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Welcome to good housekeeping training. This session is designed for all employees. To many people, good housekeeping in the workplace just means sweeping up at the end of the shift. But good housekeeping is a lot more than that. It is the foundation of an effective accident prevention program. A neat, clean, and orderly workplace is a safe workplace.
The main objective of this session is to emphasize the importance of good housekeeping and explain what it really involves. By the time this session is over, you should be able to:
- Recognize the importance of good housekeeping;
- Understand housekeeping responsibilities;
- Develop good housekeeping habits;
- Identify and eliminate housekeeping hazards; and
- Help prevent workplace fires and accidents.
On the flip side, are the costs of poor housekeeping, which include:
- Slips, trips, and falls;
- Fires;
- Chemical and machine accidents;
- Injuries resulting from electrical problems;
- Collisions and falling objects; and
- Health problems caused by unsanitary or unsafe conditions. Can you think of some other costs of poor housekeeping? For example, there may be damage to tools, equipment, and materials left lying around.
Developing good housekeeping habits will protect you and your coworkers from injuries on the job.
- Make time for housekeeping tasks on a daily basis. Set aside a little time during the workday and at the end of your shift for housekeeping.
- Evaluate your workspace before starting work. Look for slip, trip, and fall hazards, fire hazards, machine hazards, cut hazards, and so forth.
- Remove those hazards before starting work. Clean up spills. Put away tools and electrical cords you don’t need. Close drawers. Clean up waste materials and dispose of them properly.
- Don’t leave equipment running when you leave the work area. Turn it off and clean it up so that it is ready for the next time it’s used.
- Clean up as you go. Put tools and equipment away in their proper place when you are through with them. Waiting until the end of the shift exposes you and others to trip hazards all day.
- And finally, take responsibility for hazards even if you didn’t create the hazard or it’s not in your work area. Eliminate or report all hazards.
Now it’s time to ask yourself if you understand the information presented so far about why good housekeeping makes good sense. It’s important for your safety that you understand all this basic information about housekeeping on the job. Now let’s talk about specific housekeeping hazards in the workplace and what you can do about them.
Slips, trips, and falls are among the most common hazards of poor housekeeping. Any number of injuries can occur as a result.
- Strains or sprains can occur from a simple slip that doesn’t even result in a fall. The jerking motion that occurs when your feet slip and your body reacts to regain balance can cause a muscle strain or a sprain, like a twisted ankle.
- Worse, you could tear a ligament, which is painful and takes a long time to heal.
- Or, you could break a bone if you slipped or tripped and fell hard.
- Even more serious slip, trip, and fall injuries can involve damage to the back or spine.
- And sometimes, the worst happens. Tens of thousands of people die every year as a result of falling either at work or at home.
Preventing trip hazards requires initiative and responsibility to remove the hazard in order to prevent somebody else from being injured. Take responsibility for trip hazards and:
- Clean up debris such as straps and bands from boxes that can become entangled in a person’s legs.
- Put away electrical cords and air hoses when not in use. And even when using them, be careful where you place them. Make sure it’s not somewhere somebody could trip over them.
- Don’t stack boxes or other items in walkways.
- Keep drawers closed so that someone doesn’t come by and tumble over an open drawer.
- Be careful when you carry objects. Make sure you can see where you’re going and watch out for obstacles that could cause a trip.
- Put away tools and other production equipment after use. Leaving items lying around on the floor could cause someone to trip and fall—perhaps even you. Think about trip hazards you could face on the job.
Good housekeeping will also help prevent falls from heights. To prevent falls:
- Be careful on stairs. Keep one hand free to hold onto the railing. Walk, don’t run, up and down. And don’t leave objects on stairs—or on landings.
- Use ladders safely. This means selecting the right ladder for the job, inspecting it before use, setting it up properly, climbing safely, and working carefully once you’re up.
- Be sure to replace fall protection chains or barriers on upper level walkways or mezzanines after performing any tasks that require their temporary removal.
- Also, always use personal fall arrest equipment when required, and be sure to inspect it carefully before each use. After all, you wouldn’t jump out of a plane without inspecting your parachute, would you? The same applies to personal fall arrest equipment. Think about fall hazards you could face on the job.
Good housekeeping to prevent fires also includes fire exits and firefighting equipment.
- Always keep evacuation routes clear. Don’t store boxes or other items in aisles, hallways, or stairwells that lead to emergency exits.
- Also make sure that exit doors are kept clear so that they can be easily opened in an emergency. Good housekeeping will ensure that nothing blocks these doors on either side.
- Fire extinguishers should not be used as hangers for coats, air hoses, electrical cords, or anything else. Access to extinguishers must be kept clear at all times. Extinguishers must also be visible, so they can’t be blocked by stacks of boxes, forklifts, or other items.
- And access to electrical panels must also be clear at all times so that they can be opened quickly in case of an emergency that requires the power to a machine or the building to be shut down. Think about the fire exits near your work area and the firefighting equipment in the area. Is clear access available at all times?
Good housekeeping contributes to chemical safety as well.
- If you’re practicing good housekeeping, you’ll make sure that chemicals are put in the proper labeled containers and that the containers are kept closed when not in use.
- You’ll inspect chemical containers for signs of damage or leaks before using and regularly while containers are in storage.
- In addition, good housekeeping requires the use of appropriate PPE when working with or around hazardous chemicals.
- Practicing good housekeeping also means following safe storage and handling procedures when using chemicals to make sure they are not stored near other chemicals they might react with or handled in a way that might contribute to a spill or other hazard.
- And it requires you to clean up spills right away to protect other workers from hazards. Some hazardous chemicals require specialized training to respond to a spill. So in those cases, you should report the problem immediately. Think about the role good housekeeping plays in chemical safety in your work area.
Also remember these good housekeeping tips for electrical safety:
- Don’t stack combustible materials near electrical heaters or furnaces;
- Inspect electrical cords before each use;
- Don’t overload outlets or circuits;
- Keep combustibles away from electrical equipment; and
- Keep electrical equipment free of dust, debris, and grease. Are there other housekeeping practices you use to contribute to electrical safety in the workplace?
Good housekeeping can also help prevent cuts, bumps, scrapes, and more serious injuries.
- For example, don’t leave objects sticking out into walkways or workspaces. A person could walk by and bump into them. That person could even be you. And if the object has a sharp edge, you could get a nasty cut.
- When you can’t remove a head-bumping hazard, at least pad it and put up a warning sign to prevent injuries.
- To prevent cuts, be sure to clean up broken glass immediately, using a broom and dust pan, or wearing protective gloves. Never pick up broken glass with bare hands.
- You can also help prevent cuts by storing blades and sharp tools carefully. For example, store new blades for band saws, circular saws, or utility knives in labeled boxes so someone doesn’t accidentally stick his or her hands inside and get cut.
- When it’s time to discard an old blade, cover the sharp edge with tape or cardboard and discard the blade directly into a metal trash container or dumpster.
- Also be sure to keep blades on utility knives sheathed or retracted when not in use.
Good housekeeping involves taking good care of your personal protective equipment so that it will take good care of you. Good PPE housekeeping involves:
- Inspecting PPE before each use, checking for signs of wear or damage;
- Keeping your PPE clean;
- Storing it properly so that it doesn’t get damaged or contaminated with dirt or chemicals; and
- Replacing your PPE when it is worn out, damaged, or no loner provides the protection that is required. Think about how you care for your PPE. Will your PPE housekeeping help keep you safe or expose you to hazards?
- When performing housekeeping tasks, be sure to select the right equipment for the job, including the right PPE. That might include: - Eye protection - Gloves - Proper shoes - Dust masks - Other items such as protective clothing, respirators, and hearing protection, depending on the hazards
- Other equipment for housekeeping tasks includes brooms and vacuums for picking up dust and debris and mops and sponges for cleaning floors and work surfaces as well as wiping up liquid spills.
- You might also use rags for wiping down equipment. If those rags become soaked with solvents or oil, be sure to dispose of them in tightly closed metal containers.
- And finally, be careful when using cleaning compounds. Many products used in the workplace are stronger than household cleaning agents and may require special protection. Read labels, and if there is a safety data sheet for the product, read that, too.
