Understanding Environmental

Understanding Environmental

Understanding Environmental

Imagine a potential new client arrives at your business premises. An external wall is covered in graffiti, the pavement in front of the building is splattered with guano, and the car park is strewn with litter. Do you think they’d want to do business with you? Probably not.

But as well as creating the right impression for customers and clients, you have a legal obligation to keep your premises clean and safe for employees and visitors. This is where environmental comes in.

So what is environmental?

Environmental services are specialist services that can be carried out internally and externally for any business, home, or other structure to keep them clean, safe, hygienic, and presentable.

Environmental services can include:

  • Specialist infection control deep cleaning services
  • Guano removal
  • Graffiti removal
  • Gulley, gutter, and roof cleaning
  • External cleaning of areas like car parks and service bays

Why would you consider environmental? As we mentioned, keeping premises clean and safe for clients and customers is not only necessary for creating the right impression of your business, it keeps you on the right side of the law too.

The need for clean and safe premises is even more of an important consideration as we emerge from a global pandemic.

You might consider environmental if:

  • You want to disinfect your hospital, care home, school, offices, or home to prevent or control a virus outbreak.
  • The pavements outside of your commercial premises are covered in unsightly and slippery guano.
  • Your business premises are covered in graffiti.
  • The pavement outside your premises is littered with chewing gum.
  • Pest birds have blocked your gutter with their nesting materials and guano and you fear an expensive roof repair bill.
  • The areas around your premises look dirty and uncared for.

Any of these sound familiar?

Environmental: The legal side

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 creates a legal duty to keep business premises clean and safe for employees and visitors to your site. So if you’ve got people slipping on guano or becoming ill because premises aren’t sufficiently clean, you might have a legal problem on your hands.

Regarding graffiti, the Antisocial Behaviour Act 2003 states that whoever owns or is responsible for the surface where the graffiti occurs is accountable for the cost of removing it

Where it works

Environmental services are important for any business that wants to stay on the right side of the law and create the right impression. There are environments where it is especially important for things to stay clean and hygienic too such as hospitals, care homes, schools, and food production and preparation businesses.

Environmental services are also appropriate for your home and will help you to keep it clean, safe, and presentable for you and your family. 

Where success is limited

Environmental services can certainly improve the cleanliness and safety of commercial and residential premises, but preventative measures also need to be used to maximise their effectiveness. For example, calling us in for graffiti removal will solve the problem temporarily, but if you don’t improve the security of your premises to stop vandals from gaining access to the site, it’s not an effective long-term solution.

What are the alternatives?

You can try DIY infection control and cleaning, though sometimes this may not be enough to completely eradicate the problem, and using some chemicals can cause health and safety issues (the use of some types of chemicals may not be allowed or appropriate, depending on the business you’re in).

Environmental: The pros

Environmental services can ensure your premises is professionally deep cleaned, safe, presentable, and healthy for customers, clients, and visitors.

Environmental: The cons

Environmental services need to be used alongside other preventative measures like pest control and good hygiene practices, or they are not a feasible long-term solution.

It can end up being costly if your prevention measures don’t work.

Must Read

FAQS

Understanding Environmental Related Case Studies

Understanding Environmental Related Blogs