The fine art of auditing
June 1st 2007

Performance monitoring is important to maintain standards in cleaning.Cleaning Research International's Dr Eric Brown gives an insight into conducting a cleaning audit

Performance monitoring often involves the cleaning supervisor or client representative making a tour of the site,making judgements about the standards of cleaning and offering criticisms or compliments. If standards are particularly poor however, this is not the most satisfactory way of going about it. In such cases, the most important result of the monitoring process should be the identification and the correction of the shortcomings.However this cannot be achieved by simply relying on subjective scoring.What is required instead can only be achieved by adopting the well established TQM principle of addressing the inputs - on the basis that if these are right, a satisfactory service will result. And so,when Cleaning Research International is required to carry out a cleaning audit, this is precisely what it does.

In a CRI audit,we look at the following: On-site management capabilities Off-site support Staffing issues Training Quality control procedures Equipment and materials Consumables Internal Housekeeping In terms of site management we expect to find that the manager is suitably experienced, is able to motivate staff, is well organised with cleaning schedules clearly specified and disseminated amongst the staff.We expect them to be working to a formal specification and have periodics organised well in advance with the client fully aware when they are to be undertaken.The site manager and supervisors should be managing or supervising.Not standing in for absentee operatives. If the service provider is a contractor then we would expect to see regular channels of communication between the onsite team and the regional office.

Monitoring staffing levels is particularly important. In every tender return drafted by CRI, contractors are asked to indicate the number of hours they will deliver to meet the requirements of the specification.

If 100 hours per day are required, then 100 hours per day should be delivered. Failure to do so means that there is either a shortfall in the level of service being delivered, or the amount being charged is too high. For this reason, staff attendance level is made a known performance indicator in all our tenders and we regularly check the hours delivered against the hours quoted.Of course, if the cleaning budget has been squeezed and enough hours to provide a satisfactory service have not therefore been allocated in the first place, then the client needs to understand that their dissatisfaction may simply be because they are not willing to pay for the level of service that is actually required.

Training records should be examined.Apart from the health and safety implications of ensuring that training is being carried out, it is also important in order to get the job done properly and ensure that no damage is done to the fabric of the structure.

We would expect the service provider to have a quality management system in place, to carry out regular monitoring exercises, and to be checking the inputs as well as the outputs.QC records should be available for inspection by the client at all times. Equipment and Materials need inspecting.Vacuum bags and canisters should be emptied; mops washed and dried or stored on their handles. Rotary machines should not be left standing on their brushes; PAT records should be available.

Cleaning agents and consumable supplies should match those listed in the tender return and the chemicals should coincide with those for which COSHH sheets are available.The cleaners cupboard should be tidy;work schedules should be readily available; colour coding information should be available in the cupboard.

As long as these inputs are checked, then the stroll around the site, dragging fingers along skirtings and palms of hands across cupboard tops is permissible. To get the most out of such results they should be subjected to a Pareto Analysis to derive which faults are to be corrected first, whether by frequency or by weighting according to cost or importance.

More detailed information may be found in the CRI publication Conducting a Cleaning Audit (price £15.00 to include postage and packing) or by attending the frequently held training course of the same name.

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