An organization’s cleanliness is essential to its employees’ safety and security. Good housekeeping helps companies to reduce workplace hazards and create a safe environment for their employees.
In a workplace, it has a much broader meaning. To ensure a safe work environment, housekeeping is essential. It can improve morale and productivity and prevent injuries. You can also use it to get through your safety and health inspection with few hazards being identified and with the necessary corrective action.
This practice is not limited to traditional office environments. It also extends to industrial workplaces such as factories, warehouses, and manufacturing plants, which present unique challenges, such as hazardous substances, combustibles, dust, and other flammables. All workplace safety programs must include housekeeping. Every employee should be involved.
The safety culture of your organization is closely linked to workplace housekeeping. Learn more about our article How to Change the safety culture in your organization.
You need to be aware of many things about housekeeping at work. Here are 11 housekeeping tips to ensure the safety of workers.
Avoid slips, trips, and falls
This rule applies to all workplaces, including passageways and storerooms. The floors should be dry and clean. Drainage is required where “wet processes” are used.
The employer should choose the flooring carefully, e.g., ceramic tile, cement, or another type of material. Different types of flooring are more durable in certain conditions.
HSE.gov.uk offers the following tips to help you prevent slips, trips, and falls.
Report any accident or near-miss to your employer as soon as possible. This information can be used to prevent future injuries.
You can either clean up the spillage yourself or arrange for someone else.
Remove any items that are on the floor and could cause someone to trip.
Wear it and take care of it if you receive PPE. Report any damage or faults to your employer. Make arrangements for a replacement.
Inform your employer if you see an unsafe workplace situation or notice something wrong with the health and safety measures.
Dust reduction or stop
Look for ways to reduce or stop the dust the process may generate before you start. To prevent dust from spreading, use different materials, tools with less power, or other work methods. You could, for example:
Choosing the suitable size of building materials is essential so that less cutting and preparation work is required.
Abrasives without silica to reduce blasting risks;
A less powerful tool – for example, a block splitter instead of a cut-off saw. A block splitter is a better alternative to a cutting-off saw.
Another method of working – for example. A direct fastening system
Consider other processes that could produce high levels of dust.
The most important thing to do in these situations is to prevent dust from entering the air. You can do this in two ways:
Water–Water dampens dust clouds. It must be used properly. It means you must have enough water at the correct levels throughout the job. It is not enough to wet the material before you start.
On tool extraction — removes dust while it is produced. This local exhaust ventilation system (LEV) attaches directly to the tool. This system comprises several parts: the device, capturing unit, tubing, and extraction hood. Use the suitable extraction unit (i.e., Use a filter unit of the correct class (i.e., use a commercial vacuum cleaner that is not just generic.
Avoid tracking materials
Clean and maintain work-area mats, whether they are cloth or have a sticky top. It helps to prevent the spread and accumulation of hazardous substances in other areas. To avoid cross-contamination, it may also be necessary to use separate cleaning protocols for different work areas. In the case of toxic materials, it may be required to conduct industrial hygiene tests and provide showering facilities and uniforms. Wearing your work clothes at home is not advisable if you work with poisonous substances.
The workplace should be free of hazardous materials that could expose other workers. Organizations are responsible for ensuring that dangerous materials do not track into different work areas.
Avoid falling objects
A toeboard, toenail, or net is a good idea to prevent falling objects and equipment from hitting workers. To prevent them from falling, stack boxes and materials up and down.
Keep heavy items away from desks and table edges. Avoid stacking items in places where workers will walk, such as aisles. Remember the layout so workers avoid hazards when walking through an area.
Falls can cause serious injuries. You should also carefully check whether the items on the shelves are balanced precariously or not. There is always a chance that they could fall. Workers should double-check the items on the shelves to ensure they stay put.
Check and use personal protective equipment
While doing housework, wear essential PPE such as safety glasses and closed-toed shoes. Determining the type of PPE, you should wear will depend on the risks. Inspect, clean and repair tools regularly. Remove damaged devices from your work area. Download the PPE poster to share with your staff.
PPE must also be regularly inspected, and damaged items should be replaced. It is also essential for companies to establish a maintenance schedule that will identify damaged tools, inspect machinery and, if needed, replace it.
Determine frequency
All workers should take part in housekeeping. This includes keeping their work area clean, reporting safety hazards, and cleaning up spills if possible.
Workers should clean and inspect their workstations before the end of each shift and remove any unused materials. This can save time later on when cleaning.
Determining the frequency of cleaning depends on the number of contaminants or debris released in the workplace. The company should mix deep cleaning with lighter, more frequent cleaning. This includes sweeping and spill response.
Create written rules
Written protocols can specify the cleaners, tools, and methods to use as they will be formalized and defined.
The organization should write down all rules and communicate them to its employees. This will ensure that everyone is held to the same standard. Ensuring that employees know what to do and follow defined rules is essential.