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All eyes on cleaning


Paul Thrupp, Chairman of the British Cleaning Council (BCC), explains how the Coronavirus has put the cleaning industry in focus.


The Coronavirus pandemic has been hugely traumatic for the nation, brought tragedy to many families, and massive changes to everyone. One of things I think is changing is the attitude of the country towards cleaners and the cleaning sector in general.


For years, we at the BCC have campaigned to highlight the role of the


‘invisible workforce’ of cleaners, whose huge contribution to the economy and vital role in maintaining health and safety often went unrecognised.


But over the past few months, high standards of hygiene in workplaces, public buildings and the home have become a key weapon in the fight against Coronavirus and that, in turn, has put the focus on the role of the cleaners in protecting people from the virus and keeping people fit and well more generally.


In the past, many cleaning specifications have been reduced and frequency of cleaning and schedules lessened. We are sure that the focus on hygiene caused by this awful pandemic will result in a larger investment in cleaning programmes throughout the UK with enhanced specifications and more frequent schedules. We trust that businesses will talk to their cleaning professionals and get their advice as to how hygiene levels can be raised and, more importantly, maintained.


Cleaners have paid a key part in helping keep critical industries going but nowhere has their contribution been more apparent than in the healthcare sector. By preventing the spread of infection in hospitals and clinics up and down the land, cleaners have helped patients survive the virus and protected colleagues, often putting themselves at risk of catching COVID-19 in the process.


People become cleaners in the healthcare sector to ‘do their bit’ to fight Coronavirus, such as the Syrian refugee, Hassan Akkad, whose decision to become a hospital cleaner was reported by the Daily Mail.


Increased media interest in the work of cleaners, such as the fantastic film by the Huff Post which we at the BCC helped set up, is another example of how the invisible workforce has stepped into the spotlight.


The cleaning industry will continue to be hugely important as the country recovers from Coronavirus, with the requirement for deep cleaning and sanitisation before workplaces are reoccupied.


It is not entirely clear that Government has received the message though. At the time of writing, it had not


20 | REGULAR


awarded Key Worker status to all cleaning and associated staff, chemical manufacturers, machine and equipment manufacturers and cleaning suppliers.


We have been calling for these colleagues to be given Key Worker status in light of their role supporting critical industries and keeping their workers safe and healthy.


Our recently published research showed that the sector employs 1.63 million people and has a turnover of £54.4bn, making it one of the top 10 UK industries. As we move forward, the BCC, as the voice of the industry, will continue to represent the interests of our industry to Government and work to gain recognition for its scale and importance.


So how else do we need to see the cleaning sector change after we emerge from the pandemic?


"We want to see


cleaning become a career of choice for young people after


they've finished college or further education."


A key step forward would be the introduction of an industry- wide cleaning apprenticeship along the lines of the Level 2 Healthcare Cleaning Operative apprenticeship standard announced earlier in the year.


The need for a standard entry-level qualification has long been recognised and a universal, paid cleaning apprenticeship with formal training would be the ideal first step into the industry for many new joiners. Improved training, qualifications and professionalism are key for the future of our industry.


We want to see cleaning become a career of choice for young people after they’ve finished college or further education, so we have to follow the example of our colleagues in the UK Housekeepers Association and work with further and higher education to promote cleaning.


www.britishcleaningcouncil.org twitter.com/TomoCleaning


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