ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

Lynn Webster in the UK brings news of calls for minimum standards of cleanliness at workplaces.

The UK has had National Standards for Cleanliness in Healthcare for many years although the effective implementation of them is not always in place. Following a recent report on health and prosperity from a UK leading ‘think tank’ the Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR), the British Cleaning Council (BCC) is calling for the introduction of national rules setting minimum standards of cleanliness and hygiene to be introduced for the workplace.

This would protect both employees’ health and in turn boost the economy. Such, possibly mandatory, standards would provide the necessary benchmarking to help prevent the spread of infections and illnesses among employees and in turn reduce the number of sick days and for the bigger picture protecting everyone in case of future pandemics.

This initiative will go a long way in tackling the national costs of employee sickness (reported to be £103 billion in 2023) and in so doing supporting the economy. Although the report suggests people are getting sicker and that this impacts on productivity in work. Subsequently there is the likelihood of even more days being lost through sickness; some 900,000 workers reportedly missing work through sickness which post pandemic could rise significantly further and greatly damaging the economy as a whole. People with one or multiple health conditions are reported to be twice as likely to take sick days or experience lower productivity due to working when sick.

In addition, there should be a focus on preventing rather than treating illnesses; moving away from a ‘sickness model’ of health policy to one of ‘health creation’. This will lead to healthier lives with intervention in the places where people spend their time - tens of thousands of hours in work and for young people, thousands of hours in education too. It is in and through these spaces that such a system could be founded, in a workplace that creates health. The IPPR has set some bold plans towards a system which creates good health, including in the workplace.

Although there is an employer duty of care to provide clean workspaces the BCC suggests this is not robust or fit for purpose in terms of an agreed standard. Formal cleaning and hygiene inspection may become a valid means of measurement.

Delia Cannings, BCC chairman commented: “If we are considering how to make workplaces healthier, then cleanliness and hygiene must be part of that discussion. The legal responsibilities of employers with respect to cleanliness are vague, leaving staff vulnerable to picking up illnesses while at work and then spreading them further through society at large.

“Formal, minimum standards would ensure workplaces take cleanliness and hygiene seriously, protecting their staff and society as a whole, saving the country a fortune in sick days and boosting the economy. We all agree that prevention is better than cure.”

A joined-up approach between such strong voices can only be of value for the cleaning industry and maintains the support of the former All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the sector and its key recommendation to have ‘minimum standards for hygiene infrastructure and cleaning in diverse venues’. Creating a plan that hopefully will become a reality.