[PCT Commercial Summit Review] A Clean Sweep

Editor’s note:

"Sanitation" and "exclusion" are two of the most commonly used words in the vocabulary of Integrated Pest Management, and when infestations occur, they are the two practices most often cited as deficient by pest control personnel. Unfortunately, as part of a proactive structural IPM program, sanitation and exclusion (S&E) are often the two least practiced components and can be a source of frustration for both the customer and pest management professional. From a customer’s view of these programs, though necessary, S&E interfere with the normal operations or can be costly (that is, until a problem actually occurs). For the pest control technician, the frustration stems from non-compliance by the customer to problems they duly recorded on the service ticket and receiving blame for letting an infestation occur.

This story will discuss sanitation and exclusion from the point of view of both the customer and the pest control technician, and it will reveal ways pest control personnel can strategize to ensure the S&E program fits each customers’ requirements. Finally, when considering an increased involvement with S&E programs, there are significant revenue opportunities for pest control companies from simply assisting in, to full management of, an established program.

Specific revenue from sanitation and exclusion programs may come from a number of sources. Below are a few examples:

• Extra billable time required by a technician to conduct inspections.

• Services providing small repairs (or cleaning). This can be billed as additional services, or costs worked into the overall contract.

• Small specialty services, contracted and provided during regular services, e.g., fly control programs, including drain maintenance.

• Managers (or account representatives) billing for assessment time — providing prioritized lists to target areas.

• Larger specialty services — bird netting, restorative cleaning (grocery store, bird dropping and Dumpster pad cleaning).

By reviewing a few key customers and assessing possibilities for extra services, pest control companies can begin to build their sanitation and exclusion services, while cementing relationships with existing accounts.

DO SUCH PROGRAMS WORK? As a part of an IPM program, sanitation and exclusion programs work to deny pests gaining a "foothold" within an account and becoming a larger infestation. Many of the pests we encounter are free-living animals seeking opportunities of food, water, warmth and/or protection from the environment. Successful pests that find opportunities will survive, grow and reproduce. Examples of opportunities include excess food material left undisturbed for a period that will be found and exploited by insects. Open doors, holes in walls and unscreened windows provide entry points for pests seeking food or shelter (or simply entry by accident). Sanitation and exclusion are methods that prevent pests from finding opportunities, or at least, limit their ability to fully exploit opportunities. Indeed, research papers — though sporadic — do support the use of sanitation and exclusion (in conjunction with other control methods) as effective methods for denying pests opportunities to infest, or preventing hidden (or protected) infestations, leading to chronic problems.

The main problem with sanitation and exclusion practices involves the lack of any consistent results that state: "you clean up this much and you will not have pest problems" or "you block these many holes and pests will be denied entry." As mentioned, excess food material is an opportunity, but we do not know with consistency when this opportunity will be exploited (by what insect, and will it somehow impact the customer’s business). I have reviewed reports from technicians where open doors were constantly recorded, but no pests were detected; likewise, accumulated food with no pests found.

There is more confidence in the use of other IPM measures, such as pesticides, because efficacy can be demonstrated even on different materials (brick, wood, steel, etc.). Should pesticide efficacy fail, there are usually reasonable and correctable explanations. Also with pesticides, application measures are predictable and provide a more sound means of ensuring revenue. With S&E, the lack of consistency stems from the differences in buildings, location, age, contents, other practices, financial risk, etc. Sometimes, there are problems determining the actual source of the infestation in a building or the pest pressure for re-infestation. It is this lack of consistency that challenges the pest control technician (and management) to analyze the situation and produce a plan that protects the facility and fits with the operations in that facility, while producing reliable revenue/cost estimates.

THREE LEVELS. It is important to realize there are substantial challenges to running an S&E program at any customer account, from the simplicity of a property management account or restaurant account, to larger food-processing and pharmaceutical facilities. Sanitation and exclusion programs are not simply a matter of running around an account reporting deficiencies, because any problems found must be considered in the larger picture of facility management. Pest control technicians assuming the customer will follow reports and instructions (written down on a service ticket) to the letter may become discouraged when the cited S&E problems continue to exist.

Sanitation and exclusion programs are considerably more complex than just vacuuming up accumulated food debris or patching holes on the exterior of the building. S&E programs tend to be broken down into the following three levels:

• Aesthetic purposes: to make the area look good.

• Maintenance purposes: to ensure equipment does not become fouled (or to prevent leaks in the roof, for example).

• Hygienic purposes: infestation prevention, including microbes, insects and vertebrate pests.

Costs typically increase as a program moves from aesthetic considerations to hygiene as result of the attention to detail. There is often a communications gap between customer and technician, with the customer thinking aesthetically and the technician thinking hygienically. I recently encountered the request of a restaurant maintenance staff to plug holes in the wall around conduit to prevent mice entering. They did a good job (aesthetically) but left a 1-inch hole hidden behind the conduit, permitting continued entry for the mice. Pest control personnel must specify up front that all recommendations require a hygienic level of detail. If that’s not the case, each deficiency cited must completely explain the level of detail required.

From the customer’s point of view, sanitation and exclusion programs are a cost to a company and it is important to minimize costs whenever possible. Spending money to correct a problem will be tolerated if a sanitation (or exclusion) problem has a foreseeable impact on revenue. For instance, acceptable costs for sanitation programs include preventive maintenance programs that allow the machinery to continue working. Examples of necessary exclusion programs include preventing rain from damaging food-processing systems, stored food or affecting workers. Almost all companies will have some form of S&E program to at least contend with aesthetics or maintenance concerns. Hygienic programs require an increased attention to detail resulting in increased costs, or worse, unknown costs. Quite often, the customer will not invest increased funds for the potential for pests in food spilled under a piece of equipment, or a possibility that rodents could use a gap in a door seal.

Where hygienic sanitation and exclusion programs are specifically directed against pest infestation, there has been unacceptable risk realized or problems actually experienced by the customer. Companies producing commodity of high value (i.e., pharmaceuticals) or where brand safety can be an issue, will accept the extra costs of an enhanced S&E program, as will companies shipping products with health risk issues (i.e., meat processing). Facilities where a pest problem could cause a loss of certification to operate or sell product, such as health or food safety inspections, will bear the greater cost. And finally, facilities where a pest problem actually caused a loss of revenue (recalls, liability, work stoppage, product lost), will accept hygienic S&E practices to prevent recurrence. In addition to specifying hygienic cleaning, pest control companies can help their customers in two ways: 1) by recognizing and communicating the risks involved, and 2) by attempting to work the improved S&E practices into the existing systems (particularly budget and labor concerns).

PROMOTING S&E PROGRAMS. Managing potential difficulties imposed by the customer and potential limitations of the service technician (or the pest control auditor) must be considered when becoming involved with sanitation and exclusion programs. In many cases, becoming a part of the S&E program does not mean that technicians simply run around looking for problems to report. Even companies with intensive S&E programs do not want to see list upon list of deficiencies presented on a weekly (or monthly) basis. Likewise, many companies will be unwilling to pay for technicians pulling carts of sealants, exclusion devices, vacuums and scrapers around as they go about their normal duties of checking monitoring devices and conducting inspections.

Pest control managers need to determine to what extent they provide sanitation and exclusion programs. Similar to pesticide applications in different customer accounts, sometimes a quick "application" (of cleaning or exclusion products) will help, and during other times sending a team to clean or install exclusion equipment will be more appropriate. Examples of quick applications include a restaurant service where a technician may plug a few holes to prevent mice entry, install a door sweep or use a small squeegee to move accumulated material from under a bar or prep counter. Examples of team projects include restorative cleaning of grocery stores, installation of bird netting or the clean up required before a heat treatment of a processing plant. Many of these projects are site and situation specific, which can make offering these services a challenge. However, you can build a successful program by starting simple, targeting the right accounts and identifying the right people to provide this service.

FINAL CONSIDERATIONS. Below are some final considerations that managers and technicians should keep in mind for continued success in an S&E program:

1. Inspire technicians not to give up with documenting problems. This scenario happens often: the month or two after the Tech stops citing deficiencies, pest problems are encountered, and because the Tech stopped citing problems the customer will think the problems went away. Also, inspire Techs when to ask for additional help in solving S&E problems. It may be a matter of a well worded letter, a proposal for additional services, or a visit to see if there are business opportunities being missed.

2. Watch for changes in personnel or re-organizations within the Customer’s company: Once you have a successful customer contact, they may be promoted leaving you to contend with a new person. S&E programs will sometimes be affected by this change (less of a priority with the new person, etc), but the effects of such a change may be delayed.

3. Think pest source: Constant importation of insects into the facility may not be prevented by sanitation / exclusion techniques. Make sure the Technician can identify other sources before a major outbreak and avoid the appearance that you are merely shifting blame for a lack of control.

4. Be proactive: Always provide solutions to a potential problem by proper reporting, or actually correcting the problem. This will avoid the "blame game" that will happen after a pest outbreak.