The source of an unusual odor at Jefferson Hospital Monday night was determined to be a spilled cleaning product, a spokeswoman for the hospital said.

Spokeswoman Candy Williams said staff alerted the fire department to an unusual smell in the hospital around 9 p.m.

Crews discovered shortly after that the source of the smell was a cleaning product that spilled in a storage room on the same floor as the operating rooms, Allegheny Health Network Media Relations Director Dan Laurent said.

Williams said as of 10 p.m., the spill had been cleaned up, but firefighters remained at the scene to help with ventilation.

At no time were there any evacuations or impact on patient care, Williams said. 

Source: WPXI

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Embarrassing! - Matt 

Concerns about hospital "superbugs" have spotlighted the need to prevent the spread of germs in health-care settings. But a new report reveals a disturbing lack of knowledge on something as basic as proper cleaning of a patient's room.

Very little research addresses the best ways to disinfect and sanitize the hard surfaces in a hospital room, investigators report in the Aug. 11 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine.

"We basically found that there are studies available to guide actions, but there are much fewer than you might expect for such an important issue," said lead author Dr. Craig Umscheid, an assistant professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine in Philadelphia.

At any given time, about one in every 25 hospital patients has an infection they got from being at a hospital, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. An estimated 721,000 health care-related infections occurred in 2011, which led to about 75,000 deaths, the authors noted in background information.

Hand-washing receives much attention for preventing the spread of germs, but disinfecting the hard surfaces in an examination room or hospital suite can be just as important, Umscheid said. Many dangerous germs are spread by touching counters, floors, tray tables, bed rails, IV pulls, light switches, toilets, and even call buttons.

Many experts believe that only 50 percent of surfaces are typically disinfected during cleaning of a patient's room, according to background notes.

For this report, researchers reviewed 80 studies published between 1998 and 2014.

The investigators found only five randomized, controlled trials that explored the best ways to disinfect surfaces. Most were before/after studies, in which germs were measured on a surface before and after a cleaning product had been used.

Fewer than 35 percent of the studies focused on infection rates or spread of disease due to unclean surfaces, the researchers said.

They also found that most studies only examined the effectiveness of a single cleaning product or method, rather than comparing it against others.

More at source: WEBMD

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Office MD's of Atlanta Sponsors Gwinnett County Sheriff's 3rd Annual Obstacle Course Race. It was a fun filled battle and Office MD's was there to support the county. 

Office MD's of Atlanta is an up and coming janitorial company making waves in the Health & Wellness field. Our primary clients range from physicians, to clinical, sports medicine, chiropractic, family practices and multi-medical  buildings...

Member: International Janitorial Cleaning Services Assoc.. 

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The University of New Orleans plans to outsource its building services work this fall, a cost-cutting measure that the cash-strapped Lakefront school expects will save more than $1 million in five years at the expense of nearly 80 workers whose jobs are thrown into question.

It’s the latest in a series of moves that UNO has taken in recent years to trim expenses after years of steep funding cuts and declining enrollment.

UNO spokesman Adam Norris said Wednesday that affected employees were notified about the possible change two weeks ago. The Building Services Department includes janitorial and grounds employees.

Norris said 66 classified employees, those covered by Civil Service, and 10 unclassified employees will be affected.

“The reason we’re doing this is to run the university more efficiently and yet do it in a way that doesn’t sacrifice the quality of our academics or the quality of our student experience,” he said.

UNO officials haven’t decided yet who among the unclassified employees will be retained. It also hasn’t hired a contractor to take over the work.

UNO is expected to require the chosen company at least to interview the displaced employees, though there are no guarantees that they will be offered employment. “We’re hopeful, and we would expect, that many of those employees would be able to continue,” Norris said.

UNO has scheduled an Aug. 20 job fair on campus to help the affected employees find jobs, he said.

Norris pointed to the school’s bookstore as another example of a service that the school has outsourced in recent years.

As the school looks for ways to save money, the UNO faculty spent much of last year looking at ways to trim costs among its 80 degree programs, determining which areas should be shored up and which should be restructured or eliminated.

UNO President Peter Fos eventually recommended eliminating six academic programs, one department and 22 faculty and staff positions in a push to save $1 million this academic year and $2.8 million next year.

Since taking the helm in 2012, Fos has eliminated at least 140 positions.

Source: World News Advocate

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(Photo Credit: Getty Images)

When faced with a gigantic mess, it's tempting to get heavy-handed with cleaning products. Because there's no such thing as too clean, right?

Wrong.

Overusing certain cleaning products can actually lead to even bigger problems than spills: Some could damage your carpet or windows, and some could damage your health. We asked cleaning experts to name the worst offenders.

1. Glass Cleaner

Why it's bad to overuse: Cleaning expert Jolie Kerr blames overuse on a common mistake: "People tend to spray the surface in need of cleaning rather than the rag, cloth or paper towel they're using to wipe the surface." Spray too much and you're basically pushing dirt and lint around, which leads to nasty streaks.

Instead: Spritz the paper towel with your glass cleaner of choice, then wipe down the glass.

More at source: Huffington Post

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Office MD's of Atlanta, like many of the janitorial companies associated with the highly acclaimed International Janitorial Service Association, is truly customer focused. We take pride in over-delivering our cleaning services and take customer satisfaction seriously.

Our membership with the International Janitorial Cleaning Service Association signifies our commitment to provide the best and latest approaches to facility management as well as the tried and true methods of commercial cleaning. This approach combined with hard work and consistency make us a great choice for your facility health and wellness. We service Atlanta Metro.

Find us here: www.officemdsofatlanta.com | 470-239-1339 | 24/7 Ans Service | info@officemdsofatlanta.com - Of Course We Provide A Free No Obligation Quote & Walk Through...

If you are outside of Atlanta Metro, you can find other great companies here:

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Based on information and belief, the lawsuit said, Kingery was provided with a cup containing the cleaning solution Urnex – a product used for cleaning coffee and espresso machines.

Kingery ingested the cleaning solution, which caused “burning mouth syndrome,” loss of taste, esophagitis, erosions in her mouth and esophagus, oral nerve ending damage and numbness in her lips and tongue, the lawsuit said.

Kingery is seeking over $1.5 million in damages for medical expenses, wage loss, household services, prejudgment interest and anticipated future expenses.

“The safety of our customers is our highest priority. We take this obligation seriously and are investigating Ms. Kingery’s claims,” wrote Laurel Harper, a spokeswoman for Starbucks Corporation, in response to FOX 13’s request for comment.

More at source: Fox

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Have you ever thought about cleaning your home with a toxic / harsh cleaner?  Stop where you are and consider that there are healthier methods to getting a home clean.  Contact a professional cleaning company who is certified in green cleaning to educate you and your family or facility on a healthier way.  Who wants to have toxic chemicals spread around their place or work home where their loved ones rest.  Lets stop hurting our environment and preserve mother nature for our future leaders.  Click below to find a certified green cleaning company now.

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The Internal Revenue Service is providing a safe harbor for contracts on services that are performed on a regular basis such as janitorial and landscape maintenance and software support.

Revenue Procedure 2015-39 provides a safe harbor for accrual method taxpayers to treat economic performance as occurring ratably on contracts that provide services on a regular basis. In other words, under the safe harbor, a taxpayer can ratably expense the cost of regular and routine services as the services are provided under the contract.

Contracts for regular janitorial or landscape maintenance services are typical examples of contractual services that may qualify for the safe harbor, the IRS pointed out. Another example provided is for IT support and maintenance for human resources software.

A service contract that provides for a single product to be delivered to the taxpayer, such as an environmental impact study, will not satisfy the definition of a Ratable Service Contract because the contract does not provide for services to be provided on a regular basis. The revenue procedure defines a Ratable Service Contract and provides examples of contracts that will and will not satisfy the definition.

The revenue procedure also includes examples of bundled service contracts, which provide for both regular and one-time services. Whether part of a bundled service contract qualifies as a Ratable Service Contract depends on whether the parties have separately priced the services specified in the contract, the IRS noted.

More info at Accounting Today 

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