The Preventing harm to Cleaning Workers Report Terry N Taylor Head - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

The Preventing harm to Cleaning Workers Report

Terry N Taylor

Head of Working Environment Information Unit EU-OSHA

The Cleaning Sector - Facts

• Cleaning is carried out in every w orkplace
• The cleaning industry is a grow ing sector
• I t is increasingly being put out to tender
• The sector is dom inated by sm all businesses,

m any of w hich em ploy few er than 1 0 w orkers.

• Cleaning is an essential task, and w hen done

w ell can reduce both risks to w orkers’ safety and health and costs to the business

Three big challenges to safe and healthy cleaning

1 . Contracting out ->

• strong cost-cutting pressures on cleaning com panies
• inadequate investm ent in training and other m anagem ent

activities essential for w orker protection.

2 . As labour costs tend to m ake up the largest part of the costs of a cleaning com pany, there is a risk that unscrupulous em ployers w ill seek to gain an unfair advantage in tendering processes by illegal em ploym ent practices

• Eg. not paying full social insurance costs or em ploying

illegal labour.

3 . A poor perception of cleaning and cleaning w orkers can discourage the effective occupational safety and health m anagem ent of cleaning services.

• Eg. failing to provide appropriate equipm ent and training

because the em ployer does not view the task as im portant.

Com m on hazards, risks and health outcom es

• Risk of slips, trips, and falls, particularly during

‘w et w ork’

• Risk of m usculoskeletal disorders, for exam ple

from carrying loads or doing repetitive w ork

• Exposure to dangerous substances contained in

cleaning agents

• Exposure to hazardous substances being cleaned,

w hich can include biological hazards such as m oulds or hum an biological w astes

• Psychosocial issues including w ork-related stress,

violence, and bullying

• Risks, such as electric shock, from w ork

equipm ent

Com m on w ork-related health disorders recognised in cleaners include:

• I njuries from slips, trips and falls
• Musculoskeletal disorders
• W ork-related stress, anxiety and sleeping

disorders

• Skin diseases such as contact derm atitis

and eczem a

• Respiratory disorders including asthm a,

and

• Cardiovascular diseases

Thank you for your attention !

http://osha.europa.eu