Institutional and industrial cleaning involves cleaning and maintaining a healthy indoor environment for commercial establishments of all sizes and types, including schools, hospitals, day care centers, food service operations, office complexes, and other similar establishments. As with our other services, workers face a number of hazards. Staff may be exposed to potentially hazardous chemicals, asked to work with equipment that can present a danger, or asked to perform various tasks that may cause an injury or illness if not performed properly. Further, the physical environment in which cleaning services are performed can present hazards.
Star has experience with dust from the environmental or industrial processes, chemical spills, drug allergens, blood borne pathogens, and animal droppings. Many animal droppings have potentially been exposed to Histoplasmosis which is endemic in certain areas of the United States, particularly in states bordering the Ohio River valley and the lower Mississippi River. It grows in soil and material contaminated with bird or bat droppings (guano). The fungus has been found in poultry house litter, caves, areas harboring bats, and in bird roosts (particularly those of starlings). Symptoms of this infection vary greatly, but the disease primarily affects the lungs.
OSHA standards and guidelines play a key role in eliminating or minimizing these hazards and are crucial to ensuring a safe and healthy work environment. Cleaning Industry hazards are addressed in specific standards for the general industry. We leverage our OSHA-10, aerial and confined space training to provide safe cleaning services.