Office of Facilities Services Custodial Services Newsletter

Transcription

1 I S S U E 1 0 S P R I N G P A G E 1 Office of Facilities Services Custodial Services Newsletter I S S U E 1 0 S P R I N G D A T ES TO R E M E M B E R Kelly s Comments March Spring Break for Students/ Teachers March 24 & 25 Spring Break April 18 No School Teacher Workday May 23 & 24 Shoe Truck Available May 30 Memorial Day Holiday June 2 CATS Meeting June 17 LAST DAY OF SCHOOL! I N S I D E THIS ISSUE CATS Meeting Safety Shoes for Employees ONLY Summer Overtime Custodial Equipment Repair Summer Restoration and Checklist Safety Footwear Snow Pros Tractor Cleaning Bleacher Upkeep Custodial Manager Trainee Graduates Unapproved Chemicals Classified Personnel Regulations Staff Contacts Online Forms As the temperatures rise and tree buds are opening, it is my hope we have finally seen the last of the snowfall for this year. It has been a very trying time for all Support Services this winter with the region receiving an historic snow fall of over three feet with just one storm. It has been many winters since Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) has received such a large accumulation of snow from one storm. I am proud to say that working together as a team, Facilities Services and Custodial Services were able to have PWCS back up and ready for school in just five days. It took most of our surrounding jurisdictions much longer to reopen. Dr. Walts made sure to praise and thank us at the last CATS meeting held on February 11th. See pictures of the snow removal efforts on page 7 of this newsletter. To view the minutes from the February 11, 2016 CATS meeting, please CLICK HERE. Now, as we enter into the final stretch of the school year, the custodial staff of PWCS once again has done an outstanding job of providing the students and staff with a safe, clean and wellmaintained learning environment. While the certified and support staff look forward to their summer break, our custodial staff will be gearing up for their school s summer restoration. Please ensure to inspect all of the custodial equipment that will be utilized for this process. If you find any equipment that is not working properly, please place a work order to the Custodial Equipment Repair Shop to have the issue addressed. As my Papaw always said a carpenter is only as good as his tools. Please ensure that your tools are operating properly. If you have any questions or concerns that might arise during the summer restoration period, please do not hesitate to contact the Quality Assurance Specialists or myself. I appreciate everyone s hard work this year that contributes to Kelly R. Rice, Administrative Coordinator our Division s outstanding reputation for cleanliness throughout the state of Virginia. Your dedication to ensuring that our students and staff have clean facilities to receive their World Class education is greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Kelly R. Rice Administrative Coordinator We hope you enjoy our 10th issue of the Custodial Services newsletter. Please print this newsletter and share it with your entire custodial staff. Custodial Advisory Training Session (CATS) June 2, 2016 The Office of Custodial Services is holding its quarterly Custodial Advisory Training Session (CATS) for ALL custodial managers Divisionwide on Thursday, June 2, 2016 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in Building 51, room 140, Joplin Road, Manassas. Please plan to attend this informative meeting. Check-in begins at 12:30 p.m.

2 I S S U E 1 0 S P R I N G P A G E 2 Safety Shoes Provided for Employees ONLY The Saf-Gard Safety Shoe Company will be available in May for employee s wishing to purchase a pair of safety shoes. Saf-Gard Safety Shoe Company offers a wide range of safety shoes for purchase. Their mobile truck will be at the following two High Schools in May: Monday, May 23, Stonewall Jackson HS, 10 a.m. 5p.m. Tuesday, May 24, Forest Park HS, 10 a.m. 5 p.m. Purchase orders will be accepted as payment. Custodians are allotted one pair of safety shoes annually if required, not to exceed $ from their respective school. Last November when the shoe truck visited PWCS, it was discovered that some custodial personnel had purchased shoes not for themselves, but for family members. These shoes should only be purchased for use by the custodial employee. Purchasing shoes for anyone other than yourself is considered fraud. Any employee who is discovered to have purchased shoes for someone other than themselves will be held liable and disciplinary action will be taken against the employee up to and including recommendation for dismissal. The Office of Facilities Services (OFS) and the Office of Risk Management and Security Services have met with Saf-Gard Safety Shoe Company about this infraction. In the future, all custodial employees will be measured and fitted for shoes by the vendor. No shoe will be sold to the employee if the size of the shoe wishing to be purchased does not properly fit their foot. The employee will be denied service and their name will be forwarded to OFS. Also as a reminder, all custodial employees signed the annual Custodial Employee Safety Agreement Acknowledgement in September of The acknowledgement stated the employee will wear the required Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) while in the workplace which must be done in accordance to Regulation Please ensure that you adhere to this regulation and wear all required PPE while in the workplace, which includes your safety shoes. If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact Mr. Kelly R. Rice at LOOKING FOR OVERTIME WORK THIS SUMMER? This summer, the Office of Facilities Services (OFS) will be in the process of opening Colgan High School and Wilson Elementary School. There will also be several schools that will be under renovation during this time. If you are interested in working overtime this summer, please contact Ms. Kathy Snow at An will be sent out in early June with all information and details. As a reminder, you must physically work 40 hours before your overtime rate will be paid. If you take leave at your current work site during the week, you will only receive your regular pay rate for hours worked on the weekends and evenings for OFS.

3 I S S U E 1 0 S P R I N G P A G E 3 Custodial Equipment Repair - Dos and Don ts Many advancements in the past several years with custodial equipment have made your job more efficient and less time-consuming. No longer do custodial personnel have to clean large hard-floor areas utilizing a mop and bucket. For example, PWCS now utilizes automatic scrubbing machines, Wet/Dry Vacuums help with the stripping and refinishing of floors, battery-powered burnishers keep a high sheen on our floors, and Genie lifts have taken the place of some ladders. Along with all of this new equipment comes the responsibility of proper care and usage of the equipment. Recently, there have been issues with staff not properly cleaning equipment, or not using it properly. At one school the operator of an automatic scrubber ran over P.E. equipment balls that were sucked up into the machine causing damage and putting the machine out of order. Wet/Dry vacuums have been stored before being properly cleaned causing the machine s motor to burn up and stop working. Cords to machines have had ground prongs removed which could cause serious injury to the operator. There have been several instances where cleaning pads have not been changed on a regular basis, causing dirt to just be moved instead of removed from floors. Damage has been caused to cleaning equipment from lack of proper care, costing schools hundreds of dollars in repair costs. This is unacceptable, especially in these tight budgetary times. This equipment has to be properly maintained and cleaned to ensure that you are able to do your job in the most efficient manner. DO ensure that you perform daily inspections of your equipment and ensure that it is properly being cleaned and maintained at the end of your work shift. DO put in a work order to the Custodial Equipment Repair Shop if a piece of equipment needs repairs. A separate work order must be submitted for each piece of equipment with the tag # and/or serial # included. If the equipment is not working make sure to Lockout/Tag Out the equipment to ensure that no one mistakenly tries to use the equipment and gets injured. DO NOT wait until all of one type of equipment is broken before you put in a work order. When that last piece of equipment then stops working and you have to stop working as well, you are no longer working efficiently. DO NOT try to work on the custodial equipment yourself. This can cause further damage to the equipment, if not done properly, and will void the warranty of the equipment. Only trained, certified staff should make any repairs to the equipment. Only the technicians of the Custodial Equipment Repair Shop have these certifications. Making sure that the equipment is in safe operating condition will protect you from injuries. This is of the utmost importance to PWCS. Your dedication to doing your part to help keep the equipment in good working order is greatly appreciated. If you have any questions regarding the custodial equipment of your school, please contact the Custodial Equipment Repair Shop at As a reminder, any custodial equipment that is battery or electrical powered is addressed by the Custodial Equipment Repair Shop. If it is outside equipment that is powered by gas/diesel such as tractors, weed eaters, blowers, etc., the work order should be submitted to the Small Engine Shop.

4 I S S U E 1 0 S P R I N G P A G E 4 Recommendations Preparing for Summer Restoration This summer there will be 49 available days for custodians to complete the summer cleaning restoration. In order to complete the summer cleaning restoration on time, we recommended the following suggestions: 1. Recommend that the administrator and custodial manager look closely at leave requests during this period. If possible, schedule leave beginning the second week of August; most summer restoration at this point should be complete. 2. Schools with SACC program. Speak with the principal to ask if they will give a building key to the SACC supervisor to allow them to open the building for the SACC program allowing custodians more productive time to perform summer cleaning. 3. Substitute custodians that are provided to work at the Central Summer Schools should begin their assignments on the same day the summer school programs begin. 4. Reminder to administrators/custodial managers the importance of preventing accidents. Recommend providing safety footwear for the custodians that will be working in the floor finish restoration process. See page 6 of newsletter for ordering these low cost safety footwear. 5. Optimize all your time by avoiding gaps, no productive time, or long breaks. Lunch break is 30 minutes. 6. Ask your administrator to remind all staff and teachers to transport their personal items themselves. 7. In areas of the school that are occupied with summer activities, it is recommended that custodial staff change their daily schedule to accommodate these activities, in order to utilize their shift. 8. Do not strip or apply floor finish to the rooms that are being used for summer school until after summer school is over. Coordinate with the summer school principal for a list of rooms that will be used for summer school. 9. Each custodial manager must inform/train new and substitute custodians where they need to dispose all liquids and how to properly clean custodial equipment. (Do not dispose any liquid or debris in storm drains. Do not clean any custodial equipment outside the school building.) 10. Do not impede egress to exit doors during summer restoration. 11. Reminder to all custodians that you are not allowed/authorized to bring any friend or relative to help you in your custodial duties. 12. Reminder to all custodial personnel to wear your issued photo I.D. badge at all times while on PWCS property. Also, ensure that the substitute custodians wear their time sensitive ID badges. Questions or concerns? Contact our Quality Assurance Specialists: José Salmeron, ; Maria Ibarra, ; or Susan Pieper,

5 I S S U E 1 0 S P R I N G P A G E 5 Prince William County Schools - Office of Facilities Services Recommended Checklist for Custodial Managers Cleaning Restoration Program for Summer 2016 Check if your custodial equipment/machines are working correctly before summer restoration begins. Carpet cleaning is not recommended during the summer. Spot cleaning is okay. Must work together as a team. Move /shake the pails of floor finish before beginning to use. No floor finish on baseboards. No floor finish on rubber ramps. No floor finish on steps and bathrooms where the floor has ceramic floor tile. Do not use gas/electric powered pressure washers to clean walls and furniture. No water hoses used inside buildings. Do not leave stripper solution on floor for extended period of time. (Never leave a wet floor when you are going to take a break.) Apply proper number of coats of floor finish on floors to protect the tile for longer time period. Five (5) coats are recommended in classrooms & six (6) or more in cafeterias and heavy traffic areas. Keep floor finish clean while in use. Use a clean or new wet mop or clean pads on floor finish applicator to apply the floor finish. Apply floor finish smoothly, without streaking, using the appropriate wet mop. (Recommend using a fiber rayon wet mop.) Don t use stripper solution to restore Fritz or Terrazzo tile (neutral cleaning only). When restoring/removing the old floor finish in trailers/modular trailers, this must be done with special care because if too much water or stripper solution is used, it may cause tiles to separate from the sub floor. Don t apply floor finish on door transition strips. Make a quick inspection of tile floors before applying floor finish: remove pieces of tape, staples, pieces of mop strings, small debris, hairs, etc. Use clean rags with appropriate cleaner to clean tops of student desks, furniture, etc. (Don t use paper towels to clean furniture). It is recommended sectioning no more than a 500 square foot area with stripper solution at a time (leave the solution to work for 12 to 15 minutes before using the utility machine to strip the floor). See vendor recommendations. Recommend using Stripping Traction Shoes or Strap on Soles for shoes to improve safety & efficiency while stripping floors. See page 6 of newsletter for ordering information.

6 I S S U E 1 0 S P R I N G P A G E 6 Mopping or Stripping Floors? Safety Footwear Can Reduce the Risk of Slipping Custodians are encouraged to wear footwear that provide additional traction and helps prevent slips and falls while stripping or mopping floors. Having the security of additional shoe traction affords the opportunity to work more quickly and with confidence. PAWS Traction Stripping Shoes are designed to reduce the slips and falls associated with stripping floors. There are three different designs to suit each use and budget. Please consider purchasing safety footwear to aid you in your workplace. For ordering information contact: Treds and Paws Footwear, Advantage Products Corporation at or visit the Treds.com website. PAWS Super-Stripper Traction Strap-on Soles Best Traction $12.50 Excellent super-stripper traction for floor strippers. Use while stripping or mopping floors. Pulls on and off easily. Rinse and reuse. One Size Fits All PAWS Vinyl Stripping Shoes $12.50 Heavy duty vinyl shoe cover protects your shoes while the aggressive pad helps prevent slips and falls. Sizes available: Large and Extra-Large PAWS RED Stripping Shoes Great Durability $20.00 Spaghetti-loop material has thousands of contact points for excellent traction while stripping or mopping floors. Does not have the same scuff power as the PAWS Black, but offers great durability. One Size Fits All It is highly recommended to purchase these safety footwear products while performing summer restoration projects at your school especially during the floor refinishing process.

7 ISSUE 10 SPRING 2016 PAGE 7 SNOW REMOVAL PROS! Photos from Blizzard 2016 and how you cleaned it up! After a record snowfall in January, PWCS custodial staff responded in a big way! N ow that all the snow is gone for this year, please make sure that any ice melt residue in the tractor s floor area is washed off as soon as possible. Leaving ice melt on the metal surface will accelerate the rusting of the surface. OFS is currently performing preventative maintenance on gym bleachers. Some are dusty and have trash under them. The dust causes the drive wheels to slip and the trash can get caught up in the frame wheels making the bleachers kick sideways. OFS annual bleacher inspections occur in March on exterior and interior bleachers. Any help on maintaining this equipment is greatly appreciated. - Lewis Propps, Carpenter Shop Crew Chief

8 I S S U E 1 0 S P R I N G P A G E 8 CUSTODIAL MANAGER TRAINING GRADUATES! Graduation photo taken November 12, Front Row (left to right): Jorge Chevez Fred Lynn MS, Guadalupe Maroni Woodbridge HS, Marta Bonilla Victory ES, Miguel Quintanilla Mountain View ES, Amphone Liammaytry Neabsco ES, Barbara Gilbert Potomac MS, Susan Pieper QAS Back Row (left to right): Maria Ibarra QAS, Jose Salmeron QAS, Michael Kwarteng Freedom HS, Ryan Sanders Ronald Reagan MS, Juan Lopez Battlefield HS, Jackeline Aranda The Nokesville School, Nyoka Phillips River Oaks ES Custodial Manager Training is offered twice per year and is open to any current PWCS Custodial employee who is interested in attending. The training takes place for two hours once a week for seven weeks. The trainees learn all aspects and requirements to perform the manager s job. This training is offered by our stellar Quality Assurance Specialists. Please call any of our Quality Assurance Specialists if you re interested in attending: José Salmeron, ; Maria Ibarra, ; or Susan Pieper, Unapproved Cleaning Chemicals in Schools This Fiscal Year, there have been vendors that have been contacting schools directly in the hopes of getting the school to purchase their products. As a reminder, in accordance with Regulation , only cleaning chemicals that are on PWCS Master Agreement or approved by the Office of Facilities Services (OFS) may be utilized in any of our PWCS facilities. If you or your school is contacted by a vendor, please direct them to contact Mr. Kelly R. Rice in OFS. Schools should never purchase any cleaning chemicals from outside vendors and should only use cleaning chemicals that are purchased from Supply Services. If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact Mr. Kelly R. Rice at

9 I S S U E 1 0 S P R I N G P A G E 9 Regulation Corner For Classified Personnel 500 Series Classified personnel are encouraged to review the following PWCS Regulations. All regulations can be found on the web at pwcs.edu. Links are provided for the following regulations: Regulation Code of Conduct Regulation Sexual Harassment Involving Employees Regulation Procedures for Adjusting Grievances For Administrative and Classified Employees Regulation Overtime and Compensatory Time Provisions Regulation Probationary Period Regulation Children of Staff in School Division Buildings Regulation Complaints Against Employees Other Than Discrimination or Grievances Regulation Workweek Staff Contacts Rodney Clayborn, Supervisor, Facilities Management Christine Honeycutt, Secretary, Kelly Rice, Administrative Coordinator Kathy Snow, Secretary, Jennifer Morrow, Custodian Substitute Specialist, Custodial Field Crew Quality Assurance Team Mitchell Archer, Crew Chief Filter Replacement Crew José Salmeron, Henry Hill, Maria Ibarra, Susan Pieper, Custodial Equipment Repair Charles Kendall, We are on the web

10 I S S U E 1 0 S P R I N G P A G E 10 Custodial Transfer Form and Substitute Evaluation Form Effective September 15, 2015, PWCS current custodial employees who are requesting a transfer to another work site must begin using the new Custodial Services Transfer Request Form to submit these requests. This form will need to be resubmitted at the beginning of each fiscal year (July 1) by the custodial employee if they wish to remain on the transfer list. The new Substitute Evaluation Form is also available for submission by custodial managers. Both forms can be found on the Facilities Services web page under the Custodial Services tab, choose Custodial Services Forms. Usage of these online forms is required beginning immediately to help Facilities Services serve you better. Transfer requests will no longer be accepted via or phone call. Questions? Please call Custodial Services at School Board Mr. Ryan Sawyers Chairman Mrs. Lillie G. Jessie Vice Chairman Occoquan District Mr. William J. Deutsch Coles District Ms. Diane L. Raulston Neabsco District Mrs. Alyson A. Satterwhite Gainesville District Mr. Gil Trenum Brentsville District Mr. Justin David Wilk Potomac District Ms. Loree Y. Williams Woodbridge District Superintendent of Schools Dr. Steven L. Walts Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) does not discriminate in employment or in its educational programs and activities against qualified individuals on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability. PWCS provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following individual will handle inquiries regarding nondiscrimination policies, including Section 504 and Title IX: Associate Superintendent for Human Resources Prince William County Public Schools, P.O. Box 389, Manassas, VA 20108