Cleaning Management User Roles & Permissions

The Cleaning Management module supports environmental services, infection prevention, and bed/OR turnaround operations. Access control must ensure that cleaning staff and supervisors can work efficiently while protecting patient-identifiable and infection-related data in line with UAE PDPL and emirate-level infection control standards.

Role Definitions

Cleaning Staff

• Description: Frontline environmental services staff performing routine, discharge, OR turnover, terminal, and ad‑hoc cleaning tasks according to assigned protocols and checklists.
• Typical UAE Job Titles:
• Housekeeping Attendant
• Environmental Services Technician
• Cleaner (Hospital)
• Scope of Access:
• Patients: Indirect, minimal — can see room/bed identifiers and high-level infection flags (e.g., “Contact precautions”) needed to select correct protocol and PPE, but no detailed diagnoses.
• Data:
  • View and update own assigned cleaning tasks.
  • View location/zone details, room/bed identifiers, protocol name, checklist items.
  • Record supplies used, maintenance issues, and task timestamps.
  • No access to analytics, configuration, or other staff records.
• Reporting Hierarchy:
• Reports operationally to Cleaning Supervisor / Dispatcher.
• May have dotted-line reporting to Facilities Manager for HR/roster matters.

Senior Cleaning Staff

• Description: Experienced cleaning staff with advanced training in infection control and biohazard handling; can handle complex/terminal cleaning and mentor others.
• Typical UAE Job Titles:
• Senior Housekeeping Attendant
• Senior Environmental Services Technician
• Team Leader – Housekeeping
• Scope of Access:
• All Cleaning Staff permissions.
• Can be assigned terminal/infection-control tasks and OR turnover tasks.
• Can view tasks for their team/zone to support coordination.
• Can document specialized procedures (biohazard cleanup, UV/fogging).
• Reporting Hierarchy:
• Reports to Cleaning Supervisor / Dispatcher.
• Provides functional supervision/mentoring to Cleaning Staff.

Cleaning Supervisor / Dispatcher

• Description: Oversees daily cleaning operations, task assignment, real-time dispatch, and quality inspections; coordinates with nursing and bed management.
• Typical UAE Job Titles:
• Housekeeping Supervisor
• Environmental Services Supervisor
• Cleaning Dispatcher
• Scope of Access:
• Patients: Room/bed and basic infection/isolation flags; no detailed clinical records.
• Data:
  • View all cleaning tasks for assigned facility/department/zone.
  • Create, assign, reassign, and cancel tasks.
  • Manage daily/weekly schedules within allowed zones.
  • Perform and record quality inspections.
  • Generate operational reports for their facility/zone.
  • Manage cleaning zones (non-structural attributes; structural facility data remains owned by EHR/Facilities).
• Reporting Hierarchy:
• Reports to Facilities Manager.
• Coordinates with Charge Nurse and Bed Management Coordinator for priorities.

Facilities Manager

• Description: Overall owner of environmental services and cleaning operations; responsible for staffing, protocols, supplies, and performance analytics.
• Typical UAE Job Titles:
• Facilities Manager
• Support Services Manager
• Director of Facilities & Engineering (with housekeeping responsibility)
• Scope of Access:
• All Cleaning Supervisor permissions.
• Configure cleaning protocols, checklists, zones, and schedules (subject to infection control approval where required).
• Manage cleaning staff records (zone assignment, shifts, certifications).
• Manage supply inventory parameters and monitor usage.
• Access full analytics and KPI dashboards across all facilities under their remit.
• Reporting Hierarchy:
• Reports to Hospital Operations Director / COO.
• Works closely with Infection Control Officer for protocol alignment.

Infection Control Officer

• Description: Clinician or infection prevention specialist responsible for infection-control policies, terminal cleaning protocols, and compliance monitoring.
• Typical UAE Job Titles:
• Infection Control Officer
• Infection Prevention & Control (IPC) Consultant
• Infection Control Nurse (senior)
• Scope of Access:
• Patients: Access to infection/isolation flags and pathogen-type data necessary to define protocols and verify terminal cleaning; detailed clinical data remains in EHR.
• Data:
  • Flag rooms for terminal cleaning and specify pathogen-based protocol.
  • Define and approve infection-related cleaning protocols and checklists.
  • Inspect and approve post-terminal cleaning room clearance.
  • View infection-control compliance reports and terminal cleaning KPIs.
• Reporting Hierarchy:
• Reports to Chief Medical Officer / Quality & Patient Safety Director.
• Functionally collaborates with Facilities Manager and Nursing leadership.

Charge Nurse

• Description: Unit-based nursing leader coordinating patient flow, bed allocation, and readiness; interacts with cleaning to minimize bed turnaround time.
• Typical UAE Job Titles:
• Charge Nurse
• Unit In‑Charge
• Senior Staff Nurse (acting charge)
• Scope of Access:
• Patients: Full clinical access via EHR (outside this module); within Cleaning module, limited to viewing cleaning status for beds/rooms under their unit.
• Data:
  • Request cleaning for specific beds/rooms.
  • View bed cleaning status and estimated completion time.
  • Verify room readiness (nursing confirmation) before admitting next patient.
• Reporting Hierarchy:
• Reports to Nurse Manager / Unit Manager.
• Coordinates with Cleaning Supervisor and Bed Management Coordinator.

Bed Management Coordinator

• Description: Central coordinator managing hospital bed allocation and occupancy; relies on real-time cleaning status to optimize patient placement.
• Typical UAE Job Titles:
• Bed Management Coordinator
• Patient Flow Coordinator
• Admissions & Bed Control Officer
• Scope of Access:
• Patients: Access to bed/room status and high-level infection flags as needed for placement; detailed clinical data via Scheduling/EHR, not via Cleaning module.
• Data:
  • View cleaning status for all beds/rooms in assigned facilities.
  • Expedite cleaning tasks by adjusting priority (within defined rules).
  • Update bed availability status once both cleaning and nursing readiness are confirmed.
• Reporting Hierarchy:
• Reports to Patient Access / Admissions Manager or Operations Manager.
• Works closely with Charge Nurses and Cleaning Supervisor.

Permission Matrix

Legend:

• ✅ = Allowed
• ❌ = Not allowed
• 🔒 = Conditional (context-based, configuration, or higher-role approval required)

Note: Many 🔒 permissions are controlled by configuration and may require dual approval (e.g., Facilities Manager + Infection Control Officer) before activation.

Role Hierarchy

• Permissions generally inherit downward within the cleaning line: Facilities Manager ⊃ Cleaning Supervisor ⊃ Senior Cleaning Staff ⊃ Cleaning Staff (with some exceptions for infection-control–specific actions reserved to Infection Control Officer).
• Charge Nurse and Bed Management Coordinator are peer roles from other modules with limited, context-specific permissions in Cleaning.

Context-Based Access Rules

1. Facility-Based Restrictions (Multi-Facility)

• Users are associated with one or more facilities.facility_id.
• Cleaning Staff / Senior Cleaning Staff:
• Can only see and act on tasks where task.facility_id is in their assigned facility list.
• Cleaning Supervisor:
• Typically limited to one facility; multi-facility access requires explicit approval.
• Facilities Manager:
• May have multi-facility visibility; configuration must reflect organizational structure.
• Charge Nurse / Bed Management Coordinator:
• Cleaning views are filtered to facilities they manage in the Scheduling/Bed Management module.

2. Department- and Zone-Based Restrictions

• Each user is mapped to one or more cleaning_zones.zone_id and/or departments.department_id.
• Cleaning Staff:
• Default task assignment restricted to their primary zone(s).
• Cannot view tasks outside assigned zones except when explicitly dispatched.
• Senior Cleaning Staff:
• Can view tasks across their team’s zones for coordination.
• Cleaning Supervisor:
• Full visibility for zones they supervise; cannot modify zones outside their remit.
• Charge Nurse:
• Can request and view cleaning only for rooms/beds in their unit’s department.
• Infection Control Officer:
• May have cross-facility, cross-department visibility for infection-related tasks, but detailed patient data remains in EHR.

3. Patient Relationship Requirements

• Cleaning module primarily handles operational data; however, infection flags are sensitive health data:
• Infection flags are displayed as minimal indicators (e.g., “Contact”, “Droplet”, “Airborne”) without diagnosis names.
• Only Infection Control Officer (and EHR roles) can see pathogen-specific details; cleaning roles see only protocol-level instructions.
• Access to infection flags is justified under treatment and infection-control exemption (Federal Law No. 2/2019 and PDPL healthcare exemption) and must be:
• Limited to staff directly involved in cleaning that room/bed.
• Logged with purpose = infection_control.

4. Time-Based Access (Shift-Based)

• Each cleaning staff member has assigned shifts (from Shift Definitions master data).
• Shift enforcement:
• Task acceptance and start actions are allowed only when current_time falls within an active shift (with configurable grace period).
• Off-shift access to task lists is read-only (for upcoming shifts) unless emergency override is used.
• Supervisors:
• May have extended access beyond shift hours for planning and reporting.
• Charge Nurse / Bed Management Coordinator:
• Access aligned with their scheduling module roles; cleaning views follow same session/shift rules.

5. Emergency / On-Call Overrides

• In emergencies (e.g., major spill, outbreak, mass casualty):
• On-call Cleaning Supervisor can temporarily assign tasks across zones and facilities.
• On-call Senior Cleaning Staff may be allowed to accept tasks outside their usual zones.
• These overrides:
• Must be explicitly flagged as emergency = true.
• Are time-limited (e.g., 2–4 hours) and require post-event review by Facilities Manager and/or Infection Control Officer.

Break-the-Glass Procedures

Although the Cleaning module holds mostly operational data, it can expose sensitive infection-related information and room-level patient association. Break-the-glass (BTG) is required when a user attempts to access cleaning-related data beyond their normal context, especially infection flags or restricted zones.

1. When BTG is Required

Examples:

1. Cleaning Staff tries to view infection flag details for a room not assigned to them.
2. Supervisor from Facility A attempts to view tasks in Facility B during an outbreak.
3. Bed Management Coordinator attempts to access detailed terminal cleaning logs for a restricted isolation ward.
4. Any user attempts to view pathogen-specific protocol notes that are normally limited to Infection Control Officer.

2. BTG Workflow

1. Trigger: - User attempts an action that violates standard context rules (facility/zone/patient relationship).
2. Warning Screen: - System displays clear message:
   • “You are requesting emergency access to restricted cleaning information. This access is for genuine emergencies only and will be fully audited.”
3. Justification Entry: - User must select reason (e.g., “Immediate spill cleanup”, “Outbreak response”, “Mass casualty event”) and enter free-text justification.
4. Authorization Check: - For certain roles (e.g., Cleaning Staff), BTG may require:
   • 🔒 Immediate supervisor approval (e.g., Supervisor enters their credentials or approves via mobile notification), or
   • Pre-configured “emergency profile” activation by Facilities Manager.
5. Temporary Access Grant: - Access is limited to:
   • Specific room/zone and time window (e.g., 30–60 minutes).
   • Minimum necessary data (infection flag, protocol, checklist).
6. Audit Logging: - System records:
   • User ID, role, facility, zone
   • Timestamp and duration
   • Data accessed (rooms, tasks, infection flags)
   • Justification text and selected reason
   • Approver (if any) and IP/device details
7. Post-Access Review: - Daily or weekly review by:
   • Facilities Manager (operational appropriateness).
   • Infection Control Officer (for infection-related BTG).
   • Any suspicious or unjustified BTG events escalated to:
   • Data Protection Officer / Compliance team per PDPL.

3. UAE PDPL Implications

• Infection flags and room-level associations are sensitive personal data (health data).
• BTG events represent high-risk processing and must:
• Be minimized and justified under healthcare exemption (treatment, public health, or vital interest).
• Be included in the facility’s records of processing activities.
• Be available for inspection by regulators (MOH, DOH, DHA, UAE Data Office) if requested.
• Patients’ rights to access logs:
• On request, the facility must be able to show when their infection-related data was accessed, including BTG events, subject to clinical safety considerations.

Segregation of Duties

To reduce risk of misuse, fraud, or inappropriate access, certain role combinations and actions must be segregated.

1. Conflicting Role Combinations

The following combinations must not be assigned to the same user account:

1. Facilities Manager + Infection Control Officer - Rationale: One defines operational protocols and staffing; the other defines clinical infection-control policies and compliance. Combining both undermines independent oversight.
2. Cleaning Supervisor + Bed Management Coordinator - Rationale: Could allow manipulation of both cleaning status and bed allocation, leading to inaccurate reporting or inappropriate bed readiness declarations.
3. Cleaning Staff + Charge Nurse - Rationale: Blurs clinical vs non-clinical responsibilities and may expose detailed patient data to cleaning staff.
4. Cleaning Supervisor + System Administrator (outside this module) - Rationale: Should not have both operational control and technical control over audit logs and access rules.

If organizational constraints require dual responsibilities, the system should:

• Use separate user accounts per functional role.
• Enforce that only one account is active per session.
• Apply stricter audit and review of such accounts.

2. Dual Sign-Off Requirements

Certain high-risk actions require two independent approvals:

1. Creation or modification of terminal cleaning protocols: - Initiator: Facilities Manager or Infection Control Officer. - Approver: The other party (e.g., Infection Control Officer approves Facilities Manager’s proposal).
2. Deactivation of infection-related checklist items: - Initiator: Facilities Manager or Cleaning Supervisor. - Approver: Infection Control Officer.
3. Bulk changes to cleaning schedules affecting isolation wards: - Initiator: Cleaning Supervisor. - Approver: Facilities Manager and, for high-risk wards, Infection Control Officer.
4. Override of failed inspection without re-cleaning: - Initiator: Cleaning Supervisor. - Approver: Facilities Manager or Infection Control Officer (depending on reason).

All dual sign-off actions must:

• Capture both approvers’ identities and timestamps.
• Be immutable in the audit log.
• Be included in periodic compliance reports.

UAE Regulatory Compliance

1. Data Protection (UAE PDPL & Federal Law No. 2 of 2019)

• Data Minimization:
• Cleaning roles see only operational data and minimal infection indicators required for safe cleaning.
• No diagnoses, lab results, or detailed clinical notes are displayed in this module.
• Purpose Limitation:
• Cleaning data is processed for treatment support, infection control, and facility operations only.
• Any use for research or external reporting must use de-identified or aggregated data and follow separate governance.
• Access Control & Audit:
• Role-based and context-based access enforced as described above.
• All access to infection flags and BTG events is logged and retained per clinical retention policies.
• Data Subject Rights:
• Patients can request an audit of who accessed infection-related data; the system must be able to produce logs including cleaning module access where relevant.

2. DOH / DHA Infection Prevention Standards

• Cleaning protocols and checklists must be aligned with:
• DOH and DHA infection prevention guidelines (e.g., terminal cleaning after isolation cases, OR turnover standards).
• Role permissions ensure:
• Only appropriately trained staff (Senior Cleaning Staff, specialized teams) can be assigned terminal cleaning tasks.
• Infection Control Officer has authority to define and approve infection-related protocols and verify terminal cleaning completion.

3. Cybersecurity (NESA / ADHICS)

• Access to the Cleaning module is authenticated via the central HIS user management (users, roles, permissions).
• Multi-factor authentication and network controls (e.g., VPN) apply as per ADHICS and NESA requirements, especially for remote access to dashboards and analytics.
• Mobile access for Cleaning Staff must:
• Use secure channels (TLS 1.2+).
• Support device-level security (PIN/biometrics) and session timeouts.

This roles & permissions specification should be implemented in coordination with the shared users, roles, and permissions infrastructure defined in ../ehr-patient-mgmt/02-roles-permissions.md, ensuring consistent RBAC and audit behavior across the HIS.