Janitors, Custodians, and Housekeepers Module 1: Chemical Hazards from Cleaning Products

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Janitors, Custodians, and Housekeepers Module
1 Chemical Hazards from Cleaning Products
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This module

• Will demonstrate that janitors, custodians, and
  housekeepers may complete many different tasks
• Is one in a series of modules that will discuss
  hazards janitors, custodians, and housekeepers
  may encounter
• Will cover chemical hazards from cleaning
  products and provide tips for prevention
• Module 2 will cover physical hazards
• Module 3 will cover exposure to biological
  hazards
• Module 4 will cover musculoskeletal hazards
• Module 5 will cover removing graffiti
• A stand alone module entitled Working Alone in
  Safety may also be of interest
• Provide sources of additional information

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Janitors may have a variety of tasks

• Vacuuming
• Sweeping and Mopping
• Waxing floors
• Cleaning bathrooms
• Dusting furniture
• Moving furniture
• Emptying trash
• Restocking supplies
• Wiping counters
• Scrubbing
• Unstopping drains/ repairing faucets
• Mowing lawns

• Removing stains
• Heating/Air conditioning
• Ventilation
• Insect control
• Maintaining and cleaning doors and windows
• Delivery/Pick up of items
• Extra security
• Weather emergencies
• Lab spills
• Helping with disabled cars
• Minor repairs
• Painting and carpentry

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Janitors work in a variety of buildings

• Hospitals
• Schools
• Universities
• Laboratories
• Factories
• Offices
• Restaurants

• Stores
• Nursing Homes
• Clinics

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Most Commonly Reported Lost Time Injuries to
Janitors and Custodians
Lost time injuries are those that are so serious,
the worker is off work for three days or more.
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Chemical hazards that may cause injuries and
illness to janitors

• Cleaning, rinsing, and sanitizing agents
• Hydrochloric acid
• Dusts
• Soot particles
• Aerosols when cleaning
• Solvents
• Asbestos

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The highest risk janitorial products

• Are corrosive to the eyes and skin
• Are flammable
• Give off toxic fumes or
• Are poisonous

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What cleaners have the most risk?
Product Type How These Can Harm You
Acid Toilet Bowl Cleaner with Hydrochloric acid or Phosphoric acid (Good at removing hard water rings.) Corrosive to the eyes and skin. Can cause blindness in seconds. If possible, switch to one with citric acid.
Metal Cleaner With Perchloroethylene Poisonous, Causes cancer, or Flammable
Carpet Spotter With Perchloroethylene Poisonous, Causes cancer, or Flammable
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What cleaners have the most risk?
Product Type How These Can Harm You
General Purpose Cleaner With Butoxyethanol, Sodium hydroxide, Ethanolamine Butoxyethanol absorbs through your skin and can harm your blood, liver, and kidneys. Corrosive to eyes and skin, Poisonous, or Flammable
Floor Finish Stripper or Baseboard Stripper With Butoxyethanol, Sodium hydroxide, Ethanolamine Corrosive to eyes and skin, Poisonous
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What cleaners have the most risk?
Product Type How These Can Harm You
Oven Cleaner or Heavy Duty Degreaser With Sodium Hydroxide Oven cleaner in a spray can that is very convenient but can also be very dangerous. Sodium hydroxide can blind you, and the vapors can harm your lungs. Use it with care. Wear gloves goggles and get lots of fresh air.
Graffiti Remover With Butoxyethanol Poisonous, Causes cancer, or Flammable
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What cleaners have the most risk?
Product Type How These Can Harm You
Glass Cleaner With Butoxyethanol Flammable or Poisonous
Disinfectant With Bleach, Phenol, Quats., or Hydrogen Peroxide Corrosive to eyes and skin Poisonous
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With all cleaners

• Read the Label
• Avoid products with the words Danger, Poison,
  or Warning
• When you must use a strong product to get the job
  done, protect yourself by wearing gloves
  goggles, and be sure your work area has plenty of
  fresh air.

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With all cleaners

• Call Customer Service
• Most labels have an 800 number to call with
  questions.
• Ask the customer service people to tell you if
  the product you are using has ingredients that
  may harm you.
• If there is no phone number on the container, ask
  your distributor or the store where you bought
  the product.

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With all cleaners

• Read the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for
  the cleaner.
• This sheet explains what is in the product, how
  these ingredients may harm you, and how to
  protect yourself while using it. Many companies
  also have MSDSs on their website.
• You can also find them at MSDS Search
• https//www.msds.com/

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The following slides will cover

• Safe and Effective
• Toilet Cleaning
• Use of Floor Finish Strippers
• Carpet Cleaning
• Restroom Cleaning
• Glass Cleaning
• Metal Cleaning
• Disinfecting

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1. Safe Effective Toilet Cleaning

• Dont mix acids with bleach. This creates
  chlorine gas that can kill you.
• Use a mild cleaner for daily toilet polishing.
• Unless the toilets are already in good shape,
  clean them first and then use a separate
  disinfectant.

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Safe Effective Toilet Cleaning (continued)

• Use acid cleaners only when you have really
  stubborn stains to remove.
• Acids corrode metal. Use acid cleaners only on
  porcelain toilet bowls.
• Acid cleaners are very dangerous always protect
  yourself by wearing gloves and goggles.

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2. Safe Effective Use of Floor Finish Strippers

• Hard floor care involves one of the most
  dangerous chemical products that janitors use
  floor finish stripper.

Floor stripper ingredients and risks to users Floor stripper ingredients and risks to users
Butoxyethanol Absorbs through skin. Damages blood, liver, kidneys, developing babies.
Monoethanolamine Absorbs through skin. Damages blood, liver, kidneys, developing babies. Can damage eyes and skin.
Sodium hydroxide or Sodium Metasilicate Can cause blindness and severely damage skin.
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Safe Effective Use of Floor Finish Strippers
(continued)

• Reducing floor stripper use is a good idea for
  safety and for saving money.
• Stripping should be done only when needed and
  then it should be done in a safe effective manner
  to reduce exposure to these dangerous chemicals.
• Reduce the need for floor stripping through
• Prevention
• Monitoring
• Safe effective product use

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Safe Effective Use of Floor Finish Strippers
(continued)

• Prevention You can cut back on the need for
  floor stripping by keeping abrasive dirt
  particles from reaching the floor in the first
  place.
• Keep dirt outdoors. Use walk-in mats at
  entrances. Clean mats often.
• Use dust mops and vacuums to sweep up dirt
  frequently.
• Wet mop the floor with a liquid cleaner or
  surface buffing product.

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Safe Effective Use of Floor Finish Strippers
(continued)

• Monitoring The next step for reducing stripper
  use is to carefully monitor the floor refinishing
  work that you do.
• Strip floor finish only when needed.
• Refinish only areas where the surface is wearing
  out.
• Keep good records and maps to spot patterns in
  the way the floors are wearing
• Tracking the amount of floor stripper use will
  often encourage people to use less.

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Safe Effective Use of Floor Finish Strippers
(continued)

• Effective product use
• Mix the stripper with as much water as you can
  while still getting the job done.
• Minimize mistakes, spills, and waste
• Color code equipment used for the stripper, the
  rinse water, and the floor finish.
• Simple agitation with a machine or hand scrubber
  helps the stripper work more quickly and
  uniformly.
• Use automatic dispensers for products used most
  frequently.
• Use safe lifting techniques to avoid accidents.

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Safe Effective Use of Floor Finish Strippers
(continued)

• Reducing Worker Exposure
• Strippers are most dangerous to eyes and skin.
• The concentrated product is most dangerous but
  the diluted product can still cause harm.

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Safe Effective Use of Floor Finish Strippers
(continued)

• Reducing Worker Exposure
• Use Goggles and Gloves
• Goggles can also provide protection against
  irritating gases and vapors.
• Some are vented to prevent fogging.
• Use Ventilation

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Safe Effective Use of Floor Finish Strippers
(continued)
A 15 minute full flow eye wash station must be
provided in any area where corrosive chemicals
such as floor strippers are used.
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Safe Effective Use of Floor Finish Strippers
(continued)

• If a chemical is splashed in the eye, go
  immediately to the eyewash.
• Hold or have both your eyelids held open.
• Wash your eyes for at least 15 minutes.
• Seek medical attention.

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Safe Effective Use of Floor Finish Strippers
(continued)

• Remember
• Permanent vision loss starts within 10 seconds
  after a worker splashes stripper concentrate into
  the eye.
• Immediately flushing the eyes with water is
  essential to stop the damage from getting worse.
• Skin burns start to develop in seconds as well.
  Quickly washing the burned area with water
  usually avoids permanent damage.
• Harmful chemicals in strippers can be absorbed
  through skin to poison the user.

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3. Safe Effective Carpet Cleaning

• Carpet care products
• Most are relatively safe to use but some do
  contain hazardous chemicals.
• Carpet Maintenance Program
• The safest most effective program will
• Choose and install carpet wisely
• Use methods to reduce dust and dirt
• Use proper cleaning methods
• Use the mildest, most effective products that are
  suited to the carpet

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Safe Effective Carpet Cleaning (continued)

• Carpet Design and Installation
• Choose the right carpet type and underlay for the
  area where its installed.
• Dont use carpets in places where water,
  chemicals, or hard-to-clean material are used.
• Locker rooms
• Kitchens
• Copy centers
• Consider how nearby surface will be cleaned and
  what may spill onto the carpet.

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Safe Effective Carpet Cleaning (continued)

• Dust Prevention
• Preventing soil and dust from entering a building
  means less frequent cleaning and less chemicals.
• Place large walk-on mats at building entrances.
• Clean the mats frequently
• Experiment with different textures and sizes to
  see what works best
• Properly maintain vents that exhaust outdoors.
• Push airborne dust back out of doorways by
  operating the heating, ventilation, and air
  conditioning systems so that the air pressure
  just inside each doorway is higher than that of
  the outdoor air.

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Safe Effective Carpet Cleaning (continued)

• Proper Cleaning Methods - Vacuuming
• Half or more soil that falls onto carpets can be
  cleaned by
• Daily vacuuming with strong suction, tight
  filter, rotating brush machines.
• Four back and forth strokes of the wand across
  the carpet in low traffic areas.
• Up to ten wand strokes for high traffic areas and
  outside doorways.

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Safe Effective Carpet Cleaning (continued)

• Proper Cleaning Methods-Spot Removal
• React to spills and spots immediately
• Use proper spill clean-up techniques
• Start with clear, cold water and blotting cloths
• Use carpet spot removal products only when needed
• Use sparingly and wear goggles and gloves
• Avoid products with hydrofluoric acid (rust
  remover) or tetrachloroethylene (Type 4 spot
  remover)

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Safe Effective Carpet Cleaning (continued)

• Proper Cleaning Methods-Maintenance Cleaners
• Rotary bonnet cleaners and carpet shampoos
  usually are fairly mild products
• Be careful not to misuse or over-apply
  maintenance cleaners or you will need to do hot
  water extraction more often
• Ingredients that are in maintenance cleaners pose
  the greatest risks through inhalation (e.g.,
  isopropanol) or skin contact (e.g., butoxyethanol
  or ethanolamine)
• Provide good ventilation
• Wear gloves

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4. Safe and Effective Restroom Cleaning

• Maintain clean and sanitary restrooms by
  following a two-level cleaning schedule
• Use mild products for regular daily cleaning
• Use stronger products only for weekly deep
  cleaning

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4. Safe and Effective Restroom Cleaning
(continued)

• Regular daily cleaning
• Trash removal, surface cleaning, disinfection,
  and restocking supplies
• Some products combine cleaning and disinfecting
  ingredients in one container. These combined
  products work well only on surfaces that are
  already relatively clean.
• For dirty surfaces it is important to clean
  first, and then apply a separate disinfectant. To
  work well, this disinfectant must remain in place
  for at least 10 minutes.
• Relatively mild products are available for daily
  restroom cleaning.

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Safe and Effective Restroom Cleaning (continued)

• Deep restroom cleaning
• Needs to be done weekly in most cases or daily in
  high traffic restrooms
• Most deep cleaning can be done with your regular
  daily cleaners
• Some deep cleaning tasks require stronger
  chemical products to remove stubborn deposits or
  stains. Examples of these
• Removing graffiti
• Stained toilet bowls
• Shower tile deposits

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Safe and Effective Restroom Cleaning (continued)
Restroom products range from mild to strong, and
have many different ingredients. Some have acids
and other chemicals that can harm you.
Chemicals commonly found in strong restroom cleaners Chemicals commonly found in strong restroom cleaners
Use with extreme care (gloves and goggles) or avoid Avoid
Butane or isobutane (aerosol propellants) Diphosphonic Acid Ethanolamines Glycol Ethers (such as butoxyethanol) Hydroxyacetic Acid Phosphoric Acid Propane Quaternary Ammonium Chloride Sodium Bisulfate Sodium Carbonate Sodium Hydroxide Bleach (Sodium Hypochlorite) Hydrochloric Acid Nitrilotriacetic Acid Nitrilotriacetate Paradichlorobenzene Perchloroethylene Phenol Tetrachloroethylene
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5. Safe and Effective Glass Cleaning

• Routine Glass Cleaning
• Use a mild cleaner with alcohol or ammonia for
  daily glass maintenance
• Avoid glass cleaning products that are flammable
• Use products that are packaged in a trigger
  bottle rather than an aerosol can
• Disinfection
• If you need to disinfect the surface, use a
  product that contains Alkyl Ammonium Chloride to
  kill germs

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Safe and Effective Glass Cleaning (continued)

• Grease Removal
• Grease, fingerprints, or oily deposits are
  sometime difficult to remove with your daily
  cleaner
• Some of the stronger degreasing cleaners contain
  butoxyethanol or other toxic ingredients. If you
  use them
• Wear gloves and goggles
• Apply the cleaner with a scrub pad if a rag or
  squeegee doesnt work
• Afterwards you may need to remove streaks from
  the degreaser by using your regular cleaner
• Dont use any degreasers made for auto repair
  work because they may contain flammable
  ingredients such as naphtha or hexane.

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6. Safe and Effective Metal Cleaning

• Routine Metal Cleaning
• Use a mild cleaner for daily polishing
• Avoid metal cleaning products that are flammable
• Use products that are packaged in a trigger
  bottle rather than an aerosol can
• Disinfection
• If you need to disinfect the surface, use a
  product that contains Alkyl Ammonium Chloride to
  kill germs

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Safe and Effective Metal Cleaning (continued)

• Grease Removal
• Grease, fingerprints, or oily deposits are
  sometime difficult to remove with your daily
  cleaner. Some of the stronger degreasing
  cleaners contain butoxyethanol or similar
  ingredients. If you use them
• Wear gloves and goggles
• Spray the degreaser onto your rag or brush, then
  wipe the metal surface
• If that doesnt work carefully spray degreaser
  onto the metal while holding your rag nearby to
  prevent overspray
• Let the degreaser sit on the metal briefly, and
  then wipe it
• Afterwards you may need to remove streaks from
  the degreaser by using your regular cleaner
• Dont use any degreasers made for auto repair
  work because they may contain flammable
  ingredients such as naphtha or hexane.
  

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6. Safe and Effective Disinfecting

• Thorough cleaning of sinks, toilets, doorknobs,
  and other hard surfaces that people frequently
  touch is the first and most important step in
  preventing the spread of disease.
• Different ingredients or combinations of
  ingredients kill different germs so use an
  appropriate product for the job
• Follow product mixing instructions and make only
  as much as you need.
• Wear gloves and goggles because disinfectants can
  harm you.
• Leave the disinfectant in place long enough for
  it to do its job

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Safe and Effective Disinfecting (continued)
Potential Impacts of Different Disinfectants Potential Impacts of Different Disinfectants Potential Impacts of Different Disinfectants
Ingredient How affects user How affects surfaces
Quaternary Ammonium Chlorides Eye skin burns Stains floor tile
Phenols Eye skin burns Corrodes plastic surfaces
Sodium Hypochlorite (Bleach) Eye skin burns Vapors harmful Corrodes metal surfaces
Hydrogen Peroxide Eye skin burns Vapors harmful Corrodes metal surfaces
Alcohols Absorbs through skin Vapors harmful Usually none
Iodine Eye skin burns Stains many surfaces
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In Summary Important Safety Tips

• Use stronger chemicals sparingly and carefully to
  avoid harming the user or building occupants
• Train workers in the processes and chemicals used
• If possible, have people work in buddy teams when
  using stronger chemicals
• Corrosive chemicals (acids or caustics) can blind
  you in seconds. Always wear goggles to protect
  your eyes.
• Corrosives can also damage your skin and leave
  scars. Wear gloves to protect your hands.

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In Summary Important Safety Tips

• Some poisonous chemicals absorb through your
  skin. Always wear gloves when using products
  containing glycol ethers or ethanolamines.
• Some poisonous chemicals are easily inhaled. Be
  sure your work area has enough ventilation.
• Mixing different products together can create
  poisonous chemicals. Avoid mixing products, and
  be sure to rinse out work buckets after each use.

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Resources used for this overview

• OSHA Hospital eTool
• http//www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/hospital/housekeep
  ing/housekeeping.html
• International Labor Organization - International
  Hazard Datasheets on Occupation
• http//www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/safew
  ork/cis/products/hdo/htm/cleaner.htm

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Additional Resources

• MSDS Search
• https//www.msds.com/

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WISHA Consultation Services

• Safety Health program review and worksite
  evaluation
• By employer invitation only
• Free
• Confidential
• No citations or penalties
• Letter explains findings
• Follow-up all serious hazards
• For additional assistance, you can call one of
  our consultants. Click below for local LI office
  locations
• https//www.lni.wa.gov/safety-health/preventing-in
  juries-illnesses/request-consultation/y-health/pre
  venting-injuries-illnesses/request-consultation/

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• Thank you for taking the time to learn about
  safety and health and how to prevent injuries and
  illnesses.