Whistl: a four-week warehouse builders and high-level clean

The challenge

Whistl runs mail, parcels, fulfilment and logistics across the UK, and its new distribution warehouse at Cribbs Causeway in Bristol had just come off the end of construction. The building looked complete, but a newly built warehouse is not ready to operate. It carries construction dust and debris across a very large floor area, high-level steelwork, cladding and services that have never been cleaned, and hard floors that need bringing down to a safe, working standard. Ascent Onsite Group was appointed to do that, and to reach an operational finish over four weeks.

The scale was the first pressure. A distribution warehouse is a large industrial volume, and construction residue sits everywhere from the roof steel and cladding down to the floor slab. The second pressure was the deadline. Whistl needed to begin operations without delay, so the four-week programme could not slip. The clean had to be systematic across a big space, reach high level and the full external cladding without disrupting the schedule, and meet rigorous hygiene and health and safety standards before the building could be handed over for use.

Our approach

We ran a systematic four-week programme, working the building top down so cleaned areas stayed clean. High-level dust was removed from steelwork, cladding, services and elevated surfaces using Space-Vac systems, which reach height safely without towers or scaffold. The large hard-floor areas and external surfaces, including the full cladding line, were brought back with industrial jet washing, and steam mops and sanitisation equipment finished the internal spaces to hygiene standard.

The crew were certified to Health, Hygiene and CSCS standards and worked to strict COSHH and health and safety protocols throughout. Because the space was so large, the workflow was coordinated zone by zone, keeping the team moving through the building in a controlled sequence rather than working against itself.

The result

The warehouse was completed on schedule at the end of the four weeks, spotless and ready for use. Construction dust and debris were cleared from roof steel and cladding to floor slab, the floors and external surfaces were brought to an operational standard, and the facility met the rigorous hygiene standards Whistl needed. The handover let Whistl begin operations without delay, turning a finished building site into a working distribution hub.