This document discusses the maintenance of cleaning equipment such as vacuum cleaners and floor buffers. It emphasizes the importance of regularly maintaining tools and equipment to identify safety problems early. Employers should control risks by placing guards on machinery, ensuring warning devices are used, requiring protective clothing, and scheduling maintenance when equipment is shut down and not in use. General rules for using cleaning equipment include checking for defects before each use, handling equipment carefully, following manufacturer instructions, and scheduling regular checkups to prevent breakdowns.

1. Maintenance of Cleaning
Equipment
Lesson
3

2. Vacuum Cleaner
a device that uses an air pump
to create a partial vacuum to
suck up dust and dirt, usually
from floors, and optionally
from other surfaces as well.

3. Floor Buffer
is an electrical appliance that is
used to clean and maintain non-
carpeted floors, such as hardwood,
marble, tile or linoleum. It is also
known as a floor polisher or floor
burnisher. If it is a high speed floor
buffer with a pad it rotates at over
1000 RPM.

4. Correct Maintenance of Tools
and Equipment
A further part of a health and safety strategy is
to maintain tools and equipment regularly. This
helps to identify safety problems before they
become a serious hazard. Only qualified people
should carry out the maintenance. They should
also keep records of their inspections.

6. Management
There is one important way to follow the rules and to
manage the safe use and maintenance of tools and
equipment. This is to assess and control the risks.
The risk assessment process must identify the
environments in which workers will use the tools and
equipment; any local conditions that may affect safety; and
how the workers will actually use each item in practice.

7. By limiting risks in this way, employers have some
control over potential hazards. Specifically, employers
should:
Management
 Place guards on machinery to protect fingers and limbs.
 Ensure that system controls have appropriate warning devices.
 Insist staff wear personal protective clothing as necessary.
 Arrange for maintenance when equipment is safely shut down
and not in use.

8. General Rules in the Use of Cleaning Equipment
 Check electrical appliances and equipment before use.
Check if there are frayed wires, loose plugs ad
connections. Never use any appliance that is defective.
 Handle equipment with care and make sure it does not
bump on hard surfaces.
 Clean and store equipment in their custodial room
immediately after use.

9.  Empty dust bags of dry vacuum cleaners before they overload
and after each use.
General Rules in the Use of Cleaning Equipment
 Follow manufacturer’s operating instruction.
 Schedule a regular check-up of equipment to prevent serious
breakdown.
 To avoid electric shock or short circuit, do not expose equipment
to rain or water. Store them indoors to protect them from
getting wet. Electrical equipment should never be used in wet
surfaces.