Green Mountain College
OP-11: Cleaning Products Purchasing

UGL Green Clean Policy: 1. Scope This policy applies to the general cleaning activities at Green Mountain College. 2. Performance Metrics Staff training records and equipment maintenance logs must be maintained by the Janitorial vendor. APPA audit and/or customer satisfaction survey results will measure the effectiveness of this program. Purchasing records will serve as documentation for compliance to the chemical and equipment portions of this policy. See section four below for goals and performance measures for each component of the policy. 3. Goals The goal of this policy is to have a high performance cleaning program in place that reduces the exposure of building occupants and maintenance personnel to potentially hazardous chemical, biological, and particulate contaminants, which adversely affect the air quality, human health, building finishes, building systems, and the environment. 4. Procedures and Strategies 4.1 Sustainable Cleaning Products and Materials •The use of sustainable cleaning products and materials carries a goal of 100% compliance to sustainable purchasing policy, practices, and spend. This will be measured through a cost analysis and product use verification on a quarterly basis and reviewed regularly for compliance. Ongoing analysis for improvements to products and spend of 3% year over year until the overall goal is met. •The cleaning products meet one or more of the following standards for the appropriate category: o Green Seal GS-37, for general purpose, bathroom, glass, and carpet cleaners used for industrial and institutional purposes. o Environmental Choice CCD-110, for cleaning and degreasing compounds. o Environmental Choice CCD-146, for hard surface cleaners. o Environmental Choice CCD-148, for carpet and upholstery care. •Disinfectants, metal polish, floor finishes, strippers, or other products not addressed by the above standards meet one or more of the following standards for the appropriate category: o Green Seal GS-40, for industrial and institutional floor care products. o Environmental Choice CCD-112, for digestive additives for cleaning and odor control. o Environmental Choice CCD-113, for drain or grease traps additives. o Environmental Choice CCD-115, for odor control additives. o Environmental Choice CCD-147, for hard floor care. o California Code of Regulations maximum allowable VOC levels for the specific product category. •Disposable janitorial paper products and trash bags meet the minimum requirements of one or more of the following programs for the applicable product category: o U.S. EPA Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines for Janitorial Paper and Plastic Trash Can Liners. o Green Seal GS-09, for paper towels and napkins. o Green Seal GS-01, for tissue paper. o Environmental Choice CCD-082, for toilet tissue. o Environmental Choice CCD-086, for hand towels. o Janitorial paper products derived from rapidly renewable resources made from tree-free fibers. •Hand soaps meet one or more of the following standards: o No antimicrobial agents (other than as a preservative) except where required by health codes and other regulations (i.e., food service and health care requirements). o Green Seal GS-41, for industrial and institutional hand cleaners. o Environmental Choice CCD-104, for hand cleaners and hand soaps. 4.2 Sustainable Cleaning Equipment – Equipment will be selected based on its ability to protect and enhance: air quality, occupant health, building finishes, and operating systems. Equipment must be maintained and operated in a manner that will reduce exposure of building occupants and cleaning personnel to potentially hazardous conditions, and reduce the disposition of contaminants in the building. The equipment used on site has a goal of 100% to carry the appropriate sustainable seal of green standards. Equipment will be tracked through the equipment inventory list which notes the compliance of green requirements. The measurement will be documented through spend analysis for compliant replacement equipment and ongoing measurements will be repair cost of compliant equipment in relation to non compliant equipment repair costs. The following standards will apply: •Vacuum cleaners meet the requirements of the Carpet & Rug Institute “Green Label Program”, and are capable of capturing 96% of particulates 0.3 microns in size and operate with a sound level less than 70dBA •Hot water extraction equipment for deep cleaning carpets is capable of removing sufficient moisture such that carpets can dry in less than 24 hours, and is certified by the Carpet and Rug Institute Seal of Approval. •Powered maintenance equipment including floor buffers, burnishers, and automatic scrubbers is equipped with vacuums, guards and/or other devices for capturing fine particulates, and shall operate with a sound level less than 70dBA •Propane-powered floor equipment has high-efficiency, low-emissions engines with catalytic converters meeting the CARB or EPA standards and operate with a sound level less than 90dBA. •Automated scrubbing machines are equipped with variable-speed feed pumps and on board chemical metering to optimize the use of cleaning fluids. Alternatively, the scrubbing machines use only tap water with no added cleaning products. •Battery-powered equipment is equipped with environmentally preferable gel batteries •Where appropriate, active microfiber technology is used to reduce cleaning chemical consumption and prolong life of disposable scrubbing pads •Powered equipment is ergonomically designed to minimize vibration, noise, and user fatigue •Equipment has rollers or rubber bumpers to deduce potential damage to building surfaces •A log will be kept for all powered housekeeping equipment to document the date of equipment purchase and all repair and maintenance activities, and include vendor cut sheets for each type of equipment in use in the logbook 4.3 Floor Care – The site will establish standard operating procedures (SOPs) that address effective cleaning of hard floor and carpeted surfaces. These SOPs may be part of the Janitorial vendor’s SOPs. Compliance to the SOP is 100% and measured through regular inspection of staff performance. 4.4 Hand Hygiene – The staff will be trained in the importance and methods of hand hygiene. The preferred method of cleaning hands is to lather and scrub your hands using simple soap and warm water for 20 seconds. An alternate method, when soap and warm water are not available, is the use of alcohol-based hand sanitizer. The use of antibacterial soaps is not recommended because they are no more effective in killing germs than regular soap and may lead to the development of bacteria that are resistant to the products' antimicrobial agents, making it even harder to kill these germs in the future. As a component of training and vital to the health and safety of the employee and the building occupants a 100% compliance goal is required. Those not compliant will be retrained on the proper procedures and training time documented. 4.5 Chemical Handling & Storage (& spill response) – Bulk storage of cleaning chemicals should be in a centralized secure area with containment that will protect against an inadvertent release to the environment (i.e. no floor drains in the vicinity). Cleaning chemicals shall be stored neatly using a shelving system that will allow for safe handling of the material. If necessary, appropriately designed step-stools or step-ladders shall be provided to access the upper shelves. Point-of-use storage, such as in janitorial closets, shall maintain the minimum quantity of chemicals as practical. Where appropriate, cleaning chemical dispensing systems shall be used to minimize the handling exposure to the employees and to measure the proper amount of cleaning solution for dilution. Proper Personnel Protective Equipment (PPE) shall be provided to employees handling the cleaning chemicals. All personnel that use the cleaning chemicals shall be properly trained in their handling, use, and spill cleanup. Hazardous spills or mishandling incidents shall be managed to minimize personnel exposure, damage to the environment, and damage to the building. All spills shall be reported immediately to building management and emergency response in accordance with the appropriate emergency response procedure. Critical to the health and safety of the employee and the building occupants a 100% compliance goal is required. Monthly inspections by the onsite Safety Manager will be conducted and documented. Those not compliant will be retrained on the proper procedures and training time documented. 4.6 Training – The building’s janitorial staff shall be trained in elements of the Green Clean Policy and in the associated Green Clean SOPs. This training will ensure that the staff is fully educated on the products, equipment, and procedures, as well as the goals and priorities that are critical to the success of the green cleaning program. All Manulife buildings will follow the established Green Clean Programs 100% of the time. Additional trainings will be provided for safety, skills training, and any other requirements or needs as identified on the site. All training will be documented and tracked for each employee by training type documenting the hours monthly, and reported to the Property Manager. 4.7 Continuous Improvement – The effectiveness of the Green Cleaning Program shall be evaluated periodically through either customer satisfaction surveys to the tenants or through an APPA (Association of Physical Plant Administrators) audit that determines the appearance level of the facility, or both. A quarterly goal of four (4) improvements is required. These improvements are evaluated, vetted, and approved by the client prior to implementation. The improvements are then tracked by the appropriate metric to determine if the delivery matches the expected return. 4.8 Customer Feedback is encouraged throughout the building tenants. The building occupants can comment on service through multiple tools: 1) enter a complaint work order through the CMMS, 2) an on-line survey request is sent to the service requester upon completion of a work order, and 3) a “man on the street” survey is conducted throughout each month. With this, the Facilities Manager will stop people in the hall and ask them a series of questions regarding their satisfaction with the work environment. This is rated on a scale of 1-5 and data compiled and reported on monthly to the Property Director. 5. Responsible Party The site Property Director is responsible for ensuring compliance with this policy. 6. Time Period This policy is effective immediately upon issue Policy Approved April 1, 2010

http://sustainability.greenmtn.edu/leadership/social_responsibility/purchasing.aspx