As the world continues to get a handle on the pandemic that has uprooted so many people’s lives, businesses globally are gearing up to open up their buildings for employees to get back to work.
There are some new precautions businesses have to put in place in order to keep their workers safe.
You can find out more information about that on the Occupational Health & Safety website. Employers, building owners and managers can take steps to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Here are some tips.
What To Do Before Resuming Business Operations
Check all your building’s ventilation systems work properly. You want to make sure that the air that is being circulated throughout the building is safe to breathe and free of the virus.
For building heating, ventilation, and air conditioning that has been shut down for a while or on the setback, make sure that it works properly.
Another thing you should consider is to intensify the circulation of the outdoor air.
You can do this by opening up the windows and letting some fresh air in from time to time. You could also use a fan. If opening the window or doors puts you or anyone else in danger, do not open the window or doors.
Make sure that you find out more about the office building and its mechanical life safety systems.
You want to make sure that the building is in fact ready for occupancy. You are looking for hazards that are typically associated with extended periods of facility shutdown.
This could include things like mold growth, rats, mice and pests. You should also check for issues with stagnant water systems. Take the necessary precautions as soon as you see these signs.
It would also be a good idea to conduct an in-depth hazard assessment so that you can easily spot out hazards that could potentially infect employees.
Areas where people typically gather like the kitchen, break room, cafeteria, locker rooms, check-in areas, waiting areas and routes of entry and exit. These places around the office are the places in which your employees will be at the most risk.
Once you have identified all the areas, you need to come up with a plan. Communicate that plan with all the employees in that building. Everyone needs to know what is going on, even independent contractors.
When Employees Come Back
It is important that you maintain social distancing guidelines when your employees start showing back up to work.
That might mean that you have to move furniture and work stations around to accommodate the 6-foot rule.
You should also install a transparent shield and other physical barriers so that your employees and visitors are separated as much as possible.
Use signs, tape marks and other visual cues to help people remember to maintain distance from each other when it no longer becomes obvious.
With things in the kitchen that are typically touched often like coffee and snacks, swap those things out with individually wrapped items.
This reduces the risk of spreading the virus in the office building.
- DISCLOSURE – This post has been written by an outside source
