Challenges Keeping Safe While Cleaning In An Industrial Facility

A clean industrial facility is often more efficient,effective, more productive and safer for workers and cleaning professionals.Some facilities task their own in-house cleaners with upkeep in their facility,whereas many others employ an outside company like Grimebusters to handle all cleaning aspects.

While it is true that outside cleaning companies won’t be as familiar with the inner workings of your facility, that can be overcome through extensive training. Training on safety, procedures and your facility are key elements to ensure that they do a good job safely on the warehouse floor. Safety protocols will outline the most common hazards in your building as the cleaning crew will encounter them and how to ensure the safety of your employees and the cleaning crew.

Assign Specific Areas For Supplies

Just as your employees have specific work areas that they must adhere to stay safe, so too should the cleaning crew have a dedicated area. Assigning a maintenance closet for your cleaning crew to store supplies safely and not cluttered with other non-cleaning supplies. A cluttered cleaning closet can spell trouble and get someone hurt or worse killed if chemicals are not stored properly.

When storing supplies and cleaning tools, make sure your cleaning closet has proper ventilation, cleaning sink and ample space with shelving to stack supplies on. On any given day your cleaning crew may be stacking bottles, replacing vacuum filters, changing floor pads for the floor scrubber, etc. A floor cleaning machine takes up a lot of space when changing the pads. Your crew will have to lay it down on its side to change the pads. It’s preferable to do this in a large cleaning room instead of on the factory floor with workers bustling about.

Proper Chemical Handling

Cleaning crews come in contact with a wide range of cleaning chemicals in their daily tasks including products like bleach, degreasers, and sanitizers. You should take a look at the cleaning chemicals that you are currently using and if you can switch to a greener solution, take advantage of that. Many companies are moving away from the harsh chemicals and going green. This reduces the risk of improper exposure to chemicals from cleaning products. Many of the harsh cleaning chemicals have been found to cause coughing, skin rashes, headaches, and lung damage.

Labeling Products Properly

To promote safe handling of chemicals, ensure that all chemicals in your cleaning room have clear labels and safety data sheets are readily available in case of an accident. This is critical in keeping your employees and the cleaning crew employees safe.

How to Handle Spills

Spills or splashes occur when employees mix, dilute or work with cleaning chemicals. While it may not happen often, it will happen. How do you handle it is essential in keeping the cleaning crew safe. All of your cleaning staff and company employees that have to deal with any spills should be trained to OSHA standards in dealing with spills. Use gloves, goggles and other protective equipment while working with any chemicals.

A multitude of factors can contribute to slips, spills and improper use of chemicals when working in an industrial or manufacturing facility. Clutter, unclean surfaces, obstructed views play a role in people getting hurt on the job, you can ensure safety protocols when dealing with cleaning your building. If you don’t have an in-house cleaning crew, or are having problems with your current cleaning company, consider getting a quote from Grimebusters, Inc. We have decades of experience working with manufacturing facilities in the St. Louis, Metro East region.