Residential Cleaning Association Advises OSHA on COVID-19

Last week the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) invited members of residential cleaning association ARCSI, a division of ISSA, to participate in a virtual meeting focused on the agency’s current COVID-19-related guidance and any gaps in the materials.

OSHA reached out specifically to ARCSI to discuss guidance of the products and/or supporting materials that would be useful for workers conducting cleaning services. ARCSI shared with OSHA the challenges cleaning service providers currently face, such as dealing with different federal, state, and local guidelines and access to appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and necessary cleaning products. There was also discussion related to the information and tools OSHA is releasing to educate businesses on proper cleaning and hygiene protocol.

Representing ARCSI at the meeting were:

• Alonzo Adams, Busy Bee Cleaning Co.
• Tom Stewart, Castle Keepers House Cleaning
• Janice Stewart, Castle Keepers House Cleaning
• Bruce Vance, Town & Country Services
• Erin Lasch, ARCSI Program Manager
• John Nothdurft, ISSA Director of Government Affairs.

“This was a very strategic opportunity for ARCSI. Not only were we able to represent ARCSI and ISSA in the meeting, but it was truly a recognition of the residential cleaning industry as professionals in the cleaning arena,” said Lasch. “Our industry is one of many with front line workers that are working to protect those that rely on their services.”

“Maintaining dialogue with key regulatory bodies such as OSHA and other governmental agencies is one of the many ways the association advocates for the cleaning industry,” added Nothdurft. “The voice of the cleaning industry is being sought and listened to by regulators, Congress, governors, and the White House.”

To find out more about ISSA’s advocacy efforts, including its response to the pandemic, sign up as an “Advocate for Clean” to start received legislative and regulatory alerts.