Begin at the entrance
Walk into the building as a visitor, employee, delivery person and cleaner. Each journey reveals a different sequence of touchpoints. The entrance may include accessibility buttons, pull handles, intercoms, keypads, sign-in tablets and elevator controls before anyone reaches a desk.
Write down the actual object and its material. ‘Door’ is vague; ‘interior aluminum pull handle’ is actionable and helps confirm product compatibility.
- Exterior and vestibule door hardware
- Accessibility controls and intercom buttons
- Reception pens, tablets and visitor badges
- Elevator buttons, stair rails and suite handles
Look at shared equipment, not only rooms
A meeting room may be used twice a week while a label printer is touched all day. Frequency should follow behaviour. Look for the equipment people borrow, adjust, pass to one another or use between handwashing opportunities.
- Touchscreens, shared keyboards and conference controls
- Printer panels, staplers and supply-cabinet handles
- Locker, filing and storage hardware
- Point-of-sale terminals and customer counters
Check kitchens and washrooms separately
Shared kitchens and washrooms often need more frequent attention than private workstations. Separate cleaning tasks from disinfection tasks so food debris, soap residue and visible soil are removed before the relevant surfaces are disinfected.
- Faucet controls, flush handles and stall latches
- Soap dispensers and hand-dryer controls
- Refrigerator, microwave and cupboard handles
- Coffee-machine controls, taps and shared table edges
Use three questions to set priorities
How many different people touch it? How often is it touched? What happens if it is missed? A surface with high shared use and high frequency belongs near the top of the plan. A decorative ledge that is never touched does not.
Add material sensitivity as a fourth check. Some electronic coatings, painted finishes and natural materials cannot tolerate the same product or saturation as a sealed counter.
Add each item to the cleaning schedule
For every line, name the task, product or method, timing, responsible person and completion record. If you write ‘as needed,’ explain what that means—for example, after a spill, after a meeting, at shift change or when dirt is visible.
Review the list after layout changes, occupancy changes or new shared equipment. A touchpoint map is operational documentation, not a one-time poster.
Keep personal desks out of the shared plan unless the workplace has permission and a clear reason to service them. Ownership reduces confusion and protects personal items.
Further reading
Guidance can change. Check the current product label and the latest requirements that apply to your workplace.
This article provides general information for Canadian workplaces and properties. It does not replace a product label, safety data sheet, workplace procedure, public-health direction or professional assessment.