Commercial Cleaning In Melbourne, Victoria
Commercial Cleaning Melbourne provides commercial cleaning in Melbourne, Victoria, including office, medical centre, school, retail, strata, warehouse, factory and industrial cleaning, and after-builders cleaning. This page explains the Victorian rules and checks that apply when you hire or manage commercial cleaning.
Safety on site: who holds which duty
Victoria’s main workplace safety law is the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004, backed by the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017. WorkSafe Victoria is the regulator. Engaging a cleaning contractor does not hand the safety duty over, so it helps to know where each duty sits.
If you employ people
WorkSafe says an employer owes the same duty to independent contractors and the contractors’ employees, but only for matters the employer has, or should have, control over.
If you manage the premises
WorkSafe lists people who manage or control workplaces among those with OHS Act responsibilities. A building manager or landlord should check what that means for the parts of the building they control.
A contractor does not carry your duty
WorkSafe’s guidance says employers keep their duties and must take every reasonable care to maintain a safe workplace, even when contractors or building owners have some management and control.
Cleaning chemicals and safety data sheets
Cleaning products fall under the OHS Act’s general duties, and the OHS Regulations 2017 add specific rules for hazardous substances. Much of the cleaning advice online is written for other states, so check that anything you rely on is about Victoria.
| Check | What the Victorian sources say | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Safety data sheets (SDS) | Employers using or storing hazardous substances or dangerous goods on their premises must get an up-to-date SDS for each product and make sure employees, contractors and emergency services personnel can access it. | WorkSafe Victoria |
| When to get the SDS | A current SDS is needed on or before the first supply of a hazardous substance to the workplace, and its content must not be altered. | Third-party summary of the OHS Regulations (last amended June 2023) |
| Register | A register listing the hazardous substances supplied to the workplace, with a copy of each SDS, must be prepared and kept accessible to anyone who may be exposed. | Third-party summary of the OHS Regulations |
| Labels and decanting | The manufacturer’s label must stay legible on the container. If a product is decanted, the new container should be clearly labelled with the product name, or the substance identified some other way. | Third-party summary of the OHS Regulations |
| Controlling the risk | Employers must eliminate the risk so far as reasonably practicable. The summary then sets an order: substitute, isolate, use engineering controls, then administrative controls and protective equipment. | WorkSafe Victoria; third-party summary for the order |
| How old is the SDS? | Manufacturers and importers must review an SDS at least every five years. Check the preparation or review date. | WorkSafe Victoria (page reviewed 2022) |
Wash water, stormwater and waste
Three different authorities can be involved once cleaning produces water or waste. Which applies depends on where the water goes and what is in it.
Stormwater drains
EPA Victoria’s message is that only rain should enter a stormwater drain, and its stormwater guidance says the general environmental duty applies to activities that may affect stormwater. An EPA leaflet also advises against washing over stormwater grates.
Wash water
EPA has said wastewater that looks harmless can carry traces of waste or the chemicals used, with vehicle washing as its example. For floor scrubbing, carpet cleaning or exterior washing, ask where the water will go before the job starts.
Discharges to sewer
The water corporation serving the site decides. In metropolitan Melbourne that is Yarra Valley Water (northern and eastern suburbs), South East Water (the south-east, to South Gippsland and the Mornington Peninsula) or Greater Western Water (the CBD and north-west). Yarra Valley Water cites section 178 of the Water Act 1989 on discharging trade waste without an agreement or consent, and South East Water says proposed discharges may be subject to site-specific criteria. In the 2022 Greater Western Water criteria I read, trade waste had to fall between pH 6.0 and 10.0 unless an exception applied. Limits can differ by area and version, so confirm with the corporation for the site.
Waste
EPA describes industrial waste as waste produced by any business, including commercial and trade activities, and says passing it to others for disposal or recovery carries specific requirements. Ask what category the waste from your site falls into. The general environmental duty sits under the Environment Protection Act 2017 and applies to all Victorians.
Who may supply the cleaners
Check the licence before you sign. The Labour Hire Authority says companies that supply workers to clean commercial premises in Victoria are labour hire providers, and that businesses must only engage licensed providers. Commercial premises can include shops, restaurants, factories, offices and schools. Substantial penalties may apply for engaging an unlicensed provider, and the Authority’s definition was amended from 1 October 2026.
The Authority’s own examples include exceptions, such as a sole company director who personally does all the cleaning and supplies no other workers. It also says any subcontractors to a labour hire provider must be licensed, and it lists engaging workers as independent contractors and subcontracting among the key issues in commercial cleaning.
Pay is a separate check. The Fair Work Ombudsman says workers in contract cleaning may be employees or independent contractors. Independent contractors are not covered by awards, while employees and employers in the contract cleaning industry are most likely covered by the Cleaning Services Award 2020. The Ombudsman has described supply-chain risk in cleaning as a priority, in a 2020 media release, so check its current position.
Before you hire a commercial cleaner
- Check the labour hire licence. Search the Labour Hire Authority register by business name or ABN, and ask whether any subcontractors will be used.
- Ask who the cleaners work for. Are they employees of the contractor or independent contractors, and which award or agreement applies?
- Ask for the safety data sheet for each product used on your premises. Ask where the register is kept and how your staff and other contractors can reach it.
- Settle who controls what. WorkSafe ties an employer’s duty to contractors to matters the employer has, or should have, control over. Write down which hazards sit with you and which sit with the contractor.
- Ask where wash water and waste will go. Stormwater drains are for rain, and sewer discharges are for the water corporation serving the site to decide.
Rules that change by building type
This page covers the Victoria-wide points only. Sector rules for health, education or food settings are not covered here, so check with the regulator for your setting. Other pages on this site look at particular buildings: medical centre cleaning, school cleaning, industrial cleaning, warehouse cleaning, retail cleaning and strata cleaning.
Questions about contractors, chemicals and wash water
Does hiring a cleaning contractor move my safety duty to them?
WorkSafe Victoria says it does not. Its guidance says employers keep their duties even when contractors or building owners have some control of the workplace, and that an employer’s duty to contractors covers matters the employer has, or should have, control over.
Is a safety data sheet written for another state acceptable in Victoria?
WorkSafe Victoria says a safety data sheet prepared to meet another Australian jurisdiction’s hazardous substances legislation, such as New South Wales, also meets the Victorian OHS Regulations. It must still be in English, legible and show a preparation or review date.
Who decides whether wash water can go to the sewer?
The water corporation serving the site. In metropolitan Melbourne that is Yarra Valley Water, South East Water or Greater Western Water, and each publishes its own trade waste information. EPA Victoria’s position is that only rain should go into a stormwater drain.
Do awards cover independent contractors who clean?
The Fair Work Ombudsman says independent contractors are not covered by awards. Employees and employers in the contract cleaning industry are most likely covered by the Cleaning Services Award 2020, and the Ombudsman’s Find my award tool can confirm coverage.
Talk to us about your cleaning
Call 1300 941 905 or send an enquiry about commercial cleaning in Melbourne. Our opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, at 80 Cheltenham Rd, Dandenong Vic 3175.