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Safety Article

Topic : Workplace Housekeeping 

Workplace housekeeping is the practice of keeping a work area clean, orderly, and safe to reduce hazards and improve efficiency. Good housekeeping at workplace is same importance as ‘at home’. 

Do not always rely on others to clear things up, it’s just as easy to put tools away tidily as it is to leave them laying around on benches, on the floor, on scaffolding, resting on pipes or other positions where they can create a tripping hazard, fall onto a person, or be damaged in a fall.

• Clean up as work proceeds.
• Keep equipment and the areas around equipment free of scrap and debris.
• Keep stairways, ramps, and other travel areas clear.
• Secure loose or light material stored on roofs and open floors to keep it from blowing away in the wind.
• Don’t let material fall from any level of the project. Use an enclosed chute or lower the material in containers.
• Keep material at least 1.8 metres or 6 feet away from floor and roof openings, floor and roof edges, excavations, and trenches.
• Store material so that it won’t roll or slide in the direction of the opening. Use blocking if necessary.
• Before handling used lumber, remove or bend over any protruding nails and chip away hardened concrete.
• Housekeeping is especially important when it comes to fire prevention. Flammable rubbish and debris should be immediately removed from the vicinity of welding, flame cutting, propane heating, or other ignition sources.
• All rubbish should be placed in skips to be removed. In this way, should a fire occur, it can be confined to a small area and dealt with quickly and efficiently, thus preventing the fire spreading, especially in high winds.
• If tools get damaged, get them repaired or replaced. Do not leave them lying around to cause hazards.
• If you notice rubbish piling up which you cannot remove, bring this to the attention of supervisor / responsible person who will plan to have it removed.
• Should you be working at height and notice loose objects on boards or walkways, put them somewhere where they cannot be dislodged. They could fall and hurt someone.
• If dismantling anything, stack parts away neatly and tidily.
• Do not leave materials in gangways, they could cut off someone’s escape route or cause a tripping hazard.
• If dismantling anything constructed of wood, make sure all nails are removed. If this is not possible hammer nails flat.
• Making sure that no parts are left protruding that could cause injury to fellow employees.
• Damaged lengths or parts of wood should be guarded as these also present hazards.

Many of these housekeeping problems can easily be solved by:

• Ensuring that all walkways are suitable for purpose and clear of obstructions (e.g. trailing leads);
• Ensuring that workers wear suitable footwear;
• Training workers in the maintenance of trip free working areas;
• Regular inspections of work areas by supervisors.

If it doesn’t look right,] it usually isn’t!!!