This article provides information about common accidents cleaning companies face in the workplace. The most common accidents of all are slips and trips, and are caused by a number of avoidable factors.
Cleaning companies face many potential hazards whilst at work. One of the most common accidents that can cause injury to the workforce is the hazard of slipping or tripping over. This may sound trivial, but slipping or tripping over actually accounts for a high number of injuries to cleaning workers and often putting some sensible procedures in place can avoid these problems.
There are a number of factors that can cause these accidents, so let's look at these in more detail:
Flooring
Contamination
Obstacles
Cleaning
Environment
Flooring The condition of the flooring can have a huge effect on slipping over. The type of floor used in a workplace must be sufficient for the type of work that is being carried out. For example, if it is not possible to keep the floor dry, the floor material should have sufficient roughness to prevent people from slipping.
Contamination Contamination can cause floors to become slippery very quickly. This can be caused by oil, grease, rainwater, packaging, dust and many more things. Taking into account the slip resistance of the flooring is essential in order to prevent these hazards, and remember the thicker the contamination, the rougher the floor needs to be to remain slip resistant.
Obstacles Half of all tripping accidents are caused by obstacles, so good housekeeping is a must to prevent this risk. Always make sure there is a clear walkway through the office / workplace, and leave no obstacles or trailing wires in the way. Teach your workforce to be aware of this and to help put potential obstacles away.
Cleaning It is essential to ensure that you have a good cleaning management procedure in the workplace. Using cleaning equipment can cause contamination if not used properly, and nearly all slipping accidents are caused by contamination of some kind. Always make sure you have good communication with your cleaning agency and cleaning equipment suppliers so you are all aware of the correct equipment to use. If the flooring is changed in the workplace, make sure the cleaners are made aware of this so they use the correct cleaning solutions.
Environment The environment can play a big part in causing or preventing slipping and tripping accidents. Factors such as lighting, noise, humidity, condensation, etc. can all play a part. Diminished light can cause people to not see well on the stairs increasing their chances of tripping over. Loud noises can be distracting and could affect awareness increasing the chances of bumping into obstacles. Rainwater on a smooth surface can increase the chances of slipping accidents. Cold weather can cause ice and frost which in turn can lead to slippery surfaces.
As cleaning companies face these potential hazards each day at work, it is important to consider them as general health and safety issues. All members of the workforce should be aware that these hazards exist and should do their utmost to prevent them before it is too late.
