In brief
The main risks in cleaning teams come from four sources: gases released when chemicals are mixed, slips on wet floors, strain from carrying water buckets and rubbish bags, and sharp waste poking out of bags. Bleach mixed with acidic products releases chlorine gas, and mixed with ammonia-based products releases irritant vapour; that is why products are never mixed and never decanted into unlabelled containers. Short, hands-on, illustrated training prevents most of these risks.
Cleaning staff safety: where does the risk begin?
In offices, shops, shopping centres and the administrative buildings of factories, cleaning teams often work early in the morning or at night, when no one else is around. That is why cleaning staff safety is overlooked: it gets a single line in the risk assessment, and training is kept short because "it's simple work anyway". Yet the same employee uses several different chemicals during the day, walks on wet floors, carries heavy buckets and rubbish bags, and collects waste without knowing what is inside.
The main risks and the approach to prevention are as follows:
| Risk | Where is it seen? | Basic measure |
|---|---|---|
| Chemical mixing and gas | Toilets, sinks, kitchens; small enclosed spaces | One product, no-mixing rule, ventilation |
| Skin and eye contact | Diluting, pouring, scrubbing | Chemical-resistant gloves, eye protection |
| Slips and falls | Freshly mopped floors, stairs, entrances | Warning sign, mopping in sections, non-slip shoes |
| Manual handling | Water buckets, waste containers, machines | Wheeled equipment, half-full bags |
| Sharp waste | Rubbish bags, broken glass, needles | Carrying bags away from the body, separate glass box |
| Electricity | Cables and sockets on wet floors | Plugging in with dry hands, not using damaged cables |
If you outsource the service to a contractor, these risks do not disappear. We described how responsibility is shared between the principal employer and the subcontractor in our article on the subcontractor's OHS responsibility.
Mixing cleaning chemicals: which pairs release gas?
Gases produced by mixing cleaning chemicals are a serious but entirely preventable cause of poisoning in cleaning teams. The intention is usually good: the thought "if I pour both together, it will clean better". The result is an irritant gas inhaled in an enclosed toilet.
| Mixture | Gas or reaction produced | Symptoms |
|---|---|---|
| Bleach (sodium hypochlorite) + hydrochloric acid or acidic limescale remover | Chlorine gas | Burning eyes, coughing, chest tightness, shortness of breath |
| Bleach + ammonia-based glass or surface cleaner | Chloramine vapour | Eye and respiratory tract irritation, coughing |
| Drain opener (bases such as sodium hydroxide) + acidic product | Violent release of heat and splashing | Skin and eye burns |
Bleach and hydrochloric acid is the most common example, because both are used for cleaning toilets. The rule is simple: one product is applied to a surface and rinsed off, and only then is another product used. Since many limescale removers and toilet cleaners also contain acid, saying "we don't use hydrochloric acid" is not enough; check the product label and the safety data sheet.
Art. 7 of the Regulation on Health and Safety Measures for Work with Chemical Substances requires contact between chemicals that may react with each other to be prevented; Art. 9 provides for employees to be informed about identifying chemicals, the safety data sheet in Turkish and the labelling of containers.
Two more rules prevent poisoning: chemicals are not decanted into an unlabelled plastic bottle or water bottle; if dilution is needed, it is done at the manufacturer's recommended ratio, into a labelled spray bottle. We described what to do if there is a spill from a large drum in our article on responding to chemical spills.
Wet floors and slips
The cleaning team both faces the slip risk and creates it for others. An employee or customer who falls in a freshly mopped corridor usually slips in an area where there was no warning sign or where it was placed in the wrong spot.
- Place the wet floor warning sign at the start and end of the mopped area; remove it once the floor is dry. A sign left out permanently does not attract attention.
- Mop the corridor section by section, leaving half dry, rather than all at once.
- At busy times, clean dry instead of wet mopping; in shops, move wet work to before opening and after closing.
- On stairs, do wet cleaning step by step and leave the handrail side dry.
- Give cleaning staff shoes with non-slip soles.
We covered permanent measures such as flooring, lighting and entrance mats in detail in our article on preventing slips, trips and falls.
Manual handling: buckets, rubbish and machines
A full water bucket weighs roughly the same as the volume of water in it; a 10-litre bucket means about 10 kilograms. A bucket lifted dozens of times a day, rubbish bags carried down stairs and waste thrown into the container in the basement are the causes of back and shoulder injuries.
- Use a wheeled cleaning trolley and a bucket with a wringer; do not fill the bucket to the brim.
- Fill rubbish bags between half and two-thirds full and tie them; move heavy bags in a wheeled container rather than dragging them.
- Do not run the cables of floor scrubbers and sweepers across walkways; do not use damaged cables.
- Use long-handled equipment for high windows and ceiling lights; do not allow standing on chairs or tables.
You can find lifting technique and weight limits in our article on manual handling and lifting.
Sharp waste and rubbish bags
Cleaning staff do not know what is inside a rubbish bag. Broken glasses, razor blades, kitchen knives, metal can lids and sometimes even a used syringe can pierce the bag outwards. Measures:
- Carry the bag by its neck without resting it against the leg or body.
- Do not compress the contents of the bag by pressing down with your hand.
- Use a separate, rigid box for broken glass; office staff should be told not to throw broken glass into the bin.
- If a needle comes out of a bag, do not touch it with bare hands; pick it up with tongs or a dustpan into a rigid container, and report any injury immediately.
Cleaning teams working in healthcare facilities must also follow medical waste rules; we described these in our article on employee safety in medical waste management. For what to do after an injury, see our article on needlestick and sharps injuries.
Choosing PPE for cleaners
The PPE list for cleaners is short but varies with the task. The right choice starts with section 8 of the safety data sheet of the product used:
| Task | PPE |
|---|---|
| Diluting chemicals and pouring from large drums | Chemical-resistant gloves, splash goggles, waterproof apron |
| Toilet and sink cleaning | Chemical-resistant gloves; eye protection for spray products |
| Mopping and washing floors | Shoes with non-slip soles |
| Rubbish collection, outdoor cleaning | Puncture-resistant gloves, non-slip shoes |
| Sweeping in dusty areas | A mask suited to the product and the nature of the dust |
We described how to read the markings on chemical gloves in our article on choosing work gloves. Personal protective equipment is provided to employees free of charge and replaced when worn.
Cleaning staff training: short, hands-on and illustrated
Cleaning staff training is effective when given using a show-and-do method rather than a long presentation. Under the 2026 training regulation, induction training is given before starting work, for at least 2 hours, face to face and hands-on; basic training is completed within 3 months of starting work at the latest. In the job-specific risks section, demonstrate the following to the cleaning team in practice:
- Reading labels and pictograms; which of the products doing the same job contains acid and which contains bleach,
- Correct dilution and decanting into a labelled bottle,
- The ban on mixing and first response for someone who has inhaled gas,
- Wet floor warnings and mopping in sections,
- Carrying buckets and bags,
- What to do when encountering sharp waste.
For employees who have difficulty reading or do not speak Turkish well, prepare pictorial cards with pictograms and hang them on the door of the cleaning cupboard. For contractor employees, under Art. 22 of the 2026 training regulation, the principal employer checks the training certificates of the subcontractor's employees and explains the risks specific to the workplace to them before they start work.
For other risks specific to office and retail businesses, see our office and retail page; for assessing risks, our OHS specialist page; and for planning training, our OHS training page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should be done if bleach and hydrochloric acid are mixed?
Leave the area immediately and do not let anyone in; if possible, ventilate by opening windows and doors from outside. Move anyone who has inhaled the gas to fresh air; if there is shortness of breath, chest tightness or persistent coughing, call 112. Only go back in to clean up the mixture once the area has been ventilated.
Which gloves should cleaning staff use?
Chemical-resistant gloves are needed for work involving chemicals, and puncture-resistant gloves for rubbish collection and outdoor work. Section 8 of the safety data sheet of the product used shows the right material. A single type of thin glove is not enough for every task.
Who is responsible for training cleaning staff from an outside contractor?
Each employer is responsible for training its own employees; that is, the cleaning company gives the basic training. The principal employer checks these employees' training certificates and explains the risks specific to the workplace before they start work.
Can a cleaning chemical be decanted into another bottle?
If it is decanted, it should go into a labelled container showing the product name and hazard warnings. Using an unlabelled plastic bottle or water bottle creates the risk of both accidental drinking and unknowingly mixing products.
A certified specialist matched to your hazard class: site inspections, approved logbook, training plan, annual plan and report follow-up.
Bursa SİSTEMER OSGB Technical Team — written from the field experience of our OHS specialists and workplace physicians. Legal information is valid as of the publication/update date; contact us for an assessment specific to your business.