Custodial Injuries Are Being Addressed By State Legislators

The cleaning industry reports a staggering number of injuries on a yearly basis. In fact, so far in 2018, custodial workers have experienced nearly double the number of injuries compared to other industries.

According to ManageMen reporting, women are particularly at risk. Studies have found that women janitors have almost twice the number of compensable injuries as their male coworkers.

But until recently, few legislators and government agencies were focused on these injury rates. Then few weeks ago, California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) unanimously voted to enact Section 3345, Hotel Housekeeping Musculoskeletal Injury Prevention.

The new rule, according to ManageMen, requires that housekeeping staffers receive training to reduce the risk of injury, along with the right tools to perform their jobs more safely. This includes things like long-handled mops and systems to reduce the opportunities for slips and falls.

In addition, Washington state legislators recently introduced a bill to protect sanitation workers. The bill would require the state to conduct a study to assess the “greatest safety and health risks associated with commercial sanitation work.”

These efforts, in conjunction with the California Cleaning Product Right to Know Act of 2017, suggests that more people taking note of the risks associated with cleaning and sanitation work.

According to the ManageMen blogger, Andi Curry, while custodial work is hard — it doesn’t have to lead to injury. “Injuries happen when janitors aren’t given the right tools and training to perform the work,” she wrote.

To read more about this legislation, cleaning injury stats and training techniques, click here.