[angela stone]

Hi,

can I ask if you use bleach on commercial and / or domestic contracts?  We have done for years but I new employee has told me this is against health and safety law which I can't find any evidence for but she is putting doubt in my mind!

thanks in advance

Ange

[Norbert]

Hi Ange,

I work part-time for a commercial cleaning company, cleaning offices, factories, schools, doctors, dentists and health centres.
And we do use bleach in certain areas. All the chemicals kept on each site are fully documented and under the COSHH, and REACH (Registration,  Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of chemicals) regulations in a site specific cleaning schedule folder along with each chemicals Safety Data Sheets (SDS).

Where bleach is specified to be used to clean a toilet bowel, each cleaning employee is instructed never to mix the bleach with any other toilet cleaner, due to the risk of a poisonous chemical mixture being created.     

In the kitchen of one office I clean on a weekly basis, the office manager has requested that I only use bleach to wipe down their sink and kitchen worktops, they do not want me to use any other sanitising cleaner.

For more information on Health and Safety and chemical use I recommend looking at the HSE's website at http://www.hse.gov.uk /,  then go to their separate website for the cleaning industry at http://www.hse.gov.uk/cleaning/index.htm. These site have a wealth of support and information for all of us.
Hope this helps you and your employee.

Regards Phil