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Claudia Calder introduces her latest checklist, this time focusing on office cleaning. This checklist can be used to help you understand what you need, what you should be doing, how to dispose of materials and more.
Use this document as part of the Prevent section of the Prepare, Inform, Prevent, Recover approach to return to work. For more information about the strategy read our article here.
As we start to return to work we’ll need to think about the regular cleaning of our facilities and workplaces. To stop the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the workplace and to limit your exposure to risk, you’ll need to consider the role effective cleaning will take and what effective cleaning might look like.
This checklist looks at a variety of aspects of the cleaning process in the COVID-19 world, and helps you to understand what can be done and should be done. It looks at 6 areas, “What do I need?”, “When do I need to clean?”, “What do I need to clean?”, “Safely cleaning”, “Preparing to clean” and “After cleaning”. These cover the main areas required to meet your objectives, allowing you to tick off each part of the process as soon as it is complete.
What’s in the Checklist?
What do I Need?
- Cleaning/disinfecting solution/wipes
- Household detergent followed by disinfection
- SDS for cleaning products
- Follow manufacturer's instructions
- Ensure the product is suitable for the surfaces you are cleaning
- Method of recording cleaning
When do I Need to Clean?
- General cleaning at the end of the working day
- Workstation cleaning – when you have finished using the workstation
What do I Need to Clean?
- Frequently touched surfaces
- Tabletops
- Door handles
- Light switches
- Desks
- Toilets & doors
- Taps
- Kitchen surfaces
- Cupboard handles
Safely Cleaning
- Read product label and SDS
- Follow instructions
- Wear gloves while cleaning
- Wash hands before and after
- Use disposable gloves where possible
- Only use reusable gloves for general cleaning
- Do not share gloves
Preparing to Clean
- Prevent access to areas that have been used by suspected or confirmed cases
- Break rooms
- Bathrooms
- Touch points
- Open outside doors and windows (if possible) to increase air circulation
After Cleaning
- Disposal
- Single-use PPE, disposable
- Double bag, i.e. place the above materials in a rubbish bag, and put this rubbish bag inside another one and dispose in general waste
- Launder
- Reusable cleaning equipment (e.g. mop heads)
- Completely dry before re-use
- Empty and re-clean equipment. E.g. buckets, with a fresh solution of disinfectant and completely dry before re-use
Could you please email me a copy of your policies and cleaning procedures. We are a local charity running a community sports/recreation centre which is still in lockdown, but we are anticipating opening shortly, so wondered if you could send us some guidance into the correct cleaning procedures and policies..
Many thanks
Marion
Hi Marion,
We don’t have any free resources for recreation centres, and the office cleaning checklist would not be suitable.
However, the Government have provided some guidance for recreation centres which should be useful for you: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-phased-return-of-sport-and-recreation
If you require bespoke advice for your situation we can help you, and that would comprise of a site visit, or conversations to understand your needs, the sorts of surfaces you have, what activities you undertake, etc. If you’d like to discuss this further please get in touch with me directly, or email [email protected].
I hope that helps you.
Kind regards,
Claudia
I find your checklist really helpful in knowing what to clean to keep the COVID-19 virus away efficiently. It’s great that you mentioned that it’s important to have a general cleaning at the end of every workday. Hopefully, the businesses in our area have hired an effective COVID-19 cleaning service to ensure our community’s safety. Thanks!