Your a day early Martin!

Which passages does it clear?

Think this thread will be ignored.

Agree make them smell of sh

A bit of just clean fun?

I can't believe you did a COSHH assessment for a cleaning lady sniffing the bog.

Did you hear about the cleaning lady sniffing the toilets, she came over all flushed.....

Hi all

Yeah, I laughed as well!!

But as I laughed I remembered a successful prosecution of a Local Education Authority and a successful Civil claim against the same authority in the early 90s by the cleaner who had been overcome by the combination of urine and cleaning products [urinal blocks and bleach figured largely] in an earthenware urinal trough that had lost the "glaze" and become a sponge and consequently suffered permanent [or sufficiently long-term] ill-health to cause the Education Authority [it was a school] to lose both cases.

Don't allow urinal blocks to be contaminated by bleach was the message!

I'm sure that there have been others - but most of those exposed [I know, a very sad pun] do not have the knowledge or confidence to report the problems.

Frank Hallett

Is it time to put the lid on yet?

Martin

The cleaner's comment that inhaling the vapour/aroma from the toilet cleaning chemical helped to "clear her passages" suggests that she could well be suffering from an infection/obstruction of her sinuses or part of her respiratory system. Therefore, did you or anyone else think of advising her to consult her doctor? This advice would be especially appropriate if she's had the problem for a considerable time and/or it hasn't responded to conventional decongestants available without prescription from pharmacies.

Another possibility is that she's developed an addiction to the vapour/aroma from one or more constituents of the chemical. A quick internet search under "sniffing toilet bowl cleaner" locates some websites, mostly American, which reveal that some people can get 'hooked' on cleaning agents. Some mention how addicts carry around small bottles of their favourite agent so that they can put a drop or two on a handkerchief or tissue and have a sniff whenever they wish to do so.

It's likely that a proportion of forum users are sceptical/curious as to how your COSHH risk assessment reached a conclusion that it was okay for the cleaner to continue sniffing the chemical in the manner you describe. Did you try contacting the maker/supplier of the chemical? If not, surely it would be worth doing: They may have had similar queries before and thus be able to give you appropriate information. If they haven't then they need to be made aware that the product is vulnerable to misuse by a small minority of users.

If other forum users have encountered or heard of similar scenarios perhaps they will consider responding to say how they tackled the matter or at least indicate that the scenario you describe is not unique. Furthermore, as cleaners tend to work alone and, understandably, will be furtive about any tendency they have to sniff WC cleaning chemicals, the scenario might be more common than most of us would think!

Hi kevkel

Yes, I thought the same, but as this is a topic that has subsequently been proven to be beneath so many peoples' RA consideration; I simply couldn't ignore it - but thank you for the reminder.

Perhaps we could move on now?

Frank Hallett

Are you seriously suggesting that we shouldn't treat this item seriously?

Rodger Ker