In the last few months, the rise of COVID-19 has disrupted our everyday life in an unprecedented way. Businesses have had to close their doors, and have employees work from home. We have slowly evolved to fewer restrictions leading to businesses starting to open their doors and attempt to resume normal operations. This leads to a question that hangs heavily in the air: How to keep your employees safe in your office space as things start to open again? Luckily, CDI has compiled a list of safe practices from the CDC so you can take measures to protect yourself from COVID-19 while resuming work in your office space.
Maintain a distance of at least 6 feet from other people.
Wash hands regularly with soap for at least 20 seconds.
Use hand sanitizer (at least 60% alcohol) when hand washing is unavailable.
Avoid touching face with hands.
Stay home when sick.
Routine cleaning of surfaces to decrease how much the virus is on common surfaces -this includes tables, doorknobs, coffee pots, keyboards, light switches, etc.
Clean surfaces and objects using soap and water prior to disinfection. Always wear gloves appropriate for the chemicals being used, and follow the directions on the label to ensure safe usage.
Wear face covering, ensuring both mouth and nose are covered.
If your workplace, school, or business has been unoccupied for 7 days or more, it will only need your normal routine cleaning to reopen the area. The virus that causes COVID-19 has not been shown to survive on surfaces longer than this time.
Please see https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-n-disinfectants-use-against-sars-cov-2 for approved cleaning products to use against COVID-19, this will help determine the appropriate disinfectant for the surface or object.
Post signage around the office reminding staff of cleaning and distancing guidelines.
Stagger arrival times, lunchtimes, and departure times.
Limit the amount of in-person meetings.
While cleaning and maintaining distance is crucial, it is just as important to communicate with your colleagues or staff. Each individual will have different needs both emotional and personal, and some may need different accommodations to ensure their safety. While some will be able to resume work in the office, others may be risking their health due to underlying conditions and will be unable to come in. Be open and communicative, keep them informed on the latest policies, and let them know their safety is a high priority.
Can CDI help your office take information further? Contact us at sales@cdi.support.