The 6 steps you can take to clean offices and workspaces to slow the spread of Coronavirus
By now, you are more than likely aware of the global pandemic that is COVID-19 and the government issued advice to help slow the spread of it. That advice largely centres around good hygiene and social distancing, but what does that mean for your office or workspace? We have outlined some good practices to adopt in your place of work to keep staff and clients safe.
Clean and disinfect surfaces
While there is currently no data at the time of publishing of how long COVID-19 lasts on surfaces, information regarding similar viruses suggests that it can last for 2-3 days on plastic and metal surfaces. With that in mind, regular cleaning of tabletops, desks and other workspaces can keep workers safe from the novel coronavirus. It is recommended that any cleaning agent contains at least a 62% solution of alcohol or bleach- these are the most effective ways of killing coronavirus in under a minute.
Clean and disinfect all touch points throughout the day
Much like disinfecting workplace surfaces, it is also vital to identify what areas people touch multiple times a day and ensure they are cleaned regularly as well. This can include touchpoints such as door and window handles, light switches, coffee machines and even phones in the office. All of these shared points of contact for employees, and any visitors you may have, can harbour and therefore spread dangerous germs.
Provide hand sanitiser for staff
Keeping our hands clean during this pandemic is essential to slow the spread of coronavirus. Providing hand sanitiser that is alcohol-based within the office can remind people to sanitise regularly, especially after coughing or sneezing. If possible, it would also be extremely beneficial to set up a handwashing station within the office, allowing staff to clean their hands regularly with soap and water- the best way to kill the virus on the body.
Educate employees on good hygiene practices
Good hygiene, particularly in a working environment, is needed now more than ever. Practices such as washing hands immediately after sneezing or coughing (while touching as few surfaces as possible) and sneezing/coughing into your own elbow is a good place to start. If possible, make sure that tissues are available around the workplace for people to catch their sneezes and coughs, along with bins to put the dirty tissues into. Reducing the particles of the virus that are emitted into the air by catching them in an elbow or tissue first, greatly reduces the risk of coronavirus being spread.
Maintain or create set workspaces
Where possible, it is beneficial to reduce the number of surfaces each individual touches. One method for this would be to create set workspaces for each employee, so they are not having to move around the room or touch other people’s work surfaces. Ensuring that each employee is able to maintain a 2m of distance from others is also a necessity at all times. This could mean moving desks around or utilising more than one room to work in to allow this space.
Ventilate the room
Bringing in fresh air by opening windows or using ventilation systems that do not simply recirculate the air, is a great way to reduce the risk of contamination. Doing so dilutes the air of the harmful particles and therefore reduces the chances of it being inhaled by another person. It also causes the particles to land on surfaces quicker, which can be cleaned by a disinfectant therefore killing the virus.
While these tips cannot guarantee that no one in your office will contract coronavirus, it can limit the spread of it, and ultimately reduce the risk. Please follow all government regulations surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak, and stay well.