Housekeeping

8/31/2020

It seems that the subject of housekeeping is one that is frequently brought up at tailgate meetings; yet the details are seldom discussed. It is one of those topics that every project will have an issue with. True, for some projects, housekeeping can be a more obvious concern than others. But all workplaces can always use a little tidying up.  Besides being a visual eyesore: one which may also be perceived as a general condition of the workplace, it has also been used as an indication of how well workplace hazards are being controlled.

The fact is, poor housekeeping frequently contributes to incidents. If the sight of paper, debris, clutter and spills is accepted as normal, then other more serious hazards may be taken for granted. Good housekeeping helps ensure walking surfaces are free of slip and trip hazards, while removing waste materials (e.g., paper, cardboard) can help control fire hazards from work areas. Good housekeeping also requires we pay attention to such details as the layout of the entire workplace, including aisles, equipment/material storage locations and maintenance areas.

Effective housekeeping is an ongoing operation: it is not a one-time or hit-and-miss cleanup that is performed occasionally. The fact is, periodic “panic” cleanups are costly and ineffective in reducing incidents.

Poor housekeeping can be a cause of incidents, such as:

• tripping over loose objects on floors, stairs and platforms
• being hit by falling objects
• slipping on greasy, wet or dirty surfaces
• striking against projecting, poorly stacked items or misplaced material
• cutting, puncturing, or tearing the skin of hands or other parts of the body on projecting nails, wire or steel strapping

To avoid these hazards, proper housekeeping must be maintained continuously throughout the workday.

Effective housekeeping results in:

• reduced handling to ease the flow of materials
• fewer tripping and slipping incidents in clutter-free and spill-free work areas
• decreased fire hazards
• lower worker exposures to hazardous products (e.g. dusts, vapors)
• better control of tools and materials, including inventory and supplies
• more efficient equipment cleanup and maintenance
• better hygienic conditions leading to improved health
• more effective use of space
• reduced property damage by improving preventive maintenance
• less janitorial work
• improved morale
• improved productivity (tools and materials will be easy to find)

Those that have studied the subject of housekeeping (which includes the reasons and consequences) have realized that housekeeping is not merely a single action but must be practiced on a continuous basis. Integrating housekeeping into our job tasks can help ensure this is done. A good housekeeping program identifies and assigns responsibilities for the following:

• clean up during the shift
• day-to-day cleanup
• waste disposal
• removal of unused materials
• inspection to ensure cleanup is complete

The final step to ensure an effective housekeeping program is inspection. It is the way to check for deficiencies so that changes can be made. This is the reason why many of our projects have a housekeeping checklist. That is, to have at least one person walk through the workplace (whether it’s a field location or facility) and use an impartial set of eyes to note things we might have missed. Remember, that when we perform a daily housekeeping walk-over, it is easy to fall into the traps of complacency and pencil-whipping. So, an inspection by a third party can help to catch unintentional errors due to these human performance accident precursors.

Some things to include in daily inspections are:

Aisles and Stairways: Keep aisles and stairways clear of clutter. They should not be used for temporary “overflow” or “bottleneck” storage. Stairways and aisles also require adequate lighting.

Spill Control: The best way to control spills is to stop them before they happen. Preventative measures include regular cleaning and maintaining machines and equipment is one way.

Hand tools – whether power or manual – require our attention all the time.  With respect to housekeeping, we often are negligent when it comes to returning tools promptly as we may be guilty of just leaving them where we just used them, thereby creating slip and trip conditions.

Good housekeeping requires everyone to be an active participant.  If we see a piece of equipment or some material lying of the ground, we need to take the initiative and place it where it belongs; whether that’s the municipal waste bin or back on the shelve or cabinet in its designated storage location.

Living inside the shuttle was a little like camping out. We ended up sleeping in our seats. You had to pay attention to housekeeping, not get things too dirty

Robert Crippen (Astronaut on the first Space Shuttle Mission)