Application
This unit of competency specifies the outcomes required to undertake cleaning tasks safely and according to company health and safety policies and procedures and legislative requirements. The unit covers assessing the work environment for hazards and ensuring risks are controlled; checking and maintaining equipment and materials, including storing and handling hazardous chemicals; safely handling equipment; and following required processes in the event of a health and safety incident in the workplace.
The unit supports cleaners who work alone or in teams. It applies 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. | Plan and prepare to work. | 1.1. | Work instructions, including client and environmental requirements, are obtained, confirmed, and applied to planning. |
1.2. | Work site and nature of cleaning task are assessed for hazards, and risks are controlled according to company, legislative, and health and safety requirements. | ||
1.3. | Cleaning tasks to be conducted at heights are identified and required access equipment is identified, obtained and prepared. | ||
1.4. | Cleaning equipment, including required personalprotective equipment (PPE), is selected according to job requirements and checked for serviceability, and faults are rectified or reported prior to starting work. | ||
1.5. | Cleaning products to be used are selected, diluted, and dispensed or prepared according to manufacturer specifications, and company and health and safety requirements. | ||
1.6. | Pre-existing damage to cleaning site is identified and reported according to client and company requirements. | ||
1.7. | Signs and barricades are selected and installed according to cleaning task and work site. | ||
2. | Apply safe work practices to cleaning tasks. | 2.1. | Cleaning products and equipment are brought into position with cleaning trolley or other suitable form of transport, using safe work practices. |
2.2 | Techniques to prevent trips, falls, and repetitive sprains and strains are identified and implemented. | ||
2.3. | Cleaning tasks conducted at heights are undertaken using access equipment prepared and placed for the task. | ||
2.4. | Cleaning tasks undertaken in enclosed spaces are conducted using safe work practices that prevent chemical exposure. | ||
2.5. | Cleaning tasks undertaken while working in the vicinity of building occupants are conducted using safe work practices. | ||
3. | Participate in workplace health and safety initiatives. | 3.1. | Health and safety training and coaching programs are undertaken as required. |
3.2. | Incidents or accidents are reported and recorded according to company requirements. | ||
3.3. | Suggestions to improve workplace health and safety conditions are submitted to required personnel. | ||
3.4. | Workplace health and safety initiatives are implemented as required and in line with own role and responsibilities. | ||
4. | Finalise cleaning tasks. | 4.1. | Soil and waste collected from site are disposed of according to client and company specifications, and legislative, environmental, and health and safety requirements. |
4.2. | Equipment, including PPE and chemical products, are returned to cleaning storage area and stored according to legislative requirements. | ||
4.3. | Quantity and condition of PPE are assessed and need for replacements is reported according to 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 safely perform three different cleaning tasks in a commercial or residential cleaning site, in which each task must involve:
transporting equipment and cleaning products to the area to be cleaned
completing cleaning tasks according to client and company requirements using cleaning equipment and products selected and prepared according to job requirements
returning equipment and materials to cleaning storage area.
In doing the above work, the person must:
identify site hazards and control risks before commencing the task
use safe and efficient cleaning methods
correctly and safely handle waste, including contaminated materials.
Evidence of Knowledge
A person demonstrating competency in this unit must demonstrate knowledge of:
company policies and procedures for applying work health and safety (WHS) practices while cleaning, including:
assessing and reporting hazards in the workplace
incident reporting
selecting and using personal protective equipment (PPE) required for the cleaning task
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 diluting chemicals
working according to safety data sheets (SDS)
key requirements of legislation, regulations and codes of practice relating to cleaning safely at heights
processes for safely handling and disposing of waste, including:
chemicals past their expiry date
obsolete equipment
packaging
used containers
used or contaminated PPE
used or unused chemicals.
Assessment Conditions
The following must be present and available to learners during assessment activities:
equipment:
access equipment
PPE as listed in the range of conditions
materials:
cleaning products required for the task
specifications:
company policies and procedures for applying WHS practices
equipment operating manuals
product labels
SDS
safety instructions
physical conditions:
commercial or residential work sites
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 chemicals required for cleaning tasks using whole numbers and routine fractions. |
Oral communication skills to: | ask questions to clarify job requirements respond clearly and concisely to client questions. |
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 product information sheets or posters safety data sheets (SDS) company risk assessment procedures. |
Writing skills to: | document and report faults in equipment to manufacturer and other personnel. |
Planning and organising skills to: | manage own time, prioritise work and schedule tasks. |
Teamwork skills to: | work in pairs when using ladders work safely and collaboratively with others. |
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. | |
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 ground stability for access equipment 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. |
Access equipment must include at least one of the following: | elevated work platform ladder scaffolding stepladder. |
Personal protective equipment must include at least two of the following: | eye protection gloves masks safety shoes. |
Signs and barricades must include at least one of the following: | physical barriers and restraints erected to restrict access to site signs complying with legislative requirements and Australian standards warning of danger or adverse conditions, including: cleaning in progress hazardous chemicals in use or present in work area. |
Sectors
Cleaning operations