High Level Cleaning in Brisbane & SEQ: What It Takes to Clean 11 Metres Up
Last week, the Solutions 4 Cleaning team spent four days at the Noosa Leisure Centre completing a specialist high level cleaning project and this one was a little different from our everyday commercial cleaning work.
Much of the work was approximately 11 metres above the floor.
We cleaned structural beams, high level lighting, large ceiling fans and a dividing sports net approximately 10 metres high and 30 metres long.
Some of these areas hadn't been properly cleaned for at least 15 years.
While the before and after difference was impressive, this project also demonstrated something we think is important when choosing a contractor for high level cleaning.
Getting someone 11 metres into the air is the easy part.
Getting them there safely, compliantly and with a plan for actually cleaning the area effectively takes considerably more preparation.
What Is High Level Cleaning?
High level cleaning, sometimes called high dusting, is the cleaning of areas that aren't normally accessible during routine commercial cleaning.
That can include:
structural beams and roof trusses
rafters and high ledges
ceiling fans
light fittings
exposed ductwork and pipework
vents
warehouse racking
signage
high walls
sporting infrastructure and nets.
These areas can be found in warehouses, factories, schools, sporting facilities, shopping centres, commercial buildings and other large facilities.
It's also an area that can easily be forgotten.
A dirty floor is obvious. A dusty bathroom gets noticed. But dust accumulating on a structural beam 11 metres above the ground can go largely unnoticed for years.
That's exactly what had happened at Noosa.
Fifteen Years of Dust Doesn't Disappear in an Afternoon
When an area hasn't been cleaned for 15 years, simply getting close enough to it isn't going to solve the problem.
There was a substantial accumulation of dust across the high level structures.
We used different cleaning methods depending on the location and level of contamination.
Where practical, long reach extension equipment allowed some areas to be cleaned from ground level.
For the highest areas, our team used Elevating Work Platforms (EWPs) to safely access the structural beams, fans, lights and other surfaces.
Where possible, we vacuumed the accumulated dust first rather than simply brushing it off and allowing 15 years' worth of dust to fall onto the facility below.
We could then brush and damp wipe surfaces as required to achieve the finished result.
The enormous dividing sports net created another challenge.
At approximately 10 metres high and 30 metres long, it required our team to progressively work along the net from an EWP to remove the accumulated dust.
The entire project took four days.
At 11 Metres, Cleaning Becomes a High Risk Activity
This is where the project becomes more interesting than simply cleaning.
At ground level, dusting a beam isn't particularly complicated.
Put that beam 11 metres in the air and everything changes.
Before we started, we had to consider access, equipment selection, EWP operation, working at heights, exclusion zones, falling objects, PPE, emergency procedures and how the work could be undertaken without creating additional risks for our team or the facility.
That's particularly important when working for organisations such as councils.
The customer needs more than a contractor who says, "Yes, we can reach it."
They need to know the contractor understands the risks associated with the work and has the systems, equipment, competency and documentation to manage them.
Compliance Was One of the Reasons We Won the Work
One of the things that helped Solutions 4 Cleaning secure the Noosa project was our understanding of the Council's compliance requirements.
Our team had the appropriate EWP and working at heights training and licences, along with the ropes, fall protection and other relevant safety equipment required for the work being undertaken.
But equipment and licences are only part of the picture.
Before commencing, we also developed the necessary Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS), work methodologies and rescue planning.
And that last point is important.
A contractor shouldn't start thinking about how they're going to rescue somebody from height after something has gone wrong.
The rescue plan needs to exist beforehand.
What happens if an EWP becomes inoperable?
How will a worker be recovered?
What rescue equipment is available?
Who is responsible?
How will emergency services access the work area if required?
These aren't particularly exciting parts of commercial cleaning, but when you're putting people 11 metres into the air, they're some of the most important.
Specialist Cleaning Is About More Than the Finished Result
There was another lesson from this project that applies to a lot of the specialist cleaning work we undertake across Brisbane and South East Queensland.
The client isn't only purchasing cleaning.
They're purchasing confidence.
They need confidence that the contractor has inspected the site properly.
Confidence that the people undertaking the work are competent.
Confidence that the correct equipment has been selected.
Confidence that the risks have been identified.
And confidence that someone has considered what happens if things don't go according to plan.
SWMS, licences, rescue procedures, PPE and work methodologies aren't paperwork we produce just to tick boxes.
They're part of delivering the job properly.
Don't Wait Another 15 Years
High level areas are often forgotten simply because they're difficult to access.
But they don't necessarily need to be cleaned frequently.
Once a facility has been brought back to an appropriate standard, high dusting can become part of a planned periodic cleaning program.
Depending on the facility, that might involve periodically inspecting and cleaning structural beams, rafters, lighting, fans, exposed services and other high level surfaces before years of contamination accumulate.
Current commercial cleaning providers are similarly positioning high level cleaning as a planned periodic service, particularly for beams, lights, structures and hard to reach areas.
For a facilities manager, that's considerably easier than discovering 10 or 15 years later that an entire building needs a major high level clean.
Four Days Later
After four days onsite, years of accumulated dust had been removed from the structural beams, fans, lighting, sporting infrastructure and other high-level areas throughout the facility.
Most importantly, the customer was extremely happy with the result.
For our team, projects like Noosa are particularly satisfying because they bring together different parts of what we've built at Solutions 4 Cleaning.
The cleaning is the visible part.
Behind it are our people, training, licenses, equipment, supervision, safety systems, documentation and planning.
And sometimes that's the difference between a company that can clean something and a company you can trust to get the whole job done properly.
Need High Level Cleaning in Brisbane or South East Queensland?
Solutions 4 Cleaning provides commercial high level cleaning and high dusting services across Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast and South East Queensland.
If you have structural beams, rafters, high ceilings, fans, lighting, high glass or other difficult to access areas that have been quietly collecting dust for years, we can inspect the site and develop an appropriate cleaning and access methodology.
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