When you walk into a classroom and notice the shiny floor, clean windows, and no dust on the chalk tray, you can thank the area custodian.
Do you ever wonder how custodians are rated? How areas are judged for cleanliness? Well, the Physical Plant Grounds & Custodial Department hires a consultant to visit campus three times a year to critique the cleanliness of various locations in academic areas. Sanitation Systems, Inc. (SSI) out of Thorndike, MA visits campus and, with a very specific rating form for each type of area (restroom, classroom, office, stairwells etc.), rates different rooms on campus. They use a weighted system to rate the cleanliness, the order (clutter) and the maintenance of each of six areas in a room: the floor, equipment, walls, ceiling windows and lights. The order and maintenance of a room are areas over which the custodian has no control and therefore create a handicap by which the scores are calculated. No one space is critiqued on consecutive visits, but each service area is visited each time.
We ask SSI to come in so that fresh eyes see our work. These audits show if there is a need for extra time in a given area, or if new equipment may be needed. UMass staff may not see these issues because we’re there day-in and day-out, but an outside customer (or a perspective student and his or her parents) will. It helps to keep our staff sharp.
This consultant has been working with UMass Amherst custodial services for about 10 years and has kept records from each visit. They can compare a visit from two years ago in LGRT 3rd floor to that from their most recent visit and see if the issues are the same, or different, and can help the custodial supervisor identify ways in which to help the area custodian.
If you have special custodial requirements, please contact the Physical Plant custodial services manager, Donald Sullivan, at dsullivan@facil.umass.edu, or (413) 577-1007.