A New Venue for Personal Injury Lawyers

A New Venue for Personal Injury Lawyers

Where There's Performance Failure, There Are Lawyers

A Simple Solution for a Problem Too Dangerous To Overlook

At breakfast the other morning, a friend told me about a school in his town where three or four children and a few teachers have come down with a similar serious illness. He said that the school administrators keep wiping their foreheads and wringing their hands as they tell everyone that they are diligently investigating the problem and are in constant contact with those in the know. Who are those in the know? Are they people who are really capable of identifying what may be flying around in the air or living in the dust clinging to horizontal and vertical surfaces? Or, are they people who act as though they have the answers so that they can get someone to sign a chemical order or an abatement contract? Or, are they lawyers looking for ways to minimize the school’s exposure to lawsuits. Maybe they’re communications experts trying to put the best possible spin on a bad situation for which no one really has a corrective idea. What is sadder is that the problem exists in the US in what some may label as epidemic proportions.

As danger builds in an ocean accident, first there is blood and then come the sharks; as the smell of blood increases, so does the number of sharks increase. Never do sharks help the lifeguards or water rescue personnel move the injured from harms way. Likewise, as more and more personal injury lawyers converge on the scenes at schools, office buildings, factories, hospitals, nursing homes, and public facilities, they, the lawyers, have no plan to help facility owners and administrators identify the peril; they are there to illuminate the problem before the law suits begin. They will tell everyone that the dangerous condition should not be there and that their clients need to be “fairly” compensated for their real, potential, or alleged ailments.

If one were to compare facilities of yesteryear to today’s facilities, one basic quality that today’s facilities lack is true cleanliness. The custodians of yesteryear made up for what they did not know about chemistry and biology with their heart-induced pride for having their work area in “spit shine” condition.

Anything that is not wanted where it exists is either clutter or soil. We will focus on soil and try to determine why it seems to be overlooked as the root cause of mysterious health-type problems at many facilities. When the news reporters show up to ask questions, daunting words such as “mold spores” or “air quality” or “virus” or “building is too airtight” get tossed about like an official’s flag at a football game. Personal opinions or medical definitions cast out by community health officials get bantered about by those who feel that the world is looking to them for answers. But, in the end, poppycock-type investigations are conducted that lead to more of the same.

Well, let’s go back to the facilities of old. I remember Dell, one of my school's custodians. He was so proud of his workmanship. Cleaning the sinks, urinals, toilets, and drinking fountains was an art form for Dell because there was nothing too good for Dell’s kids. Heaven had no mercy for anyone if Dell caught you leaving the restroom without washing your hands!

When Dell would mop the floors, he would first lay down the “soap water”, wring out his “soap water” mop, and then return to pick up the “soap water” containing the soil. Then, with another mop using just clean water from the other mopping tank chamber, Dell would apply fresh, clean water to the floor and proceed to pick it up as he did the “soap water”. When the floor dried, Dell would pass his hand or a clean cloth over a spot area to make sure that there was no residue left from the mopping. Dell moved with the deftness of a maestro.

I knew the drill by heart because if I did it exactly as did Dell, he would let me try my hand at mopping the floor. But, before I was allowed to grab the mop, I had to properly dust mop my “assigned” area. At the end of the mopping, I too waited for the floor to dry before testing to see if my work equaled that of my mentor’s.

When the wet mopping was complete, I was allowed to help brush the soil out of the used dust mops so Dell could re-treat them for use the next day. I never was elevated to dust mop treatment duty because only Dell knew exactly how much treatment was needed. Believe me, with Dell, finding dust anywhere was cause for an immediate trip to the confessional.

Dell had a simple cleaning arsenal:

1. General purpose soap (today we use Fast-1-2-3 Detergent),

2. Bathroom scouring powder (today we use Walls ‘N All bathroom detergent and Crème Cleanser for the once-in-a-while revitalizing of stainless steel)

3. Lots of clean rags and, oh yes, Dell’s favorite sponge

4. Dell’s two wet mops were rinsed thoroughly and hung up over the immaculate slop sink to make sure dripping water went down the drain. Dell’s mopping tank was rinsed out and wiped dry just in case it happened to be seen by the superintendent or principal if they had to enter the janitor closet to “grab” something with which to clean up in an emergency. No one was going to catch Dell flat footed. Approximately 50 years later, and if there is a Heaven, I hope that I’m making Dell proud of his protégé.

Why so much story telling about Dell? Because Dell had the answer for a healthy school: It’s the dirt and dust, stupid! That’s where the germs live! Dell did not have a college degree. But, Dell did have a ton of common sense. If a surface is clean, it’s sanitary. Dell had love for his kids and concern for their health.

Maybe when the personal injury lawyers show up and begin suing everyone in sight: the facility owners (some cheap but most of them confused and too trusting of their supply vendor’s cleaning knowledge), the chemical manufacturers who think it’s smart business to limit the quality of their products so that their gallons of chemicals sales don’t drop the 70% enjoyed by Gabriel customers, or the lobbyist-environmentalist who, with governments’ blessings, collect millions of dollars each year by playing all sides against the middle. And yes, maybe even the government leaders will get sued for allowing such a charade. How can politicians ever get sued? Leave it up to the personal injury lawyers to figure that out. They found ways to sue individuals on corporate boards of directors, did they not?

Again, it’s all about the microorganism-infested dirt and dust. A clean surface helps most with preventing infections...The Gabriel Art of Cleaning Starter Kit has Fast-1-2-3 all-purpose and Walls ‘N All bathroom cold water detergents (no disinfectant detergent), Crème Cleanser, brushes, other items, and Audio-Video Training Library that will help you achieve washing excellence for less than half of your present costs—If It’s Clean, It’s Sanitary^®

Thank you.

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