If you could wake up tomorrow, walk into work and tell your boss you had taken the initiative to increase building safety, increase productivity, and save money, would you? For many commercial and industrial businesses, chemical dispensers and proportioners are an untapped resource.
Chemical dispensers are systems which mix concentrated chemicals and water to dispense into a receptacle, such as a bottle, bucket, autoscrubber, or sink. Chemical dispensing systems are accurate and easy-to-use. They provide value for janitorial and sanitation crews as well as building managers through their consistent, accurate, and safe dispensing of cleaning products. Chemical dispensing systems create a platform for businesses to grow profitability through increased safety, increased productivity, and cost containment.
Increased Safety Decreases Liability
Chemical dispensers protect workers from injuries that can lead to Workers’ Compensation claims. The systems work by picking up concentrated chemical directly from a container. Direct pickup eliminates the need to lift heavy containers and reduces the possibility of strain-based injuries.
As chemicals can be dispensed directly into the appropriate equipment, the potential for spilled liquids is also greatly reduced. This helps minimize the opportunity for employees to slip and fall on wet surfaces. Fewer workplace injuries lowers both employer insurance costs as well as workers’ compensation costs.
Similarly, locked enclosures that often go along with chemical dispensers reduce businesses’ liability with regards to building occupants. Businesses can potentially be held liable if occupants come into contact with unprotected chemicals that lead to illness or injury. Dispensers with locked enclosures can often be found in elementary schools, long-term care facilities, and prisons.
Increased Productivity
Employee illness is one of the biggest factors in lost workplace productivity. When an employee gets sick they either stay home or report to work sick, exposing their co-workers to their germs. In both cases, the sick employee’s productivity is significantly reduced. If they go into work and get other employees sick, the reduction in productivity could become even more widespread. Chemical proportioners can reduce the spread of germs by accurately dispensing chemicals according to manufacturer recommendations. At the same time, chemical dispensers are easy to use, which increases the likelihood that contaminated surfaces will be cleaned.
As most managers know, training new employees can be costly and time consuming. Chemical proportioning systems are user-friendly and can reduce the amount of time it takes to train new employees. Both the new employees and the trainer will be able to get to work as quickly as possible.
Another way chemical proportioners can help save time is by making it easier to manage chemicals. Employees spend significant time ordering new chemicals, stocking them, and refilling them. You can cut these costs by moving to concentrated chemicals. On average, ready-to-use chemicals are 95% water and 5% chemical, which means you can order a concentrated chemical at half the size and it will last more than twice as long. The time you save on ordering, stocking, and refilling chemical can then be used on more important tasks.
For companies that have already embraced the idea of chemical concentrates, but haven’t moved to a chemical proportioner, consider this: an employee has to fill 1 compartment of a 3 compartment sink with a mixture of soap and water to clean some dishes. Wanting to make sure the dishes are clean, she adds some extra soap. She finishes the dishes and leaves them out to dry. Later, she comes in to find that the dishes are sticky with the residue of excess soap and she has to wash them again!
Scenarios like this play out every day in the workplace. By moving to a chemical proportioner, employees won’t have to mix chemicals by hand which will save them time. Proportioners also ensure accuracy, making chemicals more effective and re-work less likely.
Contain Costs
Profitable businesses use a budget to plan for all costs associated with the business. Chemical proportioning systems can help companies accurately predict their costs by allowing businesses to determine the appropriate amount of chemical concentrates to use for each job. Because chemical proportioning equipment consistently dispenses the exact amount of concentrate required for each job, your cleaning solution is prepared perfectly each time you need it. No waste. No surprises. You can set a price for each job and be confident that you will make the intended profit.
You can also save money on shipping costs by using concentrated chemicals with a chemical proportioner. Shipping chemical concentrates, which are only 5% of the weight of RTUs, is far less costly than shipping pre-mixed cleaning solutions. You will save money on weight, space, and frequency of shipments.
So, why should you use chemical dispensers?
Have you ever heard of someone trying to save on car costs by delaying routine maintenance? Probably not, because the likelihood of an unplanned car failure would rise by putting off oil changes or new tires. Often, these failures result in a motorist paying more than they would if they had just preformed the routine maintenance.
In the same way, companies should not put off caring for their buildings. Consistent, accurate cleaning is a way for companies to protect their assets, whether that is through safety and insurance costs, worker productivity, or budget control. Chemical dispensers and proportioners are a platform for the best janitorial and sanitation programs to build on.
Chemical dispensers increase safety by preventing worker injury and controlling access to potentially harmful chemicals, thereby decreasing your company’s liability. They also increase productivity by reducing the time employees spend on sick leave, training, or on chemical related job duties. Lastly, proportioning equipment gives your company greater control of costs through accurate, predictable dispensing and reduced shipping of chemicals. If you think chemical dispensing is right for your business, your next step is to talk to your chemical provider to learn what programs they can create for you to fit your business need.
