What is HMS(Housekeeping Management System)?
Housekeeping refers to the management of duties and chores involved in the running of a household, such as cleaning, cooking, home maintenance, shopping, and bill payment. A housekeeper is a person employed to manage a household and the domestic staff.
Why should we go for HMS?
Effective housekeeping can help control or eliminate workplace hazards. Poor housekeeping practices frequently contribute to incidents. If the sight of paper, debris, clutter and spills is accepted as normal, then other more serious hazards may be taken for granted.
Housekeeping is not just cleanliness. It includes keeping work areas neat and orderly, maintaining halls and floors free of slip and trip hazards, and removing of waste materials (e.g., paper, cardboard) and other fire hazards from work areas. It also requires paying attention to important details such as the layout of the whole workplace, aisle marking, the adequacy of storage facilities, and maintenance. Good housekeeping is also a basic part of incident and fire prevention.
Effective housekeeping is an ongoing operation: it is not a one-time or hit-and-miss cleanup done occasionally. Periodic "panic" cleanups are costly and ineffective in reducing incidents.
Benefits of HMS
- reduced handling to ease the flow of materials.
- fewer tripping and slipping incidents in clutter-free and spill-free work areas
decreased fire hazards.
- lower worker exposures to hazardous products (e.g. dusts, vapours).
- better control of tools and materials, including inventory and supplies.
- more efficient equipment cleanup and maintenance.
- better hygienic conditions leading to improved health.
- more effective use of space.
- reduced property damage by improving preventive maintenance.
- less janitorial work.
- improved morale.
- improved productivity (tools and materials will be easy to find).
Elements of HMS
Maintenance-The maintenance of buildings and equipment may be the most important element of good housekeeping. Maintenance involves keeping buildings, equipment and machinery in safe, efficient working order and in good repair.
Dust and Dirt Removal-Enclosures and exhaust ventilation systems may fail to collect dust, dirt and chips adequately. Vacuum cleaners are suitable for removing light dust and dirt that is not otherwise hazardous
Employee Facilities-Employee facilities need to be adequate, clean and well maintained. Lockers may be necessary for storing employees' personal belongings. Washroom facilities require cleaning once or more each shift.
Surfaces-Floors: Poor floor conditions are a leading cause of incidents so cleaning up spilled oil and other liquids at once is important. Allowing chips, shavings and dust to accumulate can also cause incidents.
Maintain Light Fixtures-Dirty light fixtures reduce essential light levels. Clean light fixtures can improve lighting efficiency significantly.
Aisles and Stairways-Aisles and Stairway should be wide enough to accommodate people and vehicles comfortably and safely. Aisle and Stairway space allows for the movement of people, products and materials.
Spill Control-The best way to control spills is to stop them before they happen. Regularly cleaning and maintaining machines and equipment is one way. Another is to use drip pans and guards where possible spills might occur.
Tools and Equipment-Tool housekeeping is very important, whether in the tool room, on the rack, in the yard, or on the bench. Tools require suitable fixtures with marked locations to provide an orderly arrangement.
Waste Disposal-The regular collection, grading and sorting of scrap contribute to good housekeeping practices. It also makes it possible to separate materials that can be recycled from those going to waste disposal facilities.
Storage-Good organization of stored materials is essential for overcoming material storage problems whether on a temporary or permanent basis. There will also be fewer strain injuries if the amount of handling is reduced, especially if less manual material handling is required.