How Do I Determine the Right Number of Housekeeping Staff for Our New Plant?

Dear All Seniors,

Recently, I have joined a newly developed organization that is going to start in one month. My Plant Manager has asked for details on how many housekeeping staff are required for proper housekeeping in all areas. There are 6 blocks in the plant:

1. Admin Building
2. R&D Lab
3. QC Lab
4. Production Building
5. Warehouse
6. Engineering Dept.

My plant is a pharmaceutical organization. Kindly provide guidance on how to determine the manpower requirements for proper housekeeping at all plants. Your suggestions are appreciated.

Regards,
Raj Kumar

In the absence of information regarding storeys and square feet of area, it may be praiseworthy to have 6 to 6 blocks, and one housekeeping reserved - total 7. However, as yours is a pharmaceutical industry, you have to keep some areas cleaner and more serene, and it’s up to you to have 8 housekeeping staff. A separate housekeeping team for the restroom.

Best of luck

The information you have provided is inadequate to directly give any number. Please carefully read what is written below and develop your answers.

1.0 Administrative Building

What is the area? What sort of waste is expected to be generated (e.g., waste paper)? How many baskets will there be? Will there be a vacuum cleaner? One person with effective supervision can clean about 2000 sq ft in about three hours.

2.0 R&D Lab

This is supposed to be air-conditioned and dust-free. Is this so? What trash/spillages are expected? If it is process waste, are there any chemicals/toxic substances? These are to be handled by persons with requisite knowledge. Normally, people will not be allowed to wear their own shoes or chappals. There has to be exclusive in-house sets. How big is the R&D Lab in area? Will there be a vacuum cleaner?

3.0 QC Lab

More people will enter and leave this lab than the R&D Lab? Similar questions like the ones raised in R&D are valid here.

4.0 Production Building

This is generally an environmentally high-risk area. This would contain process waste to be reused. It will be the job of plant cleaning people. Raise the above-referred questions to get your answers.

5.0 Warehouse

Finished product storage. How is the handling done? Is the product sealed very effectively? For obvious reasons, plant people would design the Warehouse to be spillage-free. Ask all the above-referred questions.

6.0 Engineering Department

This would generate cotton waste, used oil, broken machine parts, used batteries, grease, etc. A general cleaning by a janitor for one hour (depending on area) would do.

Regards,
V. Raghunathan