Colour-coding:why we should bother
The colour-coding policy is one of the many standards that BICSc is known for. BICSc has been recommending the use of colour-coded cleaning and janitorial equipment within the industry for over 30 years, says Neil Spencer-Cook.
As we start our return to normality, I am writing this with fingers and toes crossed. I want to shine a light on some of the lessons that living with a global pandemic should have taught us. I would have thought an obvious lesson is that knowledge of how to prevent cross-contamination and the spread of virus particles would have been a key learning.
However, last year, when BICSc attempted to have an online government petition requesting regulation of colour-coded equipment for the cleaning industry, leading with a colour- coding awareness month, we were trying to bring about a lasting change by championing standardised colour-coding.
Firstly, we ran a survey to check the thoughts of those in the cleaning industry, to ensure there was an appetite for this move, the findings were as follows:
• 100% of those who responded said that they follow the BICSc recommended colour-coding.
• 87% said they would like to see colour-coding made legislation for the cleaning industry.
• 86% of responders were prepared to sign a petition that could be put forward for discussion in Parliament.
There was just one slight snag: we were refused the right to hold the petition. We received the following response:
“Sorry, we can’t accept the petition you supported - ‘Legislate the use of colour-coded cleaning and janitorial equipment in the UK’. It’s about something that the UK Government or Parliament is not responsible for.
“The Government is not responsible for mandating the colours for janitorial equipment. This is a matter for individual janitors and businesses providing cleaning services.”
There would not seem to be a concern that four colours provide 24 possible combinations, or that the cloth one
company uses for washrooms could be the same colour that another uses for kitchenettes. We in the cleaning industry are aware of the movement of cleaning operatives within the industry and also the requirements some have to hold more than one position with different companies. This fact seems to have escaped the notice of the Petitions team of the UK Government and Parliament. Or perhaps they don’t mind if the table they eat their lunch at has been cleaned with a cloth that was last used to clean a WC...
The UK has legislation in place for food preparation, which is there to stop the spread of cross-contamination: it doesn’t seem to be a giant leap to apply the same principle to the cleaning industry.
Following a colour-coding system has real benefits, just one of which is that it reduces the risk of cross-contamination, with a second one being that it can also make life easier for cleaning operatives.
All stakeholders in the cleaning industry – clients, the public, and cleaning operatives – would benefit from an agreed and standardised system of colour-coding for equipment and materials. It would reduce the risk of mistakes whilst also increasing efficiency.
A move to standardisation of colour-coding really is a ‘win- win’ argument, in every sense of the phrase. It’s good for the industry, and good for individual businesses, but if we want to bring this into reality then it is apparent that it’s up to the cleaning industry itself to drive an accepted and recognised model forward.
If we can achieve this then it would also send a message out loud and clear that the cleaning industry isn’t afraid to regulate itself, and that it can innovate and change its working practices where it needs to.
www.bics.org.uk 16 | TOMORROW’S CLEANING PRODUCTS & SERVICES GUIDE 2024/2025
twitter.com/TomoCleaning
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92
