One Year After Part 2: Maintaining Health & Safety Standards Through Commercial Cleaning

In our last post, we gave you an overview of the post-pandemic landscape and how it has changed the commercial cleaning industry. We also discussed how businesses can shore up consumer confidence by maintaining rigorous safety standards or hiring a company like ours with over 40 years of experience in commercial cleaning.

Now that we've laid the groundwork, it's time to dive into the nitty-gritty of how to implement a comprehensive health and safety program that will keep your business safe, healthy, productive, and compliant in the post-pandemic era.

Why Every Business Needs a Health & Safety Program

Whether your industry requires it or not, every business should have a documented health and safety program to:

• Establish company standards
• Protect customers and employees
• Reduce liability in the event of a workplace incident
• Improve productivity—the cleaner and more organized your business is, the happier and more productive team members will be
• Send a clear brand message—that you care about the well-being of your customers and employees

This document should be “living,” meaning you may add to it over time.

Communicate Your Commitment

Many health and safety programs fail because they were not written down, endorsed by leadership, and communicated to team members—particularly third-party employees like contractors and temp workers. Leadership must not only share and uphold these policies but also set an example by considering safety and health in every business-related decision.

Set Program Goals

The specifics of your health and safety program may vary. However, every program, regardless of industry, should contain clear, realistic, and measurable goals to be effective. And everyone must understand these goals.

For example, instead of stating, “improve workplace safety,” a more explicit goal might be reducing workplace accidents by 25% within the next six months. Once you establish these goals, collect data, assess your progress, and, if necessary, make changes.

Allocate the Proper Resources

Implementing a successful program requires time, expertise, and, often, financial investment. You may need to allocate resources to conduct risk assessments, develop policies and procedures, create training programs, and invest in equipment or infrastructure changes.

Establish Clear Leadership & Provide Support

Programs often fall apart because they lack leadership due to undefined roles or because management feels unsupported, unsafe, or fears retaliation when communicating health and safety matters. Leadership must establish roles and responsibilities while also supporting those leading the charge.

Encourage Participation

Health and safety programs can only succeed with employee buy-in. That means you must elicit feedback, encourage open communication, provide ongoing training and support, and reward employees who actively participate in and contribute to the program.

This is, of course, just a general overview of how to get started with your health and safety program. Remember, it's an ongoing process. Stay open to feedback and remain flexible. While the fundamental framework of your health and safety program may remain intact, certain aspects may evolve to better align with your needs, goals, and overall progress.

Adapting to Change, Maintaining Excellence: Your Trusted Partner in Post-Pandemic Health & Safety

We’ve helped industry-leading hotels, resorts, spas, and restaurants deliver safer, cleaner, and more compliant 5-star service for over 40 years. Whether you need first-rate cleaning services or hospitality staffing solutions to ensure your business meets the highest safety and cleanliness standards, we're here to help. Our team of experts will work with you to develop a customized health and safety program that aligns with your unique needs and goals. Contact us today!