About four years ago the group released a number illustrated pictograms to help supervisors train their staff on product usage. Product Usage Guides or PUG’s as they have now become known are especially useful when training cleaners whose first language is not English.

These step by step guides deal with the various stages of using the product starting withthe placement of warning signs, putting on protective clothing, product application.

The latest development in the Jangro Training Solution is animated PUG’s. The PUG’s along with Safety Data Sheets, Risk Assessments and Safe Working Procedure Documents will all be available via smart phone, tablet or PC.

QR codes will soon be added to all Jangro products to enable managers to simply scan the product and immediately gain access to all the data described above.

Follow the link below to see an example of an Animated PUG

For further details call 020 7700 3322 or email sales@janitorialexpress.co.uk

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Depending on the seriousness of any injury sustained, there may be a need to report the incident to the Health and Safety Executive. This can be done by a ”responsible person” contacting the HSE direct for a Form 2508 within 7 days of the accident taking place. Alternatively, the form can be completed on-line at the Health and Safety Executive web site http://www.hse.gov.uk. These are called “Notifiable Events”.

Examples of Notifiable Events Incidents would be:
• Death due to an accident at work
• Fracture of the skull, spine or pelvis
• Fracture of any bone in the arm, wrist, leg or ankle but not a bone in the hand or foot
• Accidents resulting in amputation
• Penetration injury to the eye; chemical or heat burn to the eye
• Electric shock
• Loss of consciousness due to lack of oxygen
• The breathing in, consumption or absorption through the skin of any substance which causes loss of consciousness or necessitates medical attention.
• Exposure to dangerous pathogens
• Any injury that requires admission to a hospital as an in-patient
• The death of an employee within one year from date the accident occurred.
Injuries

The regulations also require employers to report certain diseases if and when they occur in people who are performing particular tasks that could place them at risk. This is done when a written diagnosis is received from a doctor and should be reported to the HSE on a Form 2508.  In total there are 28 reportable diseases covered by the regulations.

Dangerous Occurrences are defined as potentially dangerous events, such as a large spillage of flammable liquid or the collapse of lifting equipment. These incidents are reportable whether they cause injury or not.

Unlike accidents, the HSE must be contacted with details of the incident by telephone immediately and in writing on Form 2508 within 7 days of its occurrence.
As we have said earlier, it is inevitable that, despite all of the precautions employers takes, accidents and sudden illnesses will still occur. As such, employers need to make provision for accidents and illnesses happening in the workplace and provide staff with First Aid facilities. Failure to provide First Aid immediately following an accident or sudden illness could result in an avoidable worsening of the illness or condition or, in extreme cases, death.

The duty in relation to the provision of First Aid facilities is covered in the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981. These regulations charge employers with three main duties.

These are:
• The duty to provide first aid
• The duty to inform employees of all of the first aid arrangements and procedures
• The duty to ensure self-employed people provide first aid equipment

The Government provide an Approved Code of Practice (ACP) dealing with the general duties places on employers in relation to First Aid, which is available from the HMSO. However, to keep things simple, we shall look mainly at the regulations dealing with the more general principles.

Also, when considering the practical provision of First Aid to cleaning operatives, employers should include them as part of the overall workforce when considering their requirements. When such operatives work alone or outside normal office hours, employers should give careful consideration to their needs, paying particular attention to the Approved Code of Practice.

Regulation 3(1)
The first is Regulation 3(1) which places a general duty upon all employers “to make adequate and appropriate first aid provision if they are injured, or become ill at work”.

Although all employers should give some thought to the size and scale of the operations undertaken when considering first aid provision, more emphasis should be placed on dealing with the nature of any hazards associated with the specific nature of the work and environment.

Therefore, consideration should be given to providing more First Aiders, trained in dealing with specific hazards associated with certain processes. For instance, if a section of the workforce is dealing with dangerous chemicals, members of that section of the workforce should be trained in delivering specific first aid.
Having said that, within the cleaning industry, the nature of the accidents that normally occur are similar to those associated with the rest of industry and as such the provision of a first aid kit containing the following items and quantities should be sufficient in dealing with most accidents:

• First Aid Box (clearly marked)
• Guidance Card
• 20 individually wrapped sterile adhesive wound dressings suitable for the work environment. (in kitchens and food preparation areas, these must be blue).
• 2 sterile eye pads
• 6 individually wrapped triangular bandages
• 6 safety pins
• 6 medium, 2 large and 3 extra-large individually wrapped, sterile, unmediated wound dressings
• At least 900ml of sterile water.

Regulation 3(2)
This regulation deals with the numbers of “suitable persons” required to adequately deliver First Aid throughout the workforce. A suitable person is defined by the Approved Code of Practice as anyone who holds a valid First Aid certificate issued by the HSE, obtained via a training organisation approved by them or anyone who has undergone any training and obtained qualifications approved by the HSE.

The code clearly states that it is not possible to identify a precise ratio of First Aiders to employees but provides guidance to employers of the relevant factors to consider.

These are:
• The distribution of employees throughout the organisation
• The nature of work undertaken within each relevant section
• The size and location of the establishment
• Whether employees work shifts or outside normal office hours
• The distance from outside medical establishments or services
• The number of employees

The Approved Code of Practice suggests that in low risk situations the ratio of First Aiders to employees should be 1:50. For any situations considered more hazardous, it suggests that employers should decide on what they would consider an appropriate ratio subject to minimum of 1:50.

Regulations 3(3) and 3(4)
These regulations allow for the employer to appoint a person to take charge of First Aid provision in the absence of a qualified First Aider. The Approved Code of Practice requires such a person to be trained in the provision of Emergency Aid.
These regulations are of particular importance within the cleaning industry where staff are often required to work outside office hours and may be visited by a supervisor. The regulations would allow for such a supervisor to be trained in the provision of Emergency Aid, in order to deal with any incidents that may occur.

Regulation 4
This places a duty on the employer to inform all employees of the relevant First Aid procedures. This should be done when an employee joins an organisation as part of any induction programme or moves to another building as part of their employment.
It also requires a notice to be displayed in prominent enough positions within a building to provide all staff with knowledge of the First Aid procedures and the location of equipment.

In my next Blog in the series I will deal with Health & Safety Signs and Signals

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Whilst I have gone to great lengths to identify the correct procedure for cleaning these areas in our Safe Working Procedure Notes, variations to the ways in which these areas are cleaned do not necessarily mean that they are unsuitable. Moreover, it is more important to carefully consider whether or not the procedures adopted approach the cleaning of washrooms in a structured and systematic way. It is also important that each of the component parts of the overall procedure are carried out thoroughly and efficiently.

In order to assess whether your own approach to cleaning is sufficient to deal with the effective removal and disposal of bacteria within the washroom environment, we have produced what we believe to be the most effective and efficient approach to washroom cleaning and hygiene. The following steps, if carried out systematically from start to finish, should provide the basis for an effective washroom cleaning regime whether carried out daily or periodically.

1. Preparation

It is important that, prior to cleaning commencing, all of the equipment required by the operative to carry out all of the tasks within the washroom are placed within easy reach. Typically these will include:

• Warning signs

• Neoprene or PVC protective gloves

• Hand brush

• Toilet brush

• Pair of tweezers

• Appropriately colour-coded mop with matching handle

• Appropriately colour-coded mop bucket with fitted wringer

• Appropriately colour-coded cleaning cloths and/or sponges

• Trigger spray bottle (clearly labelled as to the contents)

• Abrasive nylon scrubbing pads

• Relevant cleaning products

• Dispensing aid i.e. pump dispenser

• Black refuse sacks

Access to the area being cleaned should be prohibited whilst cleaning is being carried out and operatives should place warning signs at the entrance to the washroom. If only part of a larger washroom is being cleaned then warning signs should be placed at the extremes of the work area.

There are a total of 9 steps in my  Systematic Approach to the Cleaning of Washroom Areas, subscribe to this blog and I’ll send you the complete document .

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It is essential that you firstly conduct an assessment of the risks associated with each particular type of incident. (Details of how to do this are provided in the Jangro Guide to Health and Safety).

Once an appropriate risk assessment has been carried out, you can set about adopting the correct procedures for dealing with the disposal of the hazardous waste in question. The way in which I have approached this subject is by producing the following case study which outlines a common problem and then take you through the process of dealing with it.

Please bear in mind this is a generic method statement and it is the responsibility of the reader to ensure they carry their own assessment to insure that the procedures listed are appropriate for their own site and set of circumstances

Mary works as a cleaner in a Sheltered Housing Scheme for the elderly. One of her duties is to remove black refuse sacks from the bin rooms for collection by the local bin men. One morning, whilst going about her normal duties, she comes across a dead rat in the bin room.

What Should She Do?

Although this is not a regular occurrence, Mary has been trained to deal with the situation, following her attendance on a Health and Safety training course and so is well aware of the potential risks, not least of all the chance of contracting Weils Disease

Firstly, Mary closes the door and marks it with a makeshift sign saying “Do Not Enter’; She knows that under no circumstances should she attempt to handle the rat and telephones the local authority Environmental Health Department and waits for the Pest Control Officer to arrive.

Whilst waiting, she prepares the following items:

A biohazard waste bag

• Antiseptic spray
• Disposable gloves
• Disposable apron
• Anti-septic hand wipe
• Neutral cleaning solution and bucket
• Scrubbing brush
• Disposable tissue

The Pest Control Officer arrives and disposes of the carcass. It is only now that Mary sets to work and she follows this procedure.

1. Before entering the work area, she puts on the disposable apron and gloves.
2. She places warning signs at the extremes of the work area to warn people of her presence.
3. She then places all of her equipment within easy reach, taking care that none of it comes into contact with the area from which the rat has been removed.
4. Using a scrubbing brush, she applies neutral cleaning solution to the area, rotationally scrubbing the area where the rat was found.
5. She soaks up the waste solution using absorbent tissue and deposits it in the waste bag.
6. Once the area is relatively dry, she applies the antiseptic solution by spraying the affected area thoroughly and allows to dry naturally, before wiping with absorbent tissue and depositing in the waste bag.

For additional information on this subject, or Risk Assessment and Method Statements in general, call 020 7700 3322 or email gary@janitorialexpress.co.uk

If you want to keep up to date on what’s happening on this blog? You can subscribe, see the link to the left of the articles heading.

It is essential, that you firstly conduct an assessment of the risks associated with each particular type of incident, in this case, Dealing With Bodily Fluid Spills. (Details of how to do this are provided in the Jangro Guide to Health and Safety).

Once an appropriate risk assessment has been carried out, you can set about adopting the correct procedures for dealing with the disposal of the hazardous waste in question. The way in which I have approached this subject is by producing the following case study,  which outlines a common problem and then take you through the process of dealing with it.

Terry works as a cleaner in a youth hostel and his duties include cleaning the accommodation areas within the complex. One morning, when cleaning
one of the accommodation rooms, he notices a pool of vomit, which has soaked into the carpet.

What Should He Do?
This is a regular occurrence within the hostel and Terry has been trained to deal with it. Again, let’s study the correct approach. Firstly, Terry makes a check of the immediate area
to see if the person has been sick in other parts of the room. They haven’t so he sets about his job.

Firstly, he places a warning sign on the door to the affected room restricting access to it. He then goes to the cleaning cupboard for the necessary supplies.
For this task he will need the following:

• A Body Fluid Spillage Kit consisting of:
• Absorbent deodorising granules
• Anti-septic spray
• Clean white, non-woven cleaning cloths
• Cardboard scoop and spatula
• Disposable gloves
• Disposable apron
• Biohazard waste bag

This is the procedure he follows:

1. Before entering the work area, he puts on the disposable apron and gloves, he always wears long trousers.

2. He places warning signs at the extremes of the work area to warn people of his presence.

3. He then places all of his equipment within easy reach, taking care that none of it comes into contact with the stain to be cleaned.

4. Standing over the stain, he takes the absorbent granule container and sprinkles it liberally over the stain, making sure it is completely covered.

5. After giving the granules time to absorb the majority of the liquid, Terry checks that it has been drawn from the carpets and is beginning to take a more solid form.

6. Once he is satisfied, he takes the cardboard spatula and agitates the stain. Using the cardboard spatula and working from the outside of the stain in, he scrapes the residue into the scoop and places it into the waste bag. He also places the scoop and spatula inthe bag for disposal.

7. After taking as much of the stain up as possible, he takes up the rest of the powder using the dry cleaning cloth and disposes of it in the waste bag.

8. Once the majority of the stain has been removed, he sprays the area liberally with the anti-septic solution and allows a couple of minutes for it to act.

9. Taking another clean cloth he dries the area and disposes of it in the waste bag.

10. Before finishing he places his apron and gloves in the waste bag.

11. He then wipes his hands thoroughly with the ant-septic wipe and places it the waste bag.

12. He seals the waste bag and places it in the designated area ready for collection.

13. He reopens the room and returns all equipment, including the warning sign to the storage area.

These procedures are relatively straight forward and take all of the necessary steps to ensure that both the operative and anyone else using the area are adequately protected. It is also worth noting that this procedure is sufficient in dealing with all major body-fluid spills.

For additional information on this subject, or Risk Assessment and Method Statements in general, call 020 7700 3322 or email gary@janitorialexpress.co.uk

If you want to keep up to date on what’s happening on this blog? You can subscribe, see the link to the left of the articles heading

It is essential, that you firstly conduct an assessment of the risks associated with each particular type of incident, in this case Hypodermic Syringes. (Details of how to do this are provided in the Jangro Guide to Health and Safety).

Once an appropriate risk assessment has been carried out, you can set about adopting the correct procedures for dealing with the disposal of the hazardous waste in question. The way in which I have approached this subject is by producing the following case study,  which outlines a common problem and then take you through the process of dealing with it.

Please bear in mind this is a generic method statement and it is the responsibility of the reader to ensure they carry their own assessment to insure that the procedures listed are appropriate for their own site and set of circumstances

Case Study: Disposing of Discarded Hypodermic Syringes

Jean is employed as a cleaner in a public convenience that is known to be frequented by drug users. When carrying out her routine cleaning duties, she comes across a toilet cubicle which has been used by drug users. In it she finds two hypodermic syringes, one of which is obviously contaminated with blood; the other appears to be clean.

What should she do?

Luckily, Jean is trained to deal with this situation effectively. Let’s see what she does in the order she does it. She decides that although there is no obvious sign
of blood on one of the syringes, it must still be approached with extreme caution and dealt with in line with the “Sharps” disposal procedure she has been trained in. Firstly, she places an “Out of Order” sign on the cubicle door to restrict access to the area and goes to her cleaning cupboard for the equipment she needs.

This consists of the following:

• A “sharps” disposal carton.
• Plastic tweezers
• Clean white tissue
• Antiseptic spray
• Antiseptic wipes
• Yellow biohazard waste bag
• Disposable apron
• Disposable gloves

This is the procedure she follows:

• 1. Before entering the area she puts on the disposable apron and the gloves.
• 2. She then places warning signs at the entrance of the cubicle to warn users of the toilet that she is working.
• 3. She places all of her equipment within easy reach within the work area, making sure that none of it comes into contact with the contaminated items.
• 4. Jean opens the lid of the disposal carton and places it on the floor next to the first syringe.
• 5. She takes the tweezers and manoeuvres the syringe into a position where she can grasp it firmly by the body (not by the needle end!)
• 6. Making sure that she has a firm grip on the syringe; she carefully places it into the carton, taking care to place it in needle first.
• 7. Once she has done this, she repeats the process for the second syringe.
• 8. When she is sure that the syringes have been deposited completely inside the carton, she places the tweezers inside and closes the lid, making sure that it is sealed properly and places it to one side.
• 9. She sprays the infected area with the antiseptic solution and wipes with the clean
  tissue.
• 10. 0nce all of the potentially infected area has been disinfected, she places the used tissue in the biohazard waste bag.
• 11. She then removes her gloves and apron and places them in the biohazard waste bag.
• 12. To finish, she wipes her hands with an antiseptic wipe and places it in the biohazard waste bag.
• 13. She seals the bag and places it in the designated waste area.
• 14. She takes the sharps disposal carton and arranges for disposal in line with the companies policy.
• 15. She returns to the cubicle and cleans it thoroughly as normal.
• 16. She removes the warning sign, returns all equipment to the store and reopens the toilet.
• 17. She then reports the incident to her manager.

It sounds like a lengthy procedure, but each step has been carefully considered following a risk assessment by her manager, to ensure that the risk of injury and infection is reduced to an absolute minimum.

The manager in question would need to take into account that the public convenience in question is known to be frequented by drug users and reflect this in his/her risk assessment. It should be noted that all operatives should only tackle the disposal of hypodermic syringes in small quantities.

Risk assessments should reflect this and make specific recommendations as to what action should be taken to deal with instances involving large quantities.

It is usual in these circumstances to recommend that the issue be reported to the local Environmental Health Office, who should be able to deal with it effectively using specialist equipment and personnel.

For additional information on this subject, or Risk Assessment and Method Statements in general, call 020 7700 3322 or email gary@janitorialexpress.co.uk

If you want to keep up to date on what’s happening on this blog? You can subscribe, see the link to the left of the articles heading.