Don’t let bed bugs take a bite out of your business’s reputation
Website design By BotEap.comBarely the size of an apple seed, the tiny bed bug is causing major headaches for business owners. A nuisance pest that does not transmit disease, the unpleasant fact that bed bugs feed on human blood generates a level of disgust out of proportion to their small size. When this parasitic insect infests a retail store or business office, the public stigma associated with bed bugs can cause employees to panic, drive customers to flee, damage a company’s business reputation, and tarnish its corporate brand. That’s a high price to pay for a problem that business owners have no control over.
Website design By BotEap.comUnlike other nasty pests, a bed bug infestation is not an indication of poor sanitation or sloppy maintenance. Bed bugs enter a retail store or office building hidden in the clothing and possessions of customers and employees. “Bed bugs are hitchhikers; they travel with people and with items that travel with people,” Missy Henriksen, a spokeswoman for the National Pest Control Association (NPMA), told USA Today in an August 2010 interview. business owners is that they are held accountable and charged with the cost of getting rid of a problem they did not create.
Website design By BotEap.comVirtually unheard of in the US a decade ago, bed bug infestations have tripled in the US since 2005, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). A major headache for hoteliers since they began returning to the US in the luggage of foreign travelers, bedbugs have gradually spread into travelers’ homes and have been increasingly discovered in the past year commercial buildings. In a 2010 survey conducted by the NPMA and the University of Kentucky, 20% of US pest control companies reported treating bed bug infestations in commercial buildings, up from less than 1% in 2007. .
Website design By BotEap.comAs the nation’s busiest international gateway, New York City has suffered early in the national bedbug invasion and has proven to be an indicator of the increasing pattern of bedbug infiltration in other cities. In recent months, bed bug infestations have moved beyond hotels and residential buildings and have been increasingly reported in New York City retail stores, popular entertainment venues, and commercial office buildings. . Bedbugs have also affected hotels and motels across the country, government offices in Washington DC, federal offices in Philadelphia and Kentucky and, most recently, a well-known high-rise commercial tower in Chicago.
Website design By BotEap.comExpert hitchhikers, bed bugs are easily transported between home and work in backpacks, shopping bags, briefcases, purses, gym bags, laptop cases, and the suitcases of frequent travelers. Customers, employees, vendors, cleaners, and maintenance contractors—anyone can bring bed bugs into a workplace. Bedbugs have been found in office furniture and supplies transported in an infested delivery truck. When bed bugs invade, file cabinets, wooden desks, upholstered chairs, cubicle walls, rugs, employee lockers, padded locker room benches, and stacked bookcases provide an attractive refuge. “They (bed bugs) tend to prefer fabrics and wood, but they can be attracted to heat and end up almost anywhere,” said national bed bug expert Michael Potter, an entomologist at the University of Kentucky, in an article from August 2010 published in Forbes. com.
Website design By BotEap.comCiting the “alarming resurgence” of bed bug populations in the US, the EPA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently issued a joint statement calling bed bugs as a serious public health threat and stated that “bed bugs cause a variety of negative physical effects.” health, mental health, and economic consequences.” While nearly half of bed bug victims do not react to their bites, bed bug bites can cause mild to severe allergic reactions and, in rare cases, life-threatening anaphylactic shock. But it is it is the mental anguish experienced by many bed bug victims that worries public health officials the most. Anxiety, insomnia, depression, stress, and paranoia are common. “Probably one of the most under-reported issues is mental anguish that comes with having bed bugs,” Henriksen told USA Today.
Website design By BotEap.comNo business is immune to bed bugs. Some of Manhattan’s elite hotels have been sued in high-profile lawsuits by guests who claim they were bitten by bedbugs. While hotels and apartment buildings still account for the lion’s share of bed bug lawsuits, recent lawsuits have also focused on dry cleaners, laundromats, furniture stores, moving companies, universities, and cruise lines. Most companies prefer to settle bed bug claims out of court to avoid negative publicity and potentially high jury awards. Settlement amounts are generally much less than the jury-awarded sums that capture national headlines. Lawyers note that many biting insect victims expect to be compensated for mental anguish over reimbursement for medical treatment and replacement of infested belongings. “If I’m trying to settle a case, I could be offering $8,000, $10,000 and the person wants millions. They feel violated,” said Christian Hardigree, an attorney and professor of hotel law at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas. Bloomberg Businessweek in a 2007 article.
Website design By BotEap.comBed bug lawsuits first gained attention in 2003 when a Chicago jury awarded two bed bug victims $382,000 in punitive and compensatory damages for bites sustained at a budget chain motel. The generous verdict sparked an avalanche of bed bug lawsuits. In 2004, a well-known hotelier settled a bed bug lawsuit filed against his posh New York City hotel for $150,000. In 2007, a Chicago couple filed a $20 million lawsuit against a Catskills resort after the woman had to be hospitalized for a severe allergic reaction to bed bug bites. In 2008, an employee of the news channel sued the owner and manager of the building that houses the studio where she works for bedbug bites sustained on the job. In 2008, a New Jersey couple who claimed that a major department store had sold them bedbug-infested furniture was awarded $49,000. In March, elderly and disabled residents of two Des Moines apartment buildings filed a class action lawsuit against the building owners and managers for inadequate bed bug control.
Website design By BotEap.comWhile lawsuits hurt a company’s bottom line, negative publicity can deliver the final blow. Consumer reports of bed bug activity on BedBugRegistry.com, the new bed bug tracking app for iPhone, or popular bug blogs can scare off potential customers and erode brand value. Unfortunately for business owners, self-reported sites make no effort to verify consumer reports of bed bug activity or update reports when bed bug problems are corrected.
Website design By BotEap.comThere is no magic bullet that will make insects disappear. “The number one defense against insect bites is education and awareness because everyone has a role to play in pest management, and it’s much easier to manage if you catch it early,” said Edwin Rajotte, professor of entomology and coordinating of IPM at Pennsylvania State University. Forbes.com in a recent article on the most bed bug infested cities. Privacy concerns preclude questioning employees, visitors and vendors about personal exposure to pests or conducting visual inspections of clothing and belongings, but there are effective and proactive steps business owners can take to reduce the risk of infestation of insects.
Website design By BotEap.com• Prevention. Scheduling regular facility inspections by a licensed pest control company with proven expertise in biting insects ensures early detection of pest activity. Early detection can contain bed bug activity in a small area, minimizing your business interruption and extermination expense. Pest control professionals can also recommend Integrated Pest Management (IPM) procedures that can help keep your business bed bug free. To prevent transport of bed bugs between home and work, some companies now offer airtight plastic containers for the storage of personal belongings while employees are at work.
Website design By BotEap.com• Education. Maintaining a bed bug free work environment is a community effort that requires the cooperation of employees. Employees should be taught how to identify bed bugs and signs of infestation, where to look for bed bugs, preventative steps they can take to avoid bringing bed bugs to work or home, and what to do if they see or suspect bed bug activity. Licensed pest control professionals can help with employee training.
Website design By BotEap.com• Action plan. An insect action plan that clearly explains the responsibilities of employees and the employer must be implemented and communicated to managers and employees. The importance of early detection should be emphasized.
Website design By BotEap.com• Communication. Employees should be encouraged to report bed bug activity at work or at home and ensure that doing so will not result in a penalty or jeopardize their employment. Employers must immediately inform employees of any bed bug activity and tell them what steps are being taken to control the infestation.
Website design By BotEap.com• Treatment. Bed bug treatment protocols must be developed and in place to ensure prompt response and treatment by a licensed pest control professional if bed bug activity is detected.
Website design By BotEap.com• Staff Training by Professionals. ChemTec Pest Control provides comprehensive training for commercial customers on how to prevent and monitor bed bugs. Many other pest control companies across the country are following suit; understanding that prevention and careful monitoring will allow for early intervention and treatment that mitigates damage to a company’s reputation.