We employ about 15 maintenance staff (across the trades) who all wear safety boots / shoes / trainers. We also employ about 20 cleaners. One of the cleaners has said they should also have safety shoes as a minimum.

It is the opinion of my maintenance manager that all the carpet and scrubbing machinery is on wheels and should not need to be lifted. Heavy items are moved (boxes and furniture etc) by maintenance staff (all males and have undergone MH training). The cleaning materials are all in plastic containers. Something could fall off a table or a cupboard etc but this could happen to any member of staff. Risk assessments have been done and safety shoes were deemed unnecessary.

The Facilities manager (the maintenance manager's boss) is worried that if the cleaners don't have to wear safety footwear the maintenance staff may say "why should I". Risk assessments state the required PPE for all types of maintenance work.

Is the cleaner right? Is the Facilities manager right? Who is right if anyone?

Views welcomed.

Joe

Joe, consider not just the toe protection; the shoes can also come with non-slip soles which may be appropriate for some cleaning tasks

I'd agree with m & david, safety footwear doesnt necessarily need to be the same as those provided elsewhere in the organisation. Particular attention should be paid to slip resistance in the cleaning industry (obviously dependant on the flooring type in question) but also oil/chemical resistance for the cleaning solutions being used. It does come down to appropriate risk assessment at the end of the day.