List of Essential Personal Protective Equipment for Cleaning
Personal protection while working is one of the most important reasons why Health & Safety regulations are in place. Every employee and staff should protect him or herself from accidents, harm and injuries. That is why the use of Personal Protective Equipment (a.k.a. PPE) have been strongly recommended regardless of the type of work. In the commercial cleaning industry, cleaning staff are also recommended to use certain PPEs to protect themselves.
In this article, we will discuss the essential personal protective equipment for cleaning staff working in the commercial cleaning industry.
What Are Personal Protective Equipment?
Personal Protective Equipment or PPE protect workers against several types of occupational hazards. The use of PPEs is the cornerstone of the Health & Safety regulations and COSHH regulations. PPEs protect you against exposure to hazardous substances, prevent injuries and reduce accidents.
Also, PPEs are used not only to protect workers but also to protect others against unwanted contaminations. For example, cleaning staff should wear boiler suites and overshoes when they are cleaning medical facilities and isolated rooms to prevent outside contaminants from getting in.
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Why Using PPE for Cleaning is Important
There are several reasons why cleaning staff or anyone who is cleaning should use personal protective equipment. It is also recommended by the Health & Safety regulations that commercial cleaning contractors should adhere to.
Cleaning may include several hazards. Therefore, cleaning staff should use PPEs to protect themselves. For example, certain cleaning solutions like descalers or bleach may emit harmful vapours and gases. Also, their contact with the skin may cause injury. In addition, splashing while cleaning is unavoidable. They may end up in worker’s eyes and cause severe injuries or, in some cases, blindness.
Therefore, it is strongly recommended that cleaning staff should use personal protective equipment when they are cleaning.
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List of Essential PPE for Cleaning
While several protective & safety equipment are recommended to cleaning staff, many fall into specialised and technical cleaning jobs. However, the list below shows the most common PPEs for cleaning staff in the commercial cleaning industry.
#1 Face Masks
Face masks are used to prevent inhaling dust during cleaning and dusting. In the case of cleaning with solutions that emit hazardous gases and vapours, special masks with filters are used.
#2 Safety Glasses
Safety glasses are more commonly used in cleaning for a wide variety of tasks. The most important one is to protect the eyes against the splash of cleaning solutions. Also, safety glasses can protect the eyes against dust and other particles resulting from cleaning.
#3 Face Sheilds
Face shields work similar to safety glasses, but can protect the face against hazardous substances and splash of cleaning solutions.
#4 Disposable Rubber Gloves
Disposable rubber gloves protect the hand against direct contact with cleaning solutions that might be abrasive to the skin. Also, they protect cleaning staff against germs and bacteria when they are cleaning premises like hospitals and medical facilities.
#5 Industrial Gloves
For handling and using strong cleaning solutions, industrial gloves are recommended. This is because certain cleaning solutions like bleach or heavy-duty degreasers may dissolve common rubber gloves, rendering them ineffective for protecting cleaning staff.
Also, industrial gloves are resistant to heat and protect the wearer against burns. Therefore, they can be used to handle buckets of hot water, change steam mop heads and similar tasks that involve handling high-temperature objects.
#6 Disposable Overshoes
Overshous are thin plastic covers worn on shoes. They cover the bottom of the shoes to prevent the risk of contamination and dirt. They are especially used in medical centres, labs, isolation rooms, food production facilities and museums.
#7 Disposable Aprons & Sleeves
Disposable approves and sleeves are used widely by cleaning staff to protect their clothing as well as the portion of hand and arm that gloves don’t cover against the splash of cleaning solutions and dust.
#8 High-Visibility Clothing
High-visibility clothing, or high-vis jackets by staff who clean premises where there is a risk of accidents. Regardless of the light condition, if the premises have cars, lift-trucks or any other heavy machinery, workers and staff should wear high-visibility clothing during work.
#9 Safety Helmet
Safety helmets are made from strong materials that absorb impacts and prevent injury in case something heavy falls on the worker’s head. Also, wearing safety helmets is recommended when staff are working in premises like warehouses and large storage units where the risk of items falling on the head is high.
#10 Earplugs & Ear Defenders
Earplugs and rat defenders protect ears from loud and continuous noises. Whether working in an environment with loud noises (like a factory) or using loud cleaning equipment (like industrial vacuum cleaners or floor scrubbers), cleaning staff are recommended to use earplugs to protect their ears from long-term exposure to loud noises.
#11 Boiler Suit & Work Clothing
Boiler suites and special work clothing protect cleaning staff from exposure to harmful materials and hazardous substances. Also, boiler suites, which cover the entire body from head to toe, prevent contamination in clinical and medical settings. They also protect cleaning staff during deep cleaning where strong cleaning and sanitation solutions are sprayed all over the premises.
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Conclusion
Personal Protective Equipment or PPE are equipment to protect workers and staff against harm and injuries. In this article, we discussed what PPEs are and how they protect cleaning staff against hazardous substances and harm when they are working. We also provided the list of the most common and essential PPEs for cleaning.
The information in this article not only can help you understand PPEs and their important role in the Health & Safety regulations but also help you learn more about the equipment you may need for your cleaning jobs.
