Do cleaners need infection control training?

Who asks for it

Cleaning contracts in aged care, healthcare, childcare, schools and hotels often require cleaners to have infection control training. Employers also have work health and safety duties to train workers about the hazards of their work — including biological hazards.

Why it matters

Good cleaning removes germs. Poor technique moves them around: one cloth for the toilet and the bench, disinfectant wiped off too early, or the same mop water all shift.

What good training covers

• Cleaning versus disinfection, and contact times.
• Colour coding and working clean to dirty.
• High-touch surfaces.
• Body fluid spills, waste, linen and sharps.
• PPE and hand hygiene.
• Outbreak and isolation cleaning.

Teams

Cleaning companies can buy team packs so every cleaner gets a certificate with a verifiable ID — useful when tendering for care and education contracts.