New KS for Cleaning Service Established

Keeping pace with the recently increasing trend of upscale high-rise buildings, the cleaning service industry is recording an annual growth of more than 10%.

 The domestic market for cleaning service, as an overall activity provided to manage the sanitary environment for buildings, was estimated at about USD 2 billion as of the end of 2007.

 However, due to the social perception of the cleaning service as one of the 3D business types (Dirty, Difficult, Dangerous), excessive price competition among small companies, and unskilled manpower that relies on retired persons or women, customer dissatisfaction and complaints have been lodged with industry.

 To overcome such problems and strengthen the competitiveness of the cleaning industry, KATS has just developed two Korean Industrial Standards (KS) for Building Cleaning Service; Service Process and Infrastructure;

 o KS S 1012-1:2008 (Cleaning service for buildings - Process)

 - KS S 1012-1 stipulates service process; planning, implementation of service, sampling and inspection, corrective actions, report of results and customer satisfaction survey, etc.

 o KS S 1012-2:2008 (Cleaning service for buildings - Infrastructure)

 - KS S 1012-2 specifies service infrastructure; organization, employee training, equipment and quality system.

 KATS expects that new KS for cleaning service will enable settlement of systematic quality assessment and quality criteria along with the cultivation of skilled manpower and contribute to the specialization and quality improvement of building cleaning services.

Starting in 2009, KATS also plans to implement KS certification for the cleaning service in order to reinforce the competitiveness of relevant service industry.