Risk Assessment & Method Statement
Daily contract cleaning, Example Primary Academy

SiteExample Primary Academy

HoursTerm time, 15:30–18:30

Team1 supervisor + 4 cleaners

ReviewEvery 12 months or on change

1. Scope of work

Daily cleaning of 14 classrooms, corridors, the hall, staff room, offices and 6 toilet blocks, after pupils have left. Periodic work (machine scrubbing of hard floors, high-level dusting, carpet extraction) is done in school holidays. The kitchen is excluded and remains the catering contractor's responsibility.

2. Risk assessment

Hazard	Who could be harmed	Risk before	Controls	Risk after
Slips on wet floors	Cleaners, staff, visitors	12	Yellow wet-floor signs placed before mopping and removed once dry Corridors cleaned one half at a time so a dry route is always open Microfibre damp-mopping; the scrubber-dryer leaves floors dry All staff wear slip-resistant shoes	3
Hazardous substances (COSHH)	Cleaners, pupils (if left out)	12	COSHH assessment and safety data sheet for every product, kept in the site folder Products diluted by a wall-mounted dosing unit, never by eye Chlorine products never mixed with acid washroom cleaners Nitrile gloves always; goggles when decanting Locked cleaner's cupboard; trolleys never left unattended	3
Safeguarding (children on site)	Pupils	10	Enhanced DBS checks for all staff before they start Photo ID worn at all times; sign in and out at reception Work starts after pupils leave; staff never alone with a child Concerns reported the same day to the school's Designated Safeguarding Lead Safeguarding awareness training at induction, refreshed yearly	5
Manual handling (bins, buckets, machines)	Cleaners	9	Trolleys and wheeled bins used for moving waste Bags filled no more than two-thirds Two-person lift for the scrubber-dryer on stairs, or use the lift Manual handling training at induction	4
Electrical equipment	Cleaners, others nearby	8	All equipment PAT tested and labelled Visual check of plugs and cables before each use; faulty kit taken out of use and tagged Cables run along walls, never across doorways	4
Working at height (high dusting)	Cleaners	8	Extendable poles used from the floor wherever possible Only a kick-stool or two-step platform if a pole can't reach; no ladders, no standing on chairs or desks Higher work goes to holiday periodics with suitable access equipment	4
Lone and out-of-hours working	Cleaners	8	Nobody works alone in an isolated block Supervisor check-in at 17:00 and on sign-out Mobile phone carried; site emergency numbers on the back of the ID badge	4
Sharps and bodily fluids (toilets)	Cleaners	8	Sharps never picked up by hand: litter picker and sharps box used Body fluid spill kit on each trolley Incidents reported to the site manager and recorded	4
Fire and emergencies	Everyone on site	10	Site induction covers alarms, exits and the assembly point Fire exits and corridors kept clear of trolleys Signing in and out means the school always knows who's on site	5

Risk = likelihood (1–5) × severity (1–5). 10+ high · 6–9 medium · 1–5 low. No work starts while any risk remains high.

3. Method statement

Arrival. Sign in at reception, collect keys, wear ID. The supervisor gives a 2-minute briefing: today's areas, any events, wet-floor or repair issues from the logbook.
Set up. Collect trolleys from the locked cupboard. Check PPE and equipment. Dosing unit for all dilutions.
Colour-coded equipment (BICSc), so cloths and mops never cross between areas:
Red: toilets and urinalsYellow: washroom sinks and surfacesBlue: classrooms, offices, generalGreen: staff room kitchenette
Order of work. High to low and clean to dirty: empty bins, dust and wipe touchpoints (door handles, light switches, desks), then vacuum carpets and damp-mop hard floors last, with signs out.
Toilets. Signs up at the entrance. Descale and disinfect toilets and urinals, clean sinks and mirrors, restock soap and paper, then mop from the far end back to the door.
Waste. General waste and recycling bagged separately and taken to the external bin store. Sanitary waste is left for the specialist contractor.
Close down. Equipment cleaned, mops laundered or left to dry, chemicals locked away. Report defects (leaks, broken fittings, damage) in the site logbook. Check windows and doors, set the alarm if instructed, sign out.

4. PPE, chemicals and training

PPE

Nitrile gloves: all cleaning tasks
Safety goggles: decanting, descaling
Slip-resistant shoes: always
Tabard or uniform with ID badge

Chemicals on site (COSHH assessed)

Neutral floor cleaner
Acidic washroom descaler
Chlorine-based disinfectant (toilets only)
Glass and surface cleaner

Training

Site induction, before the first shift
COSHH and manual handling
Safeguarding awareness (yearly)
Machine training before using the scrubber-dryer

Accidents and first aid

First aid kit on every trolley
All accidents and near misses go in the accident book and are reported to the school
RIDDOR-reportable incidents reported by the company within the required time

5. Sign-off

Role	Name	Signature	Date
Prepared by
Approved by (director)
Briefed to staff (supervisor)