Housekeeper

Job Description **Starting wage is based upon years of experience*** General Purpose: The purpose of this position is to properly maintain a healthy and clean environment for employees, visitors, and patients. An effective housekeeping department maintains a facility that is conducive to a positive and health working and living environment. As a high-traffic organization, the facility created a environment of constant contamination and satisfactorily performing housekeeper plays a key role in ensuring that the facility stays clean, sanitary, and has an appropriate appearance. Essential Duties/Responsibilities: The first and most important responsibility is to sanitize and disinfect all surfaces that the human hand may touch on a regular basis. Trash is taken out, at a minimum, daily and disposed of properly in the facility dumpsters. Appropriate handling of biohazard linens and biohazard waste are also part of a housekeeper’s essential duties. Daily cleaning of resident rooms to sanitize all aspects of each room (main living and bathrooms) as well as the resident bed and any other furniture that may need sanitized will be performed. Disinfecting all toilets and bathroom facilities throughout the building and business offices, including mopping and vacuuming all floor surfaces occurs on at least a daily basis as well. Housekeepers are responsible for resident laundry seven days a week including washing, drying, and folding the laundry and returning it to the correct resident. Maintenance of linens is done by sorting and bagging soiled linens for send off to the Wyoming Women’s Center for laundering. When returned to the facility it is the responsibility of housekeeping to inspect these linens and distribute them to the appropriate departments. Housekeepers are responsible for maintaining a book of MSDS sheets that document all chemicals used. These sheets are available for review by anyone with questions or concerns. Other Duties/Responsibilities: In addition to daily tasks, housekeepers are also responsible for case-by-case, weekly, bi-weekly, and month cleaning and sanitation duties. E.g. buffing all hard-surface floors, shampooing carpets, cleaning offices, disinfecting all surfaces of the ER after a patient(s), cleaning of utility rooms, any other tasks as designated by the facilities director. Physical Activities: Housekeepers spend 98% of their working day standing, walking, kneeling, or bending over. In addition, housekeepers are expected to be able to lift up to fifty (50) pounds using proper body mechanics. The ability to reach overhead is also important. Housekeepers are, on a daily basis, exposed to cleaners, hand sanitizers, soaps, Clorox, and gloves. Personal protective equipment is used as needed. If accommodation due to allergies, skin sensitivity or some other physical impairment is needed it is important to discuss this with the supervisor in a timely manner. Education or Formal Training: Minimum education: High School Diploma or GED. Additional training in handling of Biohazard materials or commercial laundry/cleaning tasks a plus. Experience: Although previous experience in housekeeping is not necessary an attitude of “can do” and willingness to learn should be demonstrated on both the application and during the interview which carries over into the work attitude. A particular interest in working in a health care setting is positive but not a requirement. Working Environment: Working in a hospital creates a unique work environment of both confidentiality and hospitality. The addition of an Extended Care Facility to the organization creates of a level of expectation for the behavior of housekeepers when interacting with the residents on a daily basis. This is the residents’ home and as such requires an additional level of attention to detail from the housekeepers when cleaning resident rooms, doing resident laundry, or any other task. An interaction with staff, patients and patients families also occurs on a daily basis. It is important that housekeepers be aware of the various mistakes that can be made with a varying severity of consequences. These mistakes may include failure to use appropriate cleaners, issues with time management (leading to tasks being done in a hurried or incomplete manner), incomplete disinfection, and mistakes with resident laundry. Awareness of these issues alone may lead to limiting the mistakes made. It is important to keep in mind that housekeeping tasks continually evolve to meet the demands of the facility and to keep with regulatory guidelines. These changes will be noted by a housekeeper’s direct supervisor and any changes made will be a directive from the supervisor. Regularly used equipm #J-18808-Ljbffr Niobrara Community Hospital