The government has just announced that we are entering the next phase in the easing of the lockdown, which includes a phased return to work for staff unable to work from home. If you are unable to work from home, a clean workplace is a safe workplace.
Working in an office will be quite different for the foreseeable future and will require a set of workable agreements and rules of conduct. Ensuring the health and safety of the employees working will need to be priority number one for any employer.
Conforming to social distancing measures and the government guidelines will be the first step to ensuring a safe place of work. You can find the full set of guidelines in section three of the governments Coronavirus outbreak FAQ's.
But what else can be done?
In a situation like this, a clean workplace is a safe workplace. Taking precautionary cleaning measures before returning to work and ensuring a strict and thorough cleaning schedule is adhered to will ensure any work environments are as safe as possible.
Deep Clean Your Environment Before Returning
Performing a deep, disinfectant clean before re-occupying your workspace will guarantee that any harmful germs in the environment are killed. A deep clean will offer peace of mind to those returning that it is safe to do so.
By using a professional cleaning service with tried and tested cleaning products and techniques will make sure that your deep clean is successful. A successful cleaning method with excellent success during the Coronavirus period is using an Electrostatic Sanitising Spray System. It works by an encompassing spray effect that covers all surfaces and touch points and eliminates all viruses, including COVID-19.
In basic terms it creates a positive charge in the spray gun which kills the Virus on contact and then creates a barrier that creates a residual kill protection and is effective for up to 14 days. As the droplets dispensed are only 40 microns, it is safe to use on electronics and, unlike fogging, which is a targeted method, you don't have to switch off critical systems and it can be applied in normal ventilated systems.
This method is an efficient, proven defence against the contraction and prevention of Coronavirus.
Increase Your Cleaning Schedule
All places of work are likely to have a cleaning schedule in place – if you do not, you may be working in a dump!
Increasing your cleaning schedule will help stop the spread of harmful germs and virus’. Some cleaning services you may have in place could include:
- Janitorial cleaning
- Daily cleaning
- Periodic cleaning
- Washroom services
- Kitchen deep cleaning
- Laundry Cleaning
Each business will need a different combination of the cleaning services above. When returning to work, you will need to evaluate the services you currently run and the services you may need to deploy.
Throughout your schedule, it is vital that you are using disinfectant products (Non-abrasive blog). Disinfectant cleaners help kill and stop the spread of harmful germs. Many disinfectants used for cleaning will be in the form of a non-abrasive cleaner.
It will also be vital to consider the areas most affected by the flow of people within the workplace as these are likely to be a hotspot of germs. These types of areas can include:
- Break and kitchen area
- Toilets
- Receptions
- Meeting rooms
- Handles in busy walkways
Increased cleaning of these areas should be incorporated into the revised cleaning schedule.
Dispose of waste properly
Waste disposable will be essential in ensuring a safe workplace on your employees return to work. Examples of common waste include:
- Toilet/sanitary waste
- Food
- Recycling
- General waste
Waste is an unhygienic by product of everyday living. It often holds and harbours germs. In the case of toilet and sanitary waste, this is not more correct! Waste should be removed at the end of each day to a safe holding area until it is able to be properly collected and disposed of.
Personal Hygiene
Each employee maintaining a high level of personal hygiene whilst at work will help create a safe workplace. Some examples of measure that can be taken are included below:
- Washing hands regularly
- Keeping personal work areas clean and sanitised
- Capturing sneezes or coughs in a tissue
- Disposing of any waste or rubbish quickly by the proper means
- Interacting with as little objects and surfaces as possible
By being self-conscious and promoting the message across the workplace, you will naturally increase the overall cleanliness.
Use a Professional Cleaning Service
Employing a professional cleaning company to manage your cleaning services will benefit you in more than one way.
The quality of clean and service provide will be to a professional standard. The expertise and experience a cleaning company has been developed over many years. This will ensure that the methods and techniques being deployed are correct for purpose. If you do not think your cleaning service is up to scratch – maybe try another company?
Outsourcing to another company will minimise the risk of your employees catching the virus when performing cleaning tasks. It will also save on money having to buy equipment to protect the cleaner from potentially contracting the virus.
It will save you time and effort. Time is precious and yours may be better focused on doing what you are great at. Whether you use that time to improve your business of spending it with loved ones.
So, remember, a clean workplace is a safe workplace
The health and safety of your employees must be the main priority during the government’s phased return to work.
Use these cleaning measures to give your workplace the best chance of staying safe and coronavirus free.