Health & Safety Policy
1. Our Commitment to Health and Safety
QualGroup is committed to providing cleaning and property-care services in a way that protects the health, safety and wellbeing of our workers, customers, building occupants, visitors and other people who may be affected by our work.
QualGroup was founded in 2014 by healthcare professionals Vijo Madappilly Jose and Riya Cherian, with experience in nursing, infection prevention and infection control. This healthcare background has influenced the development of our healthcare-inspired approach to cleaning, workplace hygiene, infection prevention and operational safety.
Our approach is based on the principle that effective cleaning should support a clean, hygienic and safe environment while also protecting the people carrying out the work.
This policy applies to the cleaning and property-care services provided by QualGroup across commercial and residential environments, including services delivered by QualGroup employees and QualGroup franchisees.
2. Our Approach to Health and Safety
Health and safety is incorporated into the way we plan and deliver our services.
Our High Performance Cleaning (HPC) methodology is built around five principles:
Protecting the building and cleaning personnel before, during and after cleaning.
Delivering consistent cleaning outcomes through validated and effective cleaning processes.
Ensuring cleaners are appropriately resourced, skilled, valued and treated ethically.
Protecting the health and wellbeing of cleaning personnel and building occupants.
Supporting the responsible supply, use and disposal of cleaning resources.
These principles are considered alongside the requirements of each property, the nature of the work being performed and the risks associated with the particular site.
3. Commercial and Residential Safety
QualGroup provides services in a wide range of environments, including:
- Corporate organisations
- Healthcare providers
- Government facilities
- Educational institutions
- Hospitality businesses
- Retail environments
- Industrial facilities
- Property-managed buildings
- Private homes
- Premium residential properties
- Other residential properties requiring professional cleaning and property care
Safety requirements can differ substantially between a commercial workplace and a private home.
Our service planning therefore considers the actual environment rather than assuming that one safety approach is appropriate for every property.
4. Site-Specific Health and Safety Requirements
Customers are expected to provide relevant information about hazards, risks, access requirements and health and safety requirements that could affect the safe delivery of our services.
For commercial customers, this may include relevant site induction information, health and safety requirements, emergency information, access instructions and other site-specific procedures.
For residential customers, customers should tell us about hazards or conditions that may affect our ability to safely perform the requested work.
Customers should also identify:
- Areas that should not be entered or cleaned
- Special cleaning instructions
- Known hazards
- Restricted areas
- Access limitations
- Alarm or security requirements
- Relevant building or site requirements
- Any other information reasonably necessary for safe service delivery
Where a site presents a risk that cannot reasonably be controlled, QualGroup may delay, modify or decline the relevant work until appropriate controls are in place.
5. Training and Competence
QualGroup recognises that safe cleaning depends on people having appropriate knowledge, skills, information and supervision for the work they perform.
Our QualClean Academy, established in 2020, provides structured professional cleaning training and supports consistent cleaning standards and employee development.
Our training approach includes relevant professional cleaning training and may incorporate:
- Site-specific induction
- Practical training
- Video training
- Toolbox talks
- Ongoing feedback
- Management and senior staff guidance
- Best-practice cleaning procedures
- High Performance Cleaning methodology
- Safe working practices
Training and instruction are matched to the work being performed and the environment in which the work takes place.
Where particular work requires additional knowledge, practical experience, equipment training or supervision, appropriate measures are considered before that work is undertaken.
This approach is consistent with the NZ health and safety expectation that workers receive suitable information, instruction, training and supervision for the risks associated with their work.
6. Cleaning Products and Chemical Safety
Cleaning products and disinfectants must be selected, handled, stored and used responsibly.
QualGroup's HPC methodology incorporates non-toxic cleaning solutions and TGA-approved disinfectants as identified in our current service information. QualGroup also identifies the use of Green Seal-certified eco-friendly products within its cleaning approach.
The use of a particular product does not remove the need to follow the product's instructions, applicable safety requirements and site-specific controls.
Where hazardous substances are used, appropriate information, training, handling, storage, disposal and emergency arrangements must be considered. WorkSafe guidance requires workers handling hazardous substances to have the knowledge and practical experience needed to use, handle, store and dispose of them safely, including understanding relevant emergency procedures.
Where applicable, safety information such as product labels and Safety Data Sheets (SDS) should be accessible to the people who need it.
7. Personal Protective Equipment and Safe Work Practices
The equipment and protective measures required will depend on the work being performed, the products being used and the conditions at the site.
Where PPE is required as a control measure, workers should be appropriately instructed in its correct use and care.
WorkSafe identifies PPE as one possible control where other measures cannot adequately eliminate or minimise a health and safety risk.
Safe working practices may include considering:
- Appropriate equipment for the task
- Correct use of cleaning equipment
- Appropriate handling of cleaning products
- Appropriate PPE where required
- Safe movement around the property
- Adequate access and working space
- Ventilation where relevant
- Safe storage of equipment and products
- Preventing unnecessary exposure of occupants and others to cleaning activities
- Following manufacturer and product instructions
- Site-specific safety requirements
8. Floors, Wet Areas and Slip Risks
Cleaning can temporarily create wet or slippery surfaces.
Where relevant, QualGroup considers the need to:
- Manage access to areas being cleaned
- Minimise unnecessary exposure to wet surfaces
- Communicate relevant temporary hazards
- Use appropriate cleaning methods
- Keep work areas reasonably organised
- Avoid creating unnecessary trip hazards from equipment, hoses or other materials
Customers and occupants should follow reasonable instructions provided during cleaning activities.
For exterior cleaning, customers should also follow relevant preparation instructions, including avoiding driving over cleaning hoses and keeping pets away from standing water during and immediately after the service where applicable.
9. Equipment and Specialist Cleaning
QualGroup provides a range of cleaning and property-care services, including specialist cleaning activities.
Our current business information identifies more than 40 specialist cleaning equipment items. Depending on the service, equipment may include specialist carpet-cleaning, floor-care, window-cleaning or exterior-cleaning equipment.
Workers should use equipment appropriate to the task and should have suitable knowledge, training or supervision for equipment that may create additional risk.
Specialist services may include:
- Carpet cleaning
- Carpet steam cleaning
- Furniture and upholstery cleaning
- Mattress cleaning
- Tile and grout cleaning
- Hard-floor care and polishing
- Interior window cleaning
- Exterior window cleaning
- Exterior house washing
- Roof cleaning and treatment
- Gutter cleaning
- Deck cleaning
- Driveway cleaning
- Other agreed specialist cleaning services
The specific controls required depend on the service, equipment, property and site conditions.
10. Exterior Property Care
Exterior property-care work can involve additional hazards compared with routine interior cleaning.
Depending on the service, exterior work may involve:
- Hoses and water
- Wet surfaces
- Cleaning solutions
- Exterior access
- Multi-storey properties
- Roofs and gutters
- Driveways and decks
- Windows and joinery
- Weather conditions
- Uneven or restricted areas
QualGroup assesses the practical conditions relevant to the requested service and may require suitable access, preparation or other controls before work can proceed.
Customers should advise QualGroup of known property defects, damaged surfaces, leaking windows, damaged seals or other conditions that could affect safe service delivery.
For exterior house washing, customers are also asked to secure windows and doors, remove loose items where appropriate and keep pets indoors during the relevant cleaning activity.
11. Working Around Occupants, Customers and Visitors
Cleaning work can take place while people are using or occupying a property.
QualGroup aims to minimise unnecessary disruption and safety risks to:
- Workers
- Customers
- Employees
- Residents
- Children
- Visitors
- Contractors
- Members of the public
- Other people who may be affected by the work
Where practical, cleaning activities should be planned or performed in a way that reduces unnecessary interaction between people and active cleaning work.
Customers should provide relevant information about people who may be particularly affected by the work, including children, where this information is reasonably necessary for safe service delivery.
12. Residential Properties, Children and Pets
Residential environments can contain hazards that are not normally present in commercial workplaces.
Customers should advise QualGroup of relevant risks and should secure or remove items that could interfere with safe cleaning.
Customers are responsible for following relevant preparation instructions.
For services involving cleaning products or exterior washing, pets should be kept away from active work areas and should not drink or play in standing water during or immediately after cleaning where applicable.
Where cleaning is being carried out in a home with children or other occupants present, reasonable arrangements should be made to keep people away from active work areas where necessary.
13. Personal Property and Valuables
Customers should remove or securely store valuable, fragile or particularly sensitive items before cleaning.
This includes, where relevant:
- Jewellery
- Artwork
- Electronics
- Fragile decorative items
- Other valuable or delicate possessions
Customers should tell QualGroup before the service if an item requires special handling or if an area should not be accessed.
These precautions help reduce avoidable risks during cleaning.
Nothing in this policy is intended to exclude or limit rights or remedies that cannot lawfully be excluded.
14. Infection Prevention and Hygiene
QualGroup was founded with a healthcare-inspired approach to cleaning, informed by the founders' experience in nursing, infection prevention and infection control.
Our HPC methodology incorporates a focus on:
- Infection prevention
- Workplace hygiene
- High-touch areas
- Consistent cleaning standards
- Effective cleaning processes
- Appropriate disinfectant use
- Quality assurance
QualGroup's service information also identifies UV fluorescence quality audits as part of its HPC methodology.
Cleaning and disinfection are important components of hygiene and infection-prevention practices, but cleaning services should not be represented as guaranteeing that illness, infection or contamination will never occur.
The actual level of cleaning, disinfection and specialist treatment provided depends on the service requested, the agreed scope and the conditions at the property.
15. Healthcare and Higher-Sensitivity Environments
QualGroup provides services to healthcare providers and other environments where hygiene requirements may be particularly important.
Our healthcare-inspired approach informs our cleaning methodology, training and focus on infection prevention.
However, QualGroup's cleaning services do not replace the customer's own clinical, infection-control, occupational health, emergency or regulatory responsibilities.
Where a site has specific healthcare, infection-control or operational requirements, customers should provide those requirements to QualGroup before services are performed so they can be considered as part of the service arrangement.
16. Emergency and Urgent Cleaning Services
QualGroup provides emergency cleaning support and may accept urgent cleaning requests outside normal service arrangements where appropriate.
Emergency or urgent work may involve circumstances requiring additional planning because of the nature, timing or condition of the site.
Before undertaking emergency work, QualGroup will consider the information available about the site and the work required.
Where an emergency involves hazardous substances or other significant hazards, appropriate emergency procedures and controls must be followed.
WorkSafe requires workplace emergency planning to address matters such as effective emergency response, evacuation, notifying emergency services, medical assistance and communication. Emergency plans should be appropriate to the nature of the work and workplace.
17. Incident, Hazard and Safety Reporting
Health and safety concerns should be raised as soon as reasonably practicable.
Workers and customers should communicate relevant information about:
- Injuries
- Unsafe conditions
- Hazards
- Property conditions affecting safety
- Chemical incidents
- Equipment issues
- Near misses
- Access or security concerns
- Other circumstances that could affect safe service delivery
Prompt reporting allows appropriate action to be considered and helps support continuous improvement.
Customers can also raise service or safety concerns through QualGroup's normal communication channels.
18. Customer Responsibilities
Customers play an important role in maintaining a safe environment for cleaning work.
Customers should:
- Provide reasonable and safe access to the property
- Provide relevant health and safety information
- Identify known hazards and risks
- Provide relevant site-specific instructions
- Tell QualGroup about restricted or sensitive areas
- Provide relevant alarm or access instructions
- Secure pets where appropriate
- Secure valuables and fragile items
- Follow reasonable safety instructions during cleaning
- Notify QualGroup of changes to site conditions that may affect safety
Commercial customers should also provide relevant workplace health and safety information, inductions and site requirements applicable to QualGroup's work.
19. QualGroup Workers and Franchisees
QualGroup services may be delivered by QualGroup employees and franchisees.
The same commitment to safe and professional service delivery applies to work performed through the QualGroup service network.
Where franchisees or other workers are involved in providing services, relevant responsibilities, training, site requirements and risk controls must be considered for the work being performed.
QualGroup's franchise model does not remove the need to comply with applicable health and safety responsibilities.
WorkSafe notes that health and safety duties can apply to workers influenced or directed by a business, including workers within contracting arrangements.
20. Communication and Cooperation at Shared Workplaces
Where QualGroup operates at a workplace controlled or occupied by another organisation, health and safety may involve more than one business or undertaking.
QualGroup will work with customers and relevant parties by sharing information reasonably necessary for safe service delivery and by considering applicable site requirements.
Customers should communicate changes to workplace conditions, hazards, access arrangements or other relevant matters that could affect QualGroup's work.
21. Continuous Improvement
QualGroup's approach to health and safety forms part of its wider commitment to quality and continuous improvement.
Our QualClean Academy, HPC methodology, training, management oversight and quality processes support consistent service delivery and ongoing improvement.
Where safety concerns, incidents, feedback or changing site conditions identify an opportunity for improvement, relevant procedures, training or service arrangements may be reviewed.
22. Legal and Regulatory Compliance
QualGroup aims to perform its services in accordance with applicable New Zealand health and safety legislation, regulations, codes and relevant site requirements.
This includes considering applicable duties under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 and associated regulations.
The primary duty of care requires a business, so far as reasonably practicable, to ensure the health and safety of its workers and that other people are not put at risk by its work. This includes customers, visitors and members of the public who may be affected by the work.
Where specific legal, regulatory, industry or customer requirements apply to a particular site or service, those requirements should be communicated to QualGroup before the relevant work is undertaken.
23. Policy Limitations
This Health & Safety Policy describes QualGroup's general approach to health and safety across its cleaning and property-care activities.
It does not replace:
- Site-specific health and safety plans
- Emergency plans
- Customer workplace procedures
- Product instructions or Safety Data Sheets
- Risk assessments or task-specific controls
- Applicable legislation or regulations
- Specialist professional advice where required
Where a particular project or site requires additional controls, those requirements should be addressed separately.
24. Contact
For health and safety questions, site requirements or concerns relating to QualGroup services:
Our commitment
QualGroup is committed to delivering professional cleaning and property-care services with a strong focus on health, safety, hygiene, training, quality and responsible work practices.
Our goal is to provide cleaning services that support healthier, safer and well-maintained environments while protecting the people who live, work in and use the properties we service.