While everyone knows that the construction industry is a high risk sector when it comes to health and safety, many seem to forget that cleaning is also filled with daily dangers that need to be managed.  You can find cleaners which are involved in all sectors and each one poses many dangers as the cleaners go through their daily routines which can include cleaning at height and using heavy industrial machinery.

Risk Assessments Need to Be Part of the Cleaning Routine

When carrying out any sort of job, from using a product to clean a stain on the floor or when working on a ladder to clean a window, it is essential to write a workplace risk assessment and make sure all of the workers involved are aware of the contents and how they are expected to work through the processes of the job at hand.

Risk assessments are there to protect people from any harm which could arise from the job. Work can become safer by identifying the problems and providing solutions before any work has begun. It is important to consider the risk assessments as a way of trying to prevent harm to others rather than some of the red tape involved in the legalities of health and safety.

Health and safety consultants can help you by producing risk assessments and providing training in this area. However there are five points to remember when you are working on these assessments:

1. Identify hazards by checking out the area where the work will be conducted and discuss the risks with the health and safety consultants about risks as well as the cleaning staff who will be carrying out the work. Looking online is often useful too and can help you to follow the specific guidance set out for the cleaning industry.

2. Write down the hazards and show how they pose risks and to whom they pose risks.

3. Each of the hazards then needs to have controls written down which are there to help manage them, if applicable. The controls need to be checked for adequacy and if they fail more controls need to be added.

4. Once the controls and hazards have been recorded the information needs to be shared with the staff. It is important to make sure everyone knows what is expected of them and how to carry out the controls designed to manage the risks.

5. A review of the finished risk assessment should be carried out at a regular basis, yearly for example, or when new methods of carrying out the job are introduced.

Common Accidents and Health Risks Found in the Cleaning Industry

Risk assessments help to prevent all sorts of problems for cleaners and therefore are essential. Some of the most frequent problems which happen in this industry include:

• Falls from height
• Manual Handling
• Slips and trips
• Injuries to the body especially the back and arms
• Dermatitis

To discuss workplace risk assessments, training and health and safety services that are available from Veritas Consulting call 0800 1488 677.