Brooms. They’re used everywhere. They’re unavoidable. A workplace and home staple used all over the blog. But should they be?
Lurking in closet in a closet near you, the simple broom is often the go to solution when some sweeping is needed, but are they the best choice?
In this blog, we investigate and explain why ditching your bristled friend and joining the #BanTheBroom movement might be best for you and your business.
The hidden dangers of brooms
You might think it sounds silly; “the hidden dangers of brooms”, but in reality, the danger is all too real (don’t even get us started on mops).
The dangers brooms present are threefold:
- They can cause health
- They can cause safety
- They can cost your business
Let’s start with the health issues.
How are brooms bad for our health?
By and large, as human beings, we tend to try and avoid inhaling dangerous and toxic particles into our lungs, but when it comes to giving a warehouse or workshop a sweep, that thinking seems to go out the window.
Sweeping with a broom means that any fine particles on the floor get flung up into the air, right into the path of the person sweeping, who, you guessed it, will most likely breathe them in.
For the most part, this may well be harmless, but the risk that some of those particles could contain pathogens or harmful substances such as listeria, asbestos, silica or wood is not something you want to take a chance on.
In 2019, it was reported that approximately 12,000 people died from a preventable lung disease in the UK alone.
At a certain size, harmful particles are too small to be seen with the naked eye, making them impossible to avoid, but once they are inhaled, they can’t be exhaled, and can get into the inner mucus layer of your lungs and stay there.
You may think, “well, when I sweep, I use protective gear to make sure I don’t inhale any of these harmful substances.” The trouble is, these particles can hang in the air for hours, and then settle on the floor again, meaning the danger is still present.
How can brooms cause safety hazards?
Chances are, if you’re needing to sweep, you’ll likely be using some sort of electrical machinery. Even if this isn’t the case, when sweeping with a broom, those dust particles need to go somewhere, and if they’re not inhaled, they’ll likely settle somewhere else and become a combustible hazard.
While this hazard might not become a serious threat until a decent layer of dust has built up, once it has, it becomes an excellent ignition source for a fire.
In the crevices and ventilation slots of electrical equipment, or even in the filter of an air conditioning unit wherever this dust collects, all it takes is for something to malfunction and overheat, and you’ll have a fire on your hands in an instant.
How can brooms cost me time?
This one is pretty straight forward.
Brooms aren’t efficient. The time spent sweeping a floor manually with a broom far outweighs the time spent when using a push sweeping machine, and what’s more, it doesn’t actually get the job done.
As the old adage goes, “time is money”, and having a member of your team spend a large amount of time on a task that doesn’t actually work sounds like a big waste of money.
Using an electrical or push sweeper is a far quicker, far safer option than a broom, saving you time and money.
Sweepers at Elan
For over 35 years, the team at Elan has been working to provide businesses around the UK with industrial floor cleaning equipment to keep their premises safer and cleaner, and save them time and money.
Through our free site survey and demonstrations, we ensure that you get the right machine for your floors, and even let you see them in action before you make any decisions.
We have a broad range of sweepers that are suitable for any environment, big or small. You can view them here.
If you’d like more information on our services, or would like to book a free site survey and demonstration, call us today on 0800 313 4336, or email us at info@elansales.co.uk.
You can also fill in a contact form on our website, here.