Cleaning and custodial work is regularly listed as one of the most dangerous jobs by government departments due to the amount of chemically involved accidents that occur each year. It is because of this that we would always recommend hiring a professional and fully trained cleaning team to take care of your office. However, if you really must clean your office yourself, follow these tips to ensure that you remain safe whilst doing so.
Using and storing chemicals
Chemicals are necessary for ensuring that all dirt and bacteria is removed from your office, but the usage and storage of chemicals must be handled with care to ensure the health of yourself and your colleagues. It is important to remember that a lot of these chemicals are corrosive and harmful; follow our guidelines for advice on how to store and use your cleaning products correctly:
- You must keep a complete list of cleaning chemicals used on the facility and include details on quantity, storage details, the potential hazard of each chemical and the necessary precautions to take whilst using each product. This ensures that any other members of staff who may use the chemicals have guidance on how to use them safely.
- Keep all chemicals in their original containers.
- If a cleaning container becomes damaged, it is best to dispose of that product.
- Never mix chemicals, even if they are the same type of cleaning product.
- Keep chemicals in a well ventilated area.
- Ensure that you are aware of the meanings of all the signal words found on chemicals.
- Discard of any cleaning products that has not been used for 6 months.
- Make sure to put your cleaning products back into storage when you have finished cleaning the office.
- When using chemicals, increase ventilation by opening windows.
- Always wear rubber gloves to prevent corrosive chemicals causing your hands to crack and bleed.
- Consider wearing a mask when using particularly heavy duty cleaning supplies to limit the intake of fumes.
How to avoid slips and trips
Chemicals are not the only potential hazard when it comes to cleaning your office. Office upkeep usually requires moving furniture, climbing stepladders to get to hard-to-reach places, having cables and wires exposed and wet floors. This means that there are lots of ways to physically injure yourself when undertaking your office cleaning, and the utmost care must be taken when doing so. Follow our quick tips to minimize the risk of workplace accidents:
- Use the proper lifting technique, keeping your back straight and bending at the knees instead. Use your legs to lift rather than your back to avoid strained muscles or slipped discs.
- Don’t attempt to lift anything you feel is too heavy.
- Wear hard protective shoes
- Don’t lean too far when using a ladder. A good rule of thumb is to keep your belly button within the sides of the ladder. If possible, have someone to hold the bottom of the ladder steady for you.
- Always put a wet floor sign out and walk with extreme caution. Investing in some shoes with good grip can prevent slips.
- Never store clutter on stairs or landings.
Alban Cleaning offer an affordable and professional cleaning service to ensure that your staff are working in a hygienic environment. All of our cleaners are highly trained, COSHH compliant and take the utmost care when handling dangerous chemicals and working in potentially harmful environments. For more information on our services, get in touch with one of our friendly advisors for a free, no obligation quote.
