BICSc Standards
Devised and Compiled by The British Institute of Cleaning Science
Experience has shown that whilst it is possible in theory to define the term clean, it is almost impossible and indeed impractical to produce an absolute and consistent working definition.
It is true that cleanliness can be measured in absolute terms and that these measurements will be objective, quantitative and repeatable for a given set of criteria. In other words, cleaning can be scientific, however, for most involved in the cleaning industry, cleaning is subjective and its measurements qualitative.
The issue of subjectivity is a troublesome one. It implies that values vary and that clean or unclean is simply opinion. This is not the case. Whilst two professional cleaners may not share an identical opinion of what is clean, they will share a 95% view. This is a high degree of correlation and is the kite mark of professionalism.
With the introduction of "Best Value" and, through this, the requirement of an acceptable definition of 'what is clean', the British Institute of Cleaning Science, together with members of the industry have developed a cleaning 'standard'.
During their initial investigations, it was decided that a 'stand alone' standard was not enough and this needed to be accompanied by individual specifications for each general sector of the industry: -
- Food Premises
- Hospital/Healthcare
- Industrial Premises
- Retail
- Accommodation
- Office
- Educational
- Transport
Standards Documents
Click on the links below to download the documents
- Furniture Fixtures and Fittings (PDF 68kb)
- General and hard floors (PDF 66kb)
- Soft floors, vertical surfaces (PDF 68kb)
- Cleaning Standards Specifications (PDF 33kb)
The 'standard' considers the results of a task being performed and is categorised into three definitions for each task - Acceptable/Acceptable between tasks/Unacceptable, thus taking into consideration an achievable result when tasks are performed within the frequencies indicated in each category. The prime driver for all frequencies calculated has been conformance to the UK Health and Safety Legislation.
Further, it was decided to establish an average productivity rating (the amount of area covered by one operative in one hour based against the individual specifications). The resulting information and conclusions are included in this publication.
For a copy of the full BEST VALUE Report - 3rd Edition, including the Specifications and Productivity Ratings, please contact us with your Official Company Order number.