Company cleaners back 1st June?

[Deleted User]

jackieblack said:

You don’t catch the virus from a house, you catch it from an infected person

Yes an infected person that also touches something after they may have coughed or sneezed hence why its recommended to avoid touching your face, don't handle money, avoid touching handles and doors in public places that might have been handled by other people. There is evidence that the virus has been present on delivery packages and underneath the soles of shoes. The list is endless. Some guidance  may seem a tad too far but if your cleaner has been in contact with the virus, even though they might not have it then it might well be in your home and passed from one home to another. 

Fire_Fox

Daveym79 said:

Jeremy535897 said:

Daveym79 said:

A cleaner of a family house is not an essential worker. A cleaner of a commercial premises, factory, office, general place of work with staff operating within it is an essential worker, or that is at least how I see it. Boris has said that employees can return to to the work place if health and safety precautions are in place. I dont know if the Government were contacting all businesses or there was strict guidance to adhere to outlined on the Government website, however family households will simply not have these measures in place. You are not protected and as far as I see it have every reason to complain and request to work in a safe environment.

Cleaning people's houses is one example of where the government wants employees back at work, as set out in the extract I posted earlier.

I completely understand the a government wants people back to work but only in safe places of work. How can every home be considered a safe environment? What about landlords that want their HMO's cleaned for example. Is a cleaner expected to work knowing that all tenants have vacated for the day. I know that many of the HMO's around where I live have at least 10 people living under 1 roof. Hardly a safe environment and not somewhere I would want to be walking in to clean. 

Have you read the thread?

Government sets 'COVID-19 secure' guidelines relevant to sector, employer completes risk assessment, employer purchases PPE/ tools etc, employer communicates requirements to client, client ensures conditions are adhered to on the day.

It is not unprecedented for homeowners or long-term tenants to be given instructions (eg. do not smoke for an hour, open windows, shut dog in another room) ahead of a home visit from a professional, such as a housing officer, support worker, health visitor, district nurse, gas safe engineer.

Which parts of an HMO are you referring to? Occupied rooms are the tenant's private space. It is not the norm for the landlord to pay for them to be cleaned. Nor is the landlord permitted to insist on access, or require tenants to vacate the premises. 

[Deleted User]

Fire_Fox said:

Daveym79 said:

Jeremy535897 said:

Daveym79 said:

A cleaner of a family house is not an essential worker. A cleaner of a commercial premises, factory, office, general place of work with staff operating within it is an essential worker, or that is at least how I see it. Boris has said that employees can return to to the work place if health and safety precautions are in place. I dont know if the Government were contacting all businesses or there was strict guidance to adhere to outlined on the Government website, however family households will simply not have these measures in place. You are not protected and as far as I see it have every reason to complain and request to work in a safe environment.

Cleaning people's houses is one example of where the government wants employees back at work, as set out in the extract I posted earlier.

I completely understand the a government wants people back to work but only in safe places of work. How can every home be considered a safe environment? What about landlords that want their HMO's cleaned for example. Is a cleaner expected to work knowing that all tenants have vacated for the day. I know that many of the HMO's around where I live have at least 10 people living under 1 roof. Hardly a safe environment and not somewhere I would want to be walking in to clean. 

Have you read the thread?

Government sets 'COVID-19 secure' guidelines relevant to sector, employer completes risk assessment, employer purchases PPE/ tools etc, employer communicates requirements to client, client ensures conditions are adhered to on the day.

It is not unprecedented for homeowners or long-term tenants to be given instructions (eg. do not smoke for an hour, open windows, shut dog in another room) ahead of a home visit from a professional, such as a housing officer, support worker, health visitor, district nurse, gas safe engineer.

Which parts of an HMO are you referring to? Occupied rooms are the tenant's private space. It is not the norm for the landlord to pay for them to be cleaned. Nor is the landlord permitted to insist on access, or require tenants to vacate the premises. 

Yes I've quite clearly read the thread thanks. 

Jeremy535897

Andy_L said:

Jeremy535897 said:

Daveym79 said:

A cleaner of a family house is not an essential worker. A cleaner of a commercial premises, factory, office, general place of work with staff operating within it is an essential worker, or that is at least how I see it. Boris has said that employees can return to to the work place if health and safety precautions are in place. I dont know if the Government were contacting all businesses or there was strict guidance to adhere to outlined on the Government website, however family households will simply not have these measures in place. You are not protected and as far as I see it have every reason to complain and request to work in a safe environment.

Cleaning people's houses is one example of where the government wants employees back at work, as set out in the extract I posted earlier.

Domestic cleaners were only ever banned from working on the houses of those who were shielding or those who had symptoms of CV.
The block on them working was that their clients didn't want them coming in

I never said otherwise. The court of social media was the main reason such activity all but disappeared. The government is trying to combat that.

Fire_Fox

Daveym79 said:

Many cleaners don't just clean the 1 home a day. Maybe whilst just returning back things won't be as busy as normal but if say cleaners are doing on average 4 or five properties each day that should be a new pair of gloves worn for each home visit. Maybe even a new mask if they have one. I doubt many will be wearing appropriate PPE such as gloves, apron or other outer covering as both the cleaners we ever had in the past didn't wear gloves.

Are cleaning companies giving their employees the basics such as disposable gloves. What about the cloths and sprays used. Are they taken from 1 home to another or are cloths disposed of after each visit. There just are too many factors that I find a little unsettling this early out of lockdown. 

Protocols are already well established for cleaning a series of areas in a hospital/ care home/ squatted property/ offices/ tube carriages/ buses whilst avoiding forward contamination. All that the government 'COVID-19' secure guidelines need to do is lift and adapt those protocols.

The employer is then required to do a risk assessment, purchase and supply tools and equipment.

No need for anyone to reinvent the wheel.

[Deleted User]

Fire_Fox said:

Daveym79 said:

Many cleaners don't just clean the 1 home a day. Maybe whilst just returning back things won't be as busy as normal but if say cleaners are doing on average 4 or five properties each day that should be a new pair of gloves worn for each home visit. Maybe even a new mask if they have one. I doubt many will be wearing appropriate PPE such as gloves, apron or other outer covering as both the cleaners we ever had in the past didn't wear gloves.

Are cleaning companies giving their employees the basics such as disposable gloves. What about the cloths and sprays used. Are they taken from 1 home to another or are cloths disposed of after each visit. There just are too many factors that I find a little unsettling this early out of lockdown. 

Protocols are already well established for cleaning a series of areas in a hospital/ care home/ squatted property/ offices/ tube carriages/ buses whilst avoiding forward contamination. All that the government 'COVID-19' secure guidelines need to do is lift and adapt those protocols.

The employer is then required to do a risk assessment, purchase and supply tools and equipment.

No need for anyone to reinvent the wheel.

Yes quite right that employers are required to do a risk assessment and I'm sure many companies will comply and offer the very best standards of practice but is cleaning someone's house that important so soon after lockdown where the home owner cannot yet have a visit from a family member within the confinement of their own home but its OK for someone that isn't family to come in and clean and that has also been into multiple other homes. It doesn't make sense and the original question was regarding safety issues during this current time not for homeowners to have had protocols in place for visits prior to this pandemic. 

In regards to an HMO, I was using that as an example as having previously lived in one and had communal areas cleaned, hallways, bathroom, kitchen etc to me I would not consider these safe environments to be working in at all just yet, given that tenants are not all out at work, many are pottering around the house with little to do. Some are coming and going for daily exercises so not all are confined to bedrooms and a cleaner is expected to work around this. 

hb2

My cleaner returned to clean my home yesterday. She wore a clean mask and gloves and we remained in different rooms throughout her time here. As someone with a disability, I have been able to keep on top of the basics but am very glad to see her back to take care of the things I cannot manage!