For worker safety, commercial cleaning company compliance with OSHA regulations is the primary path to safe conditions.
Just mentioning OSHA can turn business owners into walking stress factories. What many people overlook, however, is that most OSHA regulations, as well as those from your state’s Department of Labor, are based on common sense. Not only that, but commercial cleaning company compliance with their regulations can practically guarantee worker safety.
Let’s set aside for the time any worry or thought of fines or penalties. Those are realistic concerns, of course. But the goal of these organizations and the associated regulations is to protect workers. By extension, that also protects your business. Unsafe conditions can lead to injuries that will ruin your productivity. In some cases, continued failure to comply with safety regulations can ruin your reputation and lead to a loss of business.
Who wants to hire a cleaning company with a history of worker compensation claims or investigations for safety violations? And while maintaining cleaning company compliance with government regulations may initially feel time-consuming or complicated, in the long run, your business will be better for it. Here are just some of the many reasons compliance is key to worker safety and to business reputation.
Ready to strengthen employee and customer relationships? Let’s start the conversation! Reach out today for more info.
Looking at the numbers
850. That’s the number of workers who died as a result of workplace falls, slips, and trips in 2021. That’s across industries, not just in the janitorial field. However, according to a report by the National Safety Council, a national nonprofit with expertise in workplace safety issues, cleaning and maintenance occupations had the fourth highest rate of workplace fatalities for all causes in 2021, at 356 cases.
In addition to these deaths, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that between 2016 and 2020, there was a yearly average of 20,192 “nonfatal injury and illness cases involving days away from work” within the janitorial industry.
These tragic numbers are reason enough to ensure your commercial cleaning company compliance strategies are up to date. There is more to it, though. A study published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine points out that the combined medical and productivity cost of workplace injuries for janitors comes in at more than $4 billion every year.
That’s a large number, for sure, but let’s look at something that’s more tangible. The U.S. Department of Labor can issue fines for violating OSHA safety regulations. The amount of these penalties depends upon things like the seriousness of the violation, as well as whether the violation is “willful or repeated.” Minor, non-serious violations may not incur any fine at all, assuming the issue is corrected, while the fine for serious violations can range from $1,116 to $15,625 per violation. And those “willful or repeated” violations? You could be looking at fines of up to $156,259 per violation!
Discover the details of commercial cleaning company compliance with safety regulations
It’s not all doom and gloom. The reason we share the numbers above is to point out how serious commercial cleaning company compliance with OSHA regulations is. Those regulations are there to protect workers. And by following them, you also protect your business.
As a commercial cleaning company that adheres to safety regulations and prioritizes your employees, you gain a reputation as an upstanding business – one that’s good to work for and one that’s good to hire.
The first thing to understand about your cleaning company compliance with safety regulations is that they aren’t anything to be afraid of. Yes, some may take extra work to put into practice. But once these regulations are part of your routine, they aren’t complicated. Nor do they impact your efficiency. If anything, they’ll help your team work more efficiently, since they won’t have to worry about injuries.
If you’re working in the agriculture, construction, or maritime industries, there are some specific OSHA standards to consider. That said, most OSHA regulations for the janitorial industry fall into the “General Industry” category. As a word of warning, when you look at the OSHA regulations, it seems like an endless list. The good news is that only a small number apply to commercial cleaning situations. For example, you can likely skip the sections on fire brigades, oxygen-fuel gas welding, and electrical wiring design.
Here are some of the OSHA standards worth paying attention to:
- Specifications for accident prevention signs and tags.
- Safety color code for marking physical hazards
- Exit Routes and Emergency Planning
- Fire prevention plans (This includes storage procedures for hazardous materials.)
- Compliance Guidelines for hazardous materials (This includes information on PPE, site safety, and spill containment.)
- Personal Protective Equipment
- Bloodborne pathogens
Looking at safety regulations as a way to help your employees and your business makes them seem much less intimidating. And the truth is, they benefit everyone involved.
Make your cleaning business more organized, efficient, and profitable. Schedule a free call with Janitorial Manager to learn how mobile-friendly scheduling software can help you streamline your operation like never before.