GOOD HOUSEKEEPING AND MAINTAINING A CLEAN AND ORGANIZED WORK ENVIRONMENT

2.1 INTRODUCTION

Progressive companies plan ahead to have effective housekeeping.  They allow ample space for doing a job, for locating equipment, and for moving and storing materials.  They engineer hazards out, and engineer good lighting, effective colors, and adequate employee facilities in.  Having provided a physical environment conducive to good housekeeping, they provide the polices and the people that will assure that housekeeping is effective.

One company made the following policy declaration:

We Believe: 

• That dirt is always evidence of waste, either of material or of energy, or both.
• That cleaning up a lot of dirt and disorder is a janitor’s work, but that preventing this disorder is management’s job.
• That if a supervisor cannot manage to have order in his department, he cannot manage his department.
• That if personnel work in dirt and disorder, production costs is higher than they should be.

When companies are successful in coordinating housekeeping activities with normal production procedures, they can find no disadvantage from maintaining good housekeeping.  They claim that no argument will hold for allowing bad housekeeping conditions to exist.

The term “ industrial housekeeping “ is not to be mistaken for a push – broom effort, it means much more than that, it is an orderly arrangement of operations, tools, equipment, storage facilities, and supplies.  It is a practical method of getting high production, low accident rates.  In addition, improved employee morale.

2.2  RESULTS OF GOOD HOUSEKEEPING 

The following immediate results may be expected from a thorough housecleaning and the development of a well – planned, well – administered housekeeping program.

1. Reduced operating costs. Once a department is clean and a housekeeping system has been established, less time and effort are required to keep it clean.
2. Increased production. Once obstacles to production are removed orderly and business – like methods can function without undue interference or delay.
3. Improved production control. Material and parts do not get lost or mixed up.  Checking operations and recording data are easier.
4. Conserved materials and parts. Unused materials, including spoilage and scrap, are easily and quickly removed to the proper place.
5. Saved production time. There is no need to search for tools, parts, or materials.

6. Better use of floor space. Clear areas permit free movement of operators and afford repairmen easy access to machines and equipment.
7. Open aisles permit faster traffic with fewer collisions.
8. Lower accident rates. Sufficient workspace and elimination of tripping, slipping, bumping against, being struck by, dropping, and caught between-object hazards mean fewer injuries.
9. Higher employee moral. Clean surroundings and comparative freedom from injury improve employee attitudes.
10. Reduced fire hazards. Fires result from, or are spread by, poor housekeeping conditions. Good housekeeping is vital to effective control of fire hazards. 

Reasons Bad Conditions Exist.  The principal reason for the existence and growth of bad housekeeping habits is failure of management to recognize good housekeeping as an efficient operating practice.  A more personal reason is that too many management officials believe that certain operations are “just naturally “dirty.  Too often production areas are laid out with little regard for auxiliary tools, materials, finished product storage, and proper operation and maintenance.  Conservation of floor space is important, yes, but it should not mean crowding.  It should mean disposition of equipment for maximum efficiency of operation.  There should be enough space so that operators do not interfere with one another and that materials can be efficiently spotted.

2.3. CLEAN UP

The first step to improve housekeeping is to clean up the department-to remove litter, trash, dirt, and accumulated junk. All scrap, salvageable material, broken or unused parts or equipment should be removed.

Getting rid of nonessentials will provide more room to work in. Storage piles will be cleaned up. Personnel will have better facilities and more light. Accidents and material damage will be reduced.  Efficiency will increase, waste will be cut, and esprit de corps will improve.

Layout of equipment, machinery, storage space, aisles, and materials handling facilities is a function of production rather than of housekeeping.  As such, it is not within the direct control of the supervisor.  How to best utilize available space is, however, a supervisory problem.

2.4. DIRECTING OTHERS

When directing the efforts of other people, and especially when indoctrinating a new employee, the supervisor should make sure that instructions for housekeeping assignments and activities are complete and understood.  He should make sure employees understand the advantages they gain through helping maintain orderliness.  He should make sure they know that sloppy work practices and cluttered quarters contribute to accidents.

Employee cooperation will most likely be in direct ratio to the efficiency of the system established by the supervisor. Once necessary good housekeeping provisions have been made, the foreman should insist that housekeeping rules be followed.

Here is a list of practices that will help the supervisor secure full cooperation and maintain employee enthusiasm for attaining the maximum degree of orderly housekeeping.

1. Set a good example in your own area. Do not hesitate to pick up unused odds and ends or litter from the floor and put them in the trashcan. This impresses people who work for you.

2. Appeal to people’s pride. Point out how attractive neat work areas look. Show how each employee can benefit by keeping his workspace free from dirt and congestion. Make your program as interesting as possible by giving, people a chance to participate, by recognizing efforts, and by conducting an understandable program

3. Explain specific employee housekeeping responsibilities, why such assignments are necessary, and how they can be carried out.

4. Make sure your instructions are complete and are understood. Leave no chance a person will say later, “I didn’t know you meant that.

5. Develop a routine procedure for inspecting the areas in your jurisdiction regularly each week, fortnight, or month

6. Check closely on general working conditions. It is that first piece of trash on the window sill or under the bench that invites people to add to it acts immediately when necessary to keep heat, light, ventilation, and sanitation satisfactory.

7. Maintain aisles clear and clean. If storage areas are full, have truckers check with you before unloading.

8. Cooperate with materials handling crews by seeing that temporary storage areas are positively identified and easy to use.

9. Make it easy for people to keep trash off the floor. Make sure trash containers are provided in strategic locations. They must be plainly marked and emptied when full.

10. Make sure proper receptacles are provided for empty milk or beverage bottles and train employees to use them. Make sure they cooperate with the cleaning crew and with tool room and stock employees.

11. Permit nothing to be stored on window ledges or hung from walls, even temporarily

12. Make sure people have seats or benches where needed. Discourage their sitting on kegs or boxes.

13. Check equipment that uses coolants to make sure that oil, coolant, or water does not leak on the floor. See that absorbents are handy for soaking up spilled liquids.

14. Eliminate the practice of keeping excess materials at work places. This is one of the most prevalent poor work habits.

15. Be sure flammable solvents are kept in approved containers and are used only when needed. Do not permit more than a day's supply to be kept in the department at any time.

16. Encourage employees to report conditions that contribute to disorder.

17. Discourage employee exhibits of “calendar art “that often adorn walls and cabinets in work areas.

18. Review accident records to determine if faulty housekeeping was a contributing factor.

Stimulating the interest and pride of employees is a normal supervisory function.  Special effort is needed, however, when promoting improved housekeeping conditions Employee behavior and attitudes must be influenced and this job requires help from many sources.

2.5. INSPECTION

Inspection is to industrial housekeeping as quality control is to production.  Inspection does not mean spying, or trying to find something wrong or someone to blame.  It is a way of determining whether or not everything is satisfactory, and of uncovering mechanical defects and unsafe plant conditions.  Thus it is essential to preventive maintenance as well as housekeeping.

Inspection also reveals many unsafe practices of employees, such as operating equipment without authority or proper training, operating equipment at unsafe speeds, using unsafe materials handling methods, not using proper personal protective equipment or not wearing proper clothing.  When these are found, the supervisor must correct the practices and later follow up to see that they stay corrected. Many supervisors check housekeeping conditions constantly as they go through their department.  Others tour their department at the end of their shift. Still others delegate the job to their assistant who, in turn reports back.  When making an inspection, the supervisor should pay particular attention to the following hazard areas.

2.5.1 PLANT STRUCTURE

Walls and columns should not be used as places to hang clothing, job tickets, calendars and pinup girls, rags or similar objects.  Once one item is up, it invites others and soon the wall is covered.  Window sills are not storage spaces.  Even one milk carton left on a ledge is just the start toward making the ledge a catchall.  Shelves should be kept in repair.  They are generally not strong enough to be used for storage.  Even if they are, a person could be struck by a falling object.  Stairs and exits should be well lighted and marked.  They should be free from obstructions, have treads and handrails in good repair, and should be kept clean.  Even a small bolt or pencil could cause a bad injury, if dropped and not picked right up.  

2.5.2 FLOORS

Floors should be level and kept as slip-proof as possible.  They should be free of imbedded chips and accumulated drippings.  Material that might drip or spill can be collected in drip pans, or gutters, or be deflected by splash guards.  If these liquids do get on the floor, non flammable absorbent materials should be readily available Sawdust, because of its combustibility, should never be used as an absorbent. Floors that are not swept or vacuumed as often as the dustiness of the operation demands should be reported. Cracks, splinters, ruts, and breaks in the floor should be repaired as soon as they are discovered.

Maintenance must be proper for the type floor or floor covering in the various areas Safe load limits for floors must be determined and maintained.

2.5.3 AISLES

The type and amount of traffic that uses an aisle determines how wide it should be.  The minimum width is that required by four men carrying a stretcher.

Aisles should be clearly defined by painted lines, plastic tape, guard rails, or some other satisfactory means.  Colored lines also serve as a constant reminder that aisles are to be kept clear.  The portion of the aisle used for pedestrian traffic should be clearly designated. Blind corners and intersections should have (1) non-shattering mirrors placed so that traffic in an aisle is visible to any one approaching from the side, and (2) warning signs to remind all traffic that it is approaching a corner or intersection. All traffic should be kept moving. Bump rails should be installed along shop offices, storage areas, and machinery as protection from trucks.  Aisles should not be used as storage space.

2.5.4 STORAGE FACILITIES

Storage space should be marked off and kept separate.  Its location and size should be realistic and contribute to the efficiency of the department.  Incoming and outgoing materials should be kept separate.  Departmental space should not be used for long – term storage of small parts, such as nuts, bolts, washers, and springs piling, stowing, or stocking should be safe, orderly, and neat. Piles should be kept below sprinkler heads at a distance prescribed by fire regulations.

If materials handling equipment is kept in the department, storage space should be allotted for it also.  Containers should never be overloaded and should be kept in good repair.  Cabinets used for storage should be kept closed and the permissible contents labeled on the outside.  Other material should be kept out. Flammable material should be stored in a separate area or building, as prescribed by fire regulations.  Racks are considered the best solution for storing ladders.  Never leave a ladder on the floor or against a wall or partition.

2.5.5 EMPLOYEE FACILITIES

Personal belongings belong in lockers, not in work areas. Lockers should be cleaned out and inspected once a week to prevent unhealthy full or unsanitary accumulations. Toilet rooms should be well ventilated, well lit, and provided with separate receptacles for disposal of towels and smoking materials.  Floors, toilets, and lavatories should be cleaned at least once each shift, and more often if necessary.  Lavatories should have hot and cold water, soap, and towels.  Sterilizers or deodorizing disinfectants should be used, but it is better to eliminate the source of odors rather than cover them up with strong – smelling disinfectants.  Cleaning and sanitation material and equipment should be stored carefully to prevent waste. Such equipment should not be stored in toilet or locker rooms, in halls, in corners, or on stairways.  Eating space, with adequate bottle and trash receptacles, should be provided and cleaned at least once a shift. Employees should not be allowed to litter the floor.  Drinking

fountains and any beverage – or food – dispensing facilities should be cleaned each shift.  Smoking must not be permitted when it could be a fire hazard.

2.5.6 YARDS AND GROUNDS      

Yards and grounds should be carefully maintained.  Follow the same principles recommended for inside storage. Keep bulk materials in neat, well – trimmed piles; Keep grass and weeds cut down. Traffic ways and railway spurs should be kept free of trash and obstructions, and be kept well drained to reduce mud and the chances of skids, slips, or other mishaps.  Traffic lines effectively control vehicle and pedestrian movement. 

2.6. CODE COLORS FOR ACCIDENT PREVENTION SIGNS

• RED   

o    Identifies fire protection equipment, including exit signs. Wall marking and supports on which extinguishers are mounted.

o    Flammable liquid containers (except shipping containers), on which the name of the contents should be stenciled.

o    Danger signs and lights at barricades.

o    Emergency stop bars on machines like rubber mills, wire blocks, and flat work ironers; stop buttons for electric switches.

• YELLOW

o    Identifies hazards that may result in slipping, falling, and bumping into objects.

o    For attracting attention-solid yellow , yellow with black stripes , or yellow and black  checks

o    Handrails, guard rails, or top and bottom treads of stairways, low beams, pipes, and crane blocks.

o    Mobile equipment like tractors and industrial locomotives – black and yellow stripes

• GREEN

o    First  aid and safety equipment

o    Stretchers, gas masks, and bulletin boards.

o    Other locations connoting " safety " rather than " hazard "

• BLACK AND WHITE

o    Housekeeping and traffic markings, in either stripes or checks.