Empowering commercial cleaners through de-escalation capability

Lead organisation:

Building Service Contractors New Zealand

Six five-minute videos, produced in multiple languages, will guide cleaners in managing an increasing number of aggressive or confrontational situations at work.

The videos will be publicly available for employers and workers to use in a variety of situations, like weekly meetings, during induction, or on demand.

Cleaners work 24/7, and are often alone in environments such as shopping malls, public restrooms, transport hubs, and hospitals, and members of BSCNZ have requested help with upskilling workers in de-escalation.

Currently, no industry-specific resources address the unique challenges of the cleaning workforce, including the solitary nature of their work.

The impact will be measured by:

• Reduction in ACC injury and incident claims over time

• Usage statistics, including total downloads and language preferences

• Direct feedback from employers and workers, as well as via BSCNZ’s regional committees, on the resources’ effectiveness

• Reduction in unsatisfactory incident outcomes reported by BSCNZ members

 The videos will be publicly accessible in late 2025. It is estimated there are 42,300 commercial cleaners in New Zealand.