License

Whether you offer janitorial services and have employees or provide professional property cleaning services, you you will probably need to be licensed, bonded, and insured in Oregon.

“What’s the big deal?” you might ask. “All we do is clean offices. Why do I have to mess with all that license and insurance nonsense?”

janitor polishing office hallway floor generated with Z-ImageYes, I’ve heard that more than a few times. Since you don’t build or repair anything, you probably think you don’t need to protect yourself from lawsuits for the damage or injury you may cause or accusations of theft. Nothing could be further from the truth. Moving expensive furniture or working near complex electronic equipment can lead to damage to property that doesn’t belong to you if something falls or a cleaning chemical spills frying the circuitry.

Workers’ Compensation

Rarely does someone offering cleaning services work alone. It’s a good idea to have two or more people work together to avoid problems such as theft complaints or injury when cleaning products spill, equipment topples over, or someone slips and falls while on the job. Someone needs to be there to watch and support the others. This means the janitor has employees, and having employees means workers’ compensation.

Safety training

Employers of any kind, especially janitors, must purchase medical and income replacement coverage for employees. One of my janitor clients had more than half a dozen claims filed against his workers’ compensation plan in one year. After his workers’ compensation premium nearly doubled for the next year, he immediately instituted a safety program which included training and procedures that everyone in his employ had to follow or be terminated.

Janitorial categories

Call us at 503-489-3143 if you perform any of the following services professionally:

  • Building or office cleaning,
  • Restroom cleaning,
  • Kitchen cleaning and de-greasing,
  • Window cleaning,
  • Disinfecting and deodorizing services.

Insurance and bond

We will design a bonding and insurance plan under a Commercial General Liability (CGL) package or a Business Owner Policy (BOP) that bests suits your needs, whether you work alone or have twenty employees.