More than ever, health and safety are one of the top concerns for businesses in London. The construction sector wouldn’t dream of not providing hard hats and surgeons will never forget their surgical masks. However, for those industries that don’t have any obvious hazards, health and safety can often be neglected.
A typical office building may not seem to pose many risks, but these premises should be given the same thought and attention as any other. One of the best ways to address hazards in the workplace is with commercial cleaning London companies. Professional cleaners have expert knowledge in not just cleaning, but all manner of office and workplace health and safety procedures.
We take a look at how professional commercial cleaners can keep the whole team safe at work in a myriad of ways.
1. Remove Bacteria, Germs and Viruses
COVID-19 has brought to light how important proper office sanitation is. Commercial cleaners are some of London’s most crucial frontline workers and have been working tirelessly to ensure the safety of staff and visitors.
But it isn’t just the current pandemic that employees need protecting from. Germs are an unavoidable part of working and if not properly dealt with, can spread quickly and cause sickness within the team.
Cold and flu season is always a detrimental time in any business. Commonly, if one member of staff falls victim to an illness, others will soon catch it. Even if staff are constantly hand washing, very few have the time to focus on disinfecting every area in the office.
Commercial cleaners know every nook and corner of the spaces they are cleaning and have extensive training in what areas need to be cleaned to prevent the spread of germs, including door handles, light switches and office equipment.
It isn’t just contagious germs that need to be thought of. Food, especially meat and dairy products, can leave staff incredibly unwell, even if they have not consumed these items themselves.
Office microwaves and fridges are a breeding ground for germs E Coli, salmonella, norovirus, listeria and even more bacteria that can lead to extreme ill-health. Similarly, kitchen surfaces harbour bacteria if not properly cleaned.
Commercial cleaners know this well and will always pay extra attention to these areas to prevent the spread of any of these harmful bacteria and leave staff feeling safe when preparing their food.
Washrooms need no explanation with the germs that are collated here and commercial cleaners will always ensure that every user not only feels like they are in a clean environment but that anything that can cause harm from any surface is properly removed.
2. Prevent Slips & Trips
Liquid spillages and debris on the floor don’t just look unsightly, they are also a health hazard.
Busy workers often don’t have the time to clean up anything that could pose a risk and may not even acknowledge it until it’s too late.
Injuries on-site aren’t only painful, but can also lead to legal implications if the proper steps weren’t taken to prevent this.
Commercial cleaners will remove anything that could cause harm properly and ensure floors are safe and dry, preventing any slips. With the addition of taking the correct steps, such as wet floor signage, this will prevent harm at work.
3. Avoid Blocked Fire Escapes and Stairwells
Stock, rubbish, paperwork and any other items that take up space can often be inadvertently left in dangerous places.
Fire escapes and stairways must always be kept clear to allow a definitive path to safety should an emergency occur. However, employees may not always consider this when attempting to find a place for items to live.
Especially in London, where many buildings are high-rise and staff could be in danger if their pathways are blocked to the exit, this can be catastrophic. Commercial cleaners are trained to look out for these hazards and to work with businesses to find a safe place for these items to be that won’t block escape routes.
4. Replenishing Consumable Goods
While having a dedicated team to replenish consumables may seem as simply a convenience and not part of health and safety, it can make a world of difference to reduce the spread of germs.
Hand sanitizer and soap dispensers are crucial during the pandemic. Without a team to check these and refill when empty, they are often forgotten about and staff won’t always take it upon themselves to replenish stock or office managers may forget to order more supplies.
Many busy employees may only remember to sanitise their hands when walking past these stations and if they are repeatedly empty, they soon will be ignored and eventually forgotten about.
Commercial cleaners will always ensure these never run empty and the spread of COVID-19 is reduced as much as possible in the building.
5. Safe Chemical Storage
While household cleaners are commonly stored under kitchen sinks, this isn’t always safe in the workplace.
Firstly, there typically isn’t enough room as the number of supplies required can be much larger than a household. Secondly, these chemicals can be more toxic or corrosive in a professional environment.
All good commercial cleaners are fully training in COSHH and colour-coded cleaning. This means that any hazardous materials will always be stored correctly and there is no risk of contamination within the building or products that should not be mixed coming into contact with each other.
It is more imperative than ever before to look after staff, clients and visitors to the workplace and choosing a good commercial cleaner is one of the best ways to ensure this.
