Cleaning can be more dangerous than construction work
The work of a cleaner can be more hazardous that construction work, according to figures from Safe Work Australia.
New analysis shows the average rate of workplace injury in NSW since 2010 is 11.4 workers compensation claims per million hours worked in cleaning and other related industries, compared to 9.5 for construction and 7.5 for mining.
Greens MP David Shoebridge has highlighted the high injury rates for cleaners as the NSW Government prepares to outsource school cleaning and maintenance services under a new contract.
The new arrangement includes paying the state's school cleaners according to the ground they cover instead of an hourly rate.
National figures present a similar contrast with the injury rate for building cleaning, pest control and gardening services at an average of 13.1 claims per million hours worked between 2010 and 2016. The rate for construction over the same period is 8.9 and 5 per cent for mining.
The Safe Work Australia figures analysed by the NSW Greens are based on time lost for injuries per million hours worked.
Mr Shoebridge said the new contract arrangements would not only threaten the job security and pay of cleaners, it could also put them under pressure to work faster.
"The figures make it clear the cleaning industry has very high rates of injury and those injuries are predominantly because workers are literally running from job to job and when they are in an office, running from task to task," he said.
"Slips and falls are extremely common place because of the time pressures these workers are under.
"It would surprise many to see that injury rates in the cleaning industry are comparable to some industries such as construction."
Mr Shoebridge said cleaning should be a safe job but private contracting arrangements had in some cases made it more dangerous.
"While the state government has made savings on its budget bottom line, it has come at a real cost," he said.
"Ten years ago, people would have expected state governments to be model employers but a series of market dominated reforms has fundamentally changed that.
"It's about time governments resumed setting the standards rather than cutting them."
The Victorian government has this month decided to wind back its cleaning contracts after revelations that many school cleaners were being grossly underpaid.
United Voice, the union that represents cleaners, said injury rates in contract cleaning are high and injuries are serious. Causes included slips and falls, awkward posture and heavy lifting along with workload and time pressures.
The union's NSW branch secretary Mel Gatfield says the state government plan threatened to weaken protections around subcontracting and would attack the livelihoods of "some of the state's hardest workers".
The NSW Government said its agencies spend more than $400 million a year on cleaning and maintenance services.
A Department of Finance, Services and Innovation spokesman said this was a significant expense "and it is important that the new contract delivers the best possible value for money for taxpayers".
"An appropriate number of hours cleaning will be allocated to each site under the new cleaning contract and new pricing model," the spokesman said.
"Any changes that occur in the delivery of cleaning services will not impact on quality and safety."
The spokesman said there would be no reduction in protections of fair work and safety standards for employees under the new contract.
The new cleaning contractor would need to be certified by an accredited Work, Health and Safety authority.
"There will also be conditions embedded in the new contract to protect workers from underpayment and multi-layered sub-contracting models," the spokesman said.