All You Need to Know about Housekeeping at your Workplace
In ISO 14489, housekeeping is one of the audit requirements. What exactly to be checked and what evidences to be verified under this heading is mentioned below.
ISO14489 Reference
Q1. Are all the passages, floors and the stairways in good condition?
- All floors, steps, stairs, passages and gangways shall be of sound construction and properly maintainedand shall be kept free from obstructions and substances likely to cause persons to slip], and where it is necessary to ensure safety, steps, stairs, passages and gangways shall be provided with substantial handrails.
Q2. Do you have the system to deal with the spillage?
Ans= Spillage of the chemicals on any part of the body or on the floor shall be immediately washed away with water.
- Any spillage of materials shall be cleaned up before further processing.
- Any spillage or emission of vapor from the all-glass vessel due to breakage shall be immediately inactivated or rendered innocuous by suitable means such as dilution with water or suitable solvents so as to avoid the risks of fire or explosion or health hazards.
- The floor of every workroom in which processes specified in the paragraph are carried on shall be of a hard material so as to be smooth and impervious and of even surface and shall be cleaned daily, and spillage of any cashew nut oil in any workroom shall be washed with soap and cleaned immediately
- Spillage of the chemicals on any part of the body or on the floor or work-bench shall be immediately washed away with water.
Q3. Do you have sufficient disposable bins clearly marked and whether these are suitably located?
Ans. Check whether the suitable bins are placed at different location putting the different types of scrap and garbage also.
Q4. Are drip trays positioned wherever necessary?
Ans. Drip trays to be positioned in all the points wherever chemicals stored or transferred.
Q5. Do you have adequate localized extraction and scrubbing facilities for dust, fumes and gases?
Ans. Localized dust collectors with a scrubber to be provided based on the ventilation study.
Q6. Whether walkways are clearly marked and free from obstruction?
Ans. Walkways to be clearly marked by yellow paint and completely unobstructed.
Q. Do you have any inter-departmental competition for good housekeeping
Ans. 5S interdepartmental Competition should be organized.
Q.Has your organization elaborated good housekeeping practices and standards and made them known to the employees?
Ans. Instructions for Housekeeping should be displayed at the conspicuous location and all the points should be monitored by using a checklist.
Q. Are there any working conditions that make the floors slippery? If so, what measures are taken to make them safe?
Ans. Regular cleaning should be done and a spill kit should be provided in all the areas to soak out any spillage.
Q.Does the company have adequate measures to suppress polluting dust arising out from road transport?
Ans. Roads sideways to be made pucca and regular sweeping to be done.
Q.Whether dust/fumes/hot air is generated in the process?
Check if the dust/fumes/hot air is generated in the process, if yes local exhaust system to be installed.
Q. Is there any exhaust dilution ventilation system in any section of the plant?
Check the exhaust dilution ventilation system of the plant.
Q.Whether any ventilation study has been carried out in the section to check the record?
Ans. Check whether the ventilation study has been carried out.
Q. Are periodic/preventive maintenance of ventilation systems carried out and the record is maintained?
Ans. Check the evidence.
Q.Is the work environment assessed and monitored?
Ans. Check the air and water reports and also check the records that the report is regularly monitored.
Q.Whether personal protective equipment is given to workers exposed to dust/fumes and gases?
Ans. Check on the shop floor and verify the PPEs issues records.
Housekeeping is not only cleaning but it refers to the working condition of the plant.
