Resources to facilitate your compliance with regulations relevant to the cleaning industry.

Here you’ll find information to facilitate your compliance with various rules and regulations that are of particular relevance to the cleaning industry.

Please note: Many of these regulatory resources are reserved for ISSA members only. To view them in full, members must log in to their ISSA.com account. If you are not an active member, learn more about joining ISSA.

Regulatory Materials in a stack

Cleaning Products and Chemical Regulation

Cleaning products such as bathroom cleaners, glass cleaners, disinfectants, and other chemical cleaners are the most highly regulated product category in the commercial cleaning industry.  ISSA members comply with a myriad of state and federal laws and regulations to ensure that their products are safe for the environment and human health, and are effective in maintaining a safe, sanitary and healthful conditions whether it be where we work, learn or play.

Despite the extensive body of existing regulations, chemical cleaners continue to be the target of proposed new laws such as packaging restrictions, ingredient disclosure, “end of life cycle” disposal, and chemical management generally.

Additional Resources

ISSA actively monitors, reports, and acts upon state and federal proposed laws and regulations that impact chemical cleaners.  The association and its members support and advocate for laws and regulations that are:

  • Tailored to effect their purpose without being unduly burdensome
  • Based upon sound science
  • Technically feasible
  • Do not present an unreasonable economic burden
  • Uniform in their application across the nation
  • Do not degrade product effectiveness

Additional Resources:

Important Update:
On August 27, 2019, the New York State Supreme Court invalidated the New York Department of Environmental Conservation Household Cleaning Product Information Disclosure Program.  Consequently, industry has been granted a reprieve for now and manufacturers do not need to comply with the program by the January 2, 2020 deadline.  ISSA will provide the membership with more information as it becomes available.  For now, we are waiting to see how New York will react to the court’s decision, and will share that information as it becomes available.

Product Ingredient Transparency

There is a growing demand by the public for transparency as it pertains to ingredients in products we use and encounter ranging from foods to cleaning products. California became the first state to legislate ingredient communication by passing the Cleaning Product Right to Know Act (SB 258) in 2017. ISSA worked with a broad coalition of stakeholders to make sure the legislation balanced the desire for disclosure with compliance burdens for businesses while protecting proprietary information. ISSA continues to work with its members ahead of implementation to help them comply with the regulations. In 2018, New York followed suit by creating an ingredient disclosure program which is currently being battled in the courts due to its many shortcomings.

ISSA supports consistent disclosure laws that help to educate the public while protecting the legitimate interests of business. Cleaning is critical to protecting public health and therefore any proposals not relying on sound science do a disservice to the public. ISSA Advocacy will continue to monitor proposals regarding ingredient disclosure at the federal and state level. We will continue to support consistent disclosure and labeling requirements and oppose patchwork approach that unduly burdens small businesses, does not protect proprietary business information, and undermines public health by dissuading the use of safe and effective cleaning products.

Here are some resources for those wanting more information about recent changes to state disclosure programs.

Additional Resources

Disinfectants, Sanitizers & EPA-Registered Products

With the exception of hand sanitizers (which are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates disinfectants, sanitizers, and related cleaning products. It requires that these products be registered with the agency as “antimicrobial pesticides.”

The U.S. Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) defines a “pesticide” as “any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating any pest”

This link defines what products fall under the jurisdiction of pesticides and describes the regulatory background and policy. Disinfectants, sanitizers, and EPA registered products of concern to ISSA include: Pesticide Registration Improvement Act (PRIA), Federal Pesticide Registration, Federal Adverse Effects Reporting, and State Pesticide Registration.

  • State Pesticide Registration
    Every state has its own pesticide registration program, and regulations within each state, such as fees, renewal deadlines, and penalties change frequently.

Resources for Green Cleaning and Sustainable Practices

Green cleaning is arguably the No. 1 trend in our industry and is showing no signs of slowing down. Stated simply, green cleaning is truly a marketplace phenomenon that is being driven by customer demand and the overall trending of the broad marketplace for environmentally preferable products and services.

In this section, you will find helpful information in understanding the green cleaning phenomenon, including the latest green cleaning products, implementation of green cleaning programs, ISSA resources, and other information that can help you successfully pursue the green marketplace.

ISSA offers a number of helpful resources on green cleaning. To help meet the growing demand for green and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, the Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) and Certification Program has been expanded to include Green Building (GB)  criteria and an optional GB designation.

In addition to CIMS-GB, ISSA also offers presentations, and more.

Cleaning Products

Technology, environmental, and human health research are constantly evolving. In response, policies must develop to guide behavior in the appropriate way. Use this section to explore various regulatory measures and issues impacting the manufacturing and distribution of cleaning products. Some of the top ones include the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)/Lautenberg Act, Volatile Organic Compound (VOCs), the California Safer Consumer Products Program (SCP), phosphates, antibacterial hand soaps, transportation of hazardous materials, and other policies that are currently affecting products in the cleaning industry.

TSCA/Lautenberg
The 1976 TCSA granted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) authority to regulate the manufacture or sale of chemicals to protect the environment and public health. It was amended by the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (LCSA) in 2016, which increased the regulatory role of processors and implemented a more regimented approach to evaluating and regulating existing chemicals.

Ingredient Communications Compliance
There is a growing demand by the public for transparency as it pertains to ingredients in consumer products. Many states have considered laws for some degree of disclosure, and beginning in January 2020, California will require manufacturers of cleaning products to disclose all ingredient information on both the product label and on the company’s website

VOC Regulations
VOCs are regulated by the EPA and by numerous state governments in order to protect public health.

California Safer Consumer Products Program
SCP is a green chemistry initiative which aims to reduce toxic chemicals in consumer products to increase safety and protect public and environmental health.

Phosphates
The phosphorous content of cleaning products is regulated by the EPA and by half of the states in the U.S. in effort to protect human and environmental health.

Antibacterial Hand Soaps
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) monitors antibacterial hand soaps to ensure consumer exposure is within safe limits.

Transportation of Hazardous Materials
Many chemical-based cleaning products are considered hazardous materials for purposes of transportation and are therefore subject to safety regulation.

Occupational Safety and Health

The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH) created the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to “assure safe and healthful working conditions by setting standards and by providing training, outreach, education, and assistance.” Under the OSH Act, employers are responsible for providing a safe work environment.

In this section, you can find information regarding bloodborne pathogens, forklift safety, hazard communication, injury and illness recordkeeping, OSHA Assistance for Cleaning Industry, warehouse safety, and Canada’s Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS).

Bloodborne Pathogens
OSHAs Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens Standard requires that employers in industries with potential exposure to bloodborne pathogens minimize or eliminate the risk of exposure.

Forklift Safety
To prevent injuries and property damage, facilities in the cleaning industry that use forklifts and other powered industrial trucks must comply with the OSHA Powered Industrial Truck Operator Training Standard.

Hazard Communication
The OSHA Hazard Communication Standard regulates the labeling and safety data sheet (SDS) content of chemical products to protect employees from exposure to hazardous chemicals.

Injury & Illness Recordkeeping
The OSHA Workplace Injury and Illness Recordkeeping Standard requires that non-exempt employers with more than 10 employees keep records of work-related injuries and fatalities to increase safety in the workplace.

OSHA Assistance for Cleaning Industry
OSHA standards and guidelines play a key role in eliminating or minimizing workplace hazards. Use this section to navigate resources such as OSHA standards, hazards and solutions, safety and health programs.

Warehouse Safety
Here you can find resources to promote safe and productive warehousing operations.

WHMIS
The Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System is Canada’s national hazard communication standard. Here you can access updates and resources relating to WHMIS.

Cleaning Service Providers

Cleaning services are subject to many different types of regulations. How a cleaning service provider is defined and who constitutes as one also varies by state.

From State Registration and Harassment Training to Sales Taxes on Cleaning Services, this page is your guide to all-things policy related within the cleaning service sector.

State Registration and Harassment Training
Many states now require that cleaning services providers register with the state and/or must implement harassment and assault trainings for employees.

Sales Tax on Cleaning Services
As our economy transitions from goods-oriented to service-oriented and states look for more revenue, sales taxes are increasingly extended to services.

Get Involved!

If you are interested in learning more about ISSA’s advocacy efforts or if you would like to become more involved in our efforts, please use the form to contact us. Someone from the Advocacy team will contact you shortly.