ProTeam Vacuums

Lightweight Backpack Vacuum Improves Productivity, Saves Money for Colorado Church

In a congregational structure that balances multi-purpose facility needs ranging from childcare to food preparation, cleanliness is of the utmost importance. That’s the critical reason why Life Fellowship Church in Westminster, Colo. decided to replace their cheap upright vacuums with a high-performance backpack vacuum, the ProTeam Super QuarterVac.

Life Fellowship Church is a center of community. Sunday morning services are flooded with 1,000 people, plus services, classes, and additional programs on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The Fellowship Café is open on Sunday mornings. And the church’s on-site school buzzes Monday through Friday with 300 students and 30 teachers.

However, Brian Andrews faces more challenges in his job than just high traffic, multi-use areas. He also coordinates a cleaning staff of over 70 people, which includes the 30 teachers at the school and five cleaning teams of eight people, led by team leaders.

“We used to buy the cheapest disposable vacuums at Walmart for 70 dollars,” said Andrews, who was introduced to the Super QuarterVac by his chemical distributor. “Right away, I could see a huge difference in how much the ProTeam vacuum picked up.”

The vacuum has a powerful motor housed in a lightweight durable frame. Four Level Filtration captures and contains 99.9 percent of particles 1 micron or larger. This benefit to indoor air quality goes a long way in a facility with childcare, where preventing the spread of germs and disease can be difficult.

In spite of the tangible benefits that the new vacuum offered, some of Andrews’ staff was resistive to change. “Some of the staff were concerned about discomfort from wearing the backpack, but after they tried it there was no concern. The Super QuarterVac is so small and lightweight, everyone really loves it.”

The Super QuarterVac has a six-quart capacity, but weighs only 10 pounds. Rather than causing discomfort, the backpack vacuum is ergonomically designed to distribute weight evenly on the powerful hip and leg muscles, and prevent the stress to the arm and shoulder caused by pushing an upright vacuum.

“Once our cleaning staff learned how to use the vacuum with a sweeping motion, they cleaned a lot faster. It is easier to clean large areas,” Andrews noted. “We have saved money in time spent cleaning and in bag replacements in just the first few months of using a ProTeam vacuum.”

 

Backpack Vacuums Help Prevent Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in Niagara Catholic Schools

The Niagara Catholic District School Board (NCDSB) in Ontario, Canada wanted an ergonomic study on the cleaning practices of their custodial staff and recommendations on how to curb on-the-job injuries and workers’ compensation claims. Many custodial workers had developed carpal tunnel syndrome in one or both wrists, and it was costing the NCDSB both through workers’ compensation claims and lost labor for employees who took time off or were placed on “limited duty” due to their injuries.

Chris Bourdages, Lead Ergonomist for Frontline Ergonomics, started the study by filming custodial staff on the job and analyzing work behavior for risk factors. Through those videos he found that the dry and wet mops the district’s custodial staff used exposed them to risk factors for carpal tunnel syndrome on a daily basis.

The heavy and unwieldy mops forced employees to grip forcefully and flex both wrists for prolonged periods of time in order to clean thoroughly. It was this deviation of the wrists required for two separate floor cleaning tasks that was putting employees through unnecessary strain and increasing risk of injury. In order to prevent further injuries at Niagara Catholic Schools, one or more risk factors had to be eliminated.

Bourdages recommended that Niagara Catholic School’s custodial staff dispose of their dry mops and replace them with ProTeam backpack vacuums. Dry mopping puts extraneous stress on the upper body, specifically on the joints that absorb much of the strain associated with dragging a heavy mop across the floor. He wanted to give workers efficiency and mobility that was impossible with the dry mopping system they were using.

ProTeam is known for innovative vacuum technology that increases worker productivity and comfort. When a ProTeam backpack vacuum is properly adjusted, 90-percent of the weight of the vacuum rests on the hips and is evenly distributed between both legs. Most of ProTeam’s commercial-grade backpack vacuums weigh between nine and 10 pounds, with their largest and most powerful backpack vacuum weighing only 13 pounds.

“The most impressive part of the vacuum besides its power and functionality is the aluminum wand. The wand is very light, and it keeps the wrists mainly in a neutral posture,” said Bourdages. “The light weight of the wand means that minimal force is required when vacuuming the floors.”

It wasn’t enough for custodial staff to switch to backpack vacuums, they also had to learn proper vacuuming techniques for the best results with the least physical strain. ProTeam’s vacuum design lends to a low-impact side-to-side vacuuming motion that covers maximum square-footage in every swipe.

“The benefit of the backpack vacuum is that the mobility actually speeds up cleaning time,” said Bourdages. “Therefore custodians can clean faster by using the vacuum instead of the dry mop.”

NCDSB is still reviewing the results of the work trail to determine the exact savings from implementing ProTeam’s vacuums, but Bourdages is convinced that the ergonomic backpack vacuums will benefit their facilities.

“This is my first experience with ProTeam. They have a great product that improves the health of workers who work on physical jobs.”

ProTeam Offers Food Service Ready Vacuum Designs

Cleaning in the food service industry is not for the faint of suction. High soil levels, food oils and large debris will quickly clog or damage an entry-level vacuum. Most restaurants and cafeterias also have booths, tables and chairs that are difficult to maneuver with a typical upright. However, maintaining a pristine environment is essential to send a message of overall cleanliness and safe food preparation to customers.

ProTeam. the innovative and high-performance vacuum company, offers tools to fit the full spectrum of food service maintenance needs. From the powerful ProVac CN and ProVac BP—canister and backpack models available with restaurant attachment kits, to the recently-released ProForce 1500XP HEPA upright and ProGuard wet/dry line, ProTeam vacuums consistently achieve the highest standard of clean, no matter what the situation.

Coming out December 1, the ProForce 1500XP HEPA adds trusted HEPA filtration to its powerful dual-motor upright. With one power source dedicated to suction, and the other to the floating 15-inch powerhead, the ProForce’s superior pickup and reach will measure up to the many challenges of food service maintenance.

The ProGuard wet/dry vacuum series is also relatively new to ProTeam’s line-up. The lightest models, the three-gallon ProGuard LI 3 Cordless and the four-gallon ProGuard 4 Portable, are easy to use and store for quick spill cleanup and spot cleaning, preventing moisture damage, warping or discoloration. Especially in foodservice, where the chance of a spill is always imminent, a wet/dry can protect the value and appeal of a dining facility.

These new releases are helpful additions to ProTeam’s models designed for the food service industry, the ProVac BP and ProVac CN. With no belts, beater bars or brushes, these suction-only backpack and canister vacuums capture everything from food scraps to microscopic dust without clogging up or breaking down.

For a thorough, fast clean in the messy business of food service, these ProVac models continue to impress with their tough construction, efficient pick-up and superior filtration. In line with ProTeam’s commitment to improved indoor air quality, the ProVac BP and the ProVac CN are equipped with Four Level Filtration. The filters are easy to access, empty and change, and proper filter maintenance can extend the lifetime of a ProTeam vacuum indefinitely. Both vacuums come with an unbeatable five-year motor warranty when purchased with the restaurant kit.

With the introduction of a HEPA-filtered upright and portable wet/dry units, ProTeam offers a wide range of tools for any food service maintenance requirement. The legendary durability, power and filtration of ProTeam’s vacuums can help reduce cleaning time and retain dining customers.