Cleaning health and safety guide – WHS risk management

While cleaning may seem like a relatively safe profession with fewer risks than other trades, you might be surprised by just how many hazards cleaners encounter every day. As a cleaning business owner, it is important that you follow WHS protocols to keep yourself and your staff out of harm’s way. Here are some tips to improve the wellbeing of your small business.

Four health and safety tips for cleaning businesses

1. Be aware of your surroundings

• Leave a dry and clean surface free of moisture and waste.
• Avoid letting cleaning products accumulate.
• Ensure to safely store, transport, handle, and dispose of chemicals.

In addition, make sure you have barriers and signs that keep people away from any wet area if “clean-to-dry” is not possible.

2. Take care with cleaning products and equipment

As a cleaning business, you will have a number of products and equipment to aid your work.

If used incorrectly, some of these items may cause harm, including chemicals, heat, manual handling of heavy objects, sharp objects, and electricity. Your staff should undertake a safety induction to familiarise themselves with what to do in case of an emergency.

3. Training for cleaning staff

Cleaning jobs should only be performed by cleaners who are well-trained and equipped. When developing training plans for your cleaning staff, consider starting with the following fundamentals:

• Occupational health and safety cleaning regulations and the code of
• Risk assessment.
• How to avoid potential injury associated with manual labour.
• Possible causes of cleaning risks and how to mitigate them.

Get protected

Personal protective equipment (PPE) for cleaners generally includes gloves, goggles, aprons, boots, and masks. While these will help your cleaning staff remain safe on the job, as the owner you will also benefit from keeping your business protected.

BizCover is here to help – you can compare competitive business insurance quotes from leading Australian insurers online, get your business insurance sorted in 10 minutes, and get back to doing what you do best.

Ensure that your products and equipment are fit for the cleaning task at hand, and always follow the manufacturers’ advice when using their products.