A safe workplace helps curb worker turnover in the cleaning industry and plays an important role in your facility's cleaning program. The commercial cleaning industry has a very high turnover rate, between approximately 200% and 400%. This issue makes it hard to ensure all employees are trained properly, particularly on which cleaning tools to use and how to use them properly.

For employers, creating a healthy workplace culture that values worker safety and well-being is a necessity for long-term success. Properly executed safety measures can reduce work-related injuries while improving employee morale. It also means less time off for cleaning staff, reducing your time and money spent on recruitment while lessening the workload of current employees.

Business and facility leaders can also avoid potential damage to their reputation as a result of high-profile accidents or employees sharing their negative experiences about safety errors. Safety means protecting your business and all the people in it.

Show Cleaning Staff You Care

As mentioned above, the turnover rate among commercial cleaning professionals is extremely high. A lack of thoroughness in cleaning assignments may be seen from untrained staff. A way to help combat this is to have regular training sessions for new and veteran professional cleaners.

Some evergreen topics to train employees on include:

While these are just a few examples, the overall goal is to ensure you’re regularly touching base with your facility’s cleaning team to ensure they have all the tools they need to succeed. Employees want to feel valued by their employer and investing in their training is a great way to show them you care.

Keeping Your Guests Safe

Especially during the summer, foot traffic tends to increase at a variety of facilities like retailers, restaurants, hotels and more. Due to the increased number of customers and staff on premises, it’s important to be aware that slips and falls can happen anytime, leading to injuries.

Injuries may be minor or life-changing, but either way they make your business liable. In fact, slips, trips and falls account for the most common form of non-fatal work accidents, or approximately 29% of all accidents, according to the HSE.

To help prevent this, ensure your cleaning team understands the best times to complete floor cleaning tasks, likely during hours that the facility is vacant. On top of that, train your cleaning team on proper protocols for marking off areas where floor treatments will be used. It’s also a good idea to consider using cleaning tools that are National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI) certified.

Don’t Forget to Consider the Safety of our Planet

Green cleaning is a process that involves choosing cleaning products that are better for both people and the environment. By switching to green cleaning methods, you're promoting the health and wellbeing of your employees and patrons, while also preventing unnecessary chemicals or waste from being released into the environment.

As a way to reduce waste, consider taking inventory of your cleaning team’s supply closet and ensure they’re using products that are third-party certified or have a high rating on Goodguide or the Environmental Working Group (EWG). If not, it may be time to look for alternatives.

Safety and Sustainability in Mind

By implementing a safer cleaning program, you’re not just protecting your business. You're also protecting the people in it and the environment. In doing so, you’re also preventing unnecessary turnover rates among your employees, which protects your bottom line. It also ensures your employees feel they are being cared for, a quality that increases morale and productivity. With safety in mind, there will be less accidents on premises, leading to an overall positive outlook of your business. Meanwhile, green cleaning continues to improve company image by promoting health, wellbeing and sustainability.