Caretaking unit reorganized
L-R: Adam Rebosz, Tran Chau Ngo, Mike Kassam and Juan Wang are among the more than 200 caretaking staffers at the U of C.
/ Photos: Ken BendiktsenThey’re here day and night―our caretakers―gathering trash, cleaning washrooms, washing floors and generally taking care of our campus. Not only does caretaking wipe up our muddy footprints to keep our buildings looking presentable, they sanitize our public spaces in an effort to help keep us healthy.
Caretaking falls under the auspices of Facilities Management, a business unit that was heavily involved in the iS2 project in the fall and winter of 2009. Recently, the caretaking unit was reorganized to meet their goals for the project―more efficient and effective services for customers on campus.
The changes for caretaking, already in place, include restructuring hours of work and implementing green cleaning methods.
The majority of caretaking staff moved to the night shift (65 percent night shift, 15 percent day shift and 20 percent afternoon shift) because it is more efficient to clean when students, faculty and staff are typically not on campus. These efficiencies mean that day staff has more time to concentrate on washrooms and public areas.
Juan Wang demonstrates the new Activeion system that transforms tap water into a powerful, yet non-toxic cleaner.Caretaking introduced a number of green cleaning initiatives to reduce or eliminate the use of hazardous chemicals, to offer better cleaning performance and ergonomics, to improve health and safety in the workplace and to contribute to a more sustainable environment.
One such innovation is the introduction of a specialized spray bottle that transforms tap water into a powerful, yet non-toxic cleaner, by adding a small charge of electricity to the water. The transformed water returns to its natural state within 30 to 45 seconds. The use of one of these hand-held commercial cleaning tools offsets one-half metric ton of coal.
For more information about facilities management, visit ucalgary.ca/fmd/management.
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February 16, 2010