Work independently and follow your organisation’s procedures while cleaning
Overview
This standard is part of the competence area related to working within designated procedures, and health and safety. It is about working independently and following your organisation's procedures while cleaning. It is for cleaning operatives who work without supervisor or other team members in the same occupational area. When working independently you might have to deal with team members, customers or the general public. It is important to communicate in a professional manner and maintain safety to avoid the risks of infection. This standard covers the aspects of ensuring your own safety and working independently. This standard is suitable for lone workers.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
Preparation and protection
1. carry out health checks and follow organisational procedures for safe working practice
2. follow dynamic risk assessment requirements of your organisation within the workplace
3. take the relevant actions depending on the outcome of risk assessments carried out
4. ensure all required products and protective equipment are available
5. wear the relevant protective equipment while carrying out cleaning
6. follow organisational procedures for reusing or disposing of protective equipment
7. ensure the safe systems of work and requirements are followed
8. select the appropriate colour-coded equipment
9. ensure any relevant safety and warning signs are displayed clearly
Your own safety when working independently
10. confirm contact arrangements with your organisation or with a relevant member of staff
11. ensure you are familiar with employer's legal responsibilities with regards to lone working and the control measures their employer has put in place to protect them
12. ensure the emergency actions and contacts are in place
13. follow your organisation's procedures for entering and leaving the workplace and remain alert to safety risks while working independently
14. access the authorised workplace in accordance with your responsibilities
15. identify any potential problems and risks, and take appropriate action to deal with them in accordance with your organisation's procedures
16. report any unresolved problems or health and safety risks to the relevant member of staff
Working independently
17. obtain the work schedule with the tasks and instructions within the required time scale
18. maintain agreed levels of contact while working independently
19. carry out your work in accordance with your organisations' procedures and protocols
20. identify and prioritise the most important tasks from the work specification and ensure that these are completed first
21. respond to team members, customers or the general public in a professional manner and assist them, when required
22. record any breakages, damage or disruption to the workplace and report these to the relevant member of staff
23. report any uncompleted tasks to the relevant member of staff and agree on arrangements to complete the work
24. report to the relevant member of staff any uncompleted tasks and agree on times for completing the work
25. follow your organisation's procedures for leaving the workplace
Controlling the risk of infection
26. follow your organisation's requirements for mitigation of risk of infection in the workplace
27. follow the cleaning procedures depending on environment and identified risks
28. examine areas for cleaning and identify any high contact touch points
29. carry out cleaning in accordance with work schedule and required frequency depending on the outcomes of risk assessment
30. use cleaning products including specialist cleaning solutions, antibacterial and antiviral chemicals
31. use disposable cleaning equipment to reduce viral loading in the areas being cleaned
32. follow the enhanced cleaning and disinfection procedures for suspected or confirmed virus contamination
33. dispose of used cleaning and protective equipment in accordance with specified safety procedures
34. clean and disinfect reusable cleaning equipment
35. wash and dry your hands thoroughly and safely in accordance with organisational requirements
36. ensure the hand washing facilities are maintained with an adequate supply of washing solution, disinfection gels and a hygienic means of hand drying
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
Preparation and protection
1. the health checks and relevant procedures for safe working practice
2. your organisation's principles of dynamic risk assessment within the workplace
3. the relevant actions depending on the outcome of risk assessments carried out
4. the products and protective equipment for carrying out cleaning and infection control
5. how to reuse the protective equipment or dispose of it in line with your organisation's safety procedures
6. the organisational requirements for safe systems of work
7. how and where to display the relevant safety and infection control signage for cleaning areas
8. your organisation's requirements for minimising risk of infection while working on premises
9. why it is important to choose the correct colour coded equipment and how to use it
Your own safety when working independently
10. the contact arrangements with your organisation or the relevant member of staff
11. your employer's legal responsibilities with regards to lone working
12. the measures your employer put in place to protect lone workers
13. the emergency actions and contacts
14. your organisation's procedures for entering the workplace and why these should be followed
15. the levels of authorised access to the workplace in accordance with your responsibilities
16. the types of risks present in your workplace, how to accurately assess these and actions to take to eliminate them
17. the relevant members of staff for reporting any unresolved problems or health and safety risks
Working independently
18. how to obtain your work schedule, time scale and the relevant instructions to carry out your work
19. the frequency of contact while working independently
20. your organisation's procedures and protocols for your work area
21. how to prioritise the most important tasks and why it is important to complete these first
22. how to respond to team members, customers or the general public in a professional manner
23. your organisation's procedures for recording damage, breakages or disruption and why it is important to be honest about causing any of these
24. why it is important to assess your work progress and identify any uncompleted tasks
25. your organisation's procedures for leaving the workplace and why it is important to leave it secure
Controlling the risk of infection
26. your organisation's procedures for mitigating the risk of infection
27. the frequency of routine cleaning in communal areas, facilities and high-contact areas
28. the enhanced cleaning and disinfection procedures for suspected or confirmed virus contamination
29. the areas for cleaning and how to identify high contact touch points
30. the range of specialist cleaning products and how to use them safely and effectively
31. the cleaning procedures to follow, depending on the environment and risks identified
32. your organisation's procedures for cleaning and disinfection of reusable equipment
33. your organisation's procedures for disposing of used cleaning equipment and protective equipment
34. the duration of hand washing procedures after the protective equipment is removed