Toolbox Talk - Tidy Kiwi

Keeping it clean and tidy

Housekeeping at work is as important as it is at home, especially if you want a safe workplace. People who work every day in a messy, disorderly work environment have lower morale, although they may not be aware of the cause. The safety ramifications of poor housekeeping in the workplace are even more important. Poor housekeeping may result in employee injuries or even death, and even difficulty in securing future work. How can such a seemingly “minor” issue such as housekeeping have such serious consequences?

Poor housekeeping practices can result in:

• Injuries when employee’s trip, fall, strike, or are struck by out-of-place objects
• Injuries from using improper tools because the correct tool can’t be found
• Lowered production because of the time spent walking over or around someone else’s mess, and time spent looking for proper tools and materials
• Lack of future work due to a reputation for poor quality

General housekeeping rules

• Housekeeping is everyone’s responsibility!
• Clean up after yourself. Pick up trash and debris and dispose of it properly. Keep your work area clean throughout the day, minimizing the time needed to clean a “larger mess” at the end of the day.
• Dispose of combustibles and flammables properly. If improperly discarded, they will increase the potential for a fire.
• Remove protruding nails and other sharp objects or hammer them flat to prevent someone from stepping on them.
• Stack materials and supplies in an orderly manner and secure them so they won’t topple.
• Report all slips, trips, and falls, with or without injury so that the hazard can be corrected.
  

Do you value your health and safety, your work reputation, as well as your future employment? If you do, practice these general housekeeping rules. A well-kept workplace shows respect for those who work there. Help keep it that way!

Remember team! Safety is just how we do things around here.