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The unsatisfactory conditions which were found are segmented into varying categories. It is
still unfortunately true that a high proportion of notices refer to dirty, grimy and dingy conditions
relating to both daily and maintenance cleaning deficiencies. We find general indiscipline and a
a lazy attitude adopted towards the maintenance of clean conditions in offices, particularly in some
of the older, smaller buildings, although some of the more modern blocks are not without fault. It
might therefore be of advantage to re-state the objectives and relevance of cleanliness in the
office environment. For instance, what is meant by 'clean'? It could mean different things in
different circumstances. A definition of cleaning would be 'the removal of soil, man-made or
natural, from any surface, leaving it in a dust-free or grease-free condition'.
Amongst the reasons for cleaning are: to protect health; to make safe; to make surfaces last
longer; and to make them attractive. Maintenance is of tremendous importance, and with a proper
repetitive schedule of cleaning many problems may be eliminated. The cleaning of the outside of
office buildings in the City is a well-known feature of daily life and a valuable programme of
beautification, but from a health, safety and welfare point of view it is less important than internal
cleaning.
One of the most valuable assets of adequate internal cleaning is its capability of reducing
accidents and accident hazards. During the current year, of the 386 office accidents reported in
the City, 177 involved falls of persons; and of those 177, 87 involved falls of persons on level
ground. Most of those falls — either on the same level or from different levels — could be traced
in many respects to lack of proper cleanliness, to litter, deposited items on the floor and to lack
of floor maintenance.
Regrettably, those who work as cleaners are often lowly paid and ill-trained in sophisticated
cleaning techniques. If a cleaner is poorly paid, has little or no supervision, and his equipment
is not properly checked or replaced when necessary, is there any wonder that poor conditions
sometimes still persist? With the continuing trends to fewer and fewer 'Mrs. Mops', heavy reliance
is placed on contract cleaning and the use of machinery. Particular attention should be given to
the edges and corners of rooms and to the areas under and around the bases of equipment in using
these machines. Increasing use is being made of all-over carpeting in office situations. Many of
these floor-coverings are synthetic and demand special 'in situ' cleaning techniques.
In relation to windows, a particular problem arises with some double-glazing fitments, where
it is difficult or impossible to clean the internal surfaces of the installation. Effective artificial
lighting, when provided, is sometimes impaired by heavy accumulations of dust and grime on the
diffusers - an often-forgotten item. Good lighting plays an important part in creating a satisfactory
environment in the office. A bright environment creates optimism; a gloomy environment produces
a stressed frame of mind and leads to accidents. If gloomy lighting, caused by dirty conditions,
is allied to dirty ceilings and walls the position is even more unsatisfactory. The percentages of
light reflected from some differently coloured and textured surfaces are as follows:-
Surface Percentage Reflection
Matt white ceiling 70
Glossy white tiles 80
Matt white stone 58
Matt primrose wall finish 76
Matt eau-de-nil 47
Matt middle-brown 12
Matt crimson 6
Cleanliness plays an important part in maintaining a high reflection factor.
A development of special interest in the City is that although accepted belief follows the
line that office development in general is reducing, and that location of offices in more decentralised
areas is causing a reduction in the number of office employees in the London area,
precisely the opposite trend is occurring in the City. As an example: the number of new offices
registered in the City last year showed a net gain of 86 and the number of persons employed in
office work increased by nearly 8,000. Complementary to this trend is the fact that deletions
from the register refer in general to small offices and buildings with a few employees, whilst
additions are related increasingly to multi-development projects employing vastly increased
numbers of workers. The tendency to high glass-slab office buildings is posing an increasing
problem of overheating and glare in sunny weather conditions, together with problems of privacy
from external observation. This has resulted in the technological development of glass processes
designed to combat these three factors. One process is in the manufacture of the glass itself and
a further process relates to the application of a film to the glass in existing window areas. Both
of these systems reduce glare, reflect external heat and offer privacy. Both types have been used
in the City, following complaint, and have been found satisfactory. Whilst the level of comfortable
conditions has been laid down by law in relating to minimum temperatures in offices, it might now
be appropriate to investigate the need for legislation setting maximum limits of temperature.
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