General Housekeeping

Cal-OSHA’s Injury and Illness Prevention Plan (IIPP) requires an employer to provide a safe workplace for its employees. General housekeeping is a broad concept that reflects the IIPP regulation and implies that by keeping a workplace clean and tidy prevents unnecessary exposures to hazards and injury-causing incidents. This does not only involve members of the janitorial team whose job it is to clean surfaces and maintain a facility, but everyone working in an organization must also be conscious of keeping an organized work space. Cal-OSHA also has a sanitation regulation that addresses cleanliness in any workplace.

Some areas that can fail under general housekeeping are closets and storage areas. In order to keep offices tidy and free of clutter, items are stored where “out of sight is out of mind” and items accumulate without order. Desks can also be repositories for excessive materials particularly paper. Documents should be organized and stored in filing cabinets, on the computer, or at a data storage facility. Kitchens and bathrooms are also sources for housekeeping problems. Refrigerators should be cleaned out regularly to prevent contamination. Items should be kept in their proper location.

There are Cal-OSHA regulations specific to housekeeping. The main purpose is to prevent hazards from developing by an accumulation of debris that may hide an exposure, or may encourage pests to take up residence. There is a housekeeping standard for both General Industry and Construction, as well as one in development for the Hospitality industry. Other housekeeping requirements are often included in specific regulations that control other hazards. There are also separate regulations from other regulators for healthcare facilities.

To get more information on the applicability of general housekeeping programs for a specific County operation please contact the corresponding departmental Safety Coordinator.

For further information on specific regulatory guidelines please refer to the link(s) below:

Sanitation (Cal-OSHA General Industry Standards)

Construction Housekeeping (Cal-OSHA Construction Standards)

Hospitality Housekeeping (Cal-OSHA Advisory)

Window Cleaning (Cal-OSHA General Industry Standards)