Now that the Coronavirus has reached Kent, fears of a countywide epidemic have heightened. Boris Johnson revealed yesterday that Covid-19 could affect four in five of us, which could potentially lead to one in four employees absent at one time.
Should such high stats become a reality, it’s never been so important for businesses to be vigilant and optimise workplace hygiene.
The NHS and health officials are issuing advice on washing hands and limiting physical contact with colleagues. Still, if the Coronavirus does spread, there are steps businesses can make to improve the hygiene in their workplace.
JBH Refurbishments, a Kent based fit out contractor that specialises in providing hygienic workplaces for laboratories, hospitals and medical centres, has issued their top tips on workplace hygiene to maintain a healthy working environment:
- Wash cups between every use. It may take more time to wash up cups between use, but it could prevent cross contamination between employees.
- Use antibacterial spray on all surfaces before and after eating. Clean desks, keyboards, your mouse, iPads and phones. If you share a company vehicle, clean the steering wheel, handles and gear stick.
- Have your ventilation and air conditioning system professionally cleaned. The build-up of dust and particles in the filters are the ideal breeding ground for germs and bacteria. Having your system regularly cleaned with commercial anti-bacterial cleaners helps to purify the interior air quality.
- Naturally ventilate your office. Open windows for 20 minutes per day in areas where there is good outdoor air quality to naturally ventilate your office.
- Provide free hand sanitiser to employees and encourage handwashing.
- Wash hard floors into the corners. Corners and edges are often missed, but in areas fitted with cap and cove flooring, this should be straightforward.
- Wipe washroom walls and areas where hygiene is of utmost importance. Hygienic clad walls make cleaning walls surfaces easy, leaving no excuses.
- Up your cleaning hours. If you have a cleaner in once a week, try to increase their visits to carry out a thorough clean.
- Empty bins daily to remove used tissues, food waste and wrappers.
- Clean payment card keypads between use with antibacterial spray or wipes. This also applies to other items that come into regular contact with multiple people, such as door handles.
“These are just some simple steps that businesses can follow to prevent spreading illnesses of all types,” explains Jason Hubbard of JBH Refurbishments. “We encourage businesses to share these tips with their staff to improve hygiene in the workplace at such a critical time.”
For advice on creating a healthy and hygienic workplace the JBH Refurbishments team are on hand to offer advice and free consultations. Contact the team on 0333 207 0339.
