Housekeeping  

Untidy workplaces with floor coverings in a poor condition and piles of waste material left lying about etc. not only give a poor impression but are a major factor in the cause of many accidents at work.

Managing the risks

To help you identify the hazards and appropriate ways of controlling them, use our example Risk Assessment - Housekeeping . It deals with the most common generic hazards found in work environments and suggests control measures to reduce risks to an acceptable level.

You should ensure your document only addresses “significant” hazards, i.e. any that could and more importantly are likely to, cause an accident or injury.

Make your instructions clear

Work to the principle that if there is any chance of your staff being unaware of the safe ways of keeping the workplace free from housekeeping hazards, then you will need to make it clear on your document. Finally, always ensure any control measures you identify and follow only go so far “as is reasonably practicable”.   

Note. The list of potential hazards is not exhaustive, as you will know your workplace better than we do. However, for your risk assessment to be considered suitable and sufficient in the eyes of the law it must accurately reflect the “significant” hazards found with housekeeping standards in your workplace.