Colour Coding And Cleaning Standards
What do we mean by colour coding and what difference does that make to cleaning standards?
Colour coding of equipment was introduced to enable a clear separation of equipment used to clean one area being used to spread infection or different types of contamination to other areas.
It is usually thought of stopping infection being spread from mops etc being used to clean toilets then taking some infection into food preparation areas such as kitchens. However it is also used for stopping oil and sand etc on a workshop floor being taken by a mop or brush etc into smart office areas.
Clean Care Scotland conforms with the colour coding system adopted by the British Institute of Cleaning Science which is usually interpreted as being
Red for cleaning toilets
Blue for general cleaning
Yellow for all sinks
Green for cleaning kitchens and other food preparation areas.
Exceptions to these cleaning colour coding systems
There are times when we have to change this and use another coding system for example we clean for major international pizza restaurant chain here in Scotland that uses a colour coding system set for cleaning equipment that is adopted by their international HQ in the USA. For this operation we are obviously happy to use their colour coding cleaning charts as it it still fits our criteria of clear separation we just make sure that our staff are fully trained and understand the reasons for on the different standards.
Food preparation and cleaning standards
As an Area Manager recently was asked to quote for the contract cleaning of a major leisure centre in Aberdeen serving food and drink to it’s customers. During an initial walk around I spotted one of their existing cleaners who I recognised as having applied to work with us the previous week and said hello.
During the brief discussion I was pleased to hear her explanation of colour coding for the wet mop cleaning involved using three different colour mops for the different areas. However as she was holding a blue mop in her hand I had to ask why I could see a red mop and yellow mop leaning against the wall just behind her and in physical contact with each other. This was explained by saying that they only used the one mop bucket which was used for all mops.
Despite working as a cleaning supervisor at that centre for over a year she had totally failed to fully understand the colour coding system is there to prevent any cross contamination taking place. She had obviously not been properly trained by her cleaning company management system. Why had the cleaning company manager’s not picked up on what was happening there? Obviously they were not monitoring the work their staff were doing on a regular basis.
Monitoring cleaning standards is important!
If they not monitoring their own cleaning standards how do they identify the cleaners training needs? How do they recognise the work of good reliable cleaners if they are not there to congratulate and encourage them. If staff are not visited they will start to feel “Who cares? My managers never come to visit and talk with me about my work as a cleaner. They don’t care so why should I?”
If you are washing the toilet floor with a red mop then putting that aside and picking up a yellow mop to wash the floor in the food preparation are you should AT LEAST also change the bucket of water or you will simply be spreading bacteria across from one area to another. Surely this would be just plain common sense? Why change the mop and put that clean mop into the bucket of dirty contaminated water?
We at Clean Care Scotland would insist that the cleaner follow our cleaning procedure guidelines for example
- When finished one area wash the mop and bucket in the sink using running water before putting the mop and cleaning bucket away safely.
- Take the fresh appropriate colour bucket and refill with water.
- Add appropriate cleaning chemical reagent for the job they are going to be working on.
- Take a clean mop and wash the floor area concerned before cleaning the mop and bucket and putting it away again.
What would happen if a source of food poisoning was traced back to that particular leisure centre? Surely it is the responsibility of all concerned in working there to ensure the highest level of cleaning standards are adopted and complied with at all times.
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