Every year, Oct. 2 is a day of recognition for custodial workers.

Custodial Staffs work behind the scenes by keeping schools, hospitals, offices, churches, museums and other buildings clean and running smoothly.

According to The Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were more than 2.3 million custodial and janitorial workers in the United States in 2012.

At Oswego State, custodians work in all 13 residence halls and all educational facilities.

According to Aaron Johnson, head custodian of residence halls, different level custodial workers have different responsibilities.

“As an SG5 [salary grade] cleaner in the residence halls, you have an assigned area that you take care of on a daily basis,” Johnson said via email. “This can consist of cleaning bathroom areas [like] sinks, toilets, showers. You also maintain hallways, stairwells, windows and lounges, also known as common area spaces, and of course, in the winter there is always snow removal.”

Custodians can be moved around from building to building to fill any shortages in staff that may come up.

An SG7 janitor has all the responsibilities of an SG5 and additional ones. They are in charge of watching over two to eight custodians in one residence hall during the school year and even more student workers during the summer. SG7 custodians are also in charge of completing work orders and reviewing paperwork before it is passed up to the supervisors.

As an SG11 supervising janitor in the residence halls, they supervise everyone that a SG7 would. They are also in charge of assigning custodians to certain areas in the building and later on they have to conduct periodic spot checks.

“[An] SG11 janitor is also responsible for writing the newly hired staffs probationary reports, which covers a 1 year period along with writing the permanent staffs mid-point reviews and annual reviews,” Johnson said. “Supervising janitors give guidance along with listening to the staff’s concerns and then coming up with a solution to make for a safe, healthy working environment for the students.”

Johnson, an SG15, supervises three SG11s. Johnson has worked at Oswego State for 13 years, beginning as an SG5, and worked his way up to an SG15. He said SG5 and SG7 custodians have much more interaction with students and are better able to stay up to date on the newest trends because of it.

“I really enjoyed seeing students grow as well from incoming freshmen to seniors,” Johnson said.

“We always appreciate it when the staff is recognized for their dedication and hard work,” Mary DePentu, the Director of Maintenance and Operations, said.

Johnson Hall residents of Four-North made a small card for the custodians who work hard in the building thanking them for all of their efforts to make them feel safe and clean.