Cleaner Kingston Health and Safety Policy

Cleaner Kingston is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for our employees, clients, visitors, contractors and members of the public who may be affected by our cleaning activities. This Health and Safety Policy sets out our general approach, responsibilities and arrangements for managing health and safety in all cleaning services we deliver.

We aim to conduct all work in a way that prevents injury, ill health, property damage and environmental harm, and to continually improve our health and safety performance.

Our Health and Safety Objectives

Cleaner Kingston will:

Identify, assess and control risks associated with cleaning activities in offices, residential premises and commercial facilities.

Comply with all applicable health and safety legislation, approved codes of practice and relevant industry standards.

Provide appropriate information, instruction, supervision and training to ensure that staff can carry out their work safely and competently.

Consult with employees on matters affecting their health and safety and encourage active involvement in improving safety standards.

Monitor, review and, where necessary, revise this policy and associated procedures to reflect changes in our operations and best practice.

Management Responsibilities

Senior management at Cleaner Kingston are responsible for implementing and maintaining effective health and safety arrangements. This includes:

Setting clear expectations for safe working practices across all cleaning services.

Ensuring that suitable and sufficient risk assessments are carried out for all tasks, locations and equipment used.

Providing the necessary resources to implement and maintain safe systems of work, including training, equipment and supervision.

Ensuring that accidents, incidents and near misses are reported, investigated and used to improve safety performance.

Reviewing health and safety objectives and performance at regular intervals.

Employee Responsibilities

All employees, including supervisors, cleaners and temporary staff, share responsibility for maintaining a safe working environment. Employees must:

Take reasonable care of their own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by their actions or omissions.

Follow all safe working procedures, instructions and training provided by Cleaner Kingston.

Use equipment, protective clothing and cleaning chemicals only as instructed and for their intended purpose.

Report hazards, unsafe conditions, accidents, incidents and near misses to their supervisor as soon as possible.

Cooperate with any investigation, audit or review of health and safety arrangements.

Risk Assessment and Safe Systems of Work

Cleaner Kingston undertakes risk assessments for all significant hazards associated with our cleaning work. These include, but are not limited to, slips and trips, manual handling, use of chemicals, working at height, lone working and use of machinery.

Risk assessments are used to develop safe systems of work that may include specific methods of cleaning, equipment selection, restricted access to certain areas, and requirements for supervision or additional training.

Risk assessments and safe systems of work are reviewed regularly and whenever there are changes in work practices, equipment, premises layout or client requirements.

Training, Information and Supervision

Cleaner Kingston ensures that all employees receive appropriate induction and job-specific training before starting work and on an ongoing basis. Training may include:

General health and safety awareness.

Safe use, storage and disposal of cleaning chemicals and materials.

Manual handling techniques to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal injury.

Safe operation of cleaning machinery and equipment.

Use and care of personal protective equipment.

Emergency procedures, including fire safety and first aid arrangements.

Supervisors are responsible for monitoring work practices and supporting staff to follow safe systems of work at all times.

Chemical Safety and COSHH

The safe use of cleaning chemicals is critical to health and safety in our operations. Cleaner Kingston will:

Obtain and maintain up-to-date safety data sheets for all cleaning products used.

Assess risks from exposure to hazardous substances and implement appropriate control measures.

Ensure chemicals are clearly labelled, stored securely and used only in accordance with instructions and training.

Provide suitable personal protective equipment where required, such as gloves, eye protection and respiratory protection, and ensure staff know how to use it correctly.

Equipment, Maintenance and Personal Protective Equipment

Cleaner Kingston supplies suitable and maintained tools and equipment for all cleaning tasks. We will:

Ensure that all cleaning machinery, electrical equipment and tools are inspected, serviced and maintained in safe working order.

Remove from service any equipment found to be defective until it is repaired or replaced.

Provide appropriate personal protective equipment based on risk assessments, and ensure that employees use and look after it properly.

Accident, Incident and Near Miss Reporting

All accidents, incidents and near misses that occur during Cleaner Kingston activities must be reported to a supervisor without delay. We will:

Record and investigate all reported events to identify root causes.

Take reasonable steps to prevent recurrence, including revising procedures or providing additional training where necessary.

Comply with any applicable reporting requirements to relevant authorities where required.

Emergency Procedures

Cleaner Kingston cooperates with client site emergency arrangements and ensures that employees are aware of:

Fire evacuation routes, assembly points and procedures at each site.

Location of first aid provisions and how to obtain assistance.

Any site-specific emergency requirements that may affect cleaning work, such as restricted areas or alarm systems.

Consultation and Continuous Improvement

Cleaner Kingston values input from employees and clients in improving health and safety. We encourage staff to raise concerns and suggestions for safer working methods. Feedback from audits, inspections, risk assessments and incident investigations is used to enhance our health and safety management system.

This Health and Safety Policy will be reviewed regularly and updated as necessary to reflect changes in legislation, our services or best practice in the cleaning sector.