Increased productivity
Maintaining an organized working environment will make it easier for your staff to find the equipment and supplies they need, directly increasing productivity. It will also indirectly boost staff productivity — if your employees know you dedicate both time and resources to making sure their working environment is clean, safe, and efficient, they are more likely to take pride in their work.
Comply with Health and Safety regulations
As a warehouse manager, it is particularly important that you maintain a clean and tidy working environment to comply with health and safety regulations. Failing to comply with this health and safety legislation can not only put your employees in danger but can also lead to your business failing a check from a health and safety inspector.
In short, maintaining a clean and organized warehouse or factory will lead to increased productivity and higher staff morale, as well as ensure that your business complies with all the current health and safety criteria. On the other hand, a dirty and messy premises will not only prevent your staff from working at maximum capacity, but will also send a bad message to your employees and any visitors to your site about the kind of business you run.
Creating a warehouse cleaning plan
The type of work you perform on your business premises will affect how often it needs to be cleaned, regardless of the type of business you operate, you should perform two kinds of cleaning routines: deep and regular cleaning.
Deep cleaning
Over time, the floor of your warehouse is going to get dirty and your equipment is going to build up with dust and grime; both of which can seriously affect productivity. Your warehouse needs to be deeply cleaned before it reaches this point. How long this will take depends on what kind of work you perform and may be different for each section of your premises.
When you deep clean your warehouse or factory, you should set aside several hours to use heavy-duty cleaning equipment and appropriate supplies on every surface and piece of equipment.
Deep warehouse or factory cleaning checklist:
- Schedule a regular date for a deep clean of your warehouse or factory.
- Designate each employee an area that they are responsible for to give a thorough clean, from top to bottom.
- Provide each employee with the equipment and supplies they need to deeply clean everything within the area they have been assigned to clean.
- Give each employee adequate time to clean all the equipment within their area to the required standard.
Regular daily cleaning:
How often routine daily cleaning should be performed and what it should entail depends on several factors:
- What kind of work do you perform in your factory or warehouse? Do you use machines that create a lot of mess, dust, and debris?
- How often do your clients and suppliers visit your site? A messy work environment does not reflect well on your business and may have an impact on whether they want to continue working with you.
- Do you use equipment that requires a sterile environment to perform at its best? If so, your regular cleaning routine will need to be more intensive to maintain these levels of cleanliness.
Just like your intensive cleaning routine, your regular maintenance should be planned whenever needed. As a rule of thumb, each workstation should be left ready for the next person to come in and use straight away. Your staff should therefore be allotted adequate time at the end of each shift to clean and tidy their work station or the machine they were using so the next employee who needs to use it can start work without any delays.
If you have any equipment that is used infrequently, it should be given a quick clean every few weeks to prevent dust from building up and potentially affecting its performance. Employees should also be instructed to clean up any spills, debris, or trash as they occur to prevent them from causing a health and safety hazard or obstructing walkways.
Regular warehouse or cleaning checklist
*Provide employees with 5 minutes at the end of each shift to get their workspace clean and tidy so the next person can come in a use it straight away.
*Provide employees with the equipment and supplies they need to clean up any spills and messes as they happen and encourage them to be proactive in cleaning any mess in the workplace.
Invest in the right factory or warehouse cleaning equipment
If you are committed to maintaining a clean and tidy factory or warehouse, it’s crucial that you provide your employees with all of the equipment they need to perform their cleaning duties thoroughly and efficiently.
Each member of your staff should be provided with basic cleaning tools so they have the equipment they need to perform their regular cleaning routine. If each of your employees has access to a cloth, a dustpan and brush, and paper towels, they are more likely to clean up any spills or dirt as it appears. This will not only make your warehouse a safer environment for staff but will also give them more pride in their work environment.
You should also make sure there are waste and recycling bins at each workstation. This will encourage your staff to dispose of waste immediately, rather than leaving it to build up and become an issue. You should also set up a rota for emptying the bins to avoid overflow and become a hazard themselves.
You should also invest in cleaning equipment that will help make regular cleaning routines as efficient as possible. For example, if you own a warehouse and use material handling equipment each day, you can invest in an attachment for your forklifts that will allow you to efficiently tidy your premises floor using the equipment that is already in use. It is crucial to make cleaning your warehouse as easy as possible for your staff as it is unlikely to get done if it is complicated or inconvenient. Investing in this kind of equipment will therefore help ensure it gets done.
It is also crucial that you provide your staff with the equipment needed to perform a deep clean of their designated area when the time comes. For example, if you have a facility that quickly builds up dirt due to heavy use, you may want to invest in a dedicated floor scrubber to save hours compared to manually cleaning the floor. Buying this equipment outright will save you money in the long run on rental costs and will also allow you to customize the equipment to your specific cleaning needs.
Your staff will also need access to any specific cleaning supplies needed to perform the deep clean. For example, any chemicals or specific cleaning equipment that they need to clean special equipment.
Struggling to keep up?
Of course, all the above is great advice, however, as everyone is aware, the world we live in isn’t always perfect and even the best companies and teams fall behind due to everyday work commitments and overruns. Hiring a commercial cleaning company like Executive Image provides an option so that the warehouse manager can keep on top of their cleaning needs. By using an experienced, professional cleaning company, the responsibility and delivery of cleaning can free your staff up during those busy periods to focus on the important day-to-day operations. A high-quality commercial cleaning service like Executive Image can be an effective solution. Executive Image can provide helpful advice for the best cleaning options that will fit with your business and your budget.
