Five question sets for janitor and custodian hires, general, school, office, and trust-and-access, plus a scoring rubric, built for owners and administrators hiring directly. Download as DOCX.
Hiring a janitor or custodian is mostly about two things a generic question list undersells: whether the person cleans safely and to a standard, and whether you can trust them alone in your building after hours with a set of keys. For a school, a church, a property-management company, or a small office hiring directly, those are the questions that actually predict a good hire, alongside reliability in a role with high turnover.
At FirstHR, we build for the people who run their own interviews. These five question sets cover the janitor and custodian hire: a general set, plus school custodian, office and commercial, and a trust-and-access set, with a scoring rubric to compare candidates fairly. Each is ready to use. For a fuller posting, the janitor job description templates pair with these questions.
TL;DR
A janitor or custodian keeps your building clean, safe, and secure, often working alone after hours. Interview for cleaning technique, chemical safety, reliability, and trustworthiness, and ask directly about comfort with a background check. Pick the set that matches your setting (school, office, or trust-and-access), ask 5 to 8 questions for real examples, and score on a 1 to 5 rubric. The role is hourly and non-exempt. Download five sets as DOCX.
What a Janitor or Custodian Does
A janitor or custodian keeps a building clean, safe, and functional: cleaning and disinfecting restrooms and common areas, operating floor machines, removing trash, restocking supplies, and reporting maintenance problems. The titles are largely interchangeable, though custodian is more common in schools and institutions, where the role often extends to building systems, event setups, and seasonal tasks like snow removal.
The federal occupation is janitors and building cleaners, which groups janitors and custodians together and covers commercial, office, school, and institutional cleaning. Much of the work is unsupervised and after hours, which is why reliability and trust sit alongside cleaning skill as core qualifications. Because janitors handle cleaning chemicals daily, safe chemical handling is part of the everyday job, not an afterthought.
Janitor Duties to Interview Around
Janitor duties cluster into four areas: cleaning and technique, safety and chemicals, reliability and hours, and trust and security. A strong interview probes each area with a real example rather than asking the candidate to rate themselves. Use this as the map for which questions matter most in your setting.
Cleaning and technique
Clean and disinfect restrooms and common areas
Operate floor machines and equipment
Handle tough jobs, spills, and waste
Safety and chemicals
Use chemicals per label and Safety Data Sheet
Prevent slips and falls with wet-floor signs
Wear PPE for hazardous tasks
Reliability and hours
Show up consistently, often alone
Work evenings, nights, or weekends
See repetitive work through to standard
Trust and security
Hold keys and after-hours access
Pass a background check where required
Secure the building and lock up
For a structured way to scope the role before you interview, the small business hiring guide walks through defining a position and running the process around the interview.
Which Question Set Should You Use?
Start with the general set as a base, then add the set that matches your setting. The structure is the same across all five, but each adds the specific angle that setting needs. Use this guide to choose, then ask the same set of every candidate for the role.
General Janitor / Custodian
Any setting, start here
The core set covering technique, equipment, chemical safety, reliability, trust, and situational judgment. Start here, then add a setting-specific set.
School Custodian
Schools and districts
Adds child safety, background-check comfort, building systems, weather, and event setups. The strongest fit for a school or district hire.
Office / Commercial
Offices and properties
For an office cleaner or commercial staffer: evening work, checklists, discretion around sensitive areas, and unsupervised reliability.
Trust & After-Hours
Keys and access
For roles with keys, alarm codes, and after-hours access in churches, medical offices, or multi-tenant buildings, where trust is a core qualification.
Scoring Rubric
1 to 5 rating sheet
A janitor scorecard rating five areas 1 to 5, with red flags, so you compare candidates on evidence instead of a vague impression.
Match the Set to Your Setting
Any setting, the foundation: General Janitor / Custodian. A school or district: School Custodian. An office building or multi-tenant property: Office / Commercial. A role with keys and after-hours access in a church, medical office, or secure building: Trust & After-Hours. To rate and compare candidates: the Scoring Rubric, used alongside any set. Most employers use the general set plus one setting set plus the scorecard.
5 Free Janitor Question Sets to Download
Download all five as a single Word document or copy individual sets. Each follows the same structure: when to use it, the questions with good-answer notes, what to listen for, and space for notes. The scorecard adds rating columns and red flags. Fill in the candidate details and use.
Download All 5 Janitor Question Sets
General, school custodian, office and commercial, trust and after-hours, and a scoring rubric. All in one DOCX.
Set 1: General Janitor / Custodian Question Set
The core set covering technique and equipment, safety and chemicals, reliability and trust, and situational judgment, each with a note on what a good answer sounds like. Start here.
General Janitor / Custodian Question Set
GENERAL JANITOR / CUSTODIAN INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Candidate: __
Role: __
Interviewer: __
Date: _
HOW TO USE THIS SET
A janitor or custodian keeps your building clean, safe, and running, often alone and
after hours. This set works for any setting. Ask 5 to 8 questions, in plain language,
and probe each for a real example. Then score on the rubric. Pick a setting-specific
set below for a school, office, or trust-sensitive role.
EXPERIENCE AND TECHNIQUE
1. Walk me through how you clean and disinfect a restroom properly.
2. What cleaning equipment and machines have you used?
3. How do you handle a tough job, like a heavily soiled area or a spill?
SAFETY AND CHEMICALS
4. How do you use cleaning chemicals safely?
(Good answer: mentions labels, not mixing, and ventilation.)
5. Where would you look up how to handle a chemical safely?
(Good answer: the Safety Data Sheet, even if not by name.)
6. What do you do to prevent slips and falls while cleaning?
RELIABILITY AND TRUST
7. This role works alone and after hours with keys to the building. Why can we trust you?
8. Tell me about your attendance record. How do you handle being the only one on shift?
9. How do you handle the repetitive nature of cleaning the same areas every day?
SITUATIONAL
10. You find a maintenance problem after hours, like a leak. What do you do?
11. A staff member asks you to do something outside your normal duties. How do you respond?
WHAT TO LISTEN FOR
•Knows proper cleaning and disinfection technique
•Handles chemicals safely and knows where to check
•Reliable, trustworthy, comfortable working alone
•Reports problems instead of ignoring them
NOTES
__
Set 2: School Custodian Set
Adds child safety, background-check comfort, building systems, weather, and event setups. The strongest fit for a school or district custodian hire, where trust comes first.
School Custodian Set
SCHOOL CUSTODIAN INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Candidate: __
School / District: __
Interviewer: __
WHEN TO USE THIS SET
For a custodian at a school. On top of general cleaning, you need someone safe
around children, comfortable with background-check requirements, and able to handle
a building's systems, weather, and event setups. Trust and child safety come first.
QUESTIONS
1. Are you comfortable with the background check and child-safety rules schools require?
(Good answer: expects it, has no concerns.)
2. How would you handle cleaning and being around students during the school day?
3. Tell me about handling a building system, like heating, or a weather issue like snow.
4. How do you set up and reset rooms for events, assemblies, or sports?
5. A student or staff member reports a spill or a safety hazard. Walk me through it.
6. How do you keep chemicals and equipment secure where children are present?
7. How do you handle the summer deep-clean and the start-of-year rush?
WHAT TO LISTEN FOR
•Comfortable with background checks and child-safety rules
•Appropriate and calm around students
•Handles building systems, weather, and event setups
•Keeps chemicals and equipment secure
NOTES
__
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For an office cleaner or commercial staffer: evening work, checklists, discretion around sensitive areas, and the reliability to work unsupervised to a standard.
For an office cleaner or commercial cleaning staffer at an office building or
multi-tenant property. The work is often evenings, on a checklist, and around
sensitive or secure spaces. You want reliability, discretion, and the ability to
work unsupervised to a standard.
QUESTIONS
1. Are you comfortable working evenings or early mornings on your own?
2. How do you work through a cleaning checklist for multiple offices or floors?
3. How do you handle cleaning around sensitive areas, like desks with documents?
(Good answer: respects privacy, does not touch or move papers.)
4. How do you keep supplies stocked and report what is running low?
5. A tenant or manager complains the work was missed. How do you respond?
6. How do you secure the space and lock up when you finish?
WHAT TO LISTEN FOR
•Reliable and able to work unsupervised
•Works to a checklist and a standard
•Discreet around sensitive or secure areas
•Communicates about supplies and issues
NOTES
__
Set 4: Trust, Keys, and After-Hours Access Set
For roles with keys, alarm codes, and after-hours access in churches, medical offices, or multi-tenant properties, where trust is a core qualification, not an extra.
Trust, Keys, and After-Hours Access Set
TRUST, KEYS, AND AFTER-HOURS ACCESS INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Candidate: __
Role: __
Interviewer: __
WHEN TO USE THIS SET
Use this when the role involves keys, alarm codes, after-hours access, or working in
a building with valuables or sensitive areas: a church, a medical office, a property
with multiple tenants. Janitors often have the run of the building alone, so trust is
a core qualification, not a nice-to-have.
QUESTIONS
1. This role comes with keys and after-hours access. Why are you someone we can trust?
2. Are you comfortable with a background check for this position?
(Good answer: expects it, no concerns.)
3. Tell me about a time you were trusted with access, cash, or valuables.
4. You notice supplies or items going missing. What do you do?
5. How do you handle being alone in the building with an alarm and a closing routine?
6. Someone you do not recognize is in the building after hours. What do you do?
WHAT TO LISTEN FOR
•Takes trust and security seriously
•Comfortable with a background check
•Has a track record of being trusted with access
•Knows how to handle alarms and unknown people
NOTES
__
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A janitor scorecard rating five areas 1 to 5, with a red-flag checklist, so you compare candidates on evidence instead of a vague impression. Use with any set above.
Janitor Interview Scorecard (1 to 5)
JANITOR / CUSTODIAN INTERVIEW SCORECARD
Candidate: __
Role: __
Interviewer: __
Date: _
HOW TO SCORE
Score each area from 1 to 5 right after the interview, while it is fresh. Anchor
every score to something the candidate actually said. If more than one person
interviews, each scores independently first, then compare. Use the same rubric for
every candidate for the role. Weight the areas that matter most for your setting.
Rating scale:
5 = Strong, specific evidence 4 = Solid evidence 3 = Some evidence
2 = Weak or mixed evidence 1 = No evidence or red flags
SCORING AREAS
Cleaning technique: knows proper cleaning and disinfection
Score [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ] [ 5 ]
Evidence: ______
Safety and chemicals: handles chemicals safely; knows where to check
Score [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ] [ 5 ]
Evidence: ______
Reliability: attendance, works alone, sees the job through
Score [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ] [ 5 ]
Evidence: ______
Trustworthiness: comfortable with keys, access, and a background check
Score [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ] [ 5 ]
Evidence: ______
Communication: reports problems and low supplies clearly
Score [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ] [ 5 ]
Evidence: ______
RED FLAGS (WEIGH CAREFULLY)
[ ] Vague or careless about chemical safety
[ ] Poor attendance history or excuses
[ ] Uncomfortable with a background check, no clear reason
NOTE: Use the same questions and the same rubric for every candidate for a role.
Consistent, evidence-based scoring is both fairer and easier to defend.
How to Ask: Real Examples, Deep Follow-Up
The way you ask matters as much as the question. Ask for a specific past situation, not an opinion, because cleaning and safety are easy to describe in theory and harder to prove. Then probe, especially on safety and trust, where a real example tells you far more than a confident generality.
After they answer, ask
What it reveals
What chemical or machine did you use?
Real hands-on experience versus talk
Where would you check how to handle it?
Safety awareness (the Safety Data Sheet)
How do you handle being the only one there?
Reliability and judgment working alone
Tell me about a time you were trusted with access.
A track record of trustworthiness
If a candidate is vague on chemical safety or uneasy about a background check without a clear reason, treat that as a real signal for this role. The situational interview questions guide covers asking how someone would handle a hypothetical, which pairs well with the live scenarios in these sets.
Safety, OSHA, and Background Checks
Two things make janitorial hiring more than a cleaning test: chemical safety and trust. Both are worth understanding before you interview, because they shape the questions you ask and the steps you take after hiring. Get them right and your posting attracts the right candidates and protects your building.
Hazard communication: every cleaning chemical is regulated
Janitors use disinfectants, strippers, and degreasers all day, which brings the work under the OSHA Hazard Communication standard (29 CFR 1910.1200). Employers must keep a Safety Data Sheet for each hazardous chemical, accessible to workers on every shift, label containers correctly, and train workers on safe handling before they first use a chemical. Hazard communication is consistently one of OSHA's most-cited standards year after year, so it is worth getting right from the first day. In the interview, asking how a candidate handles chemicals safely and where they would look up a chemical, the Safety Data Sheet, tells you whether they take this seriously. This is general information, not legal advice.
Slips, falls, and physical safety
Wet floors are the most common hazard a janitor creates and manages, so wet-floor signs, proper procedure, and basic ergonomics matter. The role is physical, with lifting, bending, and repetitive motion, and injuries like sprains and strains are common, so many employers provide safety and ergonomics training. A good candidate volunteers slip-and-fall prevention without being prompted. Build the safety expectations into the posting and the first-week training so a new hire starts with the right habits rather than learning them after an incident. This is general information, not legal advice.
Background checks: trust is part of the job
Janitors and custodians often work alone, after hours, with keys and access to the entire building and to sensitive areas, which makes trust a genuine qualification rather than a formality. Many employers run a background check, and schools, churches, and youth-serving organizations frequently have legal requirements for checks and child-safety training before a worker starts. Decide which checks apply to your setting, state the expectation in the posting, and collect the candidate's written consent as part of hiring. Asking directly whether a candidate is comfortable with a background check is a fair and revealing interview question. This is general information, not legal advice.
FLSA: janitorial is hourly and non-exempt
Classification is straightforward. Janitorial and custodial work is manual, blue-collar work, which does not qualify for the white-collar exemptions, so janitors and cleaners are non-exempt and entitled to overtime at one and a half times their regular rate for hours over 40 in a week. The Department of Labor is explicit that blue-collar workers are entitled to minimum wage and overtime no matter how highly paid. Because cleaning often runs in evening or overnight shifts, track hours carefully and account for any shift differentials. Some states set higher minimum wages and stricter overtime rules. This is general information, not legal advice.
Hazard Communication Is a Core Requirement
Because janitors handle cleaning chemicals, the work is covered by the OSHA Hazard Communication standard (29 CFR 1910.1200), which requires a Safety Data Sheet for every hazardous chemical, accessible on each shift, correct container labels, and training before a worker first uses a chemical. Hazard communication is consistently among OSHA's most-cited standards, so build the training into the first week.
Knowing what a strong answer sounds like is half the interview. Strong candidates describe proper technique, treat chemical safety seriously, and have a track record of being trusted with access; weak ones are vague on safety, have attendance excuses, or get uneasy about a background check. Use this as a quick reference while you listen and take notes.
Signals of a strong janitor
Knows proper cleaning and disinfection
Handles chemicals safely, checks the SDS
Reliable and comfortable working alone
Takes trust and security seriously
Red flags to watch for
Vague or careless about chemical safety
Poor attendance history or excuses
Uneasy about a background check, no reason
Would ignore a hazard or maintenance issue
How to probe an answer
Ask exactly how they did the task
Ask what chemical or machine they used
Ask what they would do in a specific scenario
Ask how they handle being the only one there
Keep it fair and consistent
Ask every candidate the same questions
Score against the same rubric
Anchor each score to real evidence
Each interviewer scores independently first
Trust and Safety Are the Tells
For most roles you weigh skills first. For a janitor, weigh trust and safety just as heavily, because the person will be alone in your building with keys and handling hazardous chemicals. A candidate who is careless describing chemical safety, or who hesitates about a background check without a clear reason, is showing you something important. Pair that judgment with the cleaning and reliability evidence, and let the full picture, not one answer, guide the decision.
Scoring Candidates With the Rubric
Score each candidate on the rubric right after the interview, while it is fresh. A rubric does not remove judgment; it makes judgment consistent, so you compare candidates on the same evidence instead of a vague overall impression. Rate each area from 1 to 5 and anchor every score to something the candidate actually said.
Scoring area
What a 5 looks like
Cleaning technique
Knows proper cleaning and disinfection
Safety and chemicals
Handles chemicals safely; checks the SDS
Reliability
Good attendance; sees the job through alone
Trustworthiness
Comfortable with keys, access, and a check
Communication
Reports problems and low supplies clearly
If more than one person interviews, each should score independently first, then compare. The same questions and the same scorecard for every candidate is the heart of a structured interview, and the scores feed a clean interview feedback step before you decide.
Janitor Pay and Classification
Janitors are paid hourly and are non-exempt, so overtime applies for hours over 40 in a week. Set your range using government data as a baseline, then adjust for your local market and setting.
Median $17.27 an Hour (BLS, May 2024)
For the federal occupation of janitors and building cleaners, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a median hourly wage of $17.27 in May 2024, with the lowest 10 percent under $13.26 and the highest 10 percent over $23.58. The occupation is large, about 2.4 million jobs, with roughly 351,300 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who leave.
Because cleaning often runs in evening or overnight shifts, track hours carefully and account for any shift differentials. Pay tends to run higher in some institutional and unionized settings, so benchmark to your specific setting and local market.
Hiring a Janitor Directly
Plenty of janitor and custodian hiring happens not at big facilities but at schools, churches, property-management companies, and small institutions, where an administrator or office manager runs the interview personally. That direct hire is different: no recruiter, real compliance to handle, and trust as a central concern. Here is how to do it well at your size.
Most janitor hiring guides are written for big facilities or cleaning companies
A lot of janitor interview content targets large facilities or cleaning contractors with their own recruiters. But plenty of direct janitor and custodian hiring happens at schools, churches, property-management companies, medical offices, and small institutions where an administrator or office manager runs the interview personally. The sets here are written for that reality: pick the one that matches your setting, ask a handful of questions, and score on the rubric, without translating an enterprise hiring process down to your size.
Trust matters as much as cleaning skill
A janitor often has keys, alarm codes, and the run of the building alone after hours, with access to offices, valuables, and sensitive areas. That makes reliability and trustworthiness genuine qualifications, not soft extras. Many employers run a background check, and schools, churches, and youth-serving organizations frequently have legal requirements for checks and child-safety steps before someone starts. Screen for it directly: ask whether the candidate is comfortable with a background check and listen for a track record of being trusted with access, alongside the cleaning questions.
High turnover means you will hire for this role more than once
Janitorial work has high turnover, so a repeatable process pays off every time you hire: the same question sets, the same scorecard, and a smooth path from offer to a safe, trained first week. That first week matters here because of safety: a new janitor should get chemical-safety and hazard-communication training and acknowledge it before handling chemicals. FirstHR fits the people side: e-signature for the offer letter and policy acknowledgments, training modules for OSHA hazard communication and safety, task workflows for the background check and first-week checklist, and document management for signed consent and records. FirstHR is an onboarding and HR platform, not a cleaning or facilities system, and it does not run payroll or administer benefits, so pair it with those. Applicant tracking is coming soon.
A Large, High-Turnover Occupation
Janitors and building cleaners hold about 2.4 million jobs, with roughly 351,300 openings projected each year, mostly to replace workers who leave (BLS and O*NET). For a small institution, that high turnover means you will likely hire for this role more than once, so a repeatable interview and onboarding process pays off every time.
From Interview to Onboarding
The interview is step one. Once you find the right janitor, the work shifts to the offer, the background check, and a safe first week. For this role, onboarding is also where safety gets handled: a new janitor should complete chemical-safety and hazard-communication training and acknowledge it before handling any chemical, and the background check should clear before they get keys.
Send the offer
Confirm the role, pay, shift, and start date in writing. An offer letter template makes this fast for an hourly, non-exempt janitorial role.
Run the background check
Collect written consent and run the check where your setting requires it, before the first shift with keys and access.
Train on safety first
Hazard communication and chemical-safety training before the first chemical is used, with a signed acknowledgment on file.
Store the records
Keep the signed offer, background-check consent, and training acknowledgments organized and easy to find.
Once your decision is made, the offer letter template handles the offer, and an onboarding template gives the new hire a structured, safety-first start. FirstHR connects the offer, background-check consent, e-signatures, safety training, and onboarding workflow in one place, so a school, church, or small property can manage the full process from interview to a trained janitor from one system. FirstHR is an onboarding and HR platform, not a cleaning or facilities tool, and it does not run payroll or administer benefits, so connect those separately. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
Key Takeaways
A janitor or custodian keeps your building clean, safe, and secure, often working alone after hours.
Interview for cleaning technique, chemical safety, reliability, and trustworthiness, not just cleaning ability.
Match the set to your setting: general, school custodian, office and commercial, or trust-and-access.
Trust is a real qualification: ask directly about comfort with a background check, required by law in many school and church settings.
The role is hourly and non-exempt; the BLS reports a median wage of $17.27 an hour for janitors in May 2024.
Onboarding is where safety gets handled: hazard-communication training and the background check come before keys and chemicals.
Frequently Asked Questions
What questions should I ask a janitor in an interview?
Ask questions that test cleaning technique, chemical safety, reliability, and trustworthiness, since those are the core of the job. Strong general questions include: walk me through how you clean and disinfect a restroom; what cleaning equipment have you used; how do you use cleaning chemicals safely; this role works alone after hours with keys, why can we trust you; and how do you handle the repetitive nature of the work. For a specific setting, add targeted questions, such as child-safety and background checks for a school custodian, or discretion around sensitive areas for an office cleaner. Ask for real past examples rather than opinions, and probe each answer for what the candidate actually did and how it turned out. This page provides five ready-to-use sets and a scorecard.
What does a janitor or custodian do?
A janitor or custodian keeps a building clean, safe, and functional, which includes cleaning and disinfecting restrooms and common areas, operating floor machines, removing trash, restocking supplies, and reporting maintenance issues. The terms janitor and custodian are largely interchangeable; custodian is more common in schools and institutions, where the role often extends to building systems, event setups, and seasonal work like snow removal. The federal occupation, janitors and building cleaners, also covers commercial and office cleaning. Much of the work is unsupervised and after hours, which is why reliability and trust are central to the role. Janitors often handle cleaning chemicals, so safe chemical handling and basic safety practices are part of the everyday job.
What is the difference between a janitor and a custodian?
There is no firm difference; the two terms are largely interchangeable and the federal occupation groups them together. In practice, custodian is the more common title in schools, churches, and public institutions, and it often implies a broader role that includes light maintenance, building systems, event setups, and seasonal tasks like snow removal, in addition to cleaning. Janitor is used more in commercial and office settings and tends to focus on cleaning, waste removal, and restocking. When you write the posting and choose a question set, match the title and the duties to your setting rather than worrying about the label, since candidates use both terms to describe the same kind of work.
Should I run a background check on a janitor?
In most cases, yes, and in some settings it is legally required. Janitors and custodians typically work alone and after hours with keys and access to the entire building, including offices and sensitive areas, which makes trust a genuine qualification. Many employers run a background check as standard. Schools, churches, and other youth-serving organizations frequently have legal requirements for background checks and child-safety training before a worker can start. Decide which checks apply to your setting, state the expectation clearly in the job posting, collect the candidate's written consent as part of hiring, and store that consent with your records. Asking directly in the interview whether the candidate is comfortable with a background check is fair and appropriate for this role.
Is a janitor exempt or non-exempt under the FLSA?
A janitor is non-exempt and paid hourly. Janitorial and custodial work is manual, blue-collar work, which does not qualify for the white-collar exemptions under the Fair Labor Standards Act, so janitors and cleaners are entitled to overtime pay at one and a half times their regular rate for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. The Department of Labor is explicit that blue-collar workers are entitled to minimum wage and overtime no matter how highly paid. Because cleaning often runs in evening or overnight shifts, employers should track hours carefully and account for any shift differentials. Some states, including California and New York, set higher minimum wages and additional overtime rules that apply on top of the federal standard. This is general information, not legal advice.
How much does a janitor make?
Janitors are paid hourly, with pay varying by region, setting, and experience. For the federal occupation of janitors and building cleaners, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a median hourly wage of $17.27 in May 2024, with the lowest 10 percent earning less than $13.26 and the highest 10 percent earning more than $23.58. The occupation is large, with about 2.4 million jobs, and is projected to grow about 2 percent through 2034, with roughly 351,300 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who leave. Pay tends to run higher in some institutional and unionized settings. For a posting, benchmark to your local market and setting, and publish a pay range where required. This is general information, not legal advice.
What safety training does a janitor need?
A janitor needs hazard communication training before handling cleaning chemicals, plus basic safety practices for the physical parts of the job. Because janitors use disinfectants and other hazardous chemicals, the OSHA Hazard Communication standard, 29 CFR 1910.1200, requires employers to keep a Safety Data Sheet for each chemical, accessible on every shift, label containers correctly, and train workers before they first use a chemical. Beyond chemicals, slip-and-fall prevention with wet-floor signs and basic ergonomics for lifting and repetitive motion are important, since sprains and strains are common in the role. Build this training into the first week and collect a signed acknowledgment before the new hire handles chemicals. Confirm your specific obligations with OSHA resources or a qualified advisor. This is general information, not legal advice.
Are these janitor interview questions legal to ask?
Yes. Questions about how a candidate has cleaned, handled chemicals, managed their attendance, and handled trust and access are job-related and permitted, because they ask about real work behavior and skills. Asking whether someone is comfortable with a background check required for the role is also appropriate. The legal caution is general to all interviewing: avoid questions that touch protected characteristics such as age, race, religion, national origin, disability, or family status, and keep every question focused on the job and applied consistently to all candidates. Using the same structured questions and the same scorecard for every candidate is itself a safeguard, since it shows you evaluated everyone on the same job-related criteria. For the boundaries of what you can and cannot ask, consult EEOC guidance or a qualified advisor. This is general information, not legal advice.
