Audit and check compliance with standards of cleanliness

URN: INSC025
Business Sectors (Suites): Cleaning and Support Services
Developed by: Skills CFA
Approved on: 2021

Overview

This standard is part of the competence area related to providing management and supervision in cleaning. It is about auditing and checking compliance with standards of cleanliness. It is for supervisors in the cleaning industry who need to ensure that the cleaning activities meet the required standards of quality. It is essential to audit the cleaning process, as well as the results to continuously improve the quality of working practice. It involves preparing for the audit, undertaking it, reporting audit findings, analysing trends and following the analysis with actions.


Performance criteria

You must be able to:

  1. prepare for the audit and identify the risk categories for cleaning tasks, materials or working procedures
  2. assign the audit frequencies for each risk category allocated
  3. confirm the type of audit in line with frequency of cleaning and schedule
  4. review and adjust the risk category for each audit carried out
  5. identify and allocate the relevant scoring systems for each type of audit
  6. agree the principles of audit with scoring systems defining criteria for pass and fail
  7. confirm the cleaning areas for auditing
  8. identify the sample size of each area, elements or working procedures being audited
  9. confirm the audit approach and questions being asked throughout assessment
  10. carry out the audit of the cleaning areas in line with confirmed types of audit, frequencies and scoring systems
  11. use the relevant tools, technologies and types of testing for auditing the area against standards of cleanliness
  12. ensure the audit is signed and stamped with time and date
  13. produce the audit record and report detailing the risk categories, numbers of areas audited, and the scores achieved
  14. adjust the scores and calculations, where required
  15. ensure the audits are signed off by the relevant department or by a responsible member of staff
  16. carry out trend analysis of individual scores and overall scores over confirmed periods of time
  17. identify the sources of external benchmark data and carry out analysis against it
  18. analyse the outcomes of cleanliness and the cleaning practices
  19. collate variances in quality across variety of areas, noting the failures
  20. identify specific areas requiring review, improvement or change of working practices
  21. identify the relevant actions depending on the outcome of audit assessments
  22. allocate the actions to the relevant members of staff or departments
  23. monitor and review the quality cleaning standards and safety procedures on a regular basis
  24. ensure your levels of competence in carrying out cleaning audits are up to date
  25. train to standardise the audit methodologies on a regular basis
  26. review your professional competence in carrying out audit assessments and undertake all relevant training, where required

Knowledge and Understanding

You need to know and understand:

  1. your organisation's standards of cleanliness
  2. your levels of competence in standards of cleanliness and cleaning audits
  3. how to prepare for the cleanliness audit and what it involves
  4. the reasons and goals for undertaking audit
  5. the access to the audit areas
  6. the range of locations and cleaning outcomes to be audited
  7. how to sample the areas for verification or working procedures for audit
  8. the risk categories for carrying out the audit
  9. the frequency of audits in relation to risks
  10. the scoring systems, pass and fail parameters for carrying out the audit
  11. the types of questions for the assessment
  12. the approach for undertaking the audit
  13. how to carry out a visual inspection of the areas being cleaned
  14. the range of tools, technologies and types of testing for carrying out the audit
  15. why it is important to have the audit reports signed and stamped with time and date
  16. the types of reports required for recording the outcomes of the audit
  17. the relevant member of staff for signing off the audit
  18. how the results of the audit are collated
  19. the principles of data analysis and why benchmarking data might be required
  20. how to analyse the results and identify the areas for attention
  21. the relevant actions and training that may be required as a result of the analysis
  22. why quality of cleaning standards must be monitored on a regular basis
  23. the benefits of carrying out the cleanliness audit
  24. the importance of standardisation of the audit methodologies
  25. how to improve the quality of cleanliness and the working procedures

Scope/range


Scope Performance


Scope Knowledge


Values


Behaviours


Skills


Glossary


Links To Other NOS


External Links


Version Number

2

Indicative Review Date

2027

Validity

Current

Status

Original

Originating Organisation

Instructus

Original URN

N/A

Relevant Occupations

Cleaning Services Operations, Cleaning Support Operations, Elementary Cleaning Occupations, Elementary Occupations, Retail and Commercial Enterprise, Service Enterprises

SOC Code

9223

Keywords

support, staff, training, cleaning operatives, infection, supervising, audit, cleanliness standards, cleaning