With disturbing possibilities of Severe Lung Cancer, Asthma Attacks, Eye Burns, Nosebleeds, Skin Rashes, and even Death! heedlessness in the regard of Cleaning Products and Chemicals can have dire consequence. So are The Cleaning Products You’re Using Safe?
What does the inexperienced and yet, regretfully, so readily hirable cleaner know about:
- The Health Hazards of Cleaning Chemicals
- Proper Use, Handling and Store of Cleaning Products
- Spillages of Hazardous Substances
- Correct Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Does your agency-cleaner or agency even care?! or are they like many who believe, for example that, “one product working is great, so mixing it with more can only be better”, whilst in reality there are chemicals such as Ammonia (as found in many common cleaning products) that when mixed with other products can form a poisonous gas (read about Ammonia).
The HSE or Health and Safety Executive, Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety published a literature review of evidence on cleaning products and occupational risks for asthma (2017) which states:
“it is more difficult to establish consistent evidence about specifically which cleaning products or their constituents [components], or cleaning tasks, cause occupational asthma.”
Based on this, ask yourself are your cleaning products safe?
Let’s take a look at an absolute blunder!
Blunder:
It has been reported that a company with linoleum (lino) flooring (produced by merging of natural materials such as linseed oil and cork dust) suddenly started experiencing slipping accidents at a worryingly high rate.
So the health and safety advisor liaised with their cleaning product supplier for advice, but the supplier was oblivious to the cause, as their cleaning product was not recognized for such issues.
Thereafter the advisor contacted their inexperienced/lackluster cleaner and discovered they had been regularly using washing-up liquid to clean the floors due to the “inconvenience” of going downstairs to collect the safe cleaning chemical!
and Nooo! this didn’t happen with JR Cleaning and Removals. So you need not worry if you’re located in Sheffield, Rotherham and the surrounding areas.
Solution for cleaning products to be safe:
In regards to the aforementioned case, a safe system of work or safe practice would be to store the correct cleaning chemical on each floor, something a professional cleaning company would know and instruct their professional cleaners with and review, in order to improve ergonomics whilst maintaining safety standards and a quality service to the client.
So we’ve taken an example from how using the wrong cleaning product can bring about possible sick-days, if not law-suits… So let’s analyse a particular cleaning chemical and its safety when used correctly.
Here is a closer look at Ammonia (found in many everyday cleaning products), its associated health-risks and how they can be safely managed.
Ammonia:
Is a colourless gas with a repugnant odour, yet excellent as a cleanser (leaving a relatively streakless finish) in liquid form, found in many common cleaning products such as window, drain and bathroom cleaners.
Risks:
- Severe eye and lung irritation.
- When mixed with Sodium Hypochlorite (a component found in household bleaches and disinfectants) can cause:
- Nausea
- Vomiting (more mess! Way-hay)
- Pneumonia (an infection causing inflammation of the alveoli (air sacs) in the lungs and filling thereof with fluid)
- Shortness of breath
- Chest pain
- Coughing
Solution:
- Avoid mixing Ammonia with bleach and other products containing Sodium Hypochlorite (read the Product Label)
- Ensure the area is well ventilated before, during and after application
- Wear correct PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) such as:
- Face Shield or Splash Goggles (Ventless Goggles)
- Odour Respirator
- Long Cuff Rubber Gloves
- Long Sleeves
- Hire a Professional Cleaning Company (to save time and hassle)
Closing Advice:
Entrusting negligent cleaners from agencies who probably don’t even interview their staff let alone know how the job is done correctly, is deficient in dealing with the hazards associated with incorrect usage of cleaning products.
The chemicals therein may cause lost productivity from delays and sick-days due to lackluster mistakes!
Whilst we were able to highlight some details surrounding cleaning chemical safety, the question, “are your cleaning products safe?”, only scratches the surface on a wider topic which the calamities thereof are surely avoidable if only care was given to hiring professionals!
Share Your Thoughts and Cleaning Blunders!
