From hot deserts and dry valleys to mild climates and mountainous terrain, providing janitorial services in the western U.S. comes with its own set of unique challenges. With clients’ needs vastly dependent on their location, this edition of SERVICES takes a look at some of the issues affecting BSCs in the west including: technological development, outsourcing, marketing, OSHA updates and tips on how to add lawn care and landscaping services to your existing business model.

Building Service Contractors are no strangers to slips, trips, and falls. After all, they're the #2 cause of injuries in the U.S. and account for 40% of workers-comp and liability claims to the tune of $70 billion per year. Wet, slippery floors can be a big, expensive problem.

When Colin Mason was coming of age in the late 1940s, the United Kingdom was in post war ruin. He was recruited by the British Army and traveled to Singapore. Upon his return to Barry, Wales, 20-year-old Colin trained to be a welder, but saw little opportunity to grow his career and build a life for his family.

Since 1986, New York City based, Building Maintenance Services (BMS) has provided attention to detail service to a plethora of Fortune 500 companies. Serving the diverse needs of luxury hotels, trophy office properties, colleges and universities, private schools, and corporate facilities BMS offers integrated, sustainable and creative solutions to their clients.

Bathrooms are the most utilized and most germ infested spaces in a facility. How you choose to clean these areas is largely based on efficacy and cost. As we will discuss in depth, the individual ingredients on the side of the bottle and the information regarding the compound on the Material Safety Data Sheet effect the health and wellbeing of employees and others exposed to their toxic attributes.

Cleaning supplies carry bacteria. The products we use to clean need to be cleaned themselves in order to do their job better, last longer and save you money. Every type of brush, broom, mop, bucket and other cleaning supply needs to be cleaned differently. The most important thing is to look at the instructions from the manufacturer or check out the company’s website for information on how to properly clean your supplies.

No matter what you call it, that necessary pit-stop in our day matters. Bathrooms provide a service, and in the US the standard of that service should be functional, efficient and clean. All of these terms are slightly subjective, however and in that ambiguity lies the breadth of this edition.

In a recent study, the American Academy of Dermatology estimates that more than eighty-five hundred people in the U.S. are diagnosed with skin cancer every day.

The Simon Institute has a major initiative to make sure that any janitor deserving special recognition, gets to come to the podium at the annual Simon Institute Awards Banquet and be honored in front of a room full of their peers.