Simple Guides to Keep Sewing Floors Clean

"Please share some effective ways on how to improve and maintain cleanliness in production area. Are there equipment used in order to make the factory very clean? I'm currently working in Cambodia, and I noticed that most of the factories are not clean. Most of the threads, fabrics are present in the production floor." I received this via mail from an OCS reader.

Yes it is true that most of the unorganized factories don't care much about keeping their shop floors clean. This is not only in Cambodia, same scenario exists in other parts of the global apparel industry. Rather than discussing much of cleanliness issue you can start on your own to make it better.

Keeping workplace clean is a way of working and living in a healthy workplace. A clean workplace helps to achieve better productivity and protect worker's heath and safety. 

Sewing floor

Here are simple guides for you that can help you keeping your production floor clean.

1. Encourage workers to always keep workplace clean.
2. Don't allow workers (operators) to throw away unused and trimmed threads and trimmed fabrics here and there. Sewing machine scraps can be directly collected into a rubbish bin under the table. Design basket /bag or rubbish bin based on workplace. See two example in the below figures. 

   

   Image Courtesy: www.betterwork.com



3. Don't allow operators to keep cutting bundles, stitched or rejected garments, cartons or personal belongings (hang bags, lunch boxes) under machine and under center tables. 
4. Don't allow to pile up WIP on the floor. Use trolley or bins for storing garments.
5. Give instruction to operators to keep their stool/chairs on the machine bed (if there is space) when they leave factory in evening and leave machine at lunch time. This small initiative would help sweepers to clean operator's workplace better way.
6. Keep enough walking space (1 meter) in between sewing lines. And keep walking space clean without any obstruction.
7. You can schedule for dust cleaning from the floor and racks using suction cleaner once in a week. 
8. Don't keep loose cable lying on the floor. Conceal all wiring if wiring is done under table.

It would be great help if you also share how you are keeping your factories clean.