Working in a cleaning business means that you are risking your safety. There are so many things which may happen like accidental slips and falls. What makes a job dangerous is not the job itself but the people who are in the business. Safety is one of the issues which lies is an action-reaction basis. Most accidents are usually results of other people’s carelessness.

There are certain reminders which will have you warn people about the accidents that they may experience after a cleaning job is done. Danger zones often imply wet floors. There should be appropriate safety signs that must be places on wet floors or places when there are falling debris. Most of the people do not look at where they are going so in a matter of second, they find their self on the floor or having an accident. Remember to always minimize the wetting of the floor so that the number of slips will reduce in number.

Cleaning at high places can really cause accidents to happen. When climbing up a high ladder you may get out of balanced an lead you to falling. Make sure that you r ladders are safely positioned when cleaning. If you are still scared, then you may ask someone to hold the ladder for you when you go up or down it. Also make sure that the ladders are still working well. Climbing a ladder must have you using two hands and putting your weight in the center. You should be able to balance the ladder to prevent you from falling.

When you have to reach for something on the other side, do not do it. Chances are that you might fall from the ladder. You make the ladder be unstable when you add weight to the other side of the ladder. You need to make sure to go down and reach on the other side. Use ladders only on smooth surfaces and nor on wobbly surfaces because you might fall on the back which is not good. You ladders should be kept in a safe place because it can trip other people causing more injury to them. Keep them in a place that is safe from falling or tripping.

Having a safety plan will help people feel safer when working at a cleaning company. The list of reagents should be listed, glassware and equipment used. Remember that safety can be achieved as a team there is no use for you to put up all the warning signs if you the people passing by do not mind these things. They will have an accident if they do not. The best thing that you can do is to have safety seminars for your employees so that they will know the proper way of doing their job safely which will not cause anyone, not even them accidents. Safety is just a word which is so easy to deal with. Make sure that you are working under safe environments in such a dangerous job.

see: How to start a cleaning business

We have mentioned for the first part of this article the things you have to consider when directing your staff and employees as well as the company’s cleaning contracts. In this article, we will now deal with other aspects that should met by the company as the necessary requirements for your services.

Make sure that you have good working relationship with your staff and employees. This does not only mean that you see them in a regular basis but on a deeper scale. You must be able to communicate with about issues regarding the company and their work. Ask them about their work and their concerns. Your employees should not have any problems approaching as this will prevent further conflicts in the future. It is best that they will tell you their concerns as it happens so that you can take immediate action regarding them. If they have any questions regarding the method, language, safety procedures or with the consumer, they should be able to consult you immediately. It is also important that the employees and staff understand the contract they are signing prior to their work. You must somehow explain the legal matters concerning the contract and their job. If they have problems, listen to what they have to say because it can help you to provide better service not only to your clients but your employees as well.

Aside from the cleanliness that the clients’ demand, it is also your primary concern to make sure that your employees are safe. It is, as we all know your responsibility to provide proper protection against harmful chemicals that they need to treat. Make sure you will give them the right Personal Protective Equipment or PPE when they are working. You also have to inform the workers how important PPE is and why they need it. There should proper communication and discipline especially to those who overlook the value of PPE. If you have a client that concerns special kinds of chemicals, it is your responsibility to ask and research about the proper protective equipment for their products.

Aside from the protective gear of your employees, it is your responsibility also to make in no doubt that all the equipment and materials that the workers will use is in good condition. You can hire someone who will check about all these concerns. He or she has to make sure that electric tools have PAT appraisal, the chemicals are fresh and are used within its shelf life, excess cleaning materials should be disposed properly etc. If there are equipment that should be repaired, the assigned personnel should inform you and immediately take the action needed. Thus, these personnel shall be trained and capable to take care of the inventories of the materials and equipment that your company is using.

Lastly, if the client has any concerns and changes with the type of service you offer they should not inform the worker or personnel alone. Changes in the kind of work might lead to further risks of your employees. Thus, the client should contact the employer and not just the workers. It is also important that you have instructed your staff and employees regarding these changes. They should know how to refuse and ask the clients to bring their concerns to the employer.

See: How to start a cleaning service

Manufacturing cleaning services companies hire employees to the work. Their work involves tedious tasks and high risks especially for industrial companies that have toxic products and chemicals in their factories. It is said that the cleaning industry is one of the most accident prone jobs. The company as well as the owner is responsible for taking care of legal obligations in order approve all relevant legislations.

Running a cleaning company is not an easy job since there are tasks that should be done and things to be considered regarding the company and its employees. There are things you have to remember and follow in order to direct your staff and take care of the cleaning contracts the most effective way.

As a cleaning service company, you accept clients that will need your services for cleaning. It is important that before accepting any client and having an agreement, you have to check and secure the place. Visit the place and make sure that there is enough ventilation. Check whether the company that your employees will work with follow the procedures for safe and healthy. Ask whether they have evacuation plans and equipments in case any emergency happens. Also check other places such as the admittance and storage room. Make sure that there are no blockages that would cause harm or accident such as fire risks, trip hazards etc. to your employees. If your employees are dealing with hazardous chemicals that may be a threat to health, you have to ask the client the kind of equipment your employees need so you can provide the safety gear necessary for their work. It is very important that you consider the Health and/or safety of your employees since they are of course your liability. They are the most important branch of your company because their performance will affect the company. If they are harmed, then it can affect the number of employees that will be interested in the work. This could lead to insufficient number of staff if action is not taken.

Another important thing that you should consider is the ability of your employees. You should only assign tasks to them that you know there are capable of doing. They should proper training and debriefing regarding the work that they will do. You can let them do a practical test about their job to assure you that they are capable of ding it. Aside from that, they should also know policies of the company regarding Health and/or safety procedures, disaster procedures, technique statements, and safe working practices when dealing with hazardous chemicals, supplies and equipment. This does not only concern a document that will be handed to the employees. It is a must that you know that they understand everything written in the documents. If they have problems understanding due to their nationality or any other reason, you can present the Health and/or safety procedures in pictures for them to further understand it. It is indeed your responsibility that your employees fully understand about Health and/or safety as well as other policies of your company.

See: How to start a cleaning service

The cleaning business requires using chemicals which can be very hazardous. As such, it is necessary to provide your employees especially the new hires with all the information must know about the chemicals they are handling. Give your employees with a material safety data sheet that will help them have more knowledge of the substances they are using. However, do not be overly dependent on hand-outs as training is what you really need to provide your employees.

It is the duty of the employer to give his staff proper education and training. You have to equip your employees with the right information and know-how for their job. To accomplish this, you need to plan your staff’s training.

Create a lesson plan ahead of time and device job aids containing all the data your employees need to know, including all pertinent information about the business and their respective work assignments. List the chemicals you are using in your cleaning assignments by groups. A cleaning business uses a wide array of chemicals such as all-purpose cleaners, carpet cleaners, window cleaners, disinfectants and more. Discuss what each chemical group is all about so that your new employees will learn what they need to know about them. If your employees require clarification on some chemicals, give them additional information which will help them understand the subject more.

Distribute multiple copies of your material safety data sheet to your new employees. This will allow them to be more familiar with the chemicals and also know what to do in case of emergencies. When teaching your staff, make sure that all the chemicals are properly labeled so they will understand what you are discussing and avoid any confusion in the process. Also, because there are a lot of names that need to be remembered, a glossary of terms will also be of huge assistance to your employees.

Stress the importance of having a material data sheet to your new employees. Inform your employees that the data sheet has important health and safety information about the chemicals they are using, and how such details should be read.

Being able to understand what the material data sheet contains will also assist your new employees in deciding how a particular chemical should be handled and what type of clothing should be worn when using them. If your employees are well-educated and trained with how the chemicals should be used, accidents and injuries can be avoided.

Normally, the day comes and goes without any untoward incident. Nevertheless, there will always be times when something unexpected happens, and whether it may be a simple problem or a matter of life and death, what’s important is that your employees should know what to do in such circumstances.

Cleaning assignments are usually done at night or after normal working hours. As such, in the event of a power disruption, your staff may not be able to resume their work. Nevertheless, it does not follow that they should leave the place immediately. Most buildings and establishments have back-up generators or lights, but if the location of your staff does not have one, they should proceed to the nearest exit. Instruct your staff to contact their supervisor once they get hold of a phone or a cell phone. If both are ¬

not available, advise them to wait for 30 minutes for the electricity to come back. Otherwise, they can leave the place and look contact their supervisor as soon as possible.

Spills – Even if your staffs are very careful in handling cleaning products, spills cannot be avoided all together. As mentioned in the previous paragraphs, the cleaning business involves using various kinds of chemicals. What’s important however is that your employees know the products they are using inside and out, and also where to find the MSDS.

Most cleaning products have substances which can skin or eye irritations, and even burns. Thus, it is very important to use protective clothing and accessories like goggles and gloves. Small spills can simply be cleaned with a clean cloth and left to dry. However, spills that cannot be remedied immediately should be fenced with a tape or surrounded with chairs so that other people will not accidentally step or touch the affected area. As there are different ways of cleaning different chemicals, your staff should know how to check the MSDS. Also, you should remind your staff to always consult a supervisor if they are unsure about something or if they need more information.

Falls – Due to embarrassment, people try to act like nothing happened after a fall. However, you should tell your staff to persuade the person who fell to stay where he or she is, until they can be 100% sure they are in good condition. Promptly call for help if needed. Check what caused the person to fall once you’ve helped them (ex. wet floor, loose tile, hole in the carpet, etc.) and report it as soon as possible. Afterwards, create a written report about the incident.

Fires – The location of fire extinguishers is something that your cleaning staff should know. They should also know where the emergency phone numbers are listed. Should your staff encounter a small fire and is knowledgeable on how to use an extinguisher, the employee should put out the fire immediately and contact their supervisor. However, if they are unable to do so, they should leave the building at once and call the fire department, his or her supervisor, and the company’s contact person.

Health problems – To avoid spreading illness, a sick employee should be advised to stay home. If a health problem or emergency unexpectedly comes up while working, your employees should also be trained on how to respond to them.

Choking – If your staff or other people in the area do not know how to apply first aid, they should immediately call 911 and ask for assistance.

Heart Attacks – Place the victim in a comfortable position and call 911 as soon as possible.

As a industrial cleaning services corporation employing cleaners to bring out the work then Health and Safety plays an indispensable part in making sure that you are victorious and will remain so. The cleaning business is rated second after the construction business for work linked accidents. As an owner you have a responsibility of care to release and a legal obligation to ratify all the relevant legislation.

For Cleaning Companies in the untimely stages of business this can be an intimidating task. By reading the subsequent advice you can begin to think about ways in which you can direct your cleaning contracts and staff in an effectual way.

When visiting a new location on quoting for an agreement ask yourself first– Is the site a secure place to labour? Do you have any concerns about admittance, ventilation, and storeroom? Premises that are mixed-up with blockage will not only influence the ease to which your employees can carry out their errands, but can pose fire risk, trip hazards and other possible dangers to your employees. Remember – they are your liability. You have a responsibility of care to them and cannot situate them at risk.

Are your workers fully trained, capable and confident in carrying out their work in the safest probable way? All of your workers should be common with your company’s Health and Safety procedure, emergency procedures, Method Statements, COSHH assessments and safe operational practices such as storeroom of chemicals, materials and tools, and the means of removal for certain chemicals. Remember – this is not just a matter of given that documentation, all employees must fully recognize all aspects of Health and Safety in their employment. This is a meticulous problem for employees who may have English as a second speech, or anyone who, for whatever reason has difficultly understanding written English. If you know or suspect that this may be the case for any of your workers, then consider the provision of Health and Safety certification in picture format for them, as well as lengthier and heavily supervised training sessions. Always make strange considerations for those who may be susceptible through inexperience, age, disability, and in their ability to recognize written and/or spoken English. It is your liability to ensure that all your workers fully understand all aspects of Health and Safety. Further deliberation on these issues will be sustained in the second part of this article.

Great Advices in terms of Health and Safety for Contract Cleaners Part II

In Part 1 of this editorial we looked at how your workers could be brought to a stage of good accepting of the hazards and how to conquer them. Part 2 looks at other aspect of your role as an owner in meeting the essential requirements associated with your ‘duty of concern.

Are you overseeing your employees adequately? This is not just a matter of showing your facade every so habitually, but ensuring that you get together with them regularly to talk about any issues that may be happening concerning their work. Often, when Cleaning Companies force out jobs, it is the cleaners themselves who discern more about what is available on in the contracts than the boss themselves. Workers should be confident to come to you with any troubles they may be having with any of the method, equipment, language, or the consumer. It may be that after talks with your cleaning personnel you make a decision to review these features of the contract, or it may be that the whole thing is running effortlessly and no action is necessary. Either way, the views of your workers matter, and these gathering times can give a simple and effectual way of selling with problems before they start.

It is your accountability as an employer to give all of your staff with the right Personal Protective Equipment. Cleaning employees are not accountable for providing their own PPE. It is necessary that you make you workers aware of the causes that they need PPE, the right use of such matter and procedures for restoreing and/or repairing items. Communication should be confident, and you should for all time react promptly to any issue that your workers raise concerning PPE. Items of PPE must be suitable for the job and must be a right fit for the person. It is your blame to do your research into the properties and right use of PPE to decide suitability, for example, the resistance of definite gloves to exacting chemicals. Because PPE is a last option after other methods have been deemed inappropriate, it is necessary that it is treated with great significance.

It is your blame to make sure that all tools and materials provided for utilize by your workers are well maintained. Do not rely on your cleaning employees reporting issues back to you. Electric tools should be out to date with PAT appraisal, chemicals should not be authorized to go further than their shelf life and should be predisposed of according to manufacturer orders, and broken and/or faulty kit should be removed from building as soon as it happens. These are not the tasks of cleaning staff, and events such as disposal of chemicals and the mend of equipment should only ever be carried out by a capable, trained and authorised individual.

In cases where cleaning corporations have placed staff in exact places of work, boss should be aware that an ordinary problem is that the client themselves ask the cleaners, not yourselves, to carry out firm tasks beyond the realms of their common cleaning timetable. It happens regularly in cleaning contracts, and may seem to be a small point, but could establish to be a major Health and safety apprehension. Cleaning staff commonly feel obliged to meet your customers requests, but if a task is beyond their usual cleaning schedule, it is likely that it requires different materials, equipment and even certain training and/or supervision, it may even necessitate a risk assessment and resulting risk control systems. Should there be changes to the cleaning schedule it is important the customer contacts you directly, and not simply ask the cleaners.

See: How to start a cleaning business

Commercial buildings come in many forms. Some of which include office buildings, retails stores, department stores and shopping centers, warehouses, hospitals and several others. The commercial sectors continue to be on the rise all over the world. If you administer any kind of human oriented business, maintaining the cleanliness of your office is one of the most significant things you can do in order to maintain potential customers to come back and avail of your services. Keeping your commercial place clean is not just fine for the look of the business; it is a must to health and safety standpoints. It also keeps your building in good shape Whether you have your own building or have it rented out, regular cleaning and preservation is indispensable to keep the building clean and orderly.

You can arrange out a daily cleaning where a commercial cleaning company comes in to empty waste bins, remove trash, vacuum carpets, and wash floors and clean surfaces. You can also have a more extensive cleaning done on a weekly, monthly and annual basis. There are a lot of specialized commercial cleaning companies that have various packages offered and can discuss with you to settle which package in particular would be best for you as well. In order to keep your business running smoothly you need to maintain the facility in every possible way. It means hiring a commercial cleaning company because they have capabilities for a massive variety of needs.

Commercial cleaning business is one type cleaning service you can start with. This type of business is actually economically stable, because people will always dirty their homes, offices and other places so there’s so much to clean. Finding the right commercial cleaning company is not a daunting task, you can find by searching through the internet and there are lots of companies that are also provide an online facility. All you have to do is read the facilities provided by the company and select the one according to the requirement of cleaning and then fill up an online application form with a few details then the particular company will complete rest of the work. There are abundant websites over the internet that can provide you with fast and reliable services. The look and cleanliness of your business says a lot about you. Therefore hire professionals to keep your offices clean so that a healthy environment could be maintained altogether.

See: How to start a commercial cleaning service

Cleaning businesses involves handling chemicals –some really dangerous, so if you have newly hired employees, it is very important to provide them information about safe and hazards in handling chemicals. Provide a material safety data sheet so that your employees will know more about chemical use, but don’t rely on this coz what they really need is proper training.

As owner, it is your responsibility to give your employees proper training. You have to provide them training which are informative and useful for their new job. And to come up with an appropriate training for you employees, you have to plan them out.

Plan your lessons in advance and create handouts focusing on all the information necessary for your employees to know – everything about the business and their job. You must also categorize the chemicals you are using in your daily cleaning assignments. There would be a lot of chemicals involved in a cleaning business such as all-purpose cleaners, carpet cleaners, window cleaner, disinfectants and others. In each category, you can discuss the chemical in whole so that your new employees will everything they need to know about it. For certain chemicals that needs further clarification, provide your new employees additional information so that they can easily remember it.

Make several copies of your material safety data sheet and give them out to your new employees so that they can become familiar with all of it and in case of emergencies they will know what to do. When you discuss these with them, make sure to put in labels on chemicals so that they can determine which items you are taking about and to avoid confusions. It will also be helpful if you can provide a glossary of terms since there are many chemicals and names that they need to remember and digest.

Make sure that your new employees understand the importance of having the material safety data sheet. They should be made aware that this data sheet had essential health and safety information regarding the chemicals they will be handling on the job and it should be read and understood.

Understanding the content of the safety data sheet will also help your new employees decide on the proper dress code when handling specific chemicals as well as the care they will do when handling them. Accidents and injuries with the use and handling of these chemicals will be avoided if your new employees are properly trained.

On job emergencies – On any average day, work starts and time passes by routinely without any incident. But sometimes unexpected things happen, whether the incident is life threatening or only a small spill, or the building lost electricity, you have to make sure that your staff is prepared and knows how respond.

When lights go out – cleaning is usually done in the evening and after office hours, so when there is a power disruption, your workers will not be able to continue cleaning. However, this does not mean that they should immediately leave the building. Most building have emergency lighting, but if it doesn’t and the building is totally dark, your staff should make their way to the entrance so that can see. Employees should contact the supervisor and they may have to use a cell phone since phone may not be working. If they do not have a cell phone, instruct them to wait 30 minutes to see if the power is restored and if not, then they can leave the place and get a phone to contact a supervisor.

Spills – cleaning businesses handle different kinds of chemicals so it is important that cleaning staff are properly trained on chemicals that they are using and where the find the MSDS. No matter how careful your people are in handling these cleaning products there will always be an occasional spill.

A lot of cleaning products contain chemicals which can cause burns, eye irritation or skin irritation. Personal protective gears such as gloves and goggles should always be worn when cleaning up spills. If its only as small spill, wipe it with a clean cloth and allow it to dry. Barricade anything that couldn’t be wiped up immediately or use a chair or something that can be easily seen when you don’t have any barricade tape so that people won’t walk through, then clean it up. Methods on cleaning up the spill will depend on the chemical spilled; employees can look it up in the MSDS on how to clean it up. But if an employee have ay question dealing with the spilled chemical, they should be instructed to immediately call their supervisors.

Falls – Some people are pretty much embarrassed when they fall and would want to act like nothing has happened. But instruct your employees to encourage the person to stay still until they are sure the person is okay. If necessary call for help. After helping the person, check the cause of the fall. If it is due to a slick floor, a hole in the carpet or a loose tile, report it immediately. Make a written report of the accident a soon as possible after the incident.

Fires. Your cleaning staff should know where fire extinguishers are located. They should also be made aware of the location of the emergency phone numbers. If an employee comes across a small fire and knows how to use a fire extinguisher should put it out soon and call their supervisor. If the staff is unable to put out the fire, they should immediately leave the building, call the fire department, supervisor and their company’s contact person.

Health problems – sick employees should be encouraged to stay home so that the virus will not spread.
While working there also sudden health problems that come up and your employees should also be trained how to deal with them.

Choking. If your employee don’t have any first aid training and there is one else to do the first aid, they should call 911 and ask for help.

Heart Attacks. Victims should be made comfortable and they should immediately call 911.

See: How to start a cleaning business