How to Achieve Safe Cleaning in Janitorial

The importance of safe cleaning and safety efforts in janitorial can’t be understated. Understanding the safe handling of chemicals and cleaning products is essential to compliance, the environment and the wellness of customers and employees. This guide will serve as a framework to help assess how well you are doing.

Cleaners, sanitizers and disinfectants are quintessential to janitorial, but they bring with them certain hazards. What’s the difference between these three chemicals?

Cleaners – remove dirt
Sanitizers – reduce, but do not eliminate, bacteria, viruses and molds from surfaces
Disinfectants – destroy or inactivate microorganisms that cause infections

While products serve these purposes, they can also be caustic, flammable or poisonous. When they come in contact with the skin, they can cause allergic reactions, rashes and burns, irritation of the eyes, nose, throat or lungs, headaches and even dizziness.

Your 4-Point Safe Cleaning Checklist

Storage – Proper storage of your cleaning and disinfecting products is an essential part of your safe cleaning checklist. Some of the recommended storage protocols include:

Proper labeling of cleaning products and chemicals including possible hazards and expiration dates
Ventilation systems to prevent the buildup of harmful vapors
Storage of first-aid, PPE and clean-up procedures for accidents and spills

Usage & Handling – When cleaning supplies are being used, they are the most dangerous. This list is important to be on the radar of property owners and managers to ensure that their workplace is safe:

Provide rules and cautions about mixing and diluting cleaning products
Ensure workers have a safe place to wash up after using cleaning chemicals

Disposal – Another key aspect of safety in cleaning relates to how cleaning products are disposed of. Be sure to provide proper protocols for disposing of cleaning products and the appropriate means of disposing of cleaning products, containers and related equipment.

Meeting Regulatory Standards – The OSHA Hazard Communication Standard “requires that the chemical manufacturer, distributor, or importer provide Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) (formerly MSDSs or Material Safety Data Sheets) for each hazardous chemical to downstream users to communicate information on these hazards.” This 16-part brief provides guidance to help workers who handle hazardous chemicals to become familiar with the format and understand the contents of the SDSs. A regulatory requirement is that Safety Data Sheets are on hand for all chemicals used on your commercial property.

Our team is thoroughly trained before they are dispatched into the field. We provide continuing education with field supervision to ensure the people on your property have a great experience. At TamCare Services, we have decades of experience helping our clients create safe and clean workspaces. We partner with our clients; we are more than just a janitorial services company. TamCare Services offers a full range of services with safety in mind, including:

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