Colour coded products are the mainstay of many commercial businesses, especially those working on a B2C industry and dealing with the public on a regular basis. Restaurants, care homes, hospitals and other organisations will use colour-coded chopping boards in their kitchens to prevent cross-contamination of food substances that could lead to poisoning or other health issues. One chopping board used for red meat, one for fish, another for dairy, all in the name of health and safety in the workplace.
Preventing Cross-Contamination
This colour-coding logic equally extends to janitorial cleaning supplies. The NHS have previously drawn up guidelines on ‘Colour coding hospital cleaning materials and equipment’ to reduce the risk of cross-contamination when cleaning different areas of the hospital. This is a standardised practice across NHS facilities and recommended practices for most businesses where cross-contamination might be a risk.
The National Colour Coding Scheme was developed to cover NHS facilities and sets the standard of colour-coded equipment and where it should be used.
For businesses operating outside the NHS but still requiring strict health and safety compliance, it is recommended that you follow these guidelines and purchase the appropriate colour-coded mop buckets and other cleaning implements for janitorial cleaning around your business premises.
Why Colour-Coding is Important
In a workplace where there might be many different surfaces with different uses, there’s a need for using colour-coded cleaning products to prevent cross-contamination. If janitorial cleaning staff are using the same cloth for cleaning cafeteria tables, toilet seats and office desks then there’s an obvious danger of spreading infection, germs and worse.
Therefore using a range of colour-coded products can help combat this issue. Combined with staff training and properly implemented health and safety guidelines, these methods will keep your workplace clean and help you avoid unnecessary fines.
There are a variety of colour-coded cleaning products available from coloured cleaning cloths to mops and buckets and more. The National Colour Coding Scheme is even available in poster form to help remind employees and cleaners of the appropriate colour when carrying out cleaning tasks.
So there’s no excuse for getting it wrong!