Application
This unit of competency specifies the outcomes required to clean and maintain hard floor surfaces, selecting the required equipment, chemicals and methods in order to perform the task safely and efficiently.
The unit supports cleaners who work alone or in teams. It applies to both manual and mechanical methods of cleaning hard floor surfaces in a range of commercial and residential work sites.
No licensing, legislative, regulatory, or certification requirements apply to this unit of competency at the time of endorsement.
Elements and Performance Criteria
Elements describe the essential outcomes. | Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. Where bold italicised text is used, further information is detailed in the range of conditions. | ||
1. | Assess hard floor to be cleaned. | 1.1. | Floor type and condition are assessed, soil type is identified, job requirements are reviewed, and issues are clarified. |
1.2. | Work site hazards are assessed and risks controlled according to company, legislative, and health and safety requirements. | ||
1.3. | Cleaning methods for hard floor surface are selected according to company requirements. | ||
1.4. | Equipment is selected according to job requirements, checked for serviceability, and faults are rectified or reported before starting work. | ||
1.5. | Cleaning chemicals are selected and prepared according to task requirements. | ||
1.6. | Personal protective equipment (PPE) is selected and used according to manufacturer specifications, and health and safety and company requirements. | ||
1.7. | Signs and barricades are selected and installed according to health and safety, and company requirements. | ||
1.8. | Tasks are sequenced to ensure maximum efficiency for completing cleaning requirements. | ||
1.9. | Pre-existing damage is identified and reported according to company requirements. | ||
2. | Clean hard floor surface. | 2.1. | Furniture and fittings are removed to allow cleaning tasks to be performed. |
2.2. | Hard floor surface is cleaned using equipment, chemicals and cleaning techniques according to manufacturer specifications and legislative, health and safety, and company requirements. | ||
2.3. | Treated area is compared with surrounding surface to determine need for further action according to company requirements. | ||
3. | Tidy work site. | 3.1. | Collected soil and waste are disposed of according to client and company specifications, and legislative, environmental, and health and safety requirements. |
3.2. | Furniture and fittings are returned to original position according to job requirements. | ||
3.3. | Signs and barricades are removed according to health and safety, and company requirements. | ||
4. | Clean and safety check equipment, and store equipment and chemicals. | 4.1. | Equipment and PPE are cleaned, safety checked and stored according to manufacturer specifications and environmental, health and safety, and company requirements. |
4.2. | Unused chemicals are stored or disposed of according to manufacturer specifications, and health and safety and company requirements. | ||
Evidence of Performance
A person demonstrating competency in this unit must satisfy the requirements of the elements, performance criteria, foundation skills and range of conditions of this unit.
The person must also:
clean and maintain two of the following different hard floor surfaces:
brick
ceramic tiles
concrete
cork
marble
parquetry
pavers
polished or unpolished wood
proprietary flooring
quarry tiles
rubber
slate
terrazzo
vinyl
use two of the following different cleaning methods when cleaning the above surfaces:
air blowing
automatic floor scrubbing
dry buffing
dust mopping and sweeping
low-water cleaning methods, such as using microfibre cleaning products
scrubbing
spray buffing
wet mopping.
In doing the above work, the person must:
identify site hazards and control risks before commencing the task
identify type and condition of hard floor surface
select cleaning equipment and chemicals required for task
correctly and safely handle waste, including contaminated materials
comply with company, legislative and regulatory requirements relating to the cleaning work
use safe and efficient cleaning methods.
Evidence of Knowledge
A person demonstrating competency in this unit must demonstrate knowledge of:
application methods for maintaining hard floor surfaces using microfibre cleaning techniques, including using:
cloth and water in spray bottle to spot clean low-level stains
damp mops for hard floor surface cleaning and finishing
dry mopping techniques
different cleaning chemicals and equipment for hard floor surfaces
environmental requirements relating to maintaining hard floor surfaces, including:
clean-up, containment and isolation procedures
emergency chemical spill control measures
environmental protection agency requirements relating to using and disposing of cleaning chemicals
hazardous materials handling
use of low-energy cleaning methods
use of low-moisture cleaning methods
use of low water-use equipment and other water-efficient cleaning methods
use of non-chemical cleaning methods
methods for cleaning and maintaining microfibre cloths and mops, including:
air drying for optimal performance
avoiding fabric softeners
regular hand or machine washing in hot soapy water
removing stains with hot water and washing liquid
washing products on their own to avoid static transfer of lint
key requirements of legislation, regulations, codes of practice and industry advisory standards relating to maintaining hard floor surfaces, including:
quality assurance and certification requirements
industry advisory standards and codes, such as dangerous goods codes
processes for safely handling and disposing of waste, including:
chemicals past their expiry date
litter
obsolete equipment
sweeping detritus
used containers
used or contaminated personal protective equipment (PPE)
used or unused chemicals
safe handling techniques for working with hazardous chemicals, including:
emergency chemical spill control measures
routes of entry and potential symptoms of exposure to chemicals
safe methods for distilling chemicals
working according to safety data sheets (SDS)
types and characteristics of different hard floor surfaces and required cleaning methods for each type.
Assessment Conditions
The following must be present and available to learners during assessment activities:
equipment:
as listed in the range of conditions
PPE as listed in the range of conditions
materials:
cleaning chemicals as listed in the range of conditions
specifications:
equipment operating manuals
product labels
SDS
physical conditions:
suitable work site or venue with hard floor surfaces as listed in the performance evidence
relationships with team members and supervisor:
work may be conducted alone or as part of a team.
Timeframe:
as specified by the task.
Assessor requirements
As a minimum, assessors must satisfy the assessor requirements in the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) current at the time of assessment.
Foundation Skills
This section describes the language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills essential to performance in this unit but not explicit in the performance criteria. | |
Skill | Performance feature |
Numeracy skills to: | dilute and mix required chemicals using whole numbers and routine fractions. |
Oral communication skills to: | ask questions to clarify job requirements. |
Reading skills to: | interpret simple, structured manufacturer instructions when using equipment and preparing chemicals interpret directions and safety instructions, including: equipment operating manuals product labels safety data sheets (SDS). |
Writing skills to: | document and report faults in equipment to manufacturer and other personnel. |
Range Statement
This section specifies work environments and conditions that may affect performance. Essential operating conditions that may be present (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) are included. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. | |
Floor types must include at least two of the following: | brick ceramic tiles concrete cork marble parquetry pavers polished or unpolished wood proprietary flooring quarry tiles rubber slate terrazzo vinyl. |
Soil types must include at least three of the following: | beverage cigarette butts dust food gravel heavy dirt build-up hospital waste industrial and chemical waste liquids oil paint paper rainwater stones tar. |
Hazards that must be assessed include: | biological and environmental contaminants chemical exposure via absorption, ingestion and inhalation chemical reactivity dust and fibre particulates electrical environmental allergens explosions fatigue fire manual handling noise poor ventilation slips, trips and falls syringes and sharps working in confined spaces. |
Health and safety requirements must include: | access to communication devices when working alone compliance with Safe Work Australia regulations and guidelines electrical equipment test and tag compliance emergency response procedures environmental controls hazard signs and barricades health and safety induction and refresher training manual handling techniques processes for safely dispensing chemicals risk assessment procedures, including: hazardous chemicals register hierarchy of control job safety analyses (JSA) for low-risk situations safe work method statements (SWMS) for high-risk situations incident reporting SDS selection and use of required PPE storage and maintenance of equipment according to manufacturer specifications use of first aid according to SDS information. |
Cleaning methods must include at least two of the following: | air blowing automatic floor scrubbing dry buffing dust mopping and sweeping low-water cleaning methods, such as using microfibre cleaning products scrubbing spray buffing wet mopping. |
Equipment must include at least two of the following: | air blowers brooms cleaning cloths cleaning trolleys damp mops doodle bag holder dust mops dustpans and brushes hospital mops mechanical sweepers microfibre products mop buckets scouring pads split mops squeegees water hoses. |
Cleaning chemicals must include at least one of the following: | acid cleaners alkaline cleaners low environmental impact chemicals neutral cleaners solvent cleaners. |
Personal protective equipment must include at least two of the following: | disposable respirators protective clothing safety shoes. |
Sectors
Cleaning operations