Industrial cleaning has more hazards than regular cleaning, like in an office building, because there are unique techniques and specialty requirements needed to clean industrial facilities correctly. Extra attention to detail is key to making sure industrial environments are safe and healthy.
If your business produces chemicals or hazardous waste, that will require additional attention and knowledge from professionals. Understanding the proper methods to clean in an industrial setting means many hours of training and certifications, and it definitely doesn’t happen overnight.
When selecting a cleaning service for a chemical plant or industrial business consider these four things: what type of health and safety training they have, if the company does background checks on their hires, if they use the proper equipment, and whether or not they have strong leadership.
Health and Safety Training
Look for cleaning companies that are loud and proud about their training and certifications. They should have certifications like the TWIC (Transportation Worker Identification Credential), a background check for workers who need access to secure areas in maritime facilities, like the chemical plants in Louisiana. Also, a certification from OSHA, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, ensures the company is responsible for healthy and safe working conditions.
The main difference between commercial and industrial cleaning is health and safety. An industrial cleaner may work in hazardous conditions that may be unsafe and require specialized equipment and machinery and safety equipment. Our work as a janitorial service consists of maintaining a clean environment for the safety of everyone and for the day-to-day operation of the facility to stay open and running.
Whether inside or outside, cleaning staff need the proper training to operate in a chemical plant, from everyday cleaning to deep cleaning. In addition, different areas like staff rooms, floors, windows, and large machinery require extra training and skills. Health and safety are your top priority for your employees and the community around the plant. Your company focuses on maintaining a clean and safe environment for everyone and it is why our people are highly trained and experienced in clean-up and more.
If you’ve gone through all the trouble to train your staff to put safety first and understand the difference between safe behavior and at-risk behavior, then your outside hires for a cleaning crew should be the same. We train and monitor staff to ensure they are safe and effective in their work duties.
Background Checks
The cleaning service should perform initial and ongoing background checks on cleaning staff. These are essential because you will want the people sent into your business to be trustworthy and skilled. Each person on the team needs to have integrity, which is an inner motivator to do the job well and thoroughly. Background checks help make it clear which employees have common sense and other desirable traits.
You would not want a cleaning staff in your plant who did not have a positive attitude and good work ethic because it would not align with your company’s mission and core values. You want everyone in your building and on the grounds outside to be completely aware of safety expectations and prevent risky behavior.
Even though our teams will have the support of each other and a supervisor, there may be times a person is working solo. The cleaning crew may be working unsupervised in different plant areas, and they need the training to make sure they are up to date with safety measures around large equipment or in small spaces.
Proper Cleaning Equipment
Industrial plant cleaning services can increase productivity, improve health and safety, and reduce plant downtime. You will want to find cleaning services who are using the most modern cleaning equipment to get off the grime, grease, and dirt while also disinfecting germs and viruses. All the dust that naturally accumulates in a workplace can harm employees’ health and needs regular cleaning to keep everything running smoothly.
There may be challenging, hard-to-reach places in your plant, and you need to know that the cleaning staff is prepared and aware of how to clean those spaces safely. Experience and knowledge are necessary to consider when selecting a janitorial service. Look for a consistent training process and that the service is keeping up to date with the best practices for environmental safety. In addition, you will want a janitorial service that is consistent in cleaning, inspecting, maintaining, and running their equipment and machinery. The janitorial staff needs to be trained to OSHA standards and the knowledge to operate machinery and tools safely and what to do if exposed to hazardous chemicals.
At Momentum Building Services, we emphasize safety and require our teams training in operating large equipment like high power washers and other tools that need strength and skill.
Strong Leadership
A strong management team is a good thing to look for when selecting a janitorial staff because they can help diagnose your specific needs and create a plan of action. In addition, the managers will be leaders for the cleaning crew and partner with you to complete any tasks. It is also important to note that a good cleaning team will have experience cleaning many different job sites. Therefore, it is advisable to be looking for companies that offer a wide variety of services.
Remember that a good employer will require their staff to complete on-the-job training, especially safety training. The training ensures the team knows how to protect themselves and others, including staff who work at the plant. There is a lot more to cleaning a plant than the average building and higher standards need to be a clear motivator for the cleaning company.
A proficient cleaning service that works in industrial cleaning will show that their teams have the proper training, equipment, tools, and knowledge to do the job correctly. When there are large areas to clean in a plant and small nooks and crannies that can collect dust, a team that is trained well will make every corner shine.
At Momentum Building Services, we understand that the most significant part of your business is the people. That is why we prepare to send in construction cleaning teams that specialize in janitorial methods for chemical plants. In addition, our people are ready to provide a healthier environment for your employees.
