The aim of this assignment is to conduct a risk assessment of the working environment for a cleaning company. As workers in the cleaning industry operate in different environments, which constantly change, there are a variety of factors, which should be considered. Over the course of studying the hazards, three objectives will be accomplished: outline potential hazards, which constitute risk factors for the cleaning company, establish the risk severity, ascertain the people at risk, and suggest recommendations.
Most of the work is conducted in office buildings, where cleaning crews decontaminate the area. All such buildings follow the regulations established by Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005. Particularly, a safe and healthy environment is assured by such factors as temperature, humidity, lighting, ventilation, noise, ionizing and other radiations or other physical agents, dust and fumes, and exposure to water or other liquids. The abundance of health and safety factors necessitates substantial training.
Due to the nature of the provided services, the maintenance of health and safety are at the core of the companyâs activities. Although there is no Health & Safety Officer, each member of the cleaning crew undergoes training before the actual work. Newcomers are instructed on the possible dangers during cleaning operations, malfunction of the equipment, and damage to the offices. Crew members are reminded about fire precautions and the use of fire hydrants. Once a month, all crews are required to undergo a fire drill procedure, which simulates the appearance of fire.
In case an emergency arises, all crew members are instructed to report to the ambulance, fire teams, or rescue services. Cleaning crews are also aware of the possibility of encountering hazardous materials and waste. The overall instruction is that the cleaning crew does not manage them if they are not specifically asked so by the employer. However, they will draw the contractorâs attention to their presence and will properly dispose of them if necessary. Managers of cleaning sites perform the role of Health and Safety Authority as it is their responsibility to supervise the cleaning crewsâ work and manage violations.
Relevant Primary Source of Information
Recommendations
Three recommendations can be made based on the results of the assessment. First, in order to decrease the biological hazard of contracting coronavirus, it is possible to encourage the staff to vaccinate themselves. Alternatively, if the workers have antibodies, they will also have some level of protection against the coronavirus. Although it is not a mandatory practice, the vaccination criterion of employment can decrease the probability of falling ill. Toxic chemicals are another biological hazard, which can affect people through air. A potential avenue of improvement is substituting cleaning via hazardous chemicals with damp cleaning (Suleiman and Svendsen, 2017, p. 152). Not only will it pose less risk, but it will also be a cheaper solution in the long-term perspective.
Cleaning tools can be substituted with equipment that produces less noise and vibration. If the functioning of the tools irritates the workers, their physical receptors can be damaged. As a consequence, they may begin to experience hearing problems or loss of sensations (Suleiman and Svendsen, 2017, p. 151). Aside from the tissue damage, such machinery may stress the workers mentally. Switching to quieter equipment, which produces less noise may resolve some of the psychological discomfort and physical pressure.
As the endurance and physical fitness of workers are essential in cleaning, it is possible to incentivize the employees to keep fit by offering free gym memberships. Strong workersâ physique will be beneficial to both the manager, who will be able to meet clientsâ deadlines, and to workers who will work longer without fatigue. Regular health monitoring can also become a practice, which would showcase any negative health developments. A cleaning site manager can require the workers to change one another as one of them begins to show signs of fatigue. In order to reduce the pressure on the existing members, cleaning crews can be reinforced with more workers.
Stress problems can be resolved by establishing stricter hiring criteria. For instance, the managers may decide to only accept workers who already possess experience in the cleaning field. Alternatively, all employees may be required to undergo training courses on a continuous basis, which ensures that all workers are familiar with the technology and its uses. Another option for improvement of psychological climate is by mixing newcomers with more experienced workers. Working in the same crew is a consolidating factor, which may help workers with less experience learn and stress less (Feenstra et al., 2017, p. 656). Ultimately, by supporting trust and respect among the employees, it is possible to mitigate much tension and prevent burnout.
Evaluation
Altogether, the analysis shows that the variety of workplace hazards is wide. Some of them are expected, and it is possible to prepare for them in advance, as is the case with chemicals and equipment. At the same time, others are not as evident and require thoroughness and consideration to be properly managed, which is precisely the case with physical fatigue and stress. Moreover, the COVID-19 problem makes every cleaning job unpredictable as there is no assured way to know that no virus carriers are present on the site.
Each of these challenges is important and should be given sufficient attention. The first lesson is that short-term preparation can substantially reduce the immediate risks posed by the environment or equipment. For example, by doing a quick and simple procedure, such as equipment checking, it is possible to lower the chances of chemicals coming into contact with the skin or contaminating the virus. The key is maintaining consistency in the organization of pre-cleaning activities.
The second lesson is that problems and hazards, which accumulate over time, require long-term effort and investment. Changes in physical health and mental resilience are not swift and take time. However, ignoring them can bring as much damage to health as being exposed to hazardous chemicals. Therefore, long-term commitment is also essential and should be ensured on a consistent basis. Overall, by combining immediate and long-term preparation, it is possible to mitigate professional hazards.
Reference List
Feenstra, S., Jordan, J., Walter, F., Yan, J. and Stoker, J. I. (2017) âThe hazard of teetering at the top and being tied to the bottom: The interactive relationship of power, stability, and social dominance orientation with work stressâ, Applied Psychology, 66(4), pp. 653-673.
Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005. (2005), c. 10. Web.
Suleiman, A. M. and Svendsen, K. V. (2017) âPresentation of an approach for risk characterization of exposure to chemicals in cleaning workâ, Safety Science, 91, pp. 148-153.
Weber, D.J., Rutala, W.A., Sickbert-Bennett, E.E., Kanamori, H., Anderson, D. and CDC Prevention Epicenters Program. (2019) âContinuous room decontamination technologiesâ, American Journal of Infection Control, 47, pp. 72-78.