More cleaners needed to make English schools safe for return of pupils and staff, says UNISON
Some cleaners in English schools are still having to work without protective kit and not given the ‘deep-clean’ training needed to keep people safe, says a survey published today (Thursday) by UNISON.
The union is calling on the government to provide schools with money to hire extra cleaners. Figures released by UNISON show that almost three in ten (29%) staff say there has been no increase in cleaning services since many schools reopened at the start of June.
The survey was based on responses from more than 8,000 employees working in primary, nursery and special schools in England. UNISON says the findings are concerning, given schools are preparing to reopen fully in September.
Instead of specialist ‘deep-clean’ teams, regular cleaning staff are expected to carry out this potentially hazardous work, according to nearly two thirds (65%) of school workers.
A fifth (20%) who took part in the survey said cleaners at their school had no access to the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE).
Government guidance states that more rigorous and regular cleansing of classrooms, washrooms and items touched regularly, such as chairs, should be undertaken to limit the infection risk from coronavirus.
UNISON says there is an urgent need for cleaners to be specially trained in how to disinfect buildings properly and handle potentially harmful cleaning materials correctly.
Without it, premises might not meet safe...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - Category: Food Science Authors: Sophie Goodchild Tags: News Press release clean schools Covid-19 Source Type: news
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