The Optus Glean promise: predictability
Three pillars. Three commitments. No exceptions.
Predictable cost. One fixed monthly fee, set against a defined scope and an annual indexed review. No variable hours. No surprise invoices. No padded callout charges. Budgeted once, paid by Direct Debit, reviewed once a year.
Predictable presence. The site is cleaned every day it is meant to be cleaned. A named primary cleaner is rostered to your contract, supported by a named relief who is already vetted, inducted, and trained on the same colour-coded system and IPC standard. The schedule does not depend on whether one person is available on one day.
Predictable freedom. A single point of accountability. One contract. One named manager. One number to call. Cleaning is no longer a problem the site has to manage — it is a service that runs.
Why cleaning in Ireland is structurally hard to get right
Most cleaning provision in Ireland — including in healthcare-adjacent settings — is delivered by a workforce that is structurally part-time and casual. A significant proportion of operatives across the sector also work as healthcare assistants in nursing homes, residential care, and acute hospitals. Cleaning shifts are typically taken when healthcare shifts are not available, and released when they are. This pattern is consistent with CSO labour data on accommodation, food, and administrative-support employment, and it is the underlying reason that buyers across Ireland encounter inconsistency from agencies they have contracted in good faith.
The pattern is reinforced by two background pressures specific to Ireland. Housing affordability limits the catchment for any role paying at or near the minimum wage. The Contract Cleaning Employment Regulation Order rate of €14.80 per hour for 2026, set under the Labour Court's sectoral employment framework, sits close enough to flexible care-sector pay that operatives drift toward whichever shift pays slightly more on the day. Both pressures pull cleaning staff away from contracted shifts and toward casual healthcare work.
The result, from the buyer's perspective, is the experience most practice managers, facilities leads, and procurement officers in Ireland describe: a clean that is half-completed when the contracted cleaner is available, missed entirely when they are not, and accompanied by recurring conversations with the agency about cover that may or may not arrive.
This is the structural problem Optus Glean is built to solve. Our operatives are fully PAYE-employed with guaranteed weekly hours, paid leave, and pension contributions under Irish auto-enrolment. They are paid above the ERO floor deliberately — because the structural reliability of the service depends on the cleaner choosing to remain in the role rather than rotating through casual healthcare shifts. A named primary cleaner is assigned to your site, supported by a named relief, both Garda-vetted and trained to Optus Glean's documented HIQA-aligned IPC standard.
Why Transport Environments Need Specialist Cleaning
Transport hubs are among the most complex cleaning environments in Ireland. Airports, bus stations, train stations, and ferry terminals operate around the clock, handle thousands of passengers daily, and must maintain impeccable standards of cleanliness, hygiene, and safety at all times. The consequences of poor cleaning in a transport environment are immediate and visible: overflowing bins, dirty washrooms, sticky floors, and litter-strewn platforms drive passenger complaints, damage operator reputations, and create health and safety risks.
Unlike a standard office or retail environment, transport cleaning must work around live operations. Passengers are always present. Departures and arrivals do not stop for cleaning. Security restrictions in airports mean cleaning staff need specific clearances, training, and equipment. And the sheer scale of most transport facilities, with their vast terminal buildings, multi-level car parks, external forecourts, and platform areas, demands a cleaning operation that can scale across shifts and zones without gaps in coverage.
Optus Glean provides fully managed cleaning services for transport operators, airport authorities, and public transport bodies across Ireland. Our operatives hold the security clearances required for airside work, and our shift patterns are built around your operational timetable to ensure continuous coverage without disruption to passengers or services.
Airport Terminal Cleaning
Airport terminals are high-security, high-footfall environments that require cleaning teams to operate seamlessly alongside passengers, airline staff, retail tenants, and security personnel. Optus Glean provides both airside and landside cleaning for airport terminals across Ireland.
Landside Areas
Landside areas are accessible to the general public and include check-in halls, arrivals halls, meeters-and-greeters areas, car rental desks, retail zones, food courts, washrooms, and external drop-off and pick-up zones. Our landside cleaning specification covers:
- Check-in hall floor cleaning, desk sanitisation, and queue barrier wiping
- Arrivals hall continuous cleaning including trolley bay management
- Baggage reclaim area floor cleaning, carousel surround wiping, and litter removal
- Retail and food court cleaning to the same standard as shopping centre environments
- Washroom servicing on a timetable matched to flight schedules and passenger peaks
- External forecourt litter picking, pressure washing, and cigarette bin management
- Car park cleaning including stairwells, lifts, payment machines, and pedestrian walkways
Airside Areas
Airside areas are restricted zones beyond security screening, including departure lounges, gate areas, boarding bridges, executive lounges, and staff-only zones. Cleaning staff working airside must hold an Airport Identity Card (AIC) issued by the Irish Aviation Authority, which requires Garda vetting, a five-year background check, and aviation security awareness training.
- Departure lounge seating, floor, and retail area cleaning
- Gate area cleaning between flights, including seating, floor, and boarding desk
- Executive and VIP lounge cleaning including catering areas
- Washroom servicing throughout airside zones
- Boarding bridge and jetway cleaning
- Staff canteens, offices, and operational areas
Optus Glean manages the full AIC application and renewal process for all airside operatives, ensuring continuous compliance with IAA requirements. See our full airport cleaning service for details.
Airside Credentials & Tender-Ready Compliance Stack
Airport contracts in Ireland are awarded through eTenders, direct procurement with daa (Dublin and Cork Airports), Shannon Group, and regional airport operators. Every tender requires documented evidence of airside clearance, insurance quantum, certifications, and TUPE-compliant mobilisation. Optus Glean's compliance stack is built to the standard large FM operators use to pass PQQ gateways:
Personnel Clearance
Garda vetting for every operative (landside and airside). In active pursuit of full daa Airport ID Card (AIC) application and renewal management for airside personnel, committed to achieving airside driving permit administration where contract scope includes apron, stand, or jet bridge access. Aviation security awareness training aligned with Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) National Civil Aviation Security Programme standards.
Quality & Safety Certifications
In active pursuit of BICSc CPSS (Cleaning Professional's Skills Suite) training pathway for all cleaning operatives. Committed to achieving ISO 9001 (Quality), ISO 14001 (Environment), and ISO 45001 (Occupational Health & Safety) management system certification. HACCP-aligned procedures for airline lounge catering areas and IS EN 13549 cleaning quality measurement alignment.
Insurance Quantum
€6.5M Public Liability and €13M Employer's Liability — meeting Irish airside market norms for Tier-1 airport contracts. Product Liability and Professional Indemnity available on request. Certificate and schedule available within 24 hours of shortlist confirmation.
Regulatory Alignment
Procedures mapped to EASA Part-ADR (aerodrome operations), ICAO Annex 14 (Aerodromes) cleanliness and FOD-prevention expectations, and daa / Shannon Group Airport Operator Standards. HSA-compliant COSHH, manual handling, and working-at-height procedures for every airside and landside task.
TUPE-Compliant Mobilisation
Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2003 obligations handled in full for incoming contracts. 30/60/90-day mobilisation plan covering consultation, measured data, P45/P60 handover, accrued holiday reconciliation, and uniform/ID-card reissue — delivered with zero service-level disruption on day-one switchover.
Zone-by-Zone Capability
Teams ready to deploy (subject to daa Airport ID Card issuance) across apron, stand, jet bridge, immigration hall, security screening lanes, baggage hall, retail concourse, airline lounges, crew rest areas, aviation security restricted zones, and landside car parks.
Bus Depot and Station Cleaning
Bus depots and stations serve Dublin Bus, Bus Eireann, Go-Ahead Ireland, and private coach operators across the country. These environments combine passenger-facing areas with heavy-duty operational zones that require different cleaning approaches.
- Passenger concourses — Floor cleaning, seating wiping, information screen cleaning, litter picking, and continuous washroom servicing
- Ticket offices and retail units — Counter sanitisation, glass cleaning, floor maintenance
- Bus stands and platforms — Shelter cleaning, bench wiping, litter removal, chewing gum removal, and drainage maintenance
- Depot workshops and maintenance bays — Industrial degreasing, floor scrubbing, parts wash area cleaning, and waste management
- Staff facilities — Canteen cleaning, locker room maintenance, washroom servicing, and office cleaning
For Bus Eireann and Dublin Bus facilities, we align our cleaning specifications with the National Transport Authority's standards for public transport infrastructure cleanliness.
Train Station Cleaning
Train stations operated by Iarnrod Eireann and Luas present unique challenges: open platforms exposed to weather, listed heritage buildings with sensitive surfaces, and high passenger volumes during peak commuting hours. Our train station cleaning covers:
- Platform cleaning: sweeping, litter picking, bench wiping, shelter cleaning, and drainage clearance
- Concourse and ticket hall: floor scrubbing, ticket machine sanitisation, barrier cleaning, and retail area maintenance
- Footbridges and underpasses: floor cleaning, handrail sanitisation, lighting fixture dusting, and graffiti removal
- Washrooms: full servicing on a schedule matched to train timetables and passenger peaks
- Car parks: sweeping, litter picking, ticket machine cleaning, and periodic pressure washing
- Heritage surfaces: specialist cleaning for stone, ironwork, and decorative features in listed stations
For Luas stops, we provide platform cleaning, shelter maintenance, ticket machine wiping, and surrounding area litter management on a timetable that works around tram frequencies.
Ferry Terminal Cleaning
Ferry terminals at Dublin Port, Rosslare Europort, and Cork serve thousands of passengers daily on routes to the UK and continental Europe. Terminal cleaning must accommodate vehicle marshalling areas, foot passenger lounges, customs and immigration halls, and external quayside zones.
Our ferry terminal specification covers passenger lounge and seating area cleaning, check-in desk and kiosk sanitisation, customs and immigration hall floor and desk cleaning, washroom servicing matched to sailing schedules, external walkway and vehicle marshalling area cleaning, and quayside litter management and pressure washing. We schedule deep cleaning around sailing times to ensure terminals are presented at their best for arriving and departing passengers.
Fleet Vehicle Cleaning
Beyond stations and terminals, Optus Glean provides fleet vehicle cleaning for bus operators, rail companies, and coach hire firms. Fleet cleaning is carried out at your depot or at a location of your choice and covers interior deep cleaning of seats, floors, ceilings, luggage racks, and handrails, driver cab cleaning and sanitisation, exterior washing and de-greasing, window cleaning inside and out, and turnaround cleaning between services for high-frequency routes.
For bus and coach fleets, we offer nightly turnaround cleaning that ensures every vehicle starts the day in a clean, hygienic condition. For rail rolling stock, we work with your maintenance schedule to provide interior deep cleans during planned downtime.
Aircraft Cleaning Services
Airport cleaning contracts increasingly bundle aircraft turnaround and cabin services alongside terminal cleaning. Optus Glean is building a dedicated aircraft cleaning capability for Irish airlines, charter operators, and handling agents — in active pursuit of the airside clearances required to mobilise teams under daa Airport ID Card issuance. Our aircraft cleaning service covers the three contract categories Tier-1 airport operators and airlines specify:
Interior Turnaround Cleaning
Short-turnaround cabin service between flights to meet 25 to 45-minute scheduled ground times. Scope: seat-back pocket clearance, tray table and armrest sanitisation, seat belt wiping, floor vacuum and debris removal, window cleaning, cabin crew jumpseat and galley bench wipe-down, and lavatory refresh. Carried out by security-cleared teams operating airside in coordination with handling agents and cabin crew.
Deep Cabin, Galley & Lavatory Service
Overnight or hangar-downtime deep clean. Full interior shampoo and extraction on carpets and seat fabrics, leather seat conditioning where fitted, overhead locker sanitisation, full galley degrease and disinfection to food-safety standards, lavatory full-service including blue-water system treatment, and HEPA-environment compatible chemistry. Documented to airline cabin condition standards with photographic handover.
Exterior Aircraft Washing — Wet, Dry & Technical
Exterior aircraft washing delivered in line with OEM (Boeing, Airbus, ATR, Embraer) Maintenance Planning Document cleanliness intervals. Three service tiers:
- Wet wash — Full soap-and-water fuselage, empennage, and landing-gear clean for heavy soiling, ramp contamination, or pre-paint preparation. Scheduled overnight at stand or in hangar.
- Dry wash — Water-conservation chemistry for fuselage wipe-down between heavy washes. Reduces water consumption by 90% versus wet wash, suitable for apron execution without bunding.
- Technical wash — Targeted cleaning of belly, flap-track fairings, engine cowlings, and leading edges ahead of Maintenance Check A/C inspections. Chemistry compatible with composite surfaces and anti-corrosion coatings.
All aircraft cleaning conducted under the handling agent's Safety Management System (SMS) or the airline's Part-145 maintenance approval where the scope crosses into technical cleaning categories. Chemistry data sheets, waste-water bunding plans, and FOD-prevention procedures supplied with every bid. Aircraft cleaning capability is offered subject to airline contract award and site-specific airside clearances.
Security Vetting and Compliance
Transport environments, particularly airports, have strict security requirements that cleaning contractors must meet. Optus Glean manages all vetting and compliance requirements for transport cleaning, including Garda vetting for all operatives deployed to any transport site, Airport Identity Card (AIC) applications and renewals for airside staff, aviation security awareness training to IAA standards, Safe Pass certification for all operatives, manual handling and COSHH training, and site-specific induction and security briefings.
We maintain a dedicated pool of security-cleared operatives for transport contracts, ensuring we can provide cover, replacement staff, and surge capacity without delays caused by vetting lead times.
24/7 Operational Capability
Transport hubs do not close. Early morning commuters, late-night arrivals, overnight freight operations, and 24-hour airport terminals all require continuous cleaning coverage. Optus Glean operates a 24/7 shift system for transport contracts, with peak staffing during high-traffic periods, maintenance crews during overnight hours, on-call supervisors for incident response at any time, and dedicated site managers for major transport facilities.
Irish Airport Market Coverage
Ireland's airport infrastructure is operated by a small number of authorities, each with distinct procurement routes and operational standards. Optus Glean is positioned to bid and mobilise against contracts at every Irish commercial airport. We currently hold no live airside contract at these airports — represents target market and deployment readiness, not existing client engagements.
Dublin Airport (DUB)
Operated by daa. Terminal 1, Terminal 2, Pier 4 and apron zones. Ireland's largest airport with 24/7 operations, retail concourse, and multiple airline lounges. Contracts procured direct with daa and via eTenders. Mobilisation-ready subject to AIC issuance.
Cork Airport (ORK)
Operated by daa. Single terminal, 24-hour operation, regional and European network. Mobilisation-ready for terminal, airside, and landside packages subject to daa Airport ID Card processing.
Shannon Airport (SNN)
Operated by Shannon Group. Full transatlantic US Customs and Border Protection pre-clearance facility — an additional layer of secure-zone requirement not present at other Irish airports. Mobilisation-ready for terminal, airside, pre-clearance hall, and aircraft turnaround scope.
Ireland West Airport Knock (NOC)
Connacht regional airport. Seasonal peaks on pilgrimage, leisure and commuter routes. Mobilisation-ready for full terminal package with lean airside deployment.
Kerry, Donegal & Waterford
Regional airports with scheduled and PSO services. Suited to compact mobilisation with multi-skilled airside/landside teams. Ready to respond to open eTenders or direct procurement approaches.
Multi-Airport Contracts
Shared-service and framework contracts spanning multiple daa or Shannon Group sites can be delivered from a single account-management spine with locally dispatched airside-cleared crews. Typical 30/60/90-day multi-site mobilisation.
Our Services for the Transport Sector
Airport & Transport Cleaning
Terminal cleaning, airside and landside, platform cleaning, and transport hub maintenance across Ireland.
View service →Pressure Washing
External forecourts, platforms, car parks, quaysides, and vehicle marshalling areas. Overnight scheduling available.
View service →Washroom Services
High-frequency washroom servicing matched to passenger volumes and timetable peaks.
View service →Why Transport Operators Choose Optus Glean
Security-Cleared Workforce
Dedicated pool of Garda vetted and AIC-holding operatives ready for deployment to airside and restricted transport zones. No vetting delays when you need cover or surge capacity.
24/7 Shift Coverage
Continuous cleaning coverage built around your operational timetable. Peak staffing during busy periods, maintenance crews overnight, and on-call supervisors for incident response at any hour.
Passenger Experience Focus
Clean terminals, stations, and vehicles directly impact passenger satisfaction scores and operator reputation. We treat every passenger touchpoint as a priority.
Regulatory Compliance
Full compliance with IAA aviation security requirements, NTA public transport standards, and health and safety regulations. Documented method statements and audit-ready records for every site.
Standards, Regulators & Authoritative References
Airport cleaning in Ireland sits at the intersection of aviation regulation, procurement law, and cleaning-industry standards. Tender buyers expect contractors to cite and demonstrate alignment with the following authorities and codes:
- Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) — National competent authority for civil aviation security, aerodrome licensing, and the National Civil Aviation Security Programme (NCASP). Source of Airport Identity Card (AIC) background-check standards.
- European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) — Part-ADR (Aerodromes Regulation) sets aerodrome operational safety standards including FOD management and apron cleanliness obligations that cleaning contractors support.
- ICAO Annex 14 — International Civil Aviation Organization standards for aerodrome design and operations. Annex 14 cleanliness and FOD-prevention duties flow through to every airside cleaning specification.
- daa — Operator of Dublin and Cork Airports. Primary airport procurement authority in Ireland for terminal and airside cleaning contracts.
- Shannon Group — Operator of Shannon Airport and Shannon Heritage. Independent procurement route for Mid-West airport cleaning.
- eTenders.gov.ie — Republic of Ireland public procurement portal. All publicly advertised airport cleaning tenders above the EU threshold publish here (and on Find a Tender / OJEU for qualifying contracts).
- BICSc CPSS — British Institute of Cleaning Science Cleaning Professional's Skills Suite. De facto competency standard for cleaning operatives on large FM contracts.
- ISO 9001 / 14001 / 45001 — Quality, environmental, and occupational health & safety management systems. Baseline certifications for Tier-1 airport cleaning bids (in active pursuit).
- IS EN 13549 — European standard for cleaning services and basic quality measurement systems. Defines audit and KPI frameworks for tender SLA evaluation.
- TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings) Regulations 2003 — Irish regulations governing staff transfer when an airport cleaning contract changes hands. Every airport-tender mobilisation operates under TUPE.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does transport and logistics cleaning cost in Ireland in 2026?
An airport, station, or depot is priced as a fixed monthly fee tied to scope: 24/7 high-throughput cleaning, regulated-zone cover where applicable (airside, security-cleared areas), washrooms, public concourse, staff areas, and out-of-hours deep cleans. The Contract Cleaning ERO 2026 sets a €14.80/hour labour floor across the sector, but reputable providers quote the contract — multi-year term, annual indexed review, single monthly Direct Debit — not the hour.
What standards apply to transport-sector cleaning in Ireland?
The HSA's Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 sets the workplace baseline. The IAA regulates Irish airports, with EASA airport facility standards applying inside regulated zones. The Department of Transport sets broader policy. The cleaning programme must produce a documented audit trail — SDS, signed task logs, training register, security clearance records — that supports the operator's regulatory file.
Who can clean an airside zone in Ireland?
Only operatives with current airside security clearance — vetted and ID-pass-holding — can work airside. Clearance is granted by the airport operator under IAA-regulated procedures, with background checks that take weeks to complete. A reputable cleaning provider holds a stable, PAYE-employed pool of cleared operatives so airside cover does not collapse when one person leaves. Casual or agency staffing breaks under this model the first time a clearance lapses.
How is 24/7 cleaning actually delivered at a transport hub?
A 24/7 transport contract typically runs three shifts of named PAYE-employed cleaners with documented handovers, a named site lead per shift, and a reserve relief crew on call. Public concourse, washrooms, and high-throughput areas are cleaned continuously; deep-clean cycles run during the lowest-throughput window. The handover log and shift records are part of the audit trail, not optional.
What's the difference between PAYE and casual cleaning contracts in transport?
A PAYE-employed cleaner is on payroll with the company that signs the contract, paid above the Contract Cleaning ERO €14.80/hour floor, with guaranteed hours, paid leave, and PRSI/pension. A casual or self-employed operative is none of those things. In a regulated environment with security clearance and 24/7 cover, PAYE staffing is the only model that holds the clearance pool, the shift rota, and the named-cleaner continuity together.
How do I evaluate a cleaning provider for a transport site?
Three checks. One: are the operatives PAYE-employed by the company that signs the contract, with security clearance held in their own name? Two: how does the provider hold the clearance pool — what is the redundancy depth across the 24/7 shift pattern? Three: can the provider produce method statements, SDS, and shift handover logs that satisfy IAA and HSA audit standards on day one?
What should be in a cleaning contract for a transport hub?
24/7 shift coverage with named site lead per shift, regulated-zone clearance commitments, public concourse and washroom programme, deep-clean rotation, the chemical regime with SDS, PAYE-employed staff confirmation, fixed monthly fee, annual indexed review, transparent KPI reporting tied to throughput, and a clean exit clause. No per-hour pricing.
How often should a transport hub be deep-cleaned?
A transport hub runs continuous high-throughput visible cleaning, daily out-of-hours resets in the lowest-throughput window, weekly periodic tasks (high-level dusting, glass, signage), and quarterly or six-monthly deep cleans of floors, soft furnishings, and ducting. In Ireland, larger hubs typically schedule deep-clean rotations across phased zones so service continues without disruption.
Airport Cleaning Contract FAQs
What is the difference between airside and landside cleaning at an Irish airport?
Landside is the public-accessible zone of an airport — check-in halls, arrivals, landside retail, car parks, and forecourts. Airside is the restricted zone beyond security screening — departure lounges, gates, boarding bridges, the apron, stand, jet bridge, crew rest, and aviation security restricted zones. Airside cleaning requires a daa Airport ID Card (AIC) issued by the Irish Aviation Authority and, for ramp-access work, an airside driving permit.
What clearances do airport cleaners need in Ireland?
Every airport cleaner needs Garda vetting. Airside cleaners additionally need a daa Airport ID Card (AIC), which requires a five-year background check and aviation security awareness training aligned with the IAA National Civil Aviation Security Programme. Operatives driving on apron or stand need an airside driving permit issued by the airport operator.
Can you deliver multi-airport cleaning contracts across Ireland?
Yes. Multi-airport contracts — typically framework agreements covering daa sites (Dublin, Cork) or Shannon Group plus regional airports — run off a central account-management spine with airside-cleared teams dispatched locally. A typical multi-airport mobilisation is 60 to 90 days.
Do you provide 24/7/365 airport cleaning coverage?
Yes. Irish airport terminals operate on a 24/7/365 cycle. Our airport shift design includes a night turnaround crew (22:00 to 04:00), first-wave openers ahead of the 04:00 terminal activation, full daytime passenger-peak coverage, and on-call supervisors for incident response at any time.
How do you handle TUPE on an incoming airport cleaning contract?
Every airport contract change-over in Ireland is a TUPE transfer under the European Communities (Protection of Employees on Transfer of Undertakings) Regulations 2003. Our TUPE process runs consultation with the outgoing contractor, measured-data reconciliation, P45/P60 and holiday accrual handover, uniform and AIC reissue, and day-one service-level continuity. Operatives transfer on existing terms and conditions.
What is your airport cleaning mobilisation timeline?
Standard mobilisation is 30/60/90 days. Day 0 to 30: TUPE consultation, AIC applications submitted to daa or Shannon Group, operational design, equipment procurement. Day 30 to 60: trial shifts, SLA baseline, KPI dashboard build. Day 60 to 90: steady-state operations, first performance review, continuous improvement plan.
How do we tender an airport cleaning contract through eTenders?
Public-sector airport cleaning contracts above the EU procurement threshold publish on eTenders.gov.ie and on Find a Tender / OJEU. Below-threshold or direct-award contracts are procured directly by daa, Shannon Group, and regional airport authorities. Optus Glean responds to both. Start with a Request for Information (RFI) on eTenders or a direct approach to the airport operator's procurement contact.
Do you clean aircraft interiors as well as terminals?
Yes — we are building dedicated aircraft cleaning capability covering interior turnaround (25 to 45 minute ground-time cabin service), deep cabin/galley/lavatory service on overnight or hangar downtime, and exterior wet-wash / dry-wash / technical-wash to OEM (Boeing, Airbus, ATR, Embraer) Maintenance Planning Document cleanliness intervals. Airside deployment is subject to daa Airport ID Card issuance.
Which Irish airports do you cover?
We are mobilisation-ready for every commercial Irish airport: Dublin (DUB), Cork (ORK), Shannon (SNN), Ireland West Airport Knock (NOC), Kerry (KIR), Donegal (CFN), and Waterford (WAT). Existing airside clearance is awarded per-airport on contract confirmation.
What standards and certifications apply to airport cleaning in Ireland?
Airport cleaning operates under IAA aviation security standards, EASA Part-ADR aerodrome operations, and ICAO Annex 14. Contractor-side standards expected in tenders: ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, BICSc CPSS operative training, IS EN 13549 cleaning quality measurement, HACCP-aligned procedures for lounge catering zones, and HSA-compliant health & safety procedures.
How Optus Glean handles staff shortages
Every Optus Glean contract is staffed on a redundancy model rather than a single-person model. A named primary cleaner is assigned to the site at contract start. A named relief is assigned alongside them. Both are PAYE-employed by Optus Glean, both are Garda-vetted, both are inducted on the site's specific layout, access protocols, and colour-coded equipment system, and both are trained to the same documented HIQA-aligned IPC standard. Substitution is built into the contract from the first day, not arranged on the day cover is needed.
Sick day cover. When the primary cleaner is unable to work, the named relief is deployed. The site site contact is notified by 06:30 on the morning of the absence by SMS or email, with the name of the relief who is attending. The relief follows the same task list, uses the same equipment, and finishes within the same window. The standard of clean is unchanged because the relief was prepared for this scenario before the absence happened.
Annual leave cover. Annual leave is rostered weeks in advance and the relief is scheduled to cover the full leave period. The site is informed at the start of the leave period — not on the morning leave begins. This is the same model used in clinical rota management: known absences are pre-staffed, not improvised.
Long-term cover. If the primary cleaner is absent for more than two weeks (extended illness, parental leave, bereavement leave), cover is drawn from the wider trained bench rather than relying on the single named relief. The site is kept informed of the cover plan, the named individuals involved, and the expected duration. Continuity of standard is maintained because every operative on the bench is trained to the same documented standard.
Permanent reassignment. If the primary cleaner moves to a new permanent role within Optus Glean — promotion, relocation, retirement — the relief is promoted to primary on a planned timetable, a new relief is trained on the site, and both are introduced to the site before the handover takes effect. There is no day on which the site discovers, after the fact, that their cleaner has changed.
Substitution is Optus Glean's operational problem, not the site's risk to absorb. The buyer pays a fixed monthly fee for a defined scope to be delivered, every day it is meant to be delivered. The mechanism by which we deliver it — primary, relief, bench, retraining — is our cost to manage and our risk to carry.
Last reviewed: 2026-05-06