Housekeeping and Its Role in Safety

Housekeeping is an essential component of a workplace safety program, extending beyond just cleaning to include the elimination and control of various hazards. It plays a critical role in maintaining a safe work environment across all industries, from offices to construction sites.

Housekeeping's Role in Hazard Control

Housekeeping directly supports the hierarchy of controls, a system for minimizing or eliminating exposure to hazards. It is most effective at the top of this hierarchy: elimination and engineering controls.

Elimination

Housekeeping helps eliminate hazards by keeping workplaces clean, orderly, and free of unnecessary materials. OSHA's standard 1910.22(a) for walking-working surfaces requires businesses to maintain clean and organized conditions to prevent trips, slips, and falls. This includes keeping passageways and storage areas clear of clutter, loose tiles, protruding objects, and spills, including snow and ice. Additionally, proper housekeeping eliminates fire hazards by preventing the accumulation of combustible materials. In offices, this means regularly disposing of trash and recycling. On industrial and construction sites, it means keeping only necessary flammable and combustible materials on-site and properly storing the rest. A significant, but often overlooked, fire hazard is dust accumulation, which can be combustible when it exceeds 1/32 of an inch.

Engineering Controls

When hazards cannot be eliminated, housekeeping can assist through engineering controls, which modify the work environment to reduce exposure. In a construction setting, this includes the use of toe boards, toe rails, and nets to prevent objects from falling and injuring people below. In an office, placing heavier objects on the bottom shelves and lighter items on top helps prevent items from falling.

Beyond Safety: Productivity and Ergonomics

Good housekeeping practices offer additional benefits beyond hazard elimination. Removing clutter and maintaining an organized workspace can significantly increase productivity and prevent ergonomic issues. A "return tool" policy, for example, not only reduces clutter but also saves time spent searching for equipment and prevents injuries from sharp or pointed objects left in the open. A cluttered environment can also lead to repetitive poor motion, such as excessive bending and twisting, which can cause both immediate and long-term ergonomic injuries.

Daily Housekeeping Practices

Effective housekeeping is an ongoing effort, not a one-time task. Common practices include:

·       End-of-day cleanup: Cleaning work areas at the end of the day prepares the space for the next day. This includes a "clean desk policy" that protects important documents from water damage from events like a fire sprinkler activation or a storm.

·       Continuous cleanup: Some jobs, like woodworking or sewing, generate debris so quickly that a continuous "clean-as-you-go" approach is necessary to prevent a rapid buildup of hazards.

·       Warning signs: Using wet floor signs after mopping warns both employees and customers of potential slip hazards, demonstrating a proactive approach to safety.

In summary, proper housekeeping is a crucial part of a comprehensive safety program, directly contributing to hazard elimination and control, while also improving productivity and reducing the risk of ergonomic injuries.