RAMS for Cleaning Contractors
Generate compliant risk assessments for commercial cleaning, specialist decontamination, and construction site cleaning in under 2 minutes. COSHH, WAHR, and CDM cited automatically.
Built with UK health & safety regulations in mind
Free Cleaning Contractors RAMS Template
A blank cleaning contractors risk assessment and method statement template — with the 5×5 risk matrix, the construction hazards to consider for this trade, and the relevant UK legislation already listed. Fill it in by hand, or generate a completed one in two minutes.
Or skip the blank page — generate a filled-in Cleaning Contractors RAMS in 2 minutes →
What a completed cleaning contractors RAMS looks like — generated in under 2 minutes
Commercial and specialist cleaning work involves daily exposure to COSHH-regulated chemicals, lone working in empty buildings, and in the case of specialist decontamination or construction site cleaning, significant biological and physical hazards. The perception that cleaning is low-risk work is incorrect: slips and falls are the most common cause of major injury in UK workplaces, chemical burns from cleaning products cause thousands of injuries annually, and lone working creates vulnerability.
Facilities managers, managing agents, and principal contractors require RAMS before cleaning work begins, particularly for specialist cleaning, construction site builders cleans, and any work at height. A builders clean RAMS needs CDM compliance. A decontamination RAMS needs biological hazard controls. High-level external cleaning needs WAHR compliance.
swiftRMS generates cleaning contractor RAMS in under 2 minutes with COSHH assessments for your specific products, lone working controls, and the correct legislation for your cleaning environment.
What Cleaning Contractors RAMS Must Include
Compliant risk assessments for cleaning contractors work must cover these specific areas
COSHH assessments and chemical segregation
Every product needs an assessment from its safety data sheet, and the RAMS must state the rule that products are never mixed: bleach with acid descalers releases chlorine gas, and bleach with ammonia-based cleaners releases toxic chloramine vapour.
Slip prevention and wet floor management
Document wet floor signage placed before mopping starts, cordoning of larger wet areas, one-side-at-a-time cleaning of corridors, drying methods, and slip-resistant footwear. Slips on wet floors are a leading cause of major injury in UK workplaces.
Working at height for high-level cleaning
High-level dusting, window reaches and gutter or cladding cleaning fall under WAHR 2005. Specify the access equipment (steps, podiums, towers or MEWPs), inspection checks, and why ladders are only used for short-duration, low-risk tasks.
Lone and night working procedures
Out-of-hours cleaning in empty buildings requires a lone working assessment under HASAWA 1974 and MHSWR 1999: check-in schedules, personal alarms, building emergency and exit knowledge, and an escalation procedure if a cleaner fails to respond.
Sharps and biological hazard procedures
Washrooms, public areas and builders cleans can contain needles, broken glass and bodily fluids. Document the no-hands sharps rule, litter pickers and sharps containers, spill kits, PPE for biological contamination, and the incident reporting route.
Electrical safety in wet environments
Vacuum cleaners, scrubber dryers and pressure washers used around water create shock risk under EAWR 1989. Specify portable appliance testing, pre-use cable and plug checks, RCD protection, and keeping leads clear of wet floors and walkways.
Manual handling and waste removal
Moving machines between floors, carrying water containers and removing waste sacks are daily lifting tasks under MHOR 1992. Document trolley and lift use, safe sack-handling technique to avoid hidden sharps, and weight limits for water and consumables.
Common Cleaning Contractors Tasks That Require RAMS
Generate RAMS for any of these tasks in minutes, not hours
Commercial office cleaning
Daily or periodic cleaning of occupied offices, usually out of hours. Core controls are COSHH assessments for the products in use, lone working check-ins, wet floor management in kitchens and washrooms, and electrical checks on cleaning equipment.
Builders clean on construction sites
Post-construction cleaning under CDM 2015. Hazards include silica and general construction dust, sharp debris and fixings, unfinished edges and services, and interfaces with ongoing trades. Site induction and PPE requirements must appear in the RAMS.
Deep cleaning and biohazard decontamination
Trauma, sewage and needle-sweep cleaning involves direct biological hazard. Controls include full PPE and RPE selection, disinfectant contact times, double-bagging and licensed waste disposal, sharps procedures and vaccination or health surveillance.
High-level and external cleaning
Cladding, fascia, signage and gutter cleaning from MEWPs, towers or water-fed poles. WAHR 2005 planning, equipment inspection, exclusion zones below the work area, and weather limits for working at height all need documenting.
Commercial kitchen deep cleaning
Degreasing ranges, canopies and ducts with caustic chemicals in hot, confined spaces. RAMS must cover chemical PPE including goggles and gauntlets, ventilation, isolation of gas and electrical appliances before cleaning, and slip control on greasy floors.
Industrial and factory cleaning
Cleaning plant, machinery and production areas, sometimes including tank or silo entry. Requires machinery isolation and lock-off before cleaning, confined space assessment under the Confined Spaces Regulations 1997, and segregation from live production.
Washroom and sanitary services
Servicing washrooms and sanitary units brings routine biological exposure and sharps risk. Document gloves and hygiene procedures, safe handling and disposal of sanitary waste through a licensed carrier, and wet floor controls for building users.
Writing a RAMS for one of these jobs?
Describe the task in plain English and get a complete cleaning contractors RAMS — hazards, controls, and the legislation below already cited — in about 2 minutes.
UK Legislation for Cleaning Contractors Risk Assessments
Every RAMS automatically cites the relevant UK legislation and industry standards
COSHH Regulations 2002
The central framework for cleaning chemicals: detergents, bleaches, caustic degreasers, acid descalers and disinfectants, plus biological agents encountered in washrooms and decontamination work. Each product needs a substance-specific assessment.
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
The overarching duty of care, and the legal basis for managing lone working. Employers must ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the safety of cleaners working alone in client buildings, including out of hours.
Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (MHSWR)
Requires a suitable and sufficient risk assessment for every cleaning activity, and is the specific driver for assessing lone and night working arrangements, young workers and expectant mothers on cleaning teams.
Work at Height Regulations 2005 (WAHR)
Applies to high-level dusting, gutter clearing and external cleaning. Work at height must be planned, use suitable equipment in the right hierarchy, and ladders reserved for short-duration, low-risk tasks only.
Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992
Covers moving scrubber dryers and vacuums between floors, carrying filled water containers and buffing machines, and removing waste. The RAMS must show handling has been avoided, mechanised or reduced before relying on technique.
CDM Regulations 2015
A builders clean is construction work under CDM 2015. The cleaning contractor must receive pre-construction information on residual hazards, and the RAMS must address dust, sharp debris and interfaces with other trades still on site.
Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 (EAWR)
Applies to all powered cleaning equipment, particularly where electricity and water meet. Requires maintained equipment (supported by PAT), pre-use checks, RCD protection and safe cable management in occupied buildings.
How swiftRMS Generates Cleaning Contractors RAMS
Describe the cleaning contract in plain English: the environment, the products you use, whether staff work alone or at night, and any specialist elements such as high-level access or biohazard work. swiftRMS builds the hazard register from that description, covering COSHH, slips, work at height, lone working and sharps as the job demands.
The generated document cites COSHH 2002, WAHR 2005, MHSWR 1999 and CDM 2015 where relevant, and is ready to review in around 2 minutes. You check it, add site-specific details such as check-in times and product names, and submit the PDF to the facilities manager, managing agent or principal contractor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Every cleaning chemical product requires a substance-specific COSHH assessment based on the manufacturer's safety data sheet. This includes the product name, hazard classification, WEL values where applicable, PPE requirements, first aid measures, and storage/disposal instructions. Common high-risk products include bleach (sodium hypochlorite), caustic degreasers (sodium hydroxide), and acid descalers (hydrochloric acid).
Yes. Cleaning carried out as part of construction or refurbishment work falls within the CDM 2015 definition of construction work. The cleaning contractor must be provided with pre-construction information about residual hazards, and the RAMS must address construction site risks including sharp debris, hazardous dust (silica, lead paint, asbestos), and the interface with ongoing construction activities.
Under HASAWA 1974, employers must assess the risk of lone working. Controls include: buddy systems or regular check-in calls, personal safety alarms, knowledge of emergency procedures and exits, mobile phone with charged battery, and a procedure for non-response. For high-risk environments (night work, isolated locations), GPS tracking or periodic welfare checks may be appropriate.
Generate Your First Cleaning Contractors RAMS Free
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