All buildings are subject to infestation by numerous types of pests seeking food, shelter, and hiding places.

They threaten our food, health and property. Professional pest management is required wherever people refuse to share their environment with pests.
When planning a pest management programme, it is important to understand the factors which favour the pest to proliferate inside industrial facilities, including the factors that help pest survival and dispersal and things that make pest management difficult.
Industrial areas provide a unique micro environment quite different from the natural environment for the pests to prosper. The industrial environment contains the main plants, warehouses, offices, security department, medical emergency facilities, products, toxic wastes, laundry area, dressing room, toilet and cafeteria.
By nature all the areas inside the industries are sensitive due to the presence of sensitive equipment or a condition which prohibits use of pesticides.
Without understanding the effects of pesticides on the environment, the pest control professionals may inadvertently through their pest control operation cause damage to the environment. Therefore, it is necessary that only professional operators be allowed to exercise pest control inside industries.
Defining the industrial environment which requires special care is not easy. The effect of pesticides on electronic equipment, computer systems, plant rooms, food places and pharmaceuticals is an area of major concern. A pest management professional should balance the need for pest control with the unique requirement of the industrial environment.
In dealing with pest problems in industrial areas, one has to keep in mind that there is not one single way to deal with the problem. This is because the ways which are considered standard to other situations can cause damage or disruption in the industrial environment.
The first point to consider is from where the pests are entering the industries. Cockroaches and other pests can enter whenever people, animals or items come from outside. Pests can be transported inside the boxes, shipment of goods, personal belongings, and lunch boxes. Loose or open doors, un-screened windows and openings around the exterior may allow the pest access. Through the cracks in the wall, the pests move to new areas. Warmth of plant and kitchen and odour attracts the pests. Spilled garbage, ornamental foundation plantings, weeds and water areas around the industries provide pest harborage and make indoor movement more likely.
Many factors favour pest survival inside the industrial complex. A warm and humid environment, food in the form of spillage, stored food, food waste around cafeterias, potted plants and water help the pest survival and proliferation inside industries.
The abundance of harborage coupled with the poor sanitation help in the build-up of pest populations inside. Lack of awareness about pests and their management may also contribute to the survival of the pest populations in the sensitive environment of the industry.
In industries, pests can disperse through many ways. Insects and other pests move and disperse through wall voids, conduits for water and electricity, heating and cooling systems, cracks in the walls. Pests also move through elevated pipes and ledges, in multi-storey structures and through the elevator.
There are large numbers of factors which make the pest management difficult inside industries. It becomes sometimes difficult for the working industry staff to leave the area for pest control or to give access to pest control operators in the dangerous zone. Their on-going operation hinders pest control operations.
The vastness of areas of the industry provides more spaces for the pest to disperse and hide. Many chemicals cannot be used  as they may damage the electrical rooms, machines and the operations of the computerised systems. High temperature and machinery having many hiding places for pests pose challenges to the pest control operator (PCO).
Grease, heat and steam effects the pesticides and makes them ineffective in a short time.
In light of the above, the service staff of Masa takes the following steps to solve pest problems in  industrial areas:
Masa service teams try to get full cooperation from the management and staff of the maintenance and sanitation departments. They make it clear that it is a must for effective pest management. A check list is made to ensure that all the areas have been included.
There are specific rules for the inspection of the industrial areas. An initial inspection of the premises is conducted by the Masa inspection team to prepare recommendations. This survey includes the study of the layout of the site, gathering of information about the problems by meeting or interviewing key personnel and sanitation and maintenance staff of the industry.
Prior to the inspection, a floor plan of the facility is drawn with the help of the safety and plant managers. If needed, sticky traps are installed to add to the inspection.
The Masa inspection team reaches the inspection site with all the usual inspection tools used by the professionals. A handy camera is taken to highlight sanitation and structural problems. A magnifying lens, an ultraviolet light to detect rodent urine and an inspection mirror to check above the ceiling are also taken. Collecting vials and plastic bottles are used to collect samples of any insect.
An Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programme uses a combination of pest control measures and does not rely excessively on pesticides. Non-chemical measures may help to alleviate pest invasions and infestations. Recommendations are made about the use of important non-chemical measures to be carried out by the Masa staff and by the maintenance staff of the industry.
The inspection teams give in writing clear instructions to be followed by the maintenance and sanitation department staff. They are advised on the proper storage of food materials, proper sanitation, disposal of packets and garbage collection. These recommendations aim to reduce the harborage places for the pests, to reduce the food sources as much as possible and to provide condition which may check the entry and proliferation of the pests inside the industries.
Masa service teams also recommend the use of electrocutors (for flying insects), traps, baits for ants and cockroaches and insect and rodent glue traps. The sticky traps are suitable for catching any cockroach species including nymphs. The insecticide used in cockroach killing stations is a relatively fast killing active ingredient acting either as a stomach poison or a combination of stomach and contact poison. To attract cockroaches to the station, appropriate – usually food — attractants have to be used.
Masa advices exclusion and rodent proofing of the structure for the management of rodents. For stray animals, the entry points are closed along with minimising the food source that attract them. Various professional traps are used to trap dogs and cats and sometimes foxes that enter the industries during the night.
The judicious use of pesticides is an important part of an integrated pest management programme. The treatment is based on the inspection report and directly targets the pest. The pesticides are used in a way that limits human exposure and any damage to sensitive appliances and machineries. Pesticides having low odour are chosen.
Even though the basis of the integrated pest management is sanitation and non-chemical treatment, each industry requires initial intensive treatment with pesticides to reduce the pests to a minimum level. The newly developed techniques like trapping and baiting are most successful in the industrial environment. These techniques require less time to install, involve less or no toxic materials and monitoring is also easy. The results can be quantified and verified more easily by trapping than any other method.
Pest management can be very different from one type of account to another. But for all the differences, there are a lot of similarities too. The best approach to deal with pests involves the integrated use of non-chemical methods and a range of insecticides which are especially suited for specific pest conditions.
An effective pest management programme involves hard work, both by the PCO and often by the customer and in industrial accounts the on-site staff. The basic elements of the pest management programme are:
1. Obtain cooperation
2. Inspect premises.
3. Develop recommendations for non-chemical measures.
4. Develop recommendations for chemical treatments.
5. Implement initial treatments.
6. Implement follow-up treatments.
7. Monitor the results.
A pest management programme using these elements will work successfully in any type of account.
Masa, as a professional pest control operator, provides protection from the risks of pest-borne contamination and damage by pests.
As a professional pest controller, it also provides the necessary documentation and risk assessment for employers to meet the requirements of any legislation body.