Health and Safety Audit Checklist for Cleaning Companies

Running a health and safety audit without a clear structure usually produces one of two outcomes: either you miss something important, or you end up with a long list of findings and no sense of what to prioritise.

This checklist is designed for cleaning company owners doing internal H&S audits, either as a standalone review or as preparation before an external inspection. It covers the areas most likely to generate findings in a commercial cleaning business, and the ones most likely to matter in the event of an incident.

Work through each section and record your findings as you go. Anything marked as not in place needs a resolution date and a named person responsible.

1. Policy and Documentation

A health and safety policy is a legal requirement for businesses with five or more employees. If you have fewer than five, you still need to manage H&S, you just don't need it in writing. That said, having a written policy is good practice regardless of size.

Check that the following are in place and up to date:

• •[ ] Written Health and Safety Policy (if 5+ employees), reviewed in the last 12 months
• •[ ] Policy signed by the owner or director and displayed or accessible to all staff
• •[ ] Employer's Liability Insurance certificate displayed at each workplace (or available electronically)
• •[ ] Accident book or digital equivalent, up to date and accessible to employees
• •[ ] RIDDOR reporting procedure documented (serious injuries, dangerous occurrences, occupational disease)
• •[ ] First aid assessment completed: adequate provision for the number of employees and nature of work
• •[ ] First aid box stocked and checked within the last three months

2. Risk Assessments

Risk assessments must cover the significant hazards in your business. For cleaning companies, this typically includes:

• •[ ] Generic risk assessment for commercial cleaning activities (slips, trips, chemical exposure and manual handling)
• •[ ] Site-specific risk assessments for each client location (particularly where unusual hazards exist: height work, lone working, secure premises)
• •[ ] COSHH assessments for all chemicals used, reviewed when products change
• •[ ] Manual handling assessment: lifting equipment, moving floor machines, handling waste
• •[ ] Lone working risk assessment: relevant if operatives work alone at any site, particularly early mornings or late evenings
• •[ ] Young workers risk assessment if any staff are under 18
• •[ ] Display screen equipment (DSE) assessment for office-based staff

Risk assessments should be reviewed at least annually and whenever there is a significant change: a new site, new products, a reported incident or a change in how work is carried out.

3. COSHH and Chemicals

COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) is one of the most common areas of non-compliance in cleaning businesses. The requirements are not complicated, but they do need to be followed consistently.

• •[ ] COSHH assessment completed for every chemical product in use
• •[ ] Safety data sheets (SDS) available for all products: at the location where they're used, not just in the office
• •[ ] Products stored correctly: correct temperature, away from food preparation, incompatible products separated
• •[ ] Correct dilution rates documented and communicated to operatives
• •[ ] PPE specified for each product and available at site (gloves, aprons, eye protection as required)
• •[ ] Operatives trained on COSHH: training records signed and dated
• •[ ] Disposal procedures documented for used chemicals and contaminated materials
• •[ ] Inventory of all chemicals in use: no unlabelled containers, no products brought in by operatives without approval

4. Personal Protective Equipment

Providing PPE is not enough: it also needs to be appropriate for the task, maintained in good condition and actually used.

• •[ ] PPE provided free of charge to all employees who need it
• •[ ] PPE appropriate for the specific tasks and chemicals involved (not one-size-fits-all)
• •[ ] PPE checked regularly: gloves for holes and degradation, footwear for wear, eye protection for clarity
• •[ ] Operatives trained on when to use PPE and how to put it on correctly
• •[ ] Replacement PPE available; operatives know how to request replacements
• •[ ] No operatives working without required PPE (spot-check during site visits)

5. Training Records

Training is only useful if it's recorded. In the event of a claim or inspection, you need to show not just that training was given, but who received it, when and what it covered.

• •[ ] Induction training records for all staff, signed by the employee
• •[ ] COSHH training records, dated and product-specific
• •[ ] Manual handling training records
• •[ ] Site-specific induction records for each location
• •[ ] Fire safety training records
• •[ ] Any specialist training relevant to sites (e.g. working at height, confined spaces, food hygiene if applicable)
• •[ ] Training records reviewed as part of annual H&S review

6. Equipment and Machinery

Cleaning equipment is subject to maintenance and inspection requirements, particularly electrical items and any machinery with moving parts.

• •[ ] PAT testing completed for all portable electrical appliances, records available
• •[ ] Floor machines and specialist equipment maintained per manufacturer guidelines, service records kept
• •[ ] Equipment inspected before use (operatives aware of how to check for faults)
• •[ ] Defective equipment taken out of service and tagged, not left in circulation
• •[ ] Vacuum cleaners and similar equipment checked for cable damage regularly
• •[ ] LOLER assessment if any lifting equipment is used (e.g. elevated work platforms for cleaning at height)

7. Fire Safety

• •[ ] Fire risk assessment completed for your business premises (if you have an office or depot)
• •[ ] Fire extinguishers inspected annually, with certificates available
• •[ ] Staff aware of evacuation procedure for their regular sites
• •[ ] No combustible materials stored near heat sources

8. Incident Management

What happens after an incident determines whether you learn from it or repeat it.

• •[ ] All accidents and near misses recorded in the accident book
• •[ ] Serious incidents reported to the HSE under RIDDOR within the required timeframe
• •[ ] Root cause analysis carried out for any injury or near miss
• •[ ] Changes made to risk assessments or working practices following incidents
• •[ ] Injured employees supported through return to work where relevant

Audit Frequency and Follow-Up

An internal H&S audit of this type should be completed at least annually. For growing businesses, twice a year is more appropriate: once to set the baseline and once to check progress against findings.

After each audit, produce a simple action list: what needs addressing, who is responsible and by when. Review that list at your next audit. Over time, this process builds the kind of documented H&S management system that demonstrates to clients and insurers that you take compliance seriously.

If you want to see how your cleaning business performs across operations, team management, client relationships and compliance, take the Tivlo Cleaning Business Scorecard. It takes about ten minutes and produces a personalised report.

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