Careteker/Superintendant

Caretakers are responsible for the care and upkeep of buildings and their grounds, including schools, offices, leisure centres, community centres and flats.



Although a lot of time may be spent working alone caretakers come into contact with a variety of people including tenants, children, teachers, contractors working on the site and the police. They may also supervise other staff such as assistant caretakers, cleaners and gardeners.



All caretakers carry out some general tasks but their exact role depends on the size and type of building they are looking after.

Maintenance

Caretakers are responsible for making sure a building is in proper working order. This involves:

* carrying out minor repairs such as mending broken windows, changing light bulbs and unblocking drains

* turning heating and lighting on and off at appropriate times

* making sure the premises are clean and that rubbish is collected and taken away, and any graffiti is cleaned up

* maintaining the grounds and removing litter.



In some schools caretakers may also be responsible for maintaining the swimming pool.



If there is a major fault, the caretaker will call in specialist help, such as a plumber or electrician. They will also arrange for other contractors such as builders to come on site when necessary.

Management

In some settings such as large schools, caretakers are taking on more responsibilities and will often need to manage a budget of their own. This includes ordering new equipment and furniture. Caretakers in this position are often called site or premises managers.

Security

Caretakers are responsible for who comes on to the site and the security of the building. This may involve monitoring CCTV and other surveillance equipment to guard against vandalism or break-ins. They may have to report some incidents to the police.



They also unlock buildings in the morning before people arrive, and then lock up at the end of the day. In schools and community centres caretakers will also be in charge of letting people in who have hired rooms for clubs or evening classes.

Other tasks

Other duties may include:

* arranging chairs and tables for meetings and clearing away afterwards

* *storing equipment and supplies safely

* understanding fire safety regulations, Health and Safety regulations, emergency procedures and the rules for evacuating a building

* *ensuring disabled access to the building where necessary

* Swimming Pool Care and maintenance

* Basic Minibus maintenance

* Sports field maintenance and other Groundwork

* Emergency cleaning of human deposits (vomit, excrement)

* Replacement of consumables (Soap, toilet rolls, hand towels)

* Replacement of lighting tubes/lamps

* Portable appliance testing

* Maintaining a variety of records and monitoring meter readings and fuel usage