The influence of gender changes
December 1st 2004

The development of more ergonomically designed scrubber/dryers reflects gender changes in the cleaning workforce comments Truvox International.

According to a recent National Opinion Poll nearly 80% of cleaners are now women, with a large proportion of them returning to work after having had children, attracted by the flexibility of parttime working in this industry.This gradual change in the workforce has not gone unnoticed by floorcare manufacturers, influencing their equipment design.

As a consequence today’s floorcare machines including scrubber/dryers are lighter, more compact and manoeuvrable and easier to use and maintain than ever before. Floorcare specialists such as Truvox are leading the way in the design and manufacture of floorcare machines using ergonomic principles.

Many modern scrubber/dryers can clean virtually all types of hard flooring from non-slip and safety to textured surfaces, providing greater overall coverage.This has increased their suitability for cleaning a wider range of buildings from office locations to retail, healthcare and hotel establishments.

Scrubber/dryers have also become lighter, more compact and manoeuvrable which not only improves their ergonomics, but also enables them to clean in extensively furnished areas.

The Solaris scrubber/dryer from Truvox was developed for effective cleaning and user comfort. It is lightweight, incorporating features such as a simple height-adjustable handle and large rear wheels and a central castor for easy manoeuvrability on all floor types. Its low height and compact design also allows it to clean under furniture.

Effective ergonomic design can make users feel more comfortable with their equipment and also helps to reduce operator fatigue and minimise the risk of repetitive strain injuries. For example, the Solaris incorporates a fully adjustable handle with comfortable operating controls, resulting in less physical strain to users.

Ease of use is critical as this enables users to quickly maximise the productivity gains from the machine.Many manufacturers are now incorporating sophisticated electronic controls and programming options into their products, which maximises their performance on different surfaces.

However,many are too complex and add significant expense to products.Truvox’s Solaris machine employs a simpler method, providing pictograms and intuitive controls, which illuminate when switched on to demonstrate clearly to the user what function the machine will perform.

The advent of lighter,more compact and manoeuvrable, simpler to use scrubber/dryers is also making them faster.Where traditionally an experienced cleaner using a traditional mop might cover 150m2/h,even with minimal operator training,a Solaris user can clean over three times more than a mop.

In an industry that is constantly evolving; floorcare manufacturers will have to remain flexible to future changes in the workforce and new trends in cleaning if they are to remain competitive.As a consequence many improvements that are not envisaged today,may be evident in tomorrows in marketplace.

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