Cleaning

Maintaining a Safe & Clean Oklahoma

Insurance for Cleaning Companies

CompSource Mutual has provided top-of-the-line workers’ compensation coverage to the cleaning and janitorial industry for 85+ years. Our experience and top-notch personalized service set us apart. Plus, CompSource helps you to keep your staff safer from the inherent janitorial work hazards with superior resources and advice.

Work with neighbors who get how to support you.Our Oklahoma-based team will help you get coverage that makes sense for the unique risks in the work you do. Get a Quote

Interested to learn more? Read on to get answers to common questions and concerns about workers’ comp in the cleaning and janitorial industry.

Types of cleaning companies

Cleaning contractors support businesses and families with janitorial expertise for jobs both big and small. Janitorial workers aid in maintaining everything from homes, office buildings, skyscraper windows, and factory floors.

There are three main types of cleaning companies: 

  • Residential cleaning companies focus on the interior and exterior of a residential home. Types of jobs might include: carpet cleaning, hardwood floor cleaning, exterior siding cleaning, and roof/gutter cleaning. Typically, these types of cleaning companies are smaller businesses.
  • Commercial cleaning companies are usually larger businesses that carry insurance for cleaning contractors. These businesses might have larger pieces of equipment used for cleaning specific parts of commercial buildings, like floor polishers and large window cleaners. These companies might work in places like office buildings, restaurants, hospitals, or theaters.
  • Government cleaning companies may specialize in different areas but work specifically in government buildings and property. For example, they might clean a public library or the state capitol building. Sometimes, these businesses need to have special kinds of insurance for cleaning companies and security clearances.

Cleaning companies are typically reliable, insured companies. But some residential cleaning companies may be run as “independent cleaners,” or independent contractors. While the work that contractors do can be as effective as larger companies, they may not carry insurance for themselves. This means that contractors may not be protected from lawsuits or the fallout from on-the-job injuries to workers. If they do not carry workers’ compensation insurance for cleaning companies, then the workers themselves are not protected from injuries sustained due to workplace hazards. Although it’s highly attainable to create a safer environment for cleaners, there are considerable workplace health and safety concerns that should be addressed in a janitorial workplace safety plan. For these reasons, independent contractors frequently opt to carry workers’ compensation coverage, as it can help to protect them from potential legal exposures and can provide access to safer workplace instructional resources.

Workplace safety for cleaning contractors 

Most people do some level of cleaning at home or work, such as mopping, vacuuming, or wiping down surfaces. However, at the commercial or industrial level, cleaning is quite different from what most people do at home. Professional cleaning companies may use harsh chemicals and solvents, work in cramped or enclosed spaces, and handle hot substances, such as boiled water for steaming.

Known risks in Cleaning:
  • Slips, trips, and falls from heights
  • Lifting injuries
  • Repetitive motion injuries
  • Exposure to substances and chemicals
  • Occupational disease exposures

Janitorial workers are often subjected to injuries on the job such as repetitive motion soreness or sprains and strains from lifting heavy objects.

Ideally, janitorial workers should receive safety and ergonomics trainings to help them identify and manage workplace hazards. Instruction can include how to properly lift heavy objects and how to pour cleaning fluids into buckets from appropriate heights to reduce splash. Thorough workplace safety training can help to prevent accidents and injuries and is an effective way to educate your cleaning company’s employees on how to stay safer. However, to prepare for the unexpected – an on-the-job accident or injury – your company should carry janitorial workers’ compensation insurance. This type of insurance for cleaning companies can reimburse your employees for lost wages if they sustain an injury or illness while completing—or as a result of—covered work duties.

Workers’ comp insurance for cleaning companies

Millions of people work in custodial and janitorial services in the United States. Janitorial workers frequently work as independent contractors, which means they are not eligible for insurance benefits through an employer, such as health insurance and workers’ compensation. Independent contractors commonly work in residential settings. For example, it is not unusual for a homeowner to hire a single individual to clean their home or watch their children. Independent contractors frequently find jobs through local advertising or word-of-mouth. These methods prove to be easy and convenient for both the workers and the people using their services. However, for larger jobs, such as commercial and government cleaning contracts, companies usually hire workers as employees. Regardless of whether the workers are part-time or full-time, they can be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits through their companies.

Having workers’ compensation insurance for cleaning companies is mandatory in most states, but it also greatly benefits the employer. When workers are injured on the job, it is in your company’s best interest to provide adequate workers’ compensation coverage so that they get the medical care that they need. CompSource Mutual has a treatement network and robust Claims department in place to facilitate ideal return to work plans for injured workers and employers alike.

Although worker compensation rates can be expensive in some states, supporting your employees with workers’ comp can be invaluable to the company’s success and sustainability in the long run. Workers’ compensation insurance supports injured workers with the resources that they need to recover and paves the path to a successful return to work. This support system can help businesses to retain employees over time, which can save time and money. Training new employees can be costly and time-consuming, and companies with high turnover rates can suffer from low morale.

Why CompSource Mutual

CompSource Mutual has been providing Oklahoma insurance for more than eight decades. We offer workers’ compensation insurance for cleaning companies to Oklahoma janitorial businesses and have top-notch resources to help you enhance workplace safety. Our expertise is in helping to protect Oklahoma’s greatest asset – its people. 

We’re ready to support you and your workers when you need us most. Request a quote or call us at 800-347-3863 to get started.

Cleaning companies that work in specific settings, such as government buildings, may need to acquire particular types of insurance or security clearances. Many businesses prefer the janitorial service they hire have insurance for cleaning companies.
Janitorial work is not among the top ten most hazardous occupations. However, it does present occupational hazards, such as exposure to harsh chemicals and repetitive motion strains. Having workers’ compensation insurance is the best way to support your workers, regardless of the industry or level of relative safety.

It is generally a good practice to buy liability insurance to protect your business from lawsuits, as well as equipment insurance, if you have any expensive equipment like power washers, window cleaners, or commercial floor mopping machines. If you have employees, you are likely required by the state to carry workers’ compensation insurance.

Meet our Safety Team Image

Meet Our Safety Team

Are you committed to making your workplace safer? We’re here to make it easy for you. CompSource Mutual policyholders can get advice from our safety consultants and access personalized resources – it’s all absolutely free.

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PAT SMITH
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK

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