Words: Dr Gavin Macgregor-Skinner

Cleaning is a critical component of health and safety. In his book Protecting the Built Environment: Cleaning for Health, Dr Michael A. Berry emphasises that effective cleaning removes unwanted matter, reducing exposure and improving indoor environments.

In a 2017 article in the Journal of Cleaning, Restoration, & Inspection, Berry explained that floor cleaning enhances indoor air quality. He noted that carpets are often cleaned based on appearance rather than for health protection, yet removing pollutants from carpeting improves indoor environments.

ISSA Cleaning for Health training course

Using Berry’s book, ISSA developed a three-hour in-person workshop that trained 893 workers across 54 sessions. The workshop, created by Dr Gavin Macgregor-Skinner (ISSA), Doug Hoffman (NORMI), Dave Maurer (CPI) and Jim Mannes (Shaw Industries), revealed key industry gaps:

• Only 13 percent of attendees had received training in the past five years.
• Many lacked access to personal protective equipment (PPE).
• Most could not define the phrase “handle in accordance with good industrial hygiene and safety practice”.
• 90 percent could not recall a single cleaning ingredient in the products they used.

ISSA Making Safer Choices project

ISSA is researching how people choose and use cleaning products. In collaboration with Penn State College of Medicine and The City University of New York School of Medicine, ISSA is developing multilingual toolkits and training programs to promote safer product choices across the globe.

The project, funded by a US$1.2 million (AUD$1.89 million) grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency, aims to work with 1000 facilities in Pennsylvania and New York in 2025, providing on-site product demonstrations and training.

The effectiveness of surface cleaning

Scientific evidence confirms that environmental contamination contributes to the spread of infectious diseases. Harmful contaminants and germs are invisible to the human eye, meaning cleaning effectiveness must be measured beyond visual inspection.

Professionals must understand what unwanted matter is present and its potential health impact to ensure cleaning for health.

Better product information

Consumers need clear, accessible product information. ISSA is advocating for better labelling through videos, QR codes, RFID tags, smart labels and digital product passports.

The future is clean

ISSA unites the cleaning industry to improve health and safety. Through education, research, and innovation, ISSA is driving a movement toward safer, more effective cleaning practices worldwide.

A longer version of this article first appeared on Cleanfax.