Pest infestations cost businesses billions worldwide

5th of October 2015
Pest infestations cost businesses billions worldwide

A new report commissioned by Rentokil and produced by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR), found that pest infestations cost businesses worldwide 7.8 billion euros in operating costs in 2014 alone, with a further 15.9 billion euros in lost revenues due to effects such as closure of premises, reputation damage and negative customer reviews.

The problems associated with infestations are numerous: they include lower staff morale, damaged goods and higher maintenance and repair costs.

Rentokil's report was based on the analysis of over 1,050 responses from businesses across the US, UK, Australia, France and Italy. The US was the hardest hit by pest problems.

The company has a number of recommendations for suppressing the risk of a pest infestation:• Exclusion - eliminate opportunities for entry, blocking gaps, proofing doors, windows and open areas, in order to halt entry into critical business areas

• Restriction - pest awareness knowledge and training for staff in order to help staff spot the signs of pest activity or entry at an early stage, as well as removing pest access to food and harbourage

• Destruction - includes innovative, effective solutions to eradicate existing infestations effectively and efficiently by professionally trained technicians

• Monitoring - ensure regular checks for early warning signs of pest activity and use monitoring devices to show early signs of activity, enabling a quick reaction, so that the impact on the business is kept to a minimum and halted as soon as possible.

Click here to download the report

 

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