Our Standards

We meet the standards. We just choose not to collect the certificates.

CHAS accredited, fully insured, and working to net zero by 2030. Here is what we actually do, rather than what badges we display.

Our Position

Why we walked away from paid-for accreditations

The cleaning industry has a long list of accreditation bodies, each offering a certificate for a fee. Some are meaningful. Many are not. They test whether you can fill in a form and pay an annual renewal, not whether your teams actually clean to a high standard.

Pure Klass Cleaning made a deliberate decision to step away from collecting accreditations for the sake of a logo on our website. We meet the underlying standards that those certificates represent. In many cases, we exceed them. But we would rather invest that money in training our teams, improving our equipment, and delivering better results for universities.

We are CHAS accredited, because CHAS demonstrates genuine health and safety competence and is a meaningful marker for procurement teams. We are fully insured, because that is non-negotiable when you are working inside university buildings. Beyond that, we let the work speak for itself.

Accreditation

CHAS Accredited

The Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme is one of the UK's most recognised health and safety pre-qualification standards. Our CHAS accreditation is current and verified, demonstrating that our health and safety policies, risk assessments, and management systems meet the required standards for working in public sector and institutional environments.

Protection

Fully Insured

We carry comprehensive insurance cover including public liability, employer's liability, and professional indemnity. Our cover is specifically structured for the environments we work in: university buildings, student accommodation, campus facilities. Cover details and certificates of insurance are available on request for any procurement process.

Sustainability

Net zero by 2030

Our sustainability commitment is not a separate initiative bolted onto the business. It is built into the way we operate.

On-site living reduces carbon. During summer turnovers, our teams live on campus. That eliminates daily commutes for 100+ operatives, removing thousands of vehicle journeys from every contract.

No bleach. We use effective, less harmful cleaning chemicals across all our operations. Bleach is not necessary for the results we deliver, and its environmental impact does not justify its use.

Reusable equipment. Our cleaning systems use reusable microfibre cloths, mop heads, and containers. We do not rely on disposable products that create waste after every shift.

Water conservation. Our cleaning processes are designed to minimise water usage without compromising results. Controlled dispensing systems and trained operatives mean we use what is needed, nothing more.

In 2023, Moses Opone delivered a keynote at the ASRA conference on the cleaning industry's path to carbon neutrality. This is a subject we take seriously, not as a tender-winning line, but as an operational commitment.

Sustainable cleaning practices in action at a university site

Social Value

How we treat people matters

Real Living Wage

Every operative is paid at or above the real Living Wage. Not the government minimum, the independently calculated rate based on actual living costs in the UK.

No Agency Staff

Every person on your site is directly employed by Pure Klass Cleaning. No agency temps. No subcontractors. No zero-hour contract workers pulled from a staffing platform the night before.

Local Recruitment and EDI

We recruit locally wherever possible, drawing from the communities around the universities we serve. Our workforce is diverse, and our recruitment and training processes are built to be genuinely inclusive.

Safeguarding

Working safely in student environments

Our teams work inside student accommodation. That means working in spaces where young people live, sleep, and study. The safeguarding implications are significant, and we treat them accordingly.

DBS checks. Every operative working in student accommodation holds a current DBS check. No exceptions, no grace periods, no starting before the check clears.

Key management. Access to student rooms is controlled through strict key management protocols. Keys are signed out, tracked, and returned. Our supervisors maintain a live log of which rooms have been accessed and by whom.

Building security. Our teams are trained to maintain building security at all times. Doors are not propped open. Tailgating is challenged. Unfamiliar individuals in restricted areas are reported immediately to the university's security team.

Security and safeguarding protocols at a university accommodation site

Health and Safety

Zero RIDDOR incidents

Our health and safety record speaks for itself. Zero RIDDOR-reportable incidents. That is not luck. It is the result of training, supervision, and systems that prevent incidents before they happen.

Colour-coded systems. Every cleaning operative works with a colour-coded system that prevents cross-contamination between areas. Red for sanitary ware, blue for general surfaces, green for food preparation areas, yellow for clinical or hazardous areas. It is simple, visible, and effective.

COSHH management. All cleaning chemicals are managed under strict COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) protocols. Every product has a data sheet on-site. Every operative is trained on safe handling, storage, and disposal. Chemical stores are locked, labelled, and audited regularly.

Daily briefings. Every working day starts with a safety briefing. Not a clipboard exercise. A genuine review of the day's tasks, the risks involved, and the control measures in place. If something changes during the day, the briefing is updated and teams are informed.

Health and safety procedures during university cleaning operations