With the changing times of the season there usually is some “safety” week dealing with any sort of safety issue. Well there is one safety issue that we feel needs to be addressed all the time and that is Basic Housekeeping.
Effective housekeeping will eliminate some workplace hazards and help get a job done safely and properly. Poor housekeeping can frequently contribute to accidents by hiding hazards. If the sight of debris, clutter and spills is accepted as normal, then other more serious health and safety hazards may be taken for granted.
Housekeeping is not just cleanliness. It includes keeping work areas neat and orderly; maintaining halls and floors free of slip or trip hazards; and removing of waste materials (e.g., paper, cardboard) and other fire hazards from work areas. It also requires paying attention to important details such as the layout of the whole workplace, aisle marking, the adequacy of storage facilities, and maintenance. Good housekeeping is also a basic part of accident and fire prevention.
Effective housekeeping is an ongoing operation: it is not a hit-and-miss cleanup done occasionally. Housekeeping order is “maintained” not “achieved.” Cleaning and organization must be done regularly, not just at the end of the shift. Integrating housekeeping into jobs can help ensure this is done regularly.
The final addition to any housekeeping program is inspection. It is the only way to check for deficiencies in the program so that changes can be made. Consider documentation and using checklists for inspecting offices and manufacturing facilities to track progress.
Contributed by Eric Tofte, Director of Training Evergreen Safety Council
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