| 1 | Slips, trips and falls on the same levelHSE: Slips and trips | The cleaners themselves, and any client staff still in the building. Sprains, fractures and head injuries from slipping on wet or contaminated floors, or tripping over cables, uneven surfaces, boxes and trailing leads. Slips and trips are the most common cause of injury at work. | 3 | 4 | 12 | • Spills are cleaned up straight away and the wet area is signed or cordoned until it is dry• Floors are cleaned when the area is quiet, and the method leaves them dry, not wet• Walkways are kept clear of boxes, stock and equipment, and cables are routed away from walkways or covered• Staff wear flat, closed shoes with a good grip; slip resistant footwear is provided where floors are often wet• Each floor is mopped last, working back to the stairs, so nobody walks on a wet floor• Wet floor signs are placed at both ends of a mopped corridorand 3 more | 3 | 2 | 6 | • Improve lighting where the floor, steps or outside routes cannot be seen clearly.• Repair damaged flooring, loose mats and worn steps, and set up a way for staff to report them.• Fit a handrail, mark step edges and keep stairs clear.• Fit entrance matting and arrange gritting of outside paths in icy weather.and 1 more |
| 2 | Hazardous substancesHSE: COSHH basics. COSHH assessments needed | The cleaners. Products in use: thick bleach, multi surface sanitiser, descaler, floor cleaner and glass cleaner. Burns, dermatitis, asthma, poisoning and long term illness from cleaning products, solvents, dusts, fumes and biological agents. Each substance needs its own COSHH assessment; this entry records that the risk exists and is controlled. | 4 | 3 | 12 | • Every hazardous substance in use has a COSHH assessment, kept in a register with the supplier data sheet• The least hazardous product that does the job is used, and concentrates are replaced by ready diluted products where possible• Substances are stored in their original labelled containers, in a locked or controlled store, away from incompatible products and food• The gloves, eye protection and other PPE the assessment calls for are provided and worn• Staff have been told the hazards and the controls for each product they use, and have signed the assessment• Spill kits, eyewash and first aid measures matching the products in use are in place and staff know where they areand 3 more | 4 | 1 | 4 | None |
| 3 | Lone workingHSE: Lone working | Both cleaners, who are on separate floors and alone in the building after 7 pm. Injury or illness with no one to help, and higher risk of violence, when staff work alone: out of hours cleaning, home visits, driving, opening and closing, working in a store room. | 4 | 2 | 8 | • Tasks with a higher risk, such as work at height or handling aggressive people, are not done alone• Lone workers check in at agreed times, and someone knows where they are and what to do if they do not check in• Lone workers carry a charged phone and know who to call, and a personal alarm or lone worker device is provided where the risk is higher• Lone workers have been trained for the work and told what to do in an emergency, including first aid and fire• Lone workers can lock the premises, control who comes in, and are not expected to challenge intruders• Each cleaner texts the supervisor when they leave the building; a missed text by 9.30 pm is followed up by phoneand 3 more | 4 | 1 | 4 | • Ask lone workers about any condition that could make working alone unsafe and adjust the work. |
| 4 | Manual handling of loadsHSE: Manual handling at work | Both cleaners: full bin bags, mop buckets, boxes of consumables, moving the vacuum between floors. Back injury, strains and hernias from lifting, carrying, pushing and pulling loads that are heavy, awkward, or handled often. Musculoskeletal injuries build up over time as well as happening in one lift. | 3 | 3 | 9 | • Trolleys, sack trucks or other lifting aids are provided and used for heavy or repeated loads• Heavy loads are split into smaller ones or lifted by two people• Staff who lift regularly have been shown how to lift safely and how to assess a load before they pick it up• Routes for carrying are short, clear and level, with doors held open where needed• Bins are emptied into a wheeled trolley, not carried; bags are half filled, not fulland 2 more | 2 | 2 | 4 | • Look at whether each regular lift can be avoided: deliveries to the point of use, smaller packs, or equipment moved by the supplier.• Rearrange storage so heavy items sit between knee and shoulder height.• Check who is doing the lifting and take heavy loads away from anyone with a health reason not to lift. |
| 5 | Electrical equipment and installationsHSE: Electrical safety at work | Both cleaners: vacuum cleaners, floor scrubber and their leads. Electric shock and burns from damaged leads, plugs and equipment, faulty installations or water near electrics. Fire from overloaded sockets and faulty equipment. | 4 | 2 | 8 | • Staff look at plugs, leads and equipment before use and report anything damaged, which is then taken out of use• Portable equipment is inspected and, where needed, tested at intervals that match how it is used, and the record is kept• Extension leads and adaptors are not daisy chained or overloaded, and leads are fully unwound in use• Electrical equipment is kept away from water, and nothing is used with wet handsand 1 more | 4 | 1 | 4 | • Book an inspection of the fixed electrical installation by a competent electrician.• Fit RCD protection for equipment used outdoors or near water.• Set a rule that only a competent electrician repairs or alters electrical equipment. |
| 6 | Working at heightHSE: Work at height | Cleaners using the step stool to reach high shelves and light fittings. Falls from ladders, stepladders, platforms, roofs and mezzanines, and objects falling onto people below. Falls from height are the most common cause of death at work. | 4 | 2 | 8 | • The right equipment is chosen for the job: a podium or platform for longer work, a ladder or stepladder only for short, light tasks• Ladders and stepladders are used only for light work of up to about 30 minutes, on firm level ground, with three points of contact and without overreaching• Ladders and stepladders are checked before use and taken out of use if damaged, and the record of checks is kept• High level cleaning above the step stool is not done on the evening round; it is booked as a separate job with two peopleand 1 more | 3 | 1 | 3 | • Look at each task done at height and take it to ground level where a long handled tool or a different method allows.• Tie or foot ladders where the ground or the wall gives them any chance of slipping.• Cordon or clear the area below work at height and give staff a tool belt or bag.• Train staff who work at height in the equipment they use and when to stop and ask.• Identify fragile roofs and roof lights and ban access without a separate method and fall protection.and 2 more |