Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 18th April 2024 Issue no. 1110
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Most of us are well aware that cleaning isn’t the best job in the world. It’s hard, tiring work, it tends to be underpaid for what’s involved and it generally means working anti-social hours. It can also be soul destroying in as much as a selfish facility user can – within minutes of a cleaner finishing work – completely destroy the cleanliness, hygiene levels and ambience of the area that’s been cleaned.
Then, just imagine the indignity of being ignored by those about you, or having to deal with the abuse that some cleaners have to suffer as they go about their work, and you’ll have some idea of why cleaners were deserving of a special mention in the newly released Office of National Statistics report on how people’s jobs impact on alcohol-related death.
I was surprised that cleaners were singled out in the report, but all things considered, it’s perhaps not surprising after all (and if you’re wondering where your job role features in the statistics, you can read the report below).
In another report released today, the OSHA’s (European Agency for Safety & Health at Work) ‘Second European survey of enterprises on new & emerging risks’, notes that 6% of establishments in the EU-28, report having employees who have difficulties understanding the language spoken at the premises. Am I the only one thinking this will be the cleaners?
Further, it lists risk factors – in order of importance – as: having to deal with difficult customers; tiring positions; repetitive hand or arm movements; risk of accidents with machines or hand tools; lifting or moving heavy loads; time pressure; chemical or biological substances; increased risk of slips, trips & falls; irregular working hours; poor communication; employees’ lack of influence on their workplace or work processes and discrimination… which all tend to be experienced by cleaners.
I always make a point to speak with those at the sharp end of our industry, whether they’re emptying dustbins, cleaning washrooms, directing users at the local tip or collecting beer cans, plastic glasses and picnic remains at gigs and festivals. They’re doing a great job and without them the rest of us wouldn’t be able to function and showing our appreciation may do more good than we previously realised…
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Yours,
12th February 2015