"This is an excellent teaching aid and, when supplemented by face-to-face training, should prove invaluable. Many cleaners do not have English as a first language and the film is subtitled in 20 alternative languages including Polish, Albanian, Czech, Gujarati and Kurdish."
Health & Safety at Work magazine
Whether you work in small or large business or a school or college, your janitorial and cleaning staff face daily risks to their health and safety.
There were 3500 reported work related accidents to cleaners in 2005/06. (Source HSE)
This NEW DVD follows a cleaner through her working day, and shows the possible hazards she could face. The DVD looks at:
Appropriate work wear and personal protective equipment
On going dynamic risk assessments
How to avoid repetitive strain injuries
How to lift correctly
Safe use of chemical substances
Push rather than pull
Tripping hazards
Hand arm vibration
This DVD will provide your cleaners with general tips and advice that can be applied to their tasks in order to avoid injury.
The pack comes complete with 50 Risk Assessment Forms and 10 H&S for Cleaners Training Booklets.
With 20 different subtitled languages to choose from including English this DVD is ideal for any company who may have workers who do not have English as their first language. This DVD will train them in their own language.
• Albanian• Bengali• Chinese• Czech• English• French• German• Gujarati• Hindi• Italian• Kurdish• Polish• Portuguese• Punjabi• Spanish• Turkish• Urdu• Welsh• Russian • Tamil
Included in the pack are Assessment Forms and 10 Training Booklets
Running time of DVD is 20 minutes.
For a FREE quotation to translate the DVD into any additional languages please call 0845 345 1703 or email sales@safetymedia.co.uk
Read a review of this DVD from Health & Safety at Work magazine. Click here
Video on Demand Terms & Conditions
Employers should aim for clean sweep with health and safety
The UK's cleaning industry employs a large number of workers who are engaged in a wide range of tasks, some of which present the risk of health and safety accidents.
However, it is possible to determine which dangers are more immediate for cleaners. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) suggests that the main risks facing the industry are slips and trips, manual handling and falls from height. These, and additional worries such as use of chemicals and repetitive strain injuries, are covered in the H&S for Cleaners DVD.
Trade union GMB warns employers not to forget their health and safety commitments to the cleaners, suggesting that because they tend work when other employees have left the office they are in danger of being overlooked.
"Worse still, many employers make the false assumption that cleaning is 'safe' and that those workers involved in cleaning do not need protection," the organisation claims.
Figures from the HSE show the largest single danger to cleaners comes from slips and trips. Provisional data from the watchdog reveals such incidents caused 422 major injuries in 2007-08, while 925 cleaners needed more than three days off work after the accidents.
To avoid slips and trips for cleaning workers, the GMB recommends that measures are introduced to minimise spillages and leaks onto floors, while any that do occur should be cleared up and dried immediately. In addition, walkways should be kept as free of obstacles as possible, while other solutions are detailed in the H&S for Cleaners Booklets.
Manual handling accidents are the next biggest danger. The HSE figures claim 1,008 cleaners were off work for more than three days, a greater number than slips and trips, and 74 of these incidents resulted in major injuries.
The organisation recommends that workers reduce the chance of an injury through manual handling by assessing if an aid such as a lift truck or hoist can be used.
Furthermore, a risk assessment should be carried out and manual handling training provided so cleaning staff are aware of the safest way to move objects. Good handling technique involves keeping the load close to waist, maintaining good posture and avoiding twisting or leaning.
Dangers to cleaners do not end with slips and trip or manual handling, owners of the H&S for Cleaners DVD will learn. In 2007-08, 76 workers were off work for over three days because of a fall from height. The majority of these - 57 - were classed by the HSE as causing a major injury.
The organisation also highlights several case studies which show the many ways these accidents can occur. One cleaner fell when standing on a small bench to put fresh hand towels on a shelf, while another was using an aluminium stepladder to adjust some lights and fell when rivets came loose.
However, the HSE also points out that many of these accidents are avoidable, if companies invest in planning ahead. In addition, the group notes the importance of the right equipment, experience and training - which could include that found in the H&S for Cleaners Booklets. It also reminds cleaners that some of their tasks can be carried out at ground level using long-handled tools and water-fed poles, reducing the need to work at height.
Cleaners are also exposed to a wide range of chemicals in their working life, some of which may be hazardous to health. To protect them against these dangers, GMB advises employers that they must be fully compliant with COSHH regulations and provide their workers with any relevant protective equipment. Furthermore, data sheets for the substances which are being used should be available and exposure minimised as much as possible to safeguard cleaning staff.
As we have seen, and as is detailed in the H&S for Cleaners DVD and the H&S for Cleaners Booklets, the workplace can be a dangerous place for cleaning staff. However, as the HSE points out, the majority of the accidents are avoidable if employers invest in the right training and working practices for their staff.
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