Choose a floor cleaning machine

With a wide range of flooring options now open to specifiers, keeping premises clean has become a more complex operation. Gordon McVean advises FMs on the issues

30 June 2011
   
As the variety of flooring options has increased, so too has the burden of responsibility on building managers. Now that issues of sustainability, health and safety and environmental protection play an ever more significant role in selecting floor cleaning equipment, it’s vital to set your priorities before committing your cash.

1⁄ Floor type
Facilities managers have to consider existing floors as well as floors that are likely to be installed in the future:
- Assess and document the flooring and floor coverings already in place on the premises, how much of each type has to be cleaned, and how often
- Carry out a risk assessment, and consider changing or covering floors that might cause accidents
- Look at architectural and décor trends, visit the new building down the road with the huge atrium and shiny stone floors, assess the likelihood of new décor budgets, new ideas from new members of the management team
- Don’t forget the practical issue of cleaning; some machines can be used to look after several different floor types.

2⁄ Night or daytime?
If your premises are likely to change from evening or night-time cleaning to daytime cleaning, a whole raft of new health and safety issues arise. These include the need to avoid damp slippery floors during working hours, and trailing leads that workers could trip over.  

Daytime cleaning can create distracting noise, which needs to be minimised. Also, the fumes from cleaning chemicals can irritate asthmatics’ bronchial tubes, and cause discomfort to staff. Equipment needs to be more manoeuvrable to prevent cleaners colliding with people, equipment and furniture. Night-time cleaning permits larger, mains-powered machines but raises questions about electricity consumption.

3⁄  Green issues
Many companies are seeking to reduce their reliance on toxic cleaning chemicals, emphasising on biological hygiene, lower energy consumption and adoption of greener technologies, even if they cost slightly more. Before you decide to buy a new cleaning machine, check what new technologies and ‘green’ products are on the market and whether they are compatible with the machine you are buying. According to the SafeWorkers reference organisation, in the UK*, there are around 100,000 different harmful substances recognised across Europe as being used in workplaces. At the top of the list of sources where potentially dangerous substances are found, you will find cleaning chemicals.

4⁄ Shiny or safe
Highly polished stone or wood floors are a tempting aesthetic choice, but these surfaces come with an inherent risk; accidents are more likely on shiny surfaces, especially if they need to be wet during daytime cleaning. 

Look out for conditions that your insurer may be adding to the employer liability or public liability sections of your policy. These are sometimes added with the intention of countering the increased volume of claims arising from the activities of ambulance-chasing lawyers and the claims that they generate.

It is possible that your policy will be changed by stipulations arising from choice of floor surfaces and methods of cleaning. So consider which types of machines and cleaning techniques the insurance company prefers before deciding which you choose for maximum safety and minimum cost.

5⁄  Contaminants
Machines used for buffing and/or polishing can spread tiny deposits of potentially harmful cleaning materials on to furniture or, if used during the day, on to staff or visitors. Always ask machine suppliers what data they can provide on this risk and obtain such information in a form that can be shown to your insurance company if required. Review the list of cleaning chemicals that your cleaners use on a regular basis and check whether safer and greener alternatives have become available.

6⁄  Personal safety
Bear in mind that, even if you use a contract cleaning company, and their staff are not directly employed by your organisation, you and your organisation still owe a duty of care to the individual cleaners. This especially applies when making decisions about the nature of your premises’ floors, stipulations about how they are cleaned, and when making changes to the cleaning contract. If you are uncertain about the implications of this, discuss it with a solicitor.

Before you start contacting suppliers of cleaning machines, check that you have considered all the issues mentioned above and make a list of what you need your machine(s) to achieve, including floor types and approximate floor areas. Email that specification to each supplier before they come to see you. 
The suppliers that really know their stuff will probably come back to you with questions and issues for clarification.

* www.safeworkers.co.uk/WorkingDangerousSubstances.html

Gordon McVean is sales and marketing director at Truvox International