Module 7 of 85–7 minutes

Equipment, Aids and Tools for Cleaning Work

The carts, mop systems, vacuums, machines, bins, trolleys, poles and dispensers that take the load off you, the checks they need, and who is responsible when they are missing or faulty.

Last reviewed September 2026 · Part of Manual Handling Training for Cleaning and Facilities Staff

Key learning points

Recognise the equipment that controls manual handling risk in cleaning and facilities work
Understand that machines require site-specific training and authorisation
Carry out pre-use checks and manage cords and hoses
Know who is responsible for equipment on a contract site and how to report defects and unsuitable equipment

Common equipment

Janitorial cart: Carries buckets, bags, chemicals and tools so nothing is hand-carried; only as good as its wheels and how it is loaded
Microfibre flat mop system: Pre-charged pads or a cart-mounted charging bucket; removes wringing and water carrying
Wheeled bucket with lever wringer: Where string mops remain, the lever does the wringing and the wheels do the carrying
Backpack vacuum: Weight on the hips through a fitted harness; suited to open areas and stairs when properly adjusted
Lightweight upright: For carpeted offices and corridors; a stair-safe model or two people for stairs
Walk-behind and ride-on scrubbers: Replace mopping over large hard-floor areas; heavy, battery-powered, and require training and authorisation
Wheeled bins and bin lifters: Move waste on wheels and tip it mechanically into skips and hoppers instead of lifting bags over a rim
Trolleys and sack trucks: For boxes, drums, furniture and machines; never carry what can be wheeled
Long-handled and extension tools: Bowl brushes, squeegees, dusters and poles that keep you standing and keep work below shoulder height
Adjustable-height equipment: Telescopic mop and vacuum handles, adjustable cart handles and height-adjustable beds in accommodation
Dilution stations and pump dispensers: Dose concentrate into a bottle or bucket at the wall, so concentrate is never lifted, poured or carried
Gloves, footwear and knee pads: PPE — protects against cuts, slips and hard floors, but does not reduce the load on your body; the last line of control

This course does not teach you to operate machinery

Scrubbers, ride-on machines, bin lifters, compactors and pressure washers must be learned on the actual equipment, on site, with competent supervision, before you use them. Online text cannot replace that. If a client's machine is available but you have not been trained on it, do not use it — report the situation to your supervisor.

Before you use it — pre-use checks

Cart and trolley: all wheels turn freely, brakes hold, load is balanced with heavy items low
Vacuums: cord and plug undamaged, hose not split, harness straps intact and adjusted, filter and bag not overfull
Mop systems: wringer lever moves freely, handle locks at the right height, pads not worn through
Machines: battery charged, pads or brushes fitted correctly, handle adjusted, emergency stop works, no fluid leaks
Bin lifters and wheelie bins: lids, wheels and the lifter's safety cage or interlock in place and working
Extension poles: locks hold at full extension; step platforms stable with rails in place
Dilution station: connected, dosing correctly, labelled bottles at hand so nothing is decanted by hand

Cords and hoses

Plug in behind you and work away from the outlet so the cord trails where you have already been
Loop cord over your shoulder or forearm, never around your hand or wrist
Keep cords and hoses out of doorways and stairwells, and coil them when you move to the next area
Never pull a plug by the cord or from a distance; walk back to it
Route pressure washer and extractor hoses so you are not dragging their weight behind you across the whole area

Who is responsible for the equipment?

On a contract site the answer is usually split. Your employer supplies and maintains the cart, mop system, vacuums and machines you bring; the client owns and maintains the bins, skips, compactors, bin lifters, lifts, sinks and storerooms in the building. Both are PCBUs and both must ensure what they provide is safe. For you the rule is simple: report every defect and every missing item through your employer's channel — usually your supervisor or contract manager — and let them take it up with the client where it is the client's equipment. Do not fill a gap in the client's equipment with your own body.

Signs the equipment is unsuitable, not just you

The cart is a struggle to push on carpet: Wheels too small or seized, or the cart is overloaded; ask for larger castors or a lighter load-out
You are hand-wringing: The site has an open bucket and string mop; a wringer bucket or flat mop system is the standard control
You are carrying the vacuum up stairs: Wrong machine for the site; ask for a backpack, a stair-safe upright or a second person
You are lifting bags over a rim: No bin lifter or the loading point is too high; an engineering fix is needed
You are carrying concentrate: No dilution station or pump on the site; this is a chemical hazard as well as a manual handling one
You are climbing on furniture: No extension pole or step platform on the cart
Heavy items live on the storeroom floor: No shelving at the right height; ask for it

Reporting defects and unsuitable equipment

Tag and remove from service anything with a fault that affects safety — a machine with a damaged cord or a lifter with a missing guard
Report through your employer's system — app, form, site log or a call to the contract manager — not only verbally
Say what is wrong, what task it affects and what you are doing in the meantime
Report missing equipment as well as broken equipment; a site with no dilution station is a hazard
Do not improvise, modify or substitute equipment, and never borrow a client's machine you are not trained on
Follow up if nothing changes, using your workplace escalation pathway

Practical scenario

Scenario: the stiff castor

One castor on your janitorial cart has been stiff for a fortnight. You have been leaning into the cart to keep it moving and your shoulder aches by the end of each shift.

What should you do?

Reveal the explanation

Report the cart through your employer's defect process today, describe the effect it is having, and ask for it to be repaired or swapped. A stiff castor turns every corridor into a sustained-force task and every threshold into a sudden-force event. Report the shoulder ache at the same time — it is an early symptom, and it is the evidence that shows why the repair matters.

Practical scenario

Scenario: the client's skip

The bin lifter at a client's loading dock has been broken for a month. The client says the repair is scheduled. Your contractor says the skip is the client's equipment. Meanwhile cleaners are lifting bags over the rim.

Whose problem is it, and what should you do in the meantime?

Reveal the explanation

It is both organisations' problem: the client owns the lifter and the contractor employs the people exposed to the hazard, and the WHS laws require them to co-ordinate. Your part is to stop lifting over the rim, keep the waste in wheelie bins in the bin room, record it each shift and escalate through your employer. An interim control — a lower-loading skip, a second wheelie bin collection, or a two-person arrangement with smaller bags — is reasonable for a few days; a month of hand-lifting is not.

Knowledge check

These questions are for your own learning. They are not part of the final assessment.

1. A client's walk-behind scrubber is in the storeroom and would save you an hour of mopping, but you have never been trained on it. What should you do?

2. Which pre-use check is appropriate before starting with a backpack vacuum?

3. The bin lifter at a client's site is broken and cleaners are lifting bags over the skip rim. Who is responsible for fixing this?

4. The only mop bucket on site has no wringer and cleaners wring string mops by hand. What is this?