Interclean’s managing director Bill Bassett invited INCLEAN’s editor Kim Taranto to attend the first two-day Cleaning Hygiene Improvement Process (C.H.I.P) course held at Interclean’s Training Centre in Seven Hills (NSW) on 20 and 21 May. According to Bassett, the course had been specifically designed to teach the attending in-house and contracted cleaning supervisors and managers how to create and install a ‘best practice’ healthcare cleaning system for a facility.
“This is a course for those facility and cleaning managers that are serious about improving their cleaning processes,” stated Bassett. “The point of this is to get everyone together to share their practices and processes and learn from each other. And I want to help them create the easiest, fastest, safest, cleanest and greenest possible system to use.”
“The people here have taken two days out of their busy schedule and left some major sites to come together and learn and share with their fellow cleaning managers. That is the only way we can obtain better processes and practices, by making sure there is a standard and that we are all on the same page,” added Bassett.
The course comprised of six modules; the first of which was touch point identification. It covered identifying, capturing, creating training sheets and using touch point markers and UV lights to increase awareness of what surfaces should be cleaned and which are missed.
The second module was task analysis which covered what tasks, times and frequencies that are currently being performed in a facility to identify where time and money is being spent.
“The task analysis sheets are such a useful tool,” commented Dean Giannakis from Jani King Victoria. “It seems basic being a simple check sheet but it holds cleaners accountable regarding the task at hand, workplace health and safety issues and the risks of cross contamination, so it gets you thinking about all the issues relating to that particular cleaning task.”
The third module focused on creating a best practice system, and for this Bassett had small groups create the easiest, safest and fastest systems to keep a facility clean, with a spotlight on productivity, cross contamination, OH&S and levels of cleanliness. Day two began with the fourth module which was hands-on practice of the systems and procedures the class had outlined the day before.
“I found this part of the course quite useful because even if you know it all, it’s a good refresher to learn again and actually get up and do it in front of everybody else,” remarked John Taylor from Cleaning Supply Shop. “That’s what training should be like for managers and cleaners alike – actually doing the task in font of others to ensure it’s done correctly.”
The last two modules encompassed supervising and trainer training, which offered an opportunity for each person in the group to ‘train’ everybody else in a particular type of cleaning – bedroom and bathroom surface cleaning, shower cleaning, high dusting and mopping. “Some people are natural trainers, the act of teaching people comes naturally to them, while others find it intimidating,” said Bassett. “But it’s not until you train someone else, that you fully understand what is being taught.”
The C.H.I.P cleaning course seemed to be a great success with participants echoing positive feedback and praise. “The best thing is being able to share and relate to everyone else here, because we are all facing the same challenges and problems in each of our facilities,” remarked David Armstrong from Majestic Services Group. “And the hands-on aspect is a great way to refresh our knowledge and learn how to use new products.”
“It’s our responsibility to educate and train our cleaners to a certain standard,” Armstrong added. “And there should be a certain standard and although that means our services are more expensive, our clients receive a much better clean and can see that we don’t compromise on our standards. And its training courses like this that helps us maintain that high standard.”
The next C.H.I.P course will be held 23 to 24 July.
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