EFFECTIVE HYGIENE

from Facilities Management Journal February 2023

Unemployment remains low despite warning signs

TheAll-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the Cleaning and Hygiene Industry was inaugurated in February 2021 to promote the critical importance of the cleaning and hygiene industry in the UK. The APPG comprises 53 MPs and two Members of the House of Lords, and is supported by the industry body for the entire sector and APPG secretariat, the British Cleaning Council (BCC) and the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH).

Last Autumn, the APPG commenced a review, entitled ‘Embedding E ective Hygiene for a Resilient UK’, looking into the role of cleaning and hygiene and the associated challenges, during the pandemic. The inquiry was held to examine the strengths and weaknesses in the national approach to cleaning and hygiene which became evident during and beyond the pandemic. It also discussed what lessons can be learnt and what changes might be made by various stakeholders to increase national resilience and preparedness against both any future pandemic event and the ongoing threat of common infections.

A summary of the recommendations was published in December 2022 and included 11 recommendations for Government, regulators and the industry itself:

Preparedness Issues

A joint Government-industry preparedness team should be established to draw up a plan which defines how cleaning and hygiene requirements will be resourced and implemented in all key locations in time of emergency. Based upon the plan, minimum levels of the cleaning materials and equipment most commonly called upon in emergencies should be defined by both sectoral user and supplier, and their on-call availability ensured. Government and the cleaning product supply industry should investigate the feasibility and logistics of ensuring that capacity to facilitate increased production in the event of a pandemic can be made readily available. It should be agreed that in the event of any future pandemic, Key Frontline Worker status must be bestowed upon commercial cleaning and hygiene operatives working in defined key venues and also upon personnel in the cleaning products production and supply sectors. Urgent consideration must be given to making cleaning sta eligible for the Skilled Worker Visa scheme.

Resilience Issues

A defined set of high-level minimum standards for the provision of hand- and other hygiene infrastructure and of the depth and frequency of cleaning of diverse venue-types during non-pandemic/emergency situations should be agreed in collaboration between Government/ regulators and the cleaning and buildingmanagement industries.

A standard qualification for cleaning should be developed within the Apprenticeship Levy, to improve the quantity, quality and career prospects of people entering the cleaning industry. Training budgets for cleaning sta within both public and private enterprises should be adequate to keep the workforce refreshed and updated with the skills and techniques to properly perform their roles.

Government communications to the public and to venue owners on the issue of hygienic practice and behaviour in times of pandemic or other emergency should be clear, consistent, sustained, timely, relevant and specific. Government-led communication campaigns based on behavioural science techniques should be deployed to widen and deepen public understanding of hygiene and establish a norm of adopting hygienic behaviour as part of everyday life.

The Government should actively endorse and support the cleaning and hygiene industry in communicating widely to promote a realignment in societal perceptions of the cleaning and hygiene industry.

Clean Response

When it comes to the national approach to cleaning and hygiene during COVID, Jim Melvin, Chair of the British Cleaning Council said: “What has been well done was the reaction of both cleaning and hygiene operatives and contractors despite a lack of clear direction or, indeed, conflicting direction from Government.

“The commitment and bravery of our operatives deserved the highest possible commendation and instead they received no o icial recognition in the commercial world as being key workers when the reality was that they were frontline in getting buildings hygienically clean for key workers. We even had evidence of where machinery engineers in certain sites were correctly recognised as key workers but the cleaning sta who operated the machines were not!

“The evidence given to the APPG highlighted a number of areas where things could have been, and must be done, di erently, with the key overall message being that the Government needs to recognise the vital, professional, skilled, frontline role of the cleaning and hygiene industry operatives and work closely with us to help prepare for any future pandemic or new variant.

“The public, as was demonstrated in surveys, will be healthier, happier and safer in the future if cleaning and hygiene is recognised as a key, frontline service with a vital role in terms of public health.”

Paul Ashton, Chairman of the Cleaning & Support Services Association (CSSA) was also disappointed at the lack of recognition for front-line teams and inconsistent messaging which he says highlighted a lack of understanding by the Government.

“Actions speak louder than words and the failure to award cleaning and hygiene operatives with key worker status demonstrated a deep-rooted lack of understanding, underpinned by their continued ‘low-skilled’ rhetoric.”

He believes that a key lesson for a future crisis is in, “ensuring that there is a preparedness team established which consists of the relevant industry representatives with the ability to step up when needed. Formal recognition, access to training and a structured behavioural change strategy will ensure that we do not repeat the previous failings.”

Dr Jyotsna Vohra, Director for Policy and Communications at the Royal Society for Public Health says the pandemic “did result in a wider understanding of hygiene and the need for it amongst the public, a greater awareness of how and when to use hygiene products and the ability to call on experts on cleaning and hygiene.”

However, what she sees as unsuccessful is there being “no clear mandate on some key areas such as ongoing ability to wear masks and currently no information on why some guidance/practises should still be followed.”

She also argues that there is “a need for timely clear and consistent messaging that is based on the evidence and expert experience and to know that not all experts are scientists.”

Joint Initiative

One of the key recommendations of the report is the establishment of a joint Government-industry preparedness team. Dr Vohra believes this could comprise:

“The Director of Public health and other front-line public health workers, an epidemiologist, behavioural insight teams and inequalities experts to ensure messaging was appropriate.”

While Paul Ashton says, “The CSSA would welcome the opportunity to be involved as a key communication channel to ensure frontline service providers receive consistent guidance, information and messaging;” he says, “the BCC is the natural choice as the authoritative voice of our industry.

It is of paramount importance that the Government engage with sector specialists who have the knowledge when it matters most.”

Under the auspices of the BCC says Melvin: “All facets of the industry could as one, produce a list of experts whose associations and companies would be prepared to allow the specific individuals to work with Government on (a) procurement of PPE, chemicals, machinery requirements, resources, and innovative procedures within the marketplace, (b) cleaning methodology and skills required in terms of delivery, training and indeed specialist requirements on a qualified on experienced basis, (c) stock, stock replenishment, stock projections and logistics for all required or projected products (d) innovation, solutions, technology, science, public health/HSE requirements and scientific confirmation of clean. I am sure there are a huge number of additional areas across our very diverse industry.”

Government Preparedness

Given the continued prevalence of COVID cases, alongside flu and RSV this winter, Melvin believes: “We will only ever know of the Government’s preparedness when any plan is called into action. What we are seeking to do is to assist in ensuring that they have industry expertise based on our knowledge of a £59-billion industry in the UK that works across all sectors.”

For her part, Dr Vohra is concerned: “With the current state of the health and public health services and lack of coherent messaging, even now I don’t think the government is prepared at all for the threat from the respiratory viruses and is not able to cope as is being currently demonstrated.”

She adds that: “There needs to be a stronger vaccination programmes with better information about ongoing practises that would reduce transmission alongside investment in public health services which would all support the NHS.”

Ashton of the CSSA also feels that: “Beyond the reluctance to formally recognise front-line workers and enable access to the Learning & Development we deserve, there is a far greater risk which continues to be ignored by the Government. Resource!

“The level of vacancies across our industry is unsustainable and commercial cleaning companies across the UK are being pushed to breaking point. There is a fundamental risk to infection control for all built environments which will only worsen unless the visa scheme is opened up to create improved access to labour.

“Whether it’s a hospital, a school, public space or commercial o ice space - society is being unnecessarily placed at risk until such point that the Government recognise the issue and support accordingly.”

Training Standards

The report recommends a standard qualification for cleaning within the Apprenticeship Levy to improve the quantity, quality and career prospects of people entering the cleaning industry.

Melvin confirms that the industry trailblazer group which the BCC established has been working very hard on proposals for an Apprenticeship Levy funded industry-wide apprenticeship and training qualification for over a year and are hoping the relevant authorities will soon give their approval following a further final consultation process.

He explains: “If the proposals are approved, they will bring huge benefits to the industry, enabling us to reinvest millions of pounds which are currently being lost in Apprenticeship Levy funding into training sta .

“It will also not only help recruit the new employees that the industry seriously needs, but allow the development of sta within the industry as a career and give us a standard qualification which not only falls into the Government policy of apprenticeships but also finally rids the industry of this incorrect narrative about sta being ‘low skilled’.”

Gaining Recognition

Although a key recommendation of the report is that the Government helps promote the key role of the cleaning and hygiene industry, Melvin says that the BCC has found it very di icult to engage the Government on industry issues, a source of real frustration.

“We have been in touch with BEIS, [Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy] individual MPs, the Cabinet Secretary Simon Case and a huge number of individual departments in order to seek meetings and discussion but to little avail. Whilst the APPG report gives us highly credible and very significant backing, which should help us when we try to talk to the Government in future, we do need them to clearly understand the scale of the issue.

“Our industry performs a service that has a direct e ect on public health. How any responsible member of any political party cannot or will not see that is beyond us and so with this report we are ensuring that no politician can ever say that they were not advised.”

However, on a more hopeful note he promises: “We will also be resuming our lobbying campaign and building on the foundation provided by the report in 2023, as part of which a wide range of industry colleagues will be meeting with the BCC to agree next steps. This requirement and approach simply cannot stop. It is far too important.”