Our sponsorship of the Green Team provides a great opportunity to raise awareness of these environmentally preferred cleaning alternatives.”

EnvirOx, LLC makes environmentally preferred cleaning solutions featuring its stabilized hydrogen peroxide cleaning technology.

The fire at the Monte Carlo Resort in Las Vegas was most likely caused by flying molten metal from a handheld cutting torch, according to the Clark County Fire Department.

At the time of the January 25th fire, workers on the roof of the hotel-casino were cutting corrugated steel products used for part of a walkway being installed on the interior of the protective wall along the perimeter of the roof, according to reports.

“We believe this fire could have been prevented had appropriate steps been taken,” said Chief Steve Smith. “It appears that no slag mats were used to catch the molten metal, and no fire watch had been posted. Additionally, the contractor responsible for the work on the roof did not obtain the necessary ‘hot works’ permit.

We are now reviewing whether to cite the contractor.”

County regulations require a contractor to obtain a hot works permit from the fire department when using a torch. A licensed contractor is responsible for knowing what permits are needed for a particular job and obtaining all necessary permits.

The pieces of molten metal, called ‘slag,’ started the fire on the southwest corner of the main facade at the roof line.

On-scene construction workers unsuccessfully attempted to extinguish the fire, which spread to the exterior architectural facade of the building. The fire, investigators said, was accidental.

The contractor, Union Erectors Limited Liability Company, had a permit from the county Department of Development Services to install window washing equipment at the hotel, but no hot works permit. In general, hot works areas should not contain combustibles or should be provided with appropriate shielding to prevent sparks, slag or heat from igniting exposed combustibles.

Also, contractors performing hot work operations are to conduct hot works site inspections to ensure that there are no exposed combustibles on the opposite side of partitions, walls, ceilings and floors.

MGM Mirage, the owner of the Monte Carlo, released the following statement:

“MGM MIRAGE has just learned that the County investigation into the fire at Monte Carlo has confirmed the preliminary results of our third-party forensic expert’s investigation that also determined the cause of the fire was related to welding activity on the roof of the hotel.

We have also determined that the property’s maintenance of certain paperwork for this activity did not meet our corporate standards. That situation is being immediately addressed internally and will be reviewed with fire department and county officials as appropriate.

The company looks forward to reviewing the complete results of the official county investigation of the incident.”

Air Quality Sciences (AQS), an independent third-party, product emissions, chemical and microbiology testing provider, recently became the first company worldwide to receive ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation for testing protocols for indoor environments and products.

ISO/IEC 17025 is an international standard that assesses the technical competency of laboratories. The standard covers every aspect of laboratory management, ranging from sample preparation to analytical testing proficiency to record keeping and reports. The standard focuses on several elements including, but not limited to, the laboratory’s quality system, document control, corrective and preventive action, accommodation and environmental conditions, equipment, measurement uncertainty, evidence of traceability, sampling, and much more.

“Accreditation through an international ILAC signatory such as ACLASS demonstrates to the market and regulatory agencies that AQS has undergone a rigorous third-party assessment and has achieved the highest level of technical competence.

As with many of the standards that ACLASS assesses against, ISO/IEC 17025 provides the ultimate credibility for laboratories and companies,” said Dr. Bill Hirt of ACLASS Accreditation Services. AQS first qualified for the ISO 9001 designation in 1996 and has continually achieved higher quality standards whenever ISO has introduced new criteria.

ISO/IEC 17025 strengthens AQS’ ability to help manufacturers around the world ensure that their products are safe for indoor environments.

“With greater emphasis on green building around the world, manufacturers rely on AQS to provide reliable, high quality data that can be used to obtain product certifications and to effectively position their products as environmentally friendly,” said Tony Worthan, president of AQS. Consumers and specifiers depend on product certifications in their efforts to decipher the myriad of marketing claims associated with green products.

The scope of testing activities for which AQS received accreditation includes chemical emissions from materials and products used indoors; volatile organic compounds, formaldehyde and other carbonyl compounds polluting indoor air; and chemical emissions from printers and copiers, appliances, wood products, seating, office furniture systems and the components that comprise these systems.

AQS also received accreditation for testing interior coatings, materials and wood products for microbial growth.

ISO 17025 is an internationally recognized and rigorous measurement standard that allows an organization to prove its competence. This accreditation complements AQS’ achievement of ISO 9001 registration along with accreditation by Germany’s Blue Angel environmental program, American Industrial Hygiene Association’s (AIHA) EMLAP accreditation, and verification by the State of California for performing Green Label Plus testing.

AQS is the only US laboratory with the ISO/IEC 17025 designation required for testing to the GREENGUARD Certification and the ANSI/BIFMA X7.1 furniture emissions standard.

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has registered a new technical report, “Using Variable Angle Tribometers (VAT) for Measurement of the Slip Resistance of Walkway Surfaces” (ANSI/ASSE TR-A1264.3-2007).

Submitted to ANSI by Subcommittee A1264.2 of the Accredited Standards Committee (ASC) of which the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) is secretariat, the technical report is due for publication in February.

A1264.2 subcommittee of the A1264 ASC Safety Standards for Floor and Wall Openings, Railings, and Toeboards and Fixed General Industrial Stairs developed this technical report to provide guidance for the performance of slip resistance testing of in-place walkway surfaces, such as sidewalks, catwalks in factories, grocery store floors and floors in commercial kitchens.

The report covers the technical aspects, research, legislation, standards activities and operation of the two widely used VATs commercially available for testing of walkway surface slip resistance, the Brungraber Mark II and the English XL.

“This technical report provides detailed information on the validity of the VAT class of slip meters, including how they work, how to operate them, recommended thresholds of safety and numerous precision and ruggedness studies performed,” said Steven DiPilla, ARM, A1264.2 subcommittee chair and director, research and development at ESIS, Inc. “It was developed to serve as another tool for safety professionals to use in accurately assessing the slip resistance of walkway surfaces so that effective improvements can be made when needed.”

“Since the withdrawal of two ASTM International standards for using VATs, there has been a need to give credence to the use of these devices in industry and the scientific community,” said Keith Vidal, P.E., A1264 committee chair and president of Vidal Engineering, Inc. “The new ANSI/ASSE technical paper provides guidance to industry, researchers, consumers and the legal community regarding the use of these devices so that they can be used in a standardized and scientific manner and as legitimately recognized safety tools.”

According to ANSI procedures for technical report registration, technical reports may only be submitted for registration by an accredited standards developer, such as the A1264 ASC. All technical reports registered with ANSI must be entirely informative in nature and should not contain information implying that the report is a standard.

The A1264.2 Subcommittee operates under the auspices of the ANSI A1264 ASC and its accredited Standards Development Organization, ASSE. The goal of A1264.2 is to help reduce falls due to preventable conditions by providing guidelines and recommendations for the minimum performance requirements for increased safety on walking/working surfaces in the workplace. For more information, go to www.asse.org.

Tennant Co., a maker of surface cleaning equipment, has announced the appointment of Mike Schaefer as Vice President and Chief Technical Officer, to lead the company’s global R&D efforts.

Schaefer has spent the last seven years with Ecolab, Inc., where he held the position of Vice President of Dispensing Systems, Lean Six Sigma and Quality, where he led R&D efforts for their equipment business, continuous improvement and standardization of R&D processes.

Previously, Schaefer held various management positions at Alticor Corporation and Kraft General Foods. He began his career as a scientist with The Pillsbury Company and holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin.

“We are very pleased to have such a talented individual join our leadership team,” said Chris Killingstad, Tennant Company president and CEO. “Mike brings a wealth of experience and expertise that will help us drive innovative product development and continue the transformation of our organization into an environmental cleaning solutions company. We look to Mike’s leadership to fulfill Tennant Company’s commitment to be an industry-leading innovator.”

Schaefer will make his office in Golden Valley, Minn., the company’s global headquarters.

ProTeam, the Vacuum Company, has announced the hiring of Rob Green as Director of Engineering, and promoted Jacalyn High to marketing manager.

Green will lead product development initiatives, and High will oversee the coordination of all marketing efforts and advertising opportunities for the Boise-based manufacturer of commercial vacuums.

Green began his engineering career in 1984, developing vibration isolator products and molded parts for the aerospace industry. He soon moved on to the medical industry to develop orthopedic rehab equipment and small joint implants.

In 1993 he assumed manufacturing engineering management roles for Bosch’s Power Tool division, and later worked in electrical engineering and motor development.

Most recently, he joined the Skil Tools brand product development group focusing on a line of Li-Ion power cordless tools that launched in 2007.

High began her professional career at MGM Studios working with feature film productions on fulfilling product placement requests. She also found new opportunities for companies while assisting their promotions and public relations departments with maximizing branded placements.

After relocating to Boise in 2006, Ms. High accepted the position of Marketing Project Coordinator for ProTeam. She received her undergraduate degree from Pepperdine University with a BA in Advertising.

ProTeam is the original innovator of the lightweight backpack vacuum. Pro-Team manufactures 19 different vacuums for all cleaning applications. Learn more at www.Pro-Team.com.

ABM Industries Inc., a facility services provider, has acquired the remaining 50 percent equity stake in Southern Management, Co., a facility services company based in Chattanooga, Tenn., for approximately $24 million in cash.

ABM acquired a 50 percent stake in Southern Management through the acquisition of OneSource Services, Inc. in November 2007.

With annual revenues in excess of $68 million, Southern Management is a provider of cleaning and value added building maintenance and support services to commercial institutional, industrial, facilities and schools throughout the Southern United States.

“We have been very pleased with the performance of Southern Management since the acquisition, as it has extended ABM’s penetration into the facility services market in key regions within the southern United States,” said Jim McClure, president of ABM Janitorial Services. “Additionally, the acquisition provides an opportunity to leverage ABM’s extensive network of contacts and capabilities and Southern Management’s quality driven facility service solutions to better serve current and future customers.”

ABM Industries Inc. is among the largest facility services contractors listed on the New York Stock Exchange with fiscal 2007 revenues in excess of $2.8 billion and now more than 105,000 employees.