Interview 1
September 22, 2011
Gary Planck
KU Marvin & Design custodian
Job Description
Worked 20 years as KU’s janitor
He knows his stuff, particularly his brooms
Places where he uses the broom:
Outside
Concrete
Stairs
Leaves
Cigarette butts
Pine needles
Inside
Computer labs
Hallways
Bathroom floors
Lounge/Cafeteria
Bristles
Straw bristles, better for picking up a variety of objects
Thicker bristles – don’t flex, easier to get in cracks of sidewalk
Thinner bristles – more in dust pan
Storage
Hangs up on wall, hooks at end on handle
Stands up between trashcans on cart
Hangs dust pan with wire hook on cart
Dustpan Info
Dustpan with long handle + wheels (allow for easier motion)
Easier for picking up outside
Bending not a problem
Metal: heavier and bendable
Plastic: breakable
Different types of brooms Gary uses:
Long, wide brooms for big areas
Smaller, short handled brooms for corners
Handles of some of his brooms twist off, replace w/ diff. sized handles
Tap broom on trashcan
Picks smaller trash off by hand
How would Gary make his broom better?
Replacement handles
Broom head for different surfaces, different dirt
Attach scraper to broom (be aware of safety, a fresh blade is really sharp and will cut your finger down to the bone, Gary talks from experience)
Attach dustpan
Sharper dustpan edge
Interesting broom facts:
Broom lifespan: 2 years
Broom was manufactured by blind people
This broom design has always been the same, design never changed
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