Application
This unit of competency specifies the outcomes required to maintain cleaning consumable storage areas to ensure they are accessible to authorised personnel only, that their contents are safely stored, and that equipment is maintained in serviceable condition. It requires the ability to maintain and operate a safe and efficient cleaning storage area following established procedures for storing and using chemicals according to legislative and health and safety requirements. The unit includes the movement and control of equipment, chemicals and consumables used in the provision of cleaning services.
The unit supports cleaners who work alone or in teams. It applies to storage areas in a range of commercial and residential work sites, including cleaners’ rooms at a client work site, chemical cupboards, equipment storage bays, and in-built vehicular storage arrangements to keep consumables and equipment secure during transportation.
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. | Ensure safety and security of cleaning storage area and its contents. | 1.1. | Storage area is secured from unauthorised access according to legislative, company, and health and safety requirements. |
1.2. | Hazards in storage area are assessed and risks controlled according to legislative, company, and health and safety requirements. | ||
1.3. | Safety warning charts and labels are prominently displayed and safety information is made accessible according to legislative, company, and health and safety requirements. | ||
1.4. | Equipment is stored, maintained and checked to enable ready access and re-use according to manufacturer specifications and legislative, company, and health and safety requirements. | ||
1.5. | Cleaning chemicals and consumables are stored according to manufacturer specifications and legislative, company, and health and safety requirements. | ||
1.6. | Personal protective equipment (PPE) is cleaned, safety checked and stored, and maintenance requirements are recorded, according to manufacturer specifications, and health and safety and company requirements. | ||
1.7. | Communication tools are stored and used according to company requirements. | ||
1.8. | Storage area is kept accessible and free of obstacles according to practical restrictions of site or vehicle, and health and safety and company requirements. | ||
2. | Control equipment, chemical and consumable stock. | 2.1. | Inventory system of equipment, PPE, chemicals and consumables with maximum and minimum holding levels is maintained according to company requirements. |
2.2. | Usage patterns are monitored and chemicals and consumables are re-ordered to maintain required levels according to company requirements. | ||
2.3. | Labelling system of containers is maintained according to manufacturer specifications and legislative, company, and health and safety requirements. | ||
2.4. | Chemicals and consumables are issued on a first-in first-out basis according to company requirements. | ||
3. | Handle waste. | 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. | Obsolete equipment and chemicals are identified, collected and disposed of according to manufacturer specifications, and environmental, legislative, company, and health and safety requirements. | ||
4. | Respond to emergency situations. | 4.1. | Spillages and emergency situations are responded to in line with emergency response procedures and according to environmental, legislative, company, and health and safety requirements. |
4.2. | Required documentation is completed following an emergency situation and submitted according to environmental, legislative, company, and health and safety 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 maintain one of the following cleaning storage areas:
cleaners’ room located at client work site
in-vehicular cleaning storage facility used to transport cleaning equipment from site to site.
In doing the above work, the person must:
maintain cleaning storage area and stock levels, ensuring correct storage of equipment, chemicals and consumables required for work site and client requirements
maintain the security and accessibility of storage area
maintain accurate labelling of chemicals
maintain legible stock control records and documentation
access each of the following documentation:
accident and incident reporting documentation
job sheets
health and safety control procedures, forms and documentation
safety data sheets (SDS).
In doing the above work, the person must also implement correct emergency response procedures in the event of a chemical spillage on site or inside the cleaning storage area, including:
undertaking correct clean-up procedures, including erecting required signs and barricades
accurately and legibly completing required incident reporting documentation.
Evidence of Knowledge
A person demonstrating competency in this unit must demonstrate knowledge of:
application and operation of on-site communication tools, including:
mobile telephones
noticeboards
two-way radios
whiteboards
documentation requirements in the event of an incident or accident
environmental requirements relating to maintaining cleaning storage areas, including:
clean-up, containment and isolation procedures
environmental protection agency requirements relating to maintaining cleaning storage areas
use of low-energy cleaning methods
use of low-moisture cleaning methods
use of low water-use equipment and water-efficient cleaning methods
use of non-chemical cleaning methods
key requirements of legislation, regulations, codes of practice and industry advisory standards relating to maintaining cleaning storage areas, including:
health and safety legislation
industry advisory standards and codes, such as dangerous goods codes
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 SDS
procedures for safe treatment and handling of the following waste:
chemicals past their expiry date
obsolete equipment
packaging
used containers
used or contaminated personal protective equipment (PPE)
used or unused chemicals
processes for inventory and stock control and ordering replenishment stock
manufacturer specifications for equipment and chemicals being used.
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
consumables as listed in the range of conditions
contingencies:
handling of chemicals that are past expiry
disposal of contaminated PPE and materials
handling of emergency situations
specifications:
equipment operating manuals
product labels
SDS
physical conditions:
access to commercial or residential cleaning site with suitable cleaning storage area
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 |
Learning skills to: | identify and access a range of resources to assist in maintaining security and safety of cleaning storage area. |
Numeracy skills to: | calculate current and required levels of stock. |
Oral communication skills to: | ask questions to clarify job requirements. |
Reading skills to: | interpret simple, structured manufacturer instructions when using equipment and chemicals interpret directions and safety instructions, including: equipment operating manuals product labels safety data sheets (SDS). |
Writing skills to: | report faults in equipment to manufacturer and other personnel use legible handwriting when recording stock levels and completing incident reports. |
Teamwork skills to: | work collaboratively with others accessing and using the same storage area. |
Initiative and enterprise skills to: | proactively report the need for additional products or equipment. |
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. | |
Storage area must include at least one of the following: | cleaners’ room located at client work site in-vehicular cleaning storage facility. |
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. |
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. |
Safety information must include: | chemical co-location, separation and segregation arrangements chemical manifests chemical registers company policies and procedures relating to workplace safety equipment operation manuals manufacturer specifications product labels SDS. |
Equipment must include at least five of the following: | access equipment, such as ladders bins brooms buckets buffers cleaning trolleys cloths cobwebbers doodle bag holders drop sheets drying equipment dustpans and brushes dusters extension poles extraction units wands hoses microfibre products mops polishers pressure-washing equipment and attachments scouring pads scrapers scrubbers sponges spray bottles squeegees steam cleaners sweepers vacuum cleaners and attachments window cleaning equipment work site communication devices. |
Cleaning chemicals must include at least one of the following: | acid cleaners alkaline cleaners low environmental impact chemicals neutral cleaners solvent cleaners. |
Consumables must include at least two of the following: | air fresheners hand towels liner bags soap toilet paper. |
Personal protective equipment must include at least two of the following: | disposable respirators eye protection gloves protective clothing safety shoes. |
Sectors
Cleaning operations