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Workplace Safety

GOOD HOUSEKEEPING 101: CLEAN, ORDERLY – AND SAFE

By May 1, 2014No Comments

A clean, neat, and orderly workplace contributes to the health and safety of employees, improves their morale – and can grow your business!

To help the cause, make sure that employees follow these housekeeping guidelines:

  • Keep floors spotless. Clean up spills promptly to prevent slipping accidents and sweep up or vacuum dust or metal fragments that could cause respiratory problems, if inhaled.
  • Eliminate clutter. A pile of oily rags left outside a properly closed container can easily ignite a blaze. Get rid of cartons, discarded parts machinery, or general debris that could block exit routes and doors. To prevent slips and trips, dispose of these items promptly in the appropriate waste containers.
  • Make sure workstations are kept neat. They should be cleared of everything not involved in the immediate project to keep a heavy tool or object from dropping off a workbench onto a worker’s foot.
  • Keep storage areas and cabinets clean and orderly. If workers “tidy up” their stations by sweeping a jumble of tools, materials, and unfinished products into bins, the result might look neat – but it’s neither orderly, nor safe. Separate substances subject to dangerous interactions, and arrange materials so they won’t fall off shelves, creating a tripping or injury hazard.
  • Put items in their proper places out as soon as they’re no longer in use. Supervisors need to make this behavior automatic in all employees by instruction, setting an example, and enforcement.

Clean and pleasant surroundings help maintain morale among workers, while impressing visitors and customers. What’s more, if the condition of your workplace creates an image of pride and efficiency, it can help garner more business, which helps both you and your employees.

For more information, feel free to get in touch with us.