Ask the Expert A.


Without correctly cleaned buildings and


premises, a number of health and safety issues can arise including accidents from slips and trips, manual handling of equipment, outbreaks of infection and falls from height.


Outsourcing cleaning to a commercial cleaning company, which uses the latest equipment and products available to provide a safe cleaning service, allows you to focus on your customers, while knowing that your business will be clean and well taken care of.


When considering the health and safety aspects of cleaning there are certain things that you need to think about. These include:


Risk assessments We carry out a risk assessment at all of the sites where we are contracted to provide cleaning services, to ensure the safety and protection of our operatives and of the other people in the building.


We were the first company in the UK to implement the CleanLink iPad application, which has been specially designed for contract cleaners, via the iPad 2. This can be used to record risk assessment data and site photographs at the touch of a screen, knowing that the information will be captured by the app and reports will be compiled and saved. A traffic light system alerts our operational managers to any issues – for example, a red dot to show that an audit is overdue or an orange dot to advise that it is due in a week’s time.


Ability It’s important to use a cleaning firm whose operatives are fully trained to avoid health and safety risks and to ensure the cleaning is


undertaken to professional standards. Check that your cleaning service provider is a member of key industry organisations such as the British Institute of Cleaning Science and the British Institute of Facilities Management. This indicates they abide by codes of practice, and value the importance of industry standards, whilst keeping up to date with the latest cleaning industry developments and innovations.


We have attained the OHSAS 18001 occupational health and safety management systems and are approved by both SAFEcontractor and the British Safety Council. Your cleaning operatives should be correctly trained to work with chemicals and on how to use equipment safely. This is essential for their own health and safety, and for the health and safety of anyone else in the building, and therefore should never be overlooked.


Technology Investment in new technology to support the health and safety requirements of our clients, managers and staff is a key part of our service model. Our use of CleanLink specialist software can help to easily keep track of operational performance and provide a structured approach to quality monitoring for facilities managers, against agreed service levels.


Traditional methods of quality monitoring have often been time consuming with room for human error, as collective data needs to be analysed manually. With the use of iPads, live quality monitoring inspections can be carried out with clients in attendance and health and safety data easily referred back to.


26 | TOMORROW’S CLEANING |The future of our cleaning industry REGULAR


Q. How can I ensure that the cleaning of my facility is undertaken to the latest health and safety standards?


Equipment and Facilities Do your cleaning operatives know how to check that the equipment they are using is safe and in proper working order? Is your electrical equipment serviced regularly? Have you provided adequate storage space and facilities for the cleaning operatives to safely store chemicals and equipment? Do you have enough warning signs on your premises in order for your operatives to be aware of hazards when they are cleaning (such as wet floors and cables from vacuums)? These are all things that you should be asking yourself when considering health and safety issues.


Commitment Accreditations show commitment to delivering quality, sustainability and staff welfare and this third party recognition validates processes and management systems. Environmental standards should be backed up with evidence such as accreditations like ISO 14001:2004 Environmental Management certificate. Companies should also be able to provide an environmental policy statement and provide proof of accredited training in this area.


www.peartreecleaning.co.uk


If you have a question for the expert, please email: charlotte@opusbusinessmedia.co.uk. Your question could be featured in the next issue of Tomorrow’s Cleaning.


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