How to Vet a Janitorial Company in California: 5 Compliance Questions Healthcare Facilities Should Ask
Choosing a healthcare-compliant janitorial company in California goes beyond service and price. Knowing what to ask about labor laws, wages, registration, and compliance can help protect your healthcare facility.
When choosing a janitorial company, experience, service, and price matter. But in California healthcare, there’s another factor that can carry much bigger consequences: compliance.
The janitorial company you hire is responsible for following California labor law, but that doesn’t always mean the risk stops with them. Under certain circumstances, a vendor’s wage, labor, or compliance issues can create financial and legal exposure for the organization that hires them.
You don’t need to know every rule and requirement to protect your facility. You do need to know what to look for, what to ask, and what your janitorial provider should be able to prove.
To put those decisions in context, let’s start with the California requirements that shape janitorial compliance and your facility’s responsibilities.
Why Is Janitorial Compliance Different in California?
California has specific labor laws that can affect both janitorial contractors and the healthcare facilities that hire them. You don’t need to know all the legal details, but you should understand where your facility could be affected. Here are some of the key laws to know and what they could mean for you:
- Property Service Workers Protection Act (PSWPA): Janitorial companies must be registered with the state and follow specific rules for employee training and recordkeeping.
- Displaced Janitor Opportunity Act: When you change janitorial companies, the new provider may be required to keep certain employees from the previous company for a period of time.
- SB 525 healthcare minimum wage requirements: Some janitorial employees working in healthcare facilities may be entitled to a higher minimum wage.
- California Labor Code §§ 2810 and 2810.3: In certain situations, a company that hires a contractor may share responsibility for wage or labor violations. These laws also make it important to consider whether a janitorial contract is priced high enough for the provider to meet its legal obligations.
These aren’t just requirements your janitorial provider should understand. They’re issues your team should know to ask about.
What Should Healthcare Facilities Ask Before Hiring a Janitorial Company?
Before hiring or renewing a janitorial provider, ask these five questions:
- Is the janitorial company properly registered under California’s Property Service Workers Protection Act? Under California’s Property Service Workers Protection Act (PSWPA), janitorial employers must register with the California Labor Commissioner and follow specific rules for training, recordkeeping, and employment practices. Ask for the provider’s current DLSE registration and verify it through the state’s public registry.
- Does the company understand the labor requirements that apply to your contract? California janitorial labor law compliance goes beyond registration. The contract price is equally important. A contract should provide enough funding for the janitorial company to meet its labor obligations. An unusually low bid deserves a closer look if the provider can’t explain how it will meet those obligations.
- How will the company comply with the Displaced Janitor Opportunity Act during a vendor transition? Changing janitorial providers in California can trigger employee-related requirements under the Displaced Janitor Opportunity Act. Ask how the incoming provider evaluates worker retention requirements, manages onboarding and communication, and documents the transition. A provider should have a clear process in place before the contract changes hands.
- Does the company understand California’s SB 525 healthcare minimum wage requirements? California’s healthcare worker minimum wage requirements may apply to certain janitorial and housekeeping workers at covered healthcare facilities. Ask how the provider determines whether the requirements apply to your facility and how it makes sure employees are being paid correctly.
- Can the company prove it is meeting its compliance obligations? Don’t settle for “yes.” Ask for current registration, insurance and workers’ compensation coverage, required training records, and other documentation that shows the company is meeting its obligations. A provider that takes compliance seriously should be prepared to back it up.
Why Industry Experience Still Matters
Compliance is an important part of vetting a janitorial company in California, but it should not be considered in isolation. The provider you choose also needs experience working in environments like yours.
For healthcare facilities, that means understanding how labor and compliance requirements connect with the realities of the job, including staffing, scheduling, patient care areas, infection-control expectations, and facility access.
Look for experience with:
- Familiarity with healthcare cleaning and infection-control protocols
- Patient care schedules, sensitive areas, and facility access requirements
- Documented quality control and accountability
- California labor and healthcare wage requirements
- Proactive communication with facility leadership
Ultimately, you are not just looking for a janitorial company that can check the right compliance boxes. You are looking for a provider that understands your industry, knows the requirements that may apply to it, and has the experience and processes to manage both effectively.
Healthcare Cleaning Compliance FAQ
How can I verify that a janitorial company is properly registered in California?
Ask for the company’s current DLSE registration and verify it through the California Labor Commissioner’s public registry. Don’t simply assume that because a company is providing janitorial services, its registration is current.
What is California’s Property Service Workers Protection Act?
The Property Service Workers Protection Act (PSWPA) establishes requirements for California janitorial employers, including registration with the Labor Commissioner and requirements related to employee training and recordkeeping. When vetting a provider, ask how it maintains its registration and documents ongoing compliance.
Can a healthcare facility be held responsible for a janitorial company’s labor law violations?
In some circumstances, yes. California law can create shared responsibility between contractors and the organizations that hire them. California Labor Code § 2810 specifically addresses contracts for certain services, including janitorial services, when the contract does not provide sufficient funds to allow compliance with applicable labor laws. Labor Code § 2810.3 can also create shared civil liability in certain qualifying client-employer and labor-contractor relationships. This is why California janitorial labor law compliance should be part of your vendor review.
What is the Displaced Janitor Opportunity Act?
California’s Displaced Janitor Opportunity Act may require an incoming janitorial company to retain certain employees when a contract changes hands. That means changing janitorial companies isn’t always as simple as bringing in a new crew. Your new provider should understand the law and have a clear plan for managing the transition.
Does SB 525 apply to janitorial workers at healthcare facilities?
It can. California’s healthcare worker minimum wage requirements may apply to certain janitorial and housekeeping workers at covered healthcare facilities. Your provider should be able to determine whether the requirements apply to the facility and workers involved and explain how it verifies compliance with the applicable wage rate.
What are the warning signs of a janitorial compliance problem?
Missing or expired registration, incomplete documentation, vague answers about wage or training requirements, and an inability to explain how vendor transitions are handled should all prompt more questions. Price can also be a warning sign. If a bid is significantly lower than competing proposals, it can be worth examining more closely, especially if the provider can’t clearly explain how it meets its labor obligations.
Protect Your Facility Before Problems Start
The best time to evaluate a janitorial provider’s compliance isn’t after a wage claim, registration issue, or vendor transition problem. It’s before you sign the contract.
Ask the questions. Verify the documentation. Understand which California requirements may apply to your facility. And make sure the company you hire can demonstrate that compliance is built into how it operates, not just what was promised during the sales process.
At JaniTek, we understand both the cleaning and compliance responsibilities that come with serving healthcare facilities. We help organizations look beyond the cleaning proposal and understand what they should expect from a qualified janitorial partner.
Talk with JaniTek about your healthcare cleaning needs.
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