Archive for August 10th, 2009

The Most Important Office Item - Surprisingly, its not the Xerox machine

Whether it’s a simple paper cut or a traumatic head trauma, one of the most important items to keep well stocked in every office is the medical first aid kits.  When any type of injury occurs, the time it takes to treat the problem is always one of the most vital steps to ensuring a speedy recovery.   Below are some tips to ensure the safety of all of your employees and visitors.

Keep the kit well stocked
If your office’s medical kit is about as old as you are, it’s time to be updated with new supplies.  If you don’t need an entire first aid refill kit, here are basic items to include:  flexible bandages, sterile gauze, antiseptic wipes, sting relief wipes, ice pack, burn ointment, nonstick pads, tape, and some form of pain relief, such as Tylenol.

Keep it located in a central, easily accessible place
As mentioned above, time is key when any injury occurs.  If your first aid kit is located in the back corner that requires your employees to swipe their ID badges 4 times before gaining access to, then that’s not the most ideal location for your most important office item.  Mount it visibly in a central area that requires ID clearance (what if a visitor needs it?).

Make sure everyone knows where the medical kit is located
Sure, its great that you have a well stocked 1st Aid Kit, but if no one knows where it is, then it’s just about as useful as not having one at all.  When training new employees, make sure to include its location on the office or facility tour.  Also, try sending out a yearly safety memo focusing on items such as safety kit locations, fire exits, etc.

So many choices... so little time! Which one is right for you?

While purchasing garbage bags may seem like an easy task, there are actually many features and aspects one should consider. We all know one of the dirtiest and most annoying tasks is cleaning up a spill when a trash bag breaks and you may also be wasting additional money on high quality bags than what your needs actually require.  So the next time you’re ordering can liners, consider these important features to prevent feature mishaps:

Different Strength Levels
•    Light – crumbled paper, paper cups, etc
•    Medium – packaging waster, cardboard, wet paper, etc
•    Heavy – light wood, metal scraps, wet cardboard, etc
•    Extra Heavy – Heavy, sharp, or wet trash
•    Super Extra Heavy – Warehouse, Cafeteria, or Facility waste

High Density (HD) vs. Low Density (LD)
•    High Density Trash Bags- much thinner than low density liners, but are capable of holding greater weight; They feature better puncture resistance and load capacity.
•    Low Density Trash Bags – Recommended for sharper objects and tougher transport conditions. They feature greater tear resistance compared to high density garbage bags.

Bottom Seal Types
•   Star Seal -  This is the most common type of seal and the most reliable of the three.  It eliminates gaps along the seal line, which allows these liners to more easily take the shape of any size/style garbage can.  They are also popular because they more evenly distribute weight within the bag – maximizing load capacity and preventing leaks.
•    Gusset Seal – Used on flat-style trash bags; An economical choice recommended for light loads only (paper, etc)
•    Flat Seal – Create strong bottom seals to prevent bottom leaks, but may leak from the corners due to design.  Their flat seal also prevents them from conforming as easily to trash containers.

Cored vs. Coreless Rolls
•   Cored Rolls – Rolls which are rolled around a cardboard cylinder (similar to toilet paper/paper towels).
•    Coreless Rolls – Rolls w/o cylinder in the middles; recommended for high traffic areas

Mils vs Microns
•    Mils – generally used to denote the thickness of low density liners (convert to microns by multiplying the number of mils x 25.4)
•    Microns – generally used to denote the thickness of high density liners (convert to mils by dividing the number of microns by 25.4)

And you thought you were just buying a simple garbage bag?!  Whatever garbage can liner you decide is the best fit for your needs, remember to visit CleaningProductsWorld.com for low prices, next day shipping, and unbeatable customer service.