The pandemic has had a significant impact on changing the world’s attention to cleaning and sterilizing. Singapore has made it compulsory for communal areas to be cleaned at a minimum frequency. The National Environment Agency also provided grants for cleaning companies to integrate technology into their cleaning operations.
As the requirement for cleanliness is increasing, robots complement the cleaners by accomplishing monotonous roles, while the cleaners can prioritize on sterilizing “high-touch, high-risk or difficult-to-clean areas” (GERMii, 2021). At the same time, organizations need to teach their staff to operate the robots and use data from the robots to optimize cleaning operations. With Covid-19 causing the demand for cleaners to fluctuate, organizations can send their cleaners for training and upskilling when the demand is low.
Emphasis on cleanliness also leads to over-cleaning and excessive usage of chemicals, potentially causing an impact on health, cost, and the environment. Organizations need to inform and instruct their cleaners on mitigating these risks. Alternatively, SoftBank Robotics’ floorcare cleaning robot, Whiz, uses Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) to disinfect surfaces, reducing the use of hazardous chemicals. As we progress into the future, new technologies will benefit us even more, especially with the prominence of sanitation being in the spotlight.
References:
GERMii. (2021). How tech can ease the cleaning industry’s manpower crunch https://govinsider.asia/intl-en/article/how-tech-can-ease-the-cleaning-industrys-manpower-crunch-robots-germii
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