It is important that employers and business owners are fully aware of their obligations to carry out deep office cleaning risk assessments.
TheHealth and Safety Executive (HSE) is responsible for ensuring that workplaces are compliant with the relevant health and safety laws (as outlined below).
As a regulator, the HSE carries out targeted inspections and investigations when necessary and takes enforcement action to hold organisations to account.
In order to be a compliant workforce, carrying out office cleaning risk assessments are one of the ways that employers can prioritise the safety of everyone who uses a company’s premises.
There are many hazards involved in undertaking cleaning activities, and many considerations involved in the formal risk assessment process.
The following questions should be used to guide the assessment:
As well as this, you should outline who is responsible for each action, as well as identifying the dates by which an action should be completed and methods of confirming that this has been completed. This is outlined in further detail below.
Some of the dangers associated with office cleaning includes the following:
This article outlines employer’s legal requirements and explains the steps involved in carrying out an office cleaning risk assessment.
It is part of an employer’s legal duty to ensure their employees are safe and that they are able to carry out their duties in ways that are not damaging to their health.
Some of the relevant regulations include the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (MHSWR), the Reporting of Injuries, Disease and Dangerous Occurrence Regulations 2013, and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH).
Many cleaning products used by cleaners to clean offices fall under the COSHH regulations and it is important to know the exact type of risk assessment you need to carry out for your business.
Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, the proper cleaning of offices and ensuring the health and safety of all workers and cleaners has become of paramount importance, not just for individual businesses, but also in terms of public health.
The HSE published guidelines on making workplaces COVID-secure. The COVID-19 risk assessment states that employers must:
Reports from Public Health England have stated that there are some members of the population at greater risk of the virus and that this should be a consideration in any COVID-19 risk assessment.
Some of the key considerations for a COVID-19 risk assessment include:
Whilst the world has seemingly moved on from critical Covid concerns, it is now more important than ever to ensure that both uphold and improve-upon the deep cleaning practices that your business may have had in place, whether before or during Covid.
Commercial businesses fully understand the benefits of a regular, retained thorough deep-cleaning regimen, and this should not be something that is slowed or put on the back burner now that Covid is not at the forefront of the minds of business owners across the country.
In order to complete an office cleaning risk assessment, you should follow all current and updated guidance from the HSE. If you are unsure of your obligations, you should always consult with a building management or facilities management professional.
Failure to comply with legislation could be detrimental to your business in terms of both financial and reputational risk.
In the context of office cleaning, existing and potential hazards can come from a number of places. This includes the materials used in the cleaning process (i.e., hazardous cleaning chemicals or products).
Consider the ways that cleaning activities are carried out and any potential hazards that may contribute to slips or trips, or machinery that has the potential to cause injury.
It is not just the cleaning staff that you should consider when creating a risk assessment. It is important to consider all people who are in the office location.
This can include workers who are working while cleaning activities are being carried out, members of the public, and suppliers or other third parties.
Ensuring good communication flows between all workers is also essential. Think about who may need to be informed of changes within the workplace environment.
A complete risk assessment must contain the identified hazards and the recommended measures to control the risks.
This could include removing the hazards or controlling the risk to reduce harm. Consider all available options and list these on the assessment.
If requested by the HSE, businesses must show evidence of having recorded risks and control measures. It is best practice to ensure that good records are maintained by a designated person or persons.
It is important to avoid complacency when it comes to workplace risk assessments. For this reason, it is essential to constantly review the risk assessment and ensure that it remains up to date.
If changes are made in a workplace, the register should be updated accordingly. If no changes are made, the assessment should be reviewed at least once every 12 months and all employees made aware of the contents.
For those who enjoyed this guide, you may also like our office deep cleaning checklist which details how you can outline problem areas and put together a plan for decontamination purposes. Also don’t miss our ultimate office cleaning guide for more how-to approaches.
If you have any questions on risk assessments, contact our facilities management experts at SMC Premier Group Ltd via our contact form or call today on 0161 282 6444.
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