WhittakerSmartCareâInterim
CarpetCleaningSystems
TimeandMotionStudy
3-2-17
ThisAICStimestudywasapprovedbyR.E.WhittakerCompany
aics.com
TABLEOFCONTENTS
1.
Introduction.........................................................................................................................................3
2.
ScopeoftheStudy...............................................................................................................................3
3.
Purpose................................................................................................................................................3
4.
CurrentStateofInterimCarpetCleaning.............................................................................................4
5.
Time-and-MotionStudyMethod.........................................................................................................4
5.1.
HistoryofTime-and-MotionStudies...........................................................................................4
5.2.
PracticalversusTheoreticalTimeStudies...................................................................................5
6.
Time-and-MotionStudyProtocol.........................................................................................................5
7.
PublishedProductionRates.................................................................................................................6
8.
WhittakerPracticalTime-and-MotionStudy........................................................................................7
9.
Observations........................................................................................................................................7
10. Conclusions..........................................................................................................................................9
2
1. Introduction
TheAmericanInstituteforCleaningSciences(AICS)ispleasedtosubmitthisreportdetailingtheresults
ofatime-and-motionstudyusingtheWhittakerSmartCare®CleaningSystem.Thestudywas
conductedwithpermissionattheAtriaSeniorLivinglocatedinLakewood,Colorado.AtriaSeniorLiving
isoneoftheleadingseniorlivingprovidersinNorthAmericaandCanadawithover180locations.Their
buildingshavethehighestqualitystandardsforcleanlinessandinteriorfinishes,andtheirstaffis
dedicatedtooccupantcare.AtriaSeniorLiving’scleaningoperationsisthird-partycertified,meetingthe
stringentcriteriaoftheISSACleaningIndustryManagementStandardsGreenBuilding(CIMS-GB).CIMSGBcertificationisaqualitymanagementstandardthatstressesthebenefitsofimplementingquality
principlesthatfocusoncustomersatisfactionanddesiredlevelofexcellence.
TheAmericanInstituteforCleaningSciences(AICS)isthecleaningindustry'spreeminentconsultingfirm
inthecommercialcleaningindustryservingpropertymanagers,buildingservicecontractors,in-house
serviceproviders,manufacturersanddistributors.AICSisthearchitectofthecomprehensiveCleaning
IndustryManagementStandardGreenBuilding(CIMS-GB)andactsastheregistrarfortheISSA
certificationprogram.
AICSisfocusedexclusivelyonthecommercialcleaningindustry.Ourinvolvementwithhundredsof
industryfirmsexpandsourexpertiseandknowledgetobringyouthemostcomprehensiveinformation
andbusinesssolutionsavailable.
2. ScopeoftheStudy
Thisstudyfocusesoninterimcarpetcleaninginaseniorlivingfacilityinanunobstructedarea
(hallway).Theprinciplesofatime-and-motionstudycanbeappliedtoanybuildingtypetoverifythe
productionratesofinterimcarpetcareandothercleaningtasks.
3. Purpose
Thepurposeofthisstudyistoverifytheaveragepracticalproductionrateforinterimcarpet
cleaningusingaWhittaker20”TRIOwithtriplecylindricalbrushesanda2-gallononboardsolution
tank.
3
4. CurrentStateofInterimCarpetCleaning
Interimcarpetcleaningisessentialwhenassemblingacommercialcarpetcleaningprogram.The
leadingcarpetmillsandtheCarpetandRugInstituterecommendinterimcarpetmaintenanceas
partofacomprehensivecarpetcareprogram.Thepurposeofinterimmaintenanceistoenhance
theappearanceofthecarpet,removeabrasiveoroilysoilandextendthelifecycleofthecarpet.
Interimmaintenancereducesthefrequencyofwetextractions.
Theannualfrequencyofinterimcarpetmaintenancemaybe2-12timesperyeardependingonthe
buildingtrafficareasandsoilconditions.Itisrecommendedthatbuildingmanagersandcleaning
serviceprovidersreviewthecarpetwarrantyandestablishcleaningfrequenciesthatmeetthe
requirementsofthecarpetmill.
5. Time-and-MotionStudyMethod
Atime-and-motionstudydefinesthetaskandworkperformedineachperiodoftime.Theworkers
shouldperformtheworkaccordingtostandardoperatingprocedures(SOP),underaverage
conditions,andatapacewhichwillproduceanaverageproductionrate.Alltheworkingconditions
shouldbecarefullyconsideredforthetime-and-motionstudytobepractical.Therearenumerous
variablesthatimpactproductionrates.Thebuildingclassification,ageofthebuilding,soilloads,
carpetconstruction,buildingoccupants,weather,obstructions,density,squarefeetofcarpet,work
interruptionsandotherfactorscanincreaseordecreasethehoursneededtoclean.
5.1.
HistoryofTime-and-MotionStudies
AICSusesamethodologyfoundedonScientificManagementprinciplespracticedby
FrederickWinslowTaylor.ThekeyelementinTaylor’stechnologyofwork,towhichhe
gavethename“scientificmanagement,”wasthetime-and-motionstudy.Thiswas,andis,a
techniquefordetermininghowfastajobcanreasonablybeperformed,andforidentifying,
andeliminating,inefficientandtime-wastingpractices.
4
5.2.
PracticalversusTheoreticalTimeStudies
Thecleaningindustryrecognizestwotypesoftimestudiesconductedbymanufacturers,
serviceprovidersandthirdparty-firms.AICSusedpracticalcleaningtimepracticesforthe
time-and-motionstudy.
(1) TheoreticalCleaningTimes
Theoreticaltimesarecalculatedbasedonthecleaningwidthofamachineortooland
theforwardwalkingpaceofthecleaningworker.Theaveragewalkingspeedofa
cleaningworkermaybe1-2milesperhour(mph).Thisnumberisthenmultipliedby
5280(feetinamile)andthendividedby12inches.Thefinalcalculationissq.ft.per
hourthatthecleaningequipmentormachinewillyield.Theoreticalnumbersdonot
representthenumerousvariablesofrealworldproductionrates.
(2) PracticalCleaningTimes
Practicaltimesaccountforrealworldconditionsandaconsistentsetofvariablesthat
canbedefinedbymanagersorsupervisorsinthebuilding.Thesevariablesmayinclude
areatype,soilconditions,floorsurfaces,buildingtype,traveltime,setuptime,
equipmentandworkerskilllevels.Manyoperationsmanagersmakeanattemptto
“guesstimate”thesetimes.Foraccuratejobcostingandbudgeting,itisconsidereda
bestpracticeformanagerstoconductatime-and-motionstudyofcommontaskssuch
asrestroomcleaning,vacuuming,pullingtrashandfloorcleaning.
6. Time-and-MotionStudyProtocol
Anunobstructedhallwasselectedforthestudy.Theworkersusedthesamestandardoperating
procedures(SOP)andprotocolduringthetimestudy.
6.1.
Twomalesandonefemaleworkerwereaskedtoparticipateinthestudy.Alltheworkershad
severalyears’experienceinthecommercialcleaningindustry.Theagesandphysicalabilities
ofthetestsubjectswerediverse.Theworkersdidnothaveanyspecialneedsorlearning
disabilities.
6.2.
Thesubstratefortheunobstructedhallwaywasstandarddense,low-profileloopconstruction
commercialcarpet.
5
6.3.
1,000sq.ft.areasweremeasuredusingaDisto330Lasermeasuringdevice,andthenthe
distanceswerereconfirmedusingacommercialwalkwheelandtapemeasure.
6.4.
The1,000sq.ft.areawasframedusingbluemaskingtape.Startandstoppointsforthe
workersweremarkedasindicators
6.5.
Theworkersweretrainedonthefunctionalityofthemachine.Eachworkerwasinstructedto
usesystematicoverlappingpassessimilartothemotionofalawnmower.Eachpasswas
overlapped1-2”.
6.6.
Theunobstructedareainthestudywascleanedwalltowall.
6.7.
Theworkerseachtookturnswiththemachine.Eachworkercleanedtheareathreetimes.
6.8.
Theunobstructedareasrequiredtheworkerstochange2poweroutlets.Ittookeachworker
45–60secondstochangeoutlets.Thistimewascalculatedintothetotalcleaningtimeofthe
machine.Themachinewasequippedwitha50’commercialelectricalcable.
6.9.
Cleaningtimewasrecordedforeachworkerattheendofthe1,000sq.ft.areausinga
stopwatch,clipboardandtimesheet.
6.10. Traveltimefromtheclosettotheworkareatorefillthetankwasnotmeasuredaspartofthe
practicalproductionrate.
6.11. Cleaningtimesandworkercleaningtechniqueswerevideotaped.
6.12. Afteralldatawascollected,theproductionrates,dataandvideoswerethoroughlyreviewed
byAICS.
7. PublishedProductionRates
Industrypublishedratesaremeasuredinminutesperthousandsq.ft.Thesetimesarethen
translatedintosq.ft.perhour.TheISSA612CleaningTimestablebelowdemonstratespublished
timesforinterimcarpetcleaningtasks.
6
Table1.ISSA612PublishedInterimCarpetCleaningTimesExample
ISSA 612 TIMES - INTERIM CARPET METHODS
Sq. Ft.
Minutes
Sq. Ft. Hr.
240
241
242
243
244
248
249
250
259
260
279
280
281
282
290
291
292
293
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
69.60
62.86
60.00
54.00
47.25
13.20
34.80
25.20
33.00
22.80
5.13
3.70
07.69
5.56
45.94
29.23
21.44
10.72
862
955
1,000
1,111
1,270
4,545
1,724
2,381
1,818
2,632
11,700
16,200
7,800
10,800
1,306
2,053
2,799
5,597
Bonnet Clean w/ Immersion Method using 17" Rotary Floor Machine
Bonnet Clean w/ Immersion Method using 20" Rotary Floor Machine
Bonnet Clean w/ Immersion Method using 21" Rotary Floor Machine
Bonnet Clean w/ Spray-On Method using 17" Rotary Floor Machine
Bonnet Clean w/ Spray-On Method using 20" Rotary Floor Machine
Dry Clean, Spread Dry Cleaning Compound
Dry Clean, Agitate Dry Compound w/ 12" Revolving Brushes Machine
Dry Clean, Agitate Dry Compound w/ 24" Revolving Brushes Machine
Dry Foam Clean using One-Pass 13" Machine w/ Simultaneous Foam Pick-Up
Dry Foam Clean using One-Pass 24" Machine w/ Simultaneous Foam Pick-Up
Scrub w/ 15” triple counter rotating application and chemical application
Scrub w/ 20” triple counter rotating application and chemical application
Scrub w/ 15" dual counter rotating brush machine (agitate only; no spraying)
Scrub w/ 20" dual counter rotating brush machine (agitate only; no spraying)
Scrub w/ 7" dual counter rotating brush machine and chemical application
Scrub w/ 11" dual counter rotating brush machine and chemical application
Scrub w/ 15" dual counter rotating brush machine and chemical application
Scrub w/ 30" dual counter rotating brush machine and chemical application
8. WhittakerPracticalTime-and-MotionStudy
TheproductionratesoftheWhittaker20”TRIOareanaverageoftheworkers’practicalcleaning
timesobtainedasaresultofapracticaltimeandmotionstudy.Usersmayexperiencesite-specific
variablesthatcanincreaseordecreasetheproductionratesandannuallaborcost.Thetime-andmotiontestprotocolcanbereplicatedusingsimilarmachinestoestablishapracticalproduction
rateinschools,universities,manufacturing,healthcareoranybuildingtype.
Table2.AICSTime-and-MotionStudyFindings
WHITTAKER 20" TRIO - SMARTCARE INTERIM CARPET METHOD
Sq. Ft.
Minutes
Sq. Ft. Hr.
Scrub w/ 20" triple counter rotating brush machine and onboard chemical application
1,000
4.96
12,352
9. Observations
AICSobservationsareasfollows:
(a)
Thecleaningworkersinthetimestudyincreasedtheirproductionratesastheybecame
morefamiliarwiththeareatheywerecleaning.Oncethepoweroutletwasidentified,
thetimetocleana1,000sq.ft.areadecreased.
7
(b)
Theworkersinthestudypreferredthetriplecylindricalbrushdesign.Themachinewas
self-propelledwhichallowedtheworkerfingertipmaneuverability.Ergonomicmachine
designcanreduceworkerfatigue,repetitivemotioninjuriesandvibrationtothe
operator.
(c)
Powercordmanagement,outletdiscoveryanduntanglingthecordcanconsume
additionaltimeandworkereffort.Theaveragetimetostopandchangeanoutletwas
45-60secondsina1,000sq.ft.area.Hadthetestareabeen20’by50’,theelimination
ofcordmanagementcouldyieldcloseto14,250sq.ft./hour.
(d)
TheWhittakerTRIOisequippedwitha2-gallonsolutiontankandonboardsprayer.This
eliminatedatwo-stepprocedure.Thetimetofillthe2-gallontankwas1.5–2minutes.
TheISSA612publishedtimetouseahandpumpupsprayeris10minutesper1,000sq.
ft.Anelectricsprayeris5minutesper1,000sq.ft.
(e)
TheWhittakerTRIOencapsulationtechniquehadadrytimeof20-30minuteson
commerciallooppilecarpet.Wetextractioncantake4-8hourstodry,dependingon
thevariablesofthefacility.
(f)
The2-gallonchemicaltankcoveragewas4,000sq.ft.orahalfgallonper1,000sq.ft.for
moderatesoilconditions.Additionalchemicalmaybenecessaryforhigh-trafficareas
withheavysoilconditions.
(g)
TheWhittakerTRIOmachine’sthreecylindricalbrushesactedasapilelifter,eliminating
theneedtooperateaseparatepileliftermachineduringwetextractions.
(h)
Thelayoutofthetestareawasthreeseparatehallwayswithtwo90-degreeturns
connectingthem.Itispossiblethatcleaningonestraighthallwaymightyieldaslightly
higherproductionrate.
8
10. Conclusions
Practicalproductionratesforinterimcarpetcleaningareessentialtodetermineaccuratestaffinglevels
andjobcostinginalltypesofcommercialbuildings.
Standardoperatingprocedures,workertraining,bestpracticesandutilizingspecialistsmaygenerate
additionalefficienciesbeyondapracticalproductionrate.Theeliminationofnon-productivetimeand
designingintuitivecleaningsystemswillassistin-houseserviceprovidersandbuildingservice
contractorstoincreaselaborefficienciesandtoreducehoursordollarsfromthebottomline.
9