This tool is meant for small and micro companies offering dry cleaning and laundry services. The activities covered include receiving unclean and delivering clean clothing, bed sheet and similar, performing dry cleaning and washing of such goods, ironing, stacking and sorting. A broad variety of risks is covered by tool, including the risk of falls from height as well as slips and trips, chemical hazards due to the use of cleaning chemicals, unfavourable microclimatic conditions due to work in areas with high heat and humidity as well as ergonomic risks due to working in  static and/or uncomfortable position.

This tool is intended for small and micro companies, to assess the risk of cleaning facilities. It may also be used by larger companies providing cleaning services e.g. in retirement homes, schools, kindergartens, shopping malls, large office spaces, etc. A borad variety of hazards is addressed in the tool. An emphasis is put on falls from height as well as risks of slips and trips. Biological hazards due to possible exposure to infectious material are included and ergonomic risks such as long standing and uncomfortable positions are addressed. Psychosocial risks are included such as working with difficult customers and clients.

<p id="tmgmt-1">This tool is created for small and medium laundries including washing, dry cleaning, stain cleaning, ironing, and steam ironing.</p>

During the development of the Belgian tool 'OiRA Cleaning', the potential risks associated with the cleaning industry have been put under the microscope and have shown that companies and their workers need to be more attentive to the risks they incur. These risks are for example related to slips and trips, cleaning at height, the client and os on. 'OiRA Cleaning' is the result of intensive collaboration between FPS Employment, Labour and Social Dialogue, the CSC, the FGTB and the UGBN.  

During the development of the Belgian tool 'OiRA Cleaning', the potential risks associated with the cleaning industry have been put under the microscope and have shown that companies and their workers need to be more attentive to the risks they incur. These risks are for example related to slips and trips, cleaning at height, the client and so on. 'OiRA Cleaning' is the result of intensive collaboration between FPS Employment, Labour and Social Dialogue, the CSC, the FGTB and the UGBN.    

This tool deals with companies within the cleaning services sector. The main difficulty of these companies is that  employees must clean the offices of other companies and therefore, it is more difficult to assess all risks at their workplaces. The tool is focused on the hazardous works, including working at heights during the cleaning of the big windows, the use of chemicals at work and so on. The tool can also be used by companies which have their own employees/cleaners.

Working conditions in the dry cleaning sector are generally good, but employees often suffer from musculoskeletal problems due to the transport of heavy objects or because they have to work in unsuitable work postures or during long working hours. Other serious problems are mainly related to the exposure to relatively high temperatures, solvents and other chemicals used in the cleaning or dyeing processes, or moving parts while handling special cleaners, ironing, packing or sorting and storage of various weave types and related household. The OiRA tool is intended primarily for micro and small enterprises in the sector. The use of the tool by businesses is expected to contribute to shape the health and safe conditions at the workplace, to improve the level of protection for workers, as well as to support the efficiency and competitiveness of the industry at the same time.

Cleaning is a job to be implemented in all industries and in public places and business premises. In general, it means cleaning floors and other surfaces, including washing floors, dusting, vacuuming, polishing floors and work surfaces as well as other tasks, such as removing trash, waste water disposal and similar. Frequently, cleaning tasks take place outside regular working hours, including in the early morning, late evening or at night. Some cleaning operations are specialised only for cleaning windows, facades, industrial plants, means of transport (trains, planes, buses, etc), premises and equipment in health care and cleansing effects of disasters such as fires, floods and the like. Bsides, cleaning, slipping, stumbling, falls and similar are the most common causes of accidents at work. Workers are exposed to dangerous substances, the risk of electrical currents, manual handling of loads, stress, as well as violence by third parties and sexual harassment.