30/6/2026
Morning everyone,
Today’s safety and workplace topic is cleaning standards in the staff kitchen and bathrooms.
These are shared spaces used by everyone throughout the day, so keeping them clean isn’t just about presentation — it’s also about hygiene, respect for coworkers, and preventing illness spreading through the team.
A few reminders:
• Clean up after yourself rather than leaving things for the next person
• Don’t leave food, spills, or rubbish sitting in shared areas
• Wash hands properly, especially after bathrooms and before handling food
• Use cleaning products correctly and avoid mixing chemicals
• Make sure spray bottles and chemicals remain labelled
• Let management know if supplies are running low
Please also remember:
Doing your own dishes and cleaning up your own mess is expected as part of your normal break usage.
However, bigger shared cleaning tasks — like general breakroom cleans, wiping down fridges or microwaves, taking bins out, or mopping floors — are workplace tasks and should be completed during paid work time. Everyone is expected to pitch in when needed to help keep shared areas clean and usable.
Leaving dirty dishes, food scraps, or spilled coffee in the kitchen might seem minor at the time, but by the end of the day it affects everyone using the space.
Task/discussion:
What are the main issues we keep seeing in the kitchen or bathrooms?
Are there any improvements we should make to keep these areas cleaner and easier to maintain?
Shared spaces work best when everyone contributes a little rather than one person constantly cleaning up after others.
Task/discussion: Before we assume everyone already knows the same cleaning procedures, let’s quickly go around and check:
• Has everyone cleaned bathrooms or staff areas before (show of hands)?
• Does everyone know where cleaning supplies are kept?
• Does everyone know how to safely fill and use a mop bucket?
• Would a short practical refresher on cleaning expectations and procedures actually be helpful?
The goal isn’t to embarrass anyone — it’s to make sure everyone has the same understanding and feels comfortable doing these tasks properly if asked. It’s easier than being frustrated as you feel like you’re trying and then someone else isn’t happy with results. So, if you think a full team session on this is needed let’s do it.