Janitorial Supplies Blog

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently updated the requirements for the labeling of hazardous chemicals under a new Globally Harmonized System of classification (GHS). The primary goal of GHS is to ensure better protection of human health and the environment. 

In accordance with OSHA regulations, as of December 1, 2015, new Safety Data Sheets (SDS) will be used.  The Safety Data Sheets will replace the current Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS). The SDS’s are required to include the following headings: Identification, Hazard Identification, composition/information on ingredients, first aid measures, fire-fighting measures, accidental release measures, handling and storage, exposure controls/personal protection, physical and chemical properties, stability and reactivity, and toxicological information. 

Edmer Sanitary Supply Company has been working with our manufacturers to ensure our products will comply with OSHA’s new standards by the December 1^st, 2015 deadline.  We will be supplying all of our customers with the new SDS’s of the products they order.  As an employer, it will be your responsibility to make sure these new safety data sheets are readily accessible to your employees.  You have until June 1, 2016 to update your workplace hazard written plans and provide any additional training for newly identified hazards.

In addition to the new SDS requirements, the following information will be required on product labels: pictograms (if applicable, see chart below), a signal word, hazard and precautionary statements, the product identifier, and supplier identification, to alert the users of the chemical hazards to which they may be exposed.

Edmer Sanitary Supply offers compliant Safety Data Sheets for our aerosol cleaning supplies; liquid cleaning supplies, including carpet cleaning products, floor cleaners, and disinfectants; and other chemical products, including drain openers, funiture polish and auto & truck wash. Call our Long Island headquarters in East Meadow, New York at 516-794-2000 for more information.

Winter is upon us and germs are not very far behind! Even though we can’t see them, they are everywhere.  They are transported by a sneeze, a cough, and by touch.  Make sure you outfit your facility with the proper disinfectants to keep germs from spreading.  Wipe down countertops and any highly used surfaces with Lysol® Disinfecting Wipes, spray your office with #015 Disinfectant Spray, and clean any surface with A2Z Disinfecting Glass & Multi-Surface Cleaner. 

Here is a checklist of common and not so common surfaces to clean and disinfect:

The list goes on . . . take the time to provide your staff with the above checklist and the proper products.  A simple E.P.A.-registered disinfectant cleaner, like Edmer’s Lemon or Pine One Step, with a wiping cloth can eliminate a lot of cross contamination! Germs spread by the billions! They die by the billions too when proper action is taken.  P.S don’t forget your aerosol disinfectant for those airborne critters! Here’s to healthy living!

Now that the warmer months are upon us, it is the perfect time to clean and tidy up a very important, and most often neglected, part of your building . . . THE OUTSIDE!!

Take a few moments out of your day to walk around your property, bring a pad and pencil with you (you can use our “easy outdoor inspection checklist” below as a guide!), take notes, and get some fresh air! Look at the sidewalk, parking lot, street, shrubbery, and signage.  Has all of the winter sand been swept up? If not, our manual push sweeper would be a great item for you! Has your parking lot been seal coated in the past two years? Is your shrubbery overgrown and in need of trimming? Are there unsightly weeds that need to be treated or removed? Does your maintenance sprayer for your weed killer work properly? Next, take some time to look at the outside of your building, does it need a new coat of paint? Are the windows clean? Do your outside mats look worn, do they need to be replaced? How do your outdoor receptacles look, are they in need of replacement?

If you have access to your roof, don’t forget to also check there! Check to make sure the gutters are free of debris, remove any excess leaves or other foreign matter.  If your HVAC unit is roof mounted, make sure you inspect that also. 

Remember, all it takes is a few moments of your time to do an outdoor inspection.  It will save you a ton of money in the long run if you keep up with regular maintenance, instead of having to replace big ticket items that could easily have been maintained throughout the years.  You will be surprised what damage Mother Nature has left behind after the cold winter months!

Take pride in the appearance of the outside of your building, you don’t get a second chance to make a good first impression!

Easy Outdoor Inspection Checklist:

Edmer Sanitary Supply offers janitorial supplies and equipment for all your exterior building maintenance needs. Call us with your outdoor inspection questions at 516-794-2000.

It is a known fact that most viruses and illnesses spread more easily during the cold winter months. Everywhere you go, you encounter someone sneezing or coughing.  Since you can’t avoid other people for the winter months, is there a way to avoid getting sick?

The answer is no, you cannot avoid getting sick entirely, but you can severely diminish your risk of getting sick.

You can diminish your risk of catching something by washing your hands constantly.  You should always have hand sanitizer within reach, on your desk, in your car or in your purse. Always sanitize your hands after contact with another person or any publicly used item (i.e., doorknobs, phones, computers and work stations).

Whether you work in a school, an office, or outdoors, you are constantly at risk for contracting a cold. Keep your workspace clean! Use A2Z disinfecting glass & multi-surface cleaner…It is ready to use in a spray bottle, just spray it and wipe it away! Take the extra step and keep Disinfectant Spray #015 handy on your desk to spray your office or classroom to kill those germs.

Airborne and surface germs are easily eliminated with proper cleaning procedures and products. Edmer Company carries a large arsenal of cleaners, disinfectants and detergents to attack and eliminate all germs.

Call today to find out more about our disinfectants for keeping you healthy and germ-free this winter!