionally the amount or type of cleaning agent<br />
required could well differ to the areas that have particularly<br />
hard water. For all of us who have been lucky enough to visit<br />
the soft water areas just remember the effect that your usual<br />
amount of shampoo or bubble bath had! It is safe to say that<br />
additional rinsing was required…<br />
Further examples of the effects of the water hardness can<br />
be seen in both the professional and consumer dishwashing<br />
agents available, these often clearly define whether they are<br />
meant for hard or soft water areas. Additionally, when diluting<br />
some of our cleaning agents the manufacturer’s instructions<br />
provide a range for the amount of product required dependant<br />
on both the soilage present and the water that you are<br />
diluting with.<br />
With regards to the availability of water a startling fact from<br />
the World Health Organisation (WHO), is that whilst we in the<br />
U.K. have the luxury of merely turning on a tap to access clean<br />
drinking water they found in 2017 that ‘785 million people<br />
lack even a basic drinking-water service, including 144 million<br />
people who are dependent on surface water’.<br />
This was reiterated in a report in 2019 that 785 million people<br />
don’t have clean water close to home. (WHO/UNICEF Joint<br />
Monitoring Programme (JMP) Report 2019)<br />
So next time we’re filling that bucket to mop a floor or wash<br />
down a surface please just take a moment to consider, not only<br />
the correct amount of product to add to aid our endeavours in<br />
cleaning, but also just how lucky we are to have such a valuable<br />
resource so readily available.
<strong>2021</strong><br />
HEADLINE<br />
SPONSOR<br />
Announcing the Finalists<br />
Congratulations to all entrants that<br />
have been shortlisted as finalists for the<br />
<strong>2021</strong> BICSc Annual Awards.<br />
It’s a fantastic achievement to have made it this far, this year especially. We are delighted<br />
with the number of submitted entries, many from those who have been members of the<br />
Institute for some years and strive to uphold the highest cleaning and hygiene standards<br />
within their organisations.<br />
We were also impressed with the number of entries from those who are new to BICSc<br />
who, in a short space of time, have shown that introducing a comprehensive BICSc training<br />
programme makes a significant difference to the way they deliver their services.<br />
We would like to thank everyone who took the time to enter, and we wish<br />
the best of luck to the finalists.<br />
Assessor of the Year (UK)<br />
This award acknowledges the success of an individual Assessor who<br />
has demonstrated an outstanding level of passion, professionalism, and<br />
commitment to excellence for their students and themselves.<br />
Ann Sayles<br />
Cheswold Park Hospital<br />
Jill Feery<br />
Manchester Metropolitan University<br />
Valerie Lakin<br />
Nuffield Health
Excellence in Training & Assessment (UK)<br />
This award is to recognise the work of our Accredited<br />
Training Members within the UK who, through BICSc training<br />
and assessment, maintain exemplary delivery of cleaning and<br />
hygiene standards.<br />
Cheswold Park Hospital<br />
Manchester Metropolitan University<br />
Nuffield Health<br />
Renfrewshire Council<br />
Excellence in Training & Assessment<br />
(International)<br />
This award is to recognise the work of our Accredited<br />
Training Members outside of the UK who, through BICSc training<br />
and assessment, maintain exemplary delivery of cleaning and<br />
hygiene standards.<br />
Emrill Services<br />
United Arab Emirates<br />
G4S Commercial Facility Services<br />
Qatar<br />
Inspire Integrated<br />
United Arab Emirates<br />
12 |<br />
THESTANDARD
Outstanding Candidate<br />
of the Year (UK)<br />
This award reflects the achievement of an individual and their<br />
award of BICSc qualifications. <strong>The</strong> focus is on how the student<br />
has been able to achieve an award against adversity or has gone<br />
the extra mile to complete and receive the qualification/s within<br />
the workplace.<br />
Benedicter Edo Osagie<br />
City West Support Services Limited<br />
Darren Rawlings<br />
Aston University<br />
Sarah Ford<br />
Top Mops<br />
Outstanding Corporate Member<br />
of the Year (UK & International)<br />
This award is presented to a BICSc Corporate Member for their<br />
outstanding corporate commitment to the Institute and through<br />
excellence in supporting the Institute’s goal of Creating a<br />
Career in Cleaning!<br />
CleanTEC Services Ltd<br />
Crest Clean<br />
VINCI Facilities<br />
13 |<br />
THESTANDARD
What’s the plan for the event?<br />
<strong>The</strong> Institute has been honouring industry excellence within the field of training and<br />
accreditation since the 1960s, with <strong>2021</strong> being our 60 th anniversary,<br />
there’s even more reason to celebrate.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Forest of Arden Hotel & Country Club, Birmingham<br />
Thursday, 30 th September <strong>2021</strong><br />
12.00 – 17.00<br />
Champagne Reception | Networking | Best of British 3-course Lunch |<br />
Awards Ceremony | Special Guest Host and more<br />
Guests can look forward to networking at the champagne drinks reception, followed<br />
by a ‘Best of British’ 3-course lunch, presentation of the coveted Institute and<br />
category awards. As always, the Chairman’s charity prize draw offers the chance<br />
to win some fantastic prizes with all funds going to Dementia UK.<br />
An in-person event at the Forest of Arden will align with government restrictions. We are<br />
hoping to release tickets for sale shortly after the next roadmap announcement. If we are<br />
unable to go ahead with a live event we will present the Awards virtually.<br />
Watch this space.<br />
We would like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to our amazing<br />
sponsors for their support.<br />
You can find out more about our sponsors by clicking their logo.<br />
Platinum Sponsors<br />
Diamond Sponsors<br />
14 |<br />
THESTANDARD
<strong>The</strong> Ishikawa Diagram<br />
Ceramic floor tiles<br />
with James Marston,<br />
MBICSc<br />
Training<br />
METHOD<br />
Incorrect technique<br />
Planning<br />
Management<br />
checks<br />
No standard<br />
operating procedure<br />
Not prepared<br />
Surface partially<br />
cleaned<br />
Non<br />
compliance<br />
SOLUTION<br />
CAU<br />
EQUIPMENT<br />
& MATERIALS<br />
Limited resources<br />
Wrong cleaning<br />
tools<br />
KEY<br />
Supply<br />
Ineffectual chemical<br />
Primary cause<br />
Secondary cause<br />
Management<br />
No access to<br />
equipment<br />
Budget<br />
Broken equipment<br />
Solution<br />
Floors with ceramic tiles may have cement or grout to hold them in place. This can<br />
make the surface uneven and difficult to clean as dirt is easily trapped and not so easily<br />
removed with daily cleaning methods.<br />
<strong>The</strong> use of a grout brush and appropriate chemical solution will remove dirt using the<br />
correct and safe technique. Alternatively, steam cleaners with a vacuum function will<br />
heat the dirt detaching it from the surface and drawing it away. Cylindrical brush or floor<br />
machines with brush attachments will agitate the surface and remove the dirt just as<br />
effectively. Use of a chemical agent will aid this process especially with compacted dirt<br />
providing the manufacturer’s recommended contact time is given.<br />
Care should be taken if floors are damaged allowing chemical solutions to break through.<br />
Any damage should be notified to line management before cleaning takes place.
What is the<br />
Ishikawa Diagram?<br />
Training & support<br />
PERSONNEL<br />
Inexperience<br />
<strong>The</strong> Ishikawa diagram, also called a cause and effect<br />
diagram or a fishbone diagram, is a visualisation tool for<br />
categorising the potential causes of a problem in order<br />
to identify its root causes... A fishbone diagram is useful<br />
in brainstorming sessions to focus conversation.<br />
No supervision<br />
Training<br />
inadequate<br />
Poor culture<br />
Ignored grout<br />
areas<br />
Limited skills<br />
Lack motivation<br />
SES<br />
PROBLEM<br />
ENVIRONMENT<br />
Maintanance<br />
Damaged surface<br />
Planning<br />
Incorrect cleaning<br />
frequency<br />
Staff absence<br />
Constant use<br />
Impacted dirt<br />
Time pressure<br />
THE PROBLEM<br />
(HEAD OF FISH)<br />
Dirt on ceramic tile flooring<br />
What can BICSc training do to help?<br />
Training and assessment from the Cleaning Professional's Skills Suite (CPSS)<br />
incorporating BU2 Damp mopping, AU1 Spray cleaning hard floors, AU3 Machine<br />
scrubbing and drying (with wet suction machine), AU4 Cylindrical floor machine<br />
and SU10 Steam cleaning will ensure your operators remain safe and use the right<br />
techniques for the best results.<br />
BICSc offers practical training in the skills required to clean effectively and safely in<br />
today’s modern facilities. Candidates who attend our courses understand the risks<br />
to themselves and the client. <strong>The</strong>y understand and comply with standard operating<br />
procedures and systematic ways to achieve cleaning tasks. Candidates learn effective<br />
cleaning techniques to ensure quality results and continuously high standards.
From<br />
Northamptonshire<br />
to the high seas<br />
P & O Cruises to introduce BICSc standards as they<br />
prepare to welcome guests back on board.<br />
With Emily Huelin,<br />
Senior Manager Hotel <strong>Standard</strong>s, P & O Cruises<br />
Vicky Summers, Sue Owen and I took some time out from<br />
the Housekeeping Working Group in Guest Experience to<br />
spend 4 days at the BICSc Training Suite in Northampton.<br />
Because we’ve been working so hard on updating all of our<br />
policies, procedures and ways of working, we felt it really<br />
important to validate this against the best practice that<br />
BICSc promote.<br />
"We now have the<br />
skills to train our<br />
teams as BICSc<br />
Accredited Trainers."<br />
We’ve spoken to BICSc a few times since the pandemic<br />
started and taken them through the CUK Housekeeping<br />
operation on board our ships (inclusive of all areas we clean<br />
and disinfect!). One of the biggest takeaways we wanted<br />
to get from working with BICSc was the communication of<br />
best practice for our teams on board. How could we make<br />
things easier?<br />
We explained about the period of time on board where<br />
teams will be getting ready before sailing with guests; our<br />
opportunity to complete lots of training in order that our<br />
teams understand how to deliver the new standards and<br />
BICSc suggested we complete an accredited trainer course.<br />
4 days putting our knowledge into practice in the shoes of<br />
our crew.<br />
‘We now have the skills to train our teams as BICSc<br />
Accredited Trainers’<br />
<strong>The</strong> Accredited trainer course has been designed to enable<br />
candidates to share and cascade BICSc skills training<br />
knowledge, to allow for independent assessment and<br />
certification. Providing the skill set to ensure that their<br />
candidate comprehension and basic trainer abilities are<br />
sufficient for hands-on practical training. I’m happy to<br />
report that we all passed – phew!<br />
17 |<br />
THESTANDARD
This course really took us back to basics, BICSc are<br />
meticulous about standards, and ensuring everyone<br />
demonstrated them.<br />
We validated that we are incredibly thorough with<br />
our current written standards, but we welcomed the<br />
opportunity to link in some of the tips and hints we picked<br />
up during training sessions along with lots of ideas about our<br />
long term training strategy.<br />
This " course really took us<br />
back to basics, BICSc are<br />
meticulous about standards,<br />
and ensuring everyone<br />
demonstrated them."<br />
We will be re-launching all of our ships with the introduction<br />
of ‘Cleaning Principles’.<br />
As everyone has a responsibility for keeping our ships clean<br />
and well maintained, everyone will attend these sessions as<br />
they are rolled out.<br />
‘Cleaning Principles’ is made up of 7 modules, we will share<br />
this content while pulling out the top tips for each method –<br />
our aim is to give people the skills to deliver consistently.<br />
Everyone needs to be aware of how to clean and disinfect,<br />
therefore, we are going to share best practice as well as<br />
introduce plenty of visual aids so that we keep things simple,<br />
where we can!
My Career<br />
in Cleaning<br />
With Soo Bartholomew,<br />
MBICSc, Deputy Chairman, BICSc<br />
In 1985 I left my job selling computers and word processors<br />
following the birth of my eldest daughter, and by the end of<br />
the summer 1986 I was ready to re-enter the adult world.<br />
I decided that whilst I enjoyed being a mother, I missed adult<br />
company and there were only so many nursery rhymes I<br />
could quote in a day before I started to lose my identity, I<br />
was no Earth Mother…<br />
Unsure what I wanted to do, I visited the local job centre,<br />
where I saw a role advertised for ‘Cleaner-in-charge’ at a<br />
local primary school. Having never cleaned professionally<br />
before I doubted that I would be suitable for the role, but<br />
nevertheless the hours were perfect to fit in with family life<br />
and remove the need for costly childcare and so I applied.<br />
I turned up for the interview with the headteacher, as at that<br />
time contracting in this sector was very limited, it was here<br />
I started my career in cleaning, which was to ultimately end<br />
up as my vocation.<br />
I will never forget my first day on the job, I arrived eager to<br />
complete the work, but as the only person on site I had no<br />
one to show me what to do, nor did I understand what I was<br />
required to do with any of the chemicals or equipment.<br />
<strong>The</strong> headteacher offered me reassuring words, showed<br />
me the cleaning cupboard, gave me a thick orange bound<br />
specification folder and left me to it!<br />
I parked the ‘Orange Book’ (as I soon found out it was called)<br />
for reading at my leisure at home and gathered up all the<br />
items I thought I would need, I was soon to learn that this<br />
was not really the most effective way to work, but at the<br />
time it seemed like a good idea.<br />
My working hours were 4.5 hours per day, which was a split<br />
shift between afternoons and mornings. In addition to my<br />
cleaning duties, I had to ensure the boiler was operational<br />
and working each morning, unlock and lock up all the<br />
buildings and gates, grit steps and playgrounds in the winter<br />
months and weekly clean out the grease trap from the<br />
school dining hall, not a task for the feint hearted.<br />
I soon got into the swing of things and worked out a routine<br />
for cleaning all areas on a daily basis, avidly reading the back<br />
of the cleaning chemical bottles to work out what surfaces<br />
they were to be applied to. <strong>The</strong>re wasn’t any internet in<br />
those days so I could not research that way, it was just me<br />
and the County Supplies Catalogue with brief descriptions<br />
of the chemicals and their application.<br />
No Health and Safety Risk Assessments, Method<br />
Statements or COSHH Assessments in those days, and no<br />
dilution control systems other than the 28ml pump.<br />
My first scariest moment that year came in the school<br />
Easter holidays. At Christmas I had taken holiday (as being a<br />
County Council employee I also had paid annual leave along<br />
with paid concessionary days, a paid day off for Christmas<br />
shopping and an extra paid day off for the Queen’s birthday).<br />
<strong>The</strong> Orange Book stipulated that hard floors had to be<br />
stripped back and a reapplication of polish had to be applied<br />
during each main school break – Easter, Summer and<br />
Christmas. I had previously mastered the buffer, a rather<br />
old Victor, nearly taking out the radiator and pipework in<br />
the school hall one evening on a white-knuckle ride, before<br />
taming the beast.<br />
"Armed with buckets and mops, speed<br />
stripper and a black pad I had decided<br />
to tackle the floor in the school hall<br />
first, I struggled to move out all the<br />
furniture on my own, there wasn’t any<br />
Manual Handling awareness in those<br />
days either, so I set to that task of<br />
stripping the floor."<br />
19 |<br />
THESTANDARD
I " will never forget my first day on the<br />
job, I arrived eager to complete the<br />
work, but as the only person on site I<br />
had no one to show me what to do"<br />
We always thought the floor was a brown Marley tile with<br />
remains of the original parquet herringbone flooring surrounding<br />
all 4 sides. As I applied the first coat of speed stripper and waited<br />
for the contact time, as the instructions on the container said, I<br />
cautiously started up the buffer and started to machine off the<br />
old polish – the floor turned grey to reveal the original floor tile<br />
colour to be a grey Marley tile not a brown one.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Head Teacher and I were both astounded, she had never<br />
seen the floor grey before as years of trapped dirt, polish diluted<br />
with water and layers of polish were slowly but surely removed.<br />
It was the only floor that was stripped back that school holiday as<br />
it took all of my time to get all the old layers off and re-apply nice<br />
new shiny coats of polish, I was to spend the next 7 years lovingly<br />
looking after the shine on that floor with daily buffing and floor<br />
maintainer so much so that it was only fully stripped back 4 times<br />
in those years.<br />
My second scariest moment came in the summer school break<br />
once again an incident with stripping back a floor, this time in the<br />
headteacher’s classroom, another Marley tile, but this one was<br />
a deep reddish-brown tile, having once again applied the speed<br />
strip and started to machine off the old floor polish the walls<br />
and myself started to look like we were working in an abattoir<br />
as I soon discovered the floor had a ‘bleed’. I did not discover<br />
undercoat until later in my career, how I wish I had known about<br />
it then, it could have saved me many an hour washing walls, while<br />
at the same time stripping and reapplying polish to that awful<br />
floor.<br />
During my third summer at the school I had all but finished<br />
the summer clean prior to going on holiday with my family.<br />
<strong>The</strong> school was having a small library extension built and the<br />
headteacher had told me to not leave any furniture in the<br />
main corridor as the builders would be ‘breaking through’<br />
while I was away. On my return with 3 days left before school<br />
was to restart for the winter term, I arrived to complete<br />
putting the furniture back and do a final dust prior to the new<br />
term start…<br />
20 |<br />
THESTANDARD
Yes, you guessed it, the school hall, classrooms, staff<br />
room and resources areas were covered in thick brick<br />
dust, there was a pile of earth in the main corridor and<br />
a 6ft deep hole right in the middle of the main entrance,<br />
when ‘knocking through’ the builders had discovered an<br />
Artesian Well and were now in the throes of diverting<br />
this. How the school re-opened for the winter term that<br />
year was a miracle, the parents were mobilised to help<br />
set classrooms straight, reclean desks, chairs, floors,<br />
books and other teaching aids, all while we had builders,<br />
engineers and the water board on site. But, the builders<br />
had the last laugh when they laid a Pirelli studded<br />
cream floor in the new library and reception area – my<br />
challenges just continued.<br />
In 1990 the County Council took the decision to pre-empt<br />
the government instruction to enter into Compulsory<br />
Contract Tendering and split the County into 4 areas<br />
awarding their cleaning contracts to their approved<br />
contractors and so I transferred from the Direct Labour<br />
Organisation to OCS. For the next 3 years I continued<br />
to work at the school and also support my area manager<br />
by standing in as a supervisor on some of her other<br />
contracts when she was short staffed. I was also sent on<br />
my first BICSc course, completing my Cleaning Operators<br />
Proficiency Certificate (COPC) 1 at SC Johnson Wax in<br />
Frimley Green.<br />
In the spring of 1993, all the school cleaning contracts were<br />
retendered with Initial Cleaning Services being awarded<br />
the ‘lion’s share’ of the contracts in Berkshire. However,<br />
the other 2 successful companies then pulled out of the<br />
contract at the eleventh hour, leaving all their contracts to<br />
be awarded by default to Initial. During the mobilisation<br />
of the contract, I contacted the local Initial branch office to<br />
speak to my new area manager only to be advised that they<br />
were recruiting for local area managers having unexpectedly<br />
been awarded the whole contract. I applied for the role and<br />
started my career in cleaning contract management.<br />
Initial had a huge task before them as not only was there a<br />
square meterage discrepancy on the contract (none of the<br />
temporary buildings or building extensions were included<br />
in the tender information), they had also only quoted for<br />
cleaning 46 weeks of the year and all the ex-DLO staff were<br />
on 52-week contracts. What followed was 18 months of<br />
hard work to negotiate new contracts for the employees,<br />
resolve square meterage and specification issues all the<br />
while managing the day to day challenges of operations<br />
within the cleaning delivery.<br />
Having seen considerable success in my role at Initial, I<br />
followed my line manager to MITIE becoming the Branch<br />
Manager at the Milton Keynes office where a similar<br />
challenge was to be presented to me with their contract<br />
with Bucks County Council. My biggest achievement at<br />
MITIE was my secondment to the Yateley branch where I<br />
was asked to mobilise the Hampton Court Palace contract,<br />
with all that this involved not just with the Palace but also<br />
the facilities within the park land and the volumes of visitors,<br />
particularly French school students!<br />
"My role at MITIE was varied and opened<br />
my eyes to not only the world of cleaning<br />
within local government but also industrial<br />
and corporate office cleaning and from there<br />
I moved on to Pall Mall Support Services,<br />
working on their oldest contract with<br />
Midland Bank (which ultimately became<br />
HSBC) and other blue-chip clients, such<br />
as <strong>The</strong> Big Breakfast, Price Waterhouse,<br />
Siemens and Immarsat."<br />
During my time at Pall Mall I was also responsible for the<br />
cleaning at the BOC-DS at Hemel Hempstead and it was<br />
with this contract that I achieved recognition winning the<br />
Best in Sector and Best Overall Winner at the Kimberley<br />
Clark Golden Service Awards as well as the PFM Award for<br />
Best Single Sector Service in 1997.
2001 saw me entering the world of FM when I took up<br />
a position with Turner FM as Head of Business for their<br />
Cleaning Division. During my time with them I established<br />
their BICSc Accredited Training Organisation, worked with<br />
them to successfully extend their hard services contract with<br />
the MOD in Bosnia and Kosovo and was the senior manager<br />
on their single service cleaning contracts with MTV, Carlton<br />
TV, Shell and EDS.<br />
After 8 years where I worked on central government<br />
contracts (DEFRA), coal -fired power stations,<br />
pharmaceutical warehousing and distribution, tin can<br />
production sites, Scottish law courts and newspaper<br />
production it was time to move on.<br />
In 2009 I took a position as Account Manager with Europa<br />
Support Services based in Welwyn Garden City. My role<br />
was to look after a small number of sites in and around<br />
Birmingham with the bigger picture being the support that<br />
I could offer of my knowledge both in sales and operations<br />
of cleaning as Head of Cleaning within the Europa Centre of<br />
Excellence. This led to me working on contracts from Fraser<br />
Borough in Scotland down to Truro in Cornwall and across<br />
the Irish Sea to Dublin and once again establishing the BICSc<br />
ATO hubs for the Company.<br />
In 2013 I took an 8-month sabbatical to travel around<br />
Europe with my husband and on my return took up an<br />
interim contract with Clean Event to establish their BICSc<br />
training programme and ATO for their events cleaning<br />
business at iconic event venues – Wembley Stadium,<br />
Tottenham, Fulham, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and<br />
Birmingham City football stadiums, Cheltenham and Aintree<br />
race-courses and Silverstone racetrack, along with Glasgow<br />
Commonwealth Games, Stade Roland Garros and Parc de<br />
Princes home to PSG in France.<br />
Having completed a year with Clean Event, I entered<br />
into the world of consultancy, where I have continued<br />
to work for various FM clients looking at re-engineering<br />
their contracts, reviewing what is good and bad and<br />
recommending change and also working with the team<br />
at BIRKIN Cleaning Services as their Technical Director<br />
developing their training systems, establishing yet another<br />
BICSc hub – now known as an Accredited Training<br />
Member (ATM) and all the while promoting the value that<br />
BICSc training and membership will bring to ensuring the<br />
continued professionalism of the industry.<br />
In 2011 I took my place on BICSc Council, where I am<br />
now Deputy Chairman. In April 2015 I entered the<br />
Worshipful Company of Environmental Cleaners Livery<br />
subsequently taking my place as a Freeman of the City of<br />
London in early 2016.<br />
My career in cleaning has been full of challenges, exploits<br />
and the pre-requisite stresses that go with any operational<br />
role in today’s world. I have made many friends for life<br />
during the last 36 years and hope that I will go on to meet<br />
many more, I am passionate about an industry that is varied<br />
and inspiring along with being puzzling and perplexing at<br />
times, but rarely routine.<br />
I know that I will never know everything there is to know<br />
about the industry and so I treat every day as a School Day.<br />
What I would say with absolute knowledge<br />
though, is that there is -<br />
A CAREER IN CLEANING.<br />
Best Wishes<br />
Soo Bartholomew<br />
22 |<br />
THESTANDARD
Centenary 1920 - 2020<br />
arwin clayton<br />
evolutionary insurance<br />
Darwin Clayton provides specialist Insurance advice and solutions for the<br />
Cleaning & FM sector and have been working with the Industry for over 90 years<br />
and with BICSc since their formation.<br />
Cyber & Data Risks<br />
Understanding the Threats and How to Protect Your Business<br />
Cyber & Data risks are an exposure that no modern business can escape, and the<br />
financial impact of system interruption, privacy and cyber-crime events are now felt<br />
across all sectors.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are a range of insurance policies available in the market to help protect your business<br />
and get you back up and running fast. A good quality policy can include protection against:<br />
• Financial Crime and Fraud<br />
• Extortion<br />
• Data Breaches<br />
• Human Errors<br />
• Reputation Protection<br />
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View our full Cyber & Data Risks booklet<br />
If you would like more information or to discuss a quotation, please get in touch with one of our advisers at;<br />
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Darwin Clayton (UK) Limited is an Insurance Broker and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority
<strong>The</strong> View from HQ<br />
Meet Simon Our cleaning operative<br />
I started working as a cleaning operative at BICSc in May, where one<br />
of the first things I learnt was that I was a ‘cleaning operative’ and not a<br />
cleaner, which is a chemical!<br />
I had worked previously in several other roles<br />
that involved cleaning including working as a bin<br />
man, a road sweeper, a recycling operative at a<br />
rubbish dump and most recently as a cleaner,<br />
(operative - I know), and cleaning supervisor<br />
for a care home company that owned several<br />
properties.<br />
As someone who had worked in a cleaning<br />
capacity I was already aware of BICSc and<br />
also aware of the high standards they had for<br />
cleaning training and almost saw the company<br />
as the ‘NASA’ of cleaning!<br />
Almost immediately I learned the high standards<br />
and level of knowledge they had just speaking<br />
to other staff who worked here and after<br />
completing the BICSc Licence to Practice, the<br />
compulsory step before progressing further into<br />
the world of BICSc accredited training.<br />
I was very impressed by the level of detailed<br />
knowledge I was given. This included things<br />
that could easily be overlooked, such as folding<br />
a cloth in such a way that it allows 8 different<br />
surfaces for cleaning allowing for<br />
less chance of spreading dirt around<br />
and causing cross-contamination.<br />
I already had my own high standards<br />
as a cleaning operative but so far<br />
in my short time here these have<br />
greatly improved. All the staff here,<br />
including the office staff, have a<br />
high level of cleaning knowledge<br />
and training and I am helped and<br />
supported by everyone, which<br />
helps me to continually improve as a<br />
cleaning operative.<br />
As well as the in-depth and continuous<br />
training I am receiving and the all the<br />
friendly and supportive staff I work<br />
with I have to say this is probably my<br />
favourite position so far in my ongoing<br />
career within the cleaning industry and<br />
the most valued I have felt so far in my<br />
working life.<br />
Are you using the<br />
correct verified logo?<br />
Corporate and Accredited<br />
Training Members: Are you<br />
taking advantage of this<br />
membership benefit?<br />
Remember that you have free access to a Yoshkiverified<br />
logo that can be used digitally. This proves<br />
you are an official member of the Institute. Many<br />
claim to be members by adding an unofficial version<br />
of the BICSc logo to their website and stationery, etc.<br />
Verified logos are the only way we can attempt to<br />
clamp down on this.<br />
We only issue the Corporate and Accredited Member<br />
logos externally, never the BICSc logo on its own, this<br />
is only used by us.<br />
<strong>The</strong> public are easily able to identify and check a<br />
genuine user’s credentials with a single click of a<br />
verified logo that you are using digitally.<br />
Yoshki Smart Validation Logos are deployed via<br />
a secure snippet of web code. It takes less than<br />
10 seconds to add a Smart Validation Logo to a<br />
website. Only authorised websites can use our<br />
Smart Validation Logo.<br />
If you would like to find out more, please contact us<br />
membership@bics.org.uk
Corporate Members<br />
CleanTec Services Ltd<br />
becomes an<br />
employee-owned company<br />
This is how they did it…<br />
CleanTEC Services Ltd has become one of the first cleaning companies in the country<br />
to become an Employee-Owned Business. <strong>The</strong> business, founded by Peter Rochford<br />
and Chris Rogers in 2000 have built a reputation in providing a high-quality cleaning<br />
service across the public and private sector in the UK. As of Thursday 4th March <strong>2021</strong>,<br />
the 1250 employee make up the majority of the ownership within the company.<br />
CleanTEC has developed a strong<br />
reputation and proven expertise<br />
in delivering an efficient and<br />
effective service within the<br />
cleaning services industry, whilst<br />
ensuring the satisfaction and safety<br />
of their employees.<br />
CleanTEC’s employees have always<br />
been instrumental in the business’s<br />
success and have always been<br />
prioritised in the day to day running<br />
of the business, and the decision<br />
to become an employee-owned<br />
business formalises this value. <strong>The</strong><br />
company has grown organically<br />
through the years and now operates<br />
across the UK and has over 1,250<br />
employees.<br />
Peter Rochford, Director of<br />
CleanTEC, said: “We have just<br />
celebrated our 20th year in business,<br />
and it has been a great time to reflect<br />
on the efforts of all our employees.<br />
We wanted to sustain the future<br />
of the business and safeguard<br />
the culture of the company. This<br />
change means that our workers will<br />
be recognised as more than just<br />
employees but partners in something<br />
that they have helped create. Having<br />
the financial and legal expertise<br />
from both Andrew Williamson from<br />
WMT and Emma Cameron from<br />
VWV whom we have worked with<br />
for numerous years, there advise has<br />
been instrumental in becoming an<br />
employee-owned business.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> transition to employee<br />
ownership was project-managed<br />
by St Albans-based Chartered<br />
Accountants, WMT. <strong>The</strong><br />
corporate finance lead advisory<br />
team at WMT explored a range of<br />
strategic options from a traditional<br />
management buy-out to an<br />
open market trade sale, before<br />
concluding that an Employee<br />
Ownership Trust (EOT), alongside<br />
an Employee Benefit Trust (EBT)<br />
would be the best option for<br />
shareholders and employees alike.<br />
Andrew Williamson, Corporate<br />
Finance Partner at WMT, added:<br />
“We are pleased to have been able to<br />
support the team at Cleantec in this<br />
way, enabling them to implement a<br />
succession strategy that is also a plan<br />
for the ongoing success of CSL<br />
for years to come.”<br />
Emma Cameron, a Partner in VWV's<br />
Corporate Law team, commented:<br />
"Having acted for CleanTEC for many<br />
years and having assisted other<br />
clients with establishing employee<br />
ownership trusts, we were delighted<br />
to be able to use this expertise to<br />
assist the CleanTEC directors in their<br />
aim of ensuring the succession of<br />
the company for the benefit of its<br />
employees."<br />
Sam Grubb, CleanTEC Employee,<br />
commented: “This is a really exciting<br />
opportunity for myself and my<br />
colleagues. Knowing that the efforts<br />
of our work will be recognised in this<br />
way, it makes you feel like you are a<br />
part of something bigger. I have really<br />
enjoyed the 4 years I have been with<br />
the company and it feels like a huge<br />
incentive to stay for even longer!”<br />
Congratulations to CleanTEC who have<br />
made it as finalists within the Outstanding<br />
Corporate Member of the Year category.<br />
Pictured above<br />
Peter and Chris
International UPDATE<br />
Chris Ryan, MBICSc<br />
Head of International Business<br />
As we head towards the halfway point of <strong>2021</strong>, the pandemic<br />
and the associated ongoing travel restrictions continue to<br />
prevent any face-to-face training, verification and audit visits.<br />
As ever we continue to monitor the situation very closely<br />
with the UK government operating a traffic light system on<br />
worldwide destinations to identify the risks and required<br />
testing and quarantine associated with all countries. Until<br />
we start to see countries moving into the green list, we will<br />
be unable to travel. <strong>The</strong> list will be updated on a regular basis<br />
by the government, so it is very much a case of waiting for<br />
the restrictions to lift before any travel is reintroduced. As<br />
frustrating as this is for all, the safety of our staff and our clients<br />
remains our main priority and I’m sure you would all agree.<br />
<strong>The</strong> pandemic has presented all of us with many<br />
challenges in how we operate our businesses while<br />
continuing to deliver our services. BICSc has worked<br />
hard to change and adapt, not in terms of what we<br />
do but more around how we do it. This has been the<br />
priority to meet the client demands in what has been a<br />
difficult period for all and where the end is still the great<br />
unknown.<br />
A lot of time has been invested into our Virtual Training<br />
Suite which offers candidates the opportunity to train<br />
online. This has provided an easy to access platform<br />
where candidates can learn in their own time before<br />
booking in for their online assessment. This format<br />
has been very well received and we have had some<br />
very positive feedback from participating candidates.<br />
<strong>The</strong> process is very simple to follow and guides the<br />
candidates through the sessions step by step with video<br />
guidance and questions to build on the knowledge and<br />
reinforce the understanding as part of the learning<br />
process.<br />
We are currently working on a project delivering<br />
Licence to Practice and a number of skills to a client<br />
with a large number of operatives in the United Arab<br />
Emirates, I conducted some of the assessments to see<br />
how they worked in the virtual environment.<br />
<strong>The</strong> training centre was set up perfectly as per BICSc<br />
standards and the candidates performed the skills<br />
very competently which demonstrated how effective<br />
the online learning process was, this has been a great<br />
success for the candidates and the assessors.<br />
<strong>The</strong> online training has enabled BICSc to be more<br />
accessible on the international platform and we have<br />
had candidates from across the globe booking online<br />
training which is very encouraging. I am confident<br />
our online offering will help to grow and strengthen<br />
the brand due to the accessibility of cost-effective<br />
accredited training which previously wasn’t available in<br />
any online format.<br />
For our established Accredited Training Members, we<br />
have started conducting online audits and verifications.<br />
It still allows us to review supporting documentation,<br />
quality management and quality assurance along<br />
with the observation of assessment. It’s great to have<br />
the opportunity to engage with our Assessors albeit<br />
virtually, again it does work similarly and allows us to<br />
update you on everything BICSc during this online<br />
session. If you haven’t been contacted to date you will<br />
be in due course.<br />
<strong>The</strong> international audits conducted thus far have been<br />
successful and it’s good to see BICSc standards and best<br />
practice being delivered through our ATM centres.<br />
Until the next edition I wish you all well, stay safe<br />
and thank you for your continued support and<br />
understanding. If you have any questions or queries,<br />
please do get in touch and we’ll be happy to help and<br />
support you.<br />
Keep positive, we will get through this together.<br />
Best wishes<br />
Chris<br />
26 |<br />
THESTANDARD
Planet Mark is a sustainability certification for every<br />
type of organisation, for real estate and for products.<br />
Certification recognises continuous improvement,<br />
encourages action and builds an empowered community<br />
of like-minded individuals who make a world of difference.<br />
At Planet Mark, we know that, by bringing out the very<br />
best of people, technology and nature, we can radically<br />
reduce carbon emissions and halt climate change. We are<br />
helping organisations to make ambitious commitments,<br />
take transformative action and tell their story so that others<br />
follow suit. On average, certified businesses make a 12%<br />
cut in absolute carbon emissions and 16% carbon saving per<br />
employee through reductions in energy, waste, water, travel<br />
and procurement.<br />
“Achieving Planet Mark accreditation<br />
for the second-year running is an<br />
achievement we are all very proud of.<br />
We understand the impact that cleaning<br />
and hygiene has on the environment,<br />
part of the BICSc DNA is to promote<br />
sustainability, which is encouraged<br />
through the principles of our training.<br />
Now is the time to make a difference,<br />
both at work and at home. As we<br />
emerge from the pandemic and consider<br />
the longer-term effects it may have,<br />
we must all play our part in lowering<br />
our carbon emissions, which ultimately<br />
contributes to a cleaner, healthier, and<br />
more sustainable future. BICSc – proud<br />
to be part of the Planet Mark family.”<br />
Michelle Iland, Marketing & Events Manager, <strong>The</strong> British<br />
Institute of Cleaning Science (BICSc)<br />
Cutting carbon and sustainability<br />
Sustainable cleaning encompasses far more<br />
than just using products that are more<br />
protective of the environment. With the<br />
property sector having huge environmental<br />
impacts including 40% of the UK’s carbon<br />
emissions, sustainable cleaning and<br />
facilities management has never been<br />
more important to your customers. And<br />
achieving net zero carbon emissions is<br />
easier than you think.<br />
What is net zero carbon?<br />
As a starting point, businesses should<br />
be measuring their carbon footprint to<br />
clearly understand their impact on the<br />
environment. A business that is net zero is<br />
measuring their Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions,<br />
reducing their Scope 1 and 2 emissions<br />
to zero, and Scope 3 as close to zero as<br />
possible while offsetting any residual Scope<br />
3 emissions using carbon removal offsets<br />
only. To be net zero, a business can also be<br />
carbon neutral.<br />
27 |<br />
THESTANDARD
Why net zero carbon?<br />
We have less than nine years left to make significant<br />
reductions in carbon emissions to have a chance of<br />
meeting the global 2050 net zero carbon goal. Alongside<br />
the environmental and social benefits of achieving net<br />
zero there are also significant business benefits for<br />
taking meaningful action.<br />
<strong>The</strong> increasing amount of scientific evidence<br />
surrounding the importance of net zero goals, alongside<br />
escalating public concern around community health and<br />
wellbeing, are significant drivers of net zero targets for<br />
not only governments but businesses globally.<br />
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) represent<br />
99% all UK limited companies and contribute more than<br />
50% of the revenue in our economy. <strong>The</strong>refore, the<br />
impact that SMEs can have is huge through both their<br />
own direct impact but also the way that they can inspire<br />
other organisations of a similar size and industry to get<br />
started on their own net zero goals.<br />
And there are clear business benefits in doing so.<br />
Demonstrating the efforts of your business in achieving<br />
net zero provides a competitive advantage as well as<br />
low carbon incentives such as operating cost savings.<br />
It also future proofs your business, ensuring climate<br />
change resilience. It can also help businesses to attract<br />
and retain the best talent.<br />
As councils, cities and governments set out ambitious<br />
climate targets, for instance the UK’s emissions<br />
targeting to achieve net zero by 2050, businesses who<br />
do not take meaningful action will face increasingly<br />
rapid changes in public opinion, pressure from<br />
stakeholders, legislative requirements, environmental<br />
shifts, technological innovation and other pressures<br />
which will transform the ‘business as usual’ approach.<br />
Planet Mark Zero Carbon Tour<br />
Throughout <strong>2021</strong>, Planet Mark is on an eight-month<br />
Zero Carbon Tour. <strong>The</strong> purpose of which is to radically<br />
increase knowledge around net zero to significantly<br />
reduce carbon. Planet Mark’s Zero Carbon Tour is taking<br />
the net zero carbon message to communities across the<br />
UK physically and worldwide digitally in support of the<br />
UN-backed Race to Zero campaign, the world’s largest<br />
alliance of actors committed to halving global emissions<br />
by 2030 and achieving net zero emissions by 2050 at<br />
the latest. It is highlighting how businesses can set their<br />
own credible net zero carbon targets in line with Race to<br />
Zero’s rigorous minimum criteria and implement plans to<br />
achieve them.<br />
<strong>2021</strong> is a crucial year in this Decade of Action,<br />
particularly for the UK as we host world leaders at the<br />
G7 Summit and COP26. <strong>The</strong> physical route of the Tour<br />
has taken us to Eden Project in June for G7 and will be<br />
culminating at COP26 in Glasgow in November.<br />
You can find out more about the Zero Carbon Tour,<br />
how you can get involved and how you can make your<br />
pledge here.<br />
Eva Kozorus, Planet Mark<br />
To ensure that all BICS<br />
members have access to<br />
relevant sustainability news,<br />
support and advice, we have<br />
teamed up to provide you<br />
content throughout the year.<br />
Feel free to send me an email<br />
with any queries at:<br />
eva.koszorus@planetmark.com<br />
alternatively you can connect<br />
with me on LinkedIn.<br />
+44 203 751 8108 | info@planetmark.com | @theplanetmark
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UK and International<br />
AJS Facilities<br />
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Andrina Cleaning Services Limited<br />
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30 |<br />
THESTANDARD
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EDITION 2 | <strong>2021</strong> | THESTANDARD