Workplace safety was once an afterthought, a matter of formality to many businesses. With the world slowly reopening in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, safety has become the primary focus for business owners to avoid further disruptions in operations. The impact goes beyond mere protocol, with office spaces now requiring additional hygiene and safety standards, each employee must be protected by a plexiglass room divider and hand sanitiser stations.
For many smaller businesses, emerging practices are prohibitively expensive. In truth, there are more straightforward, equally effective measures you can take that won’t impact your budget or disrupt your day to day operations. Until the concerns of Covid19 dissipate, businesses will be required to focus on hygiene safety requirements while also searching for methods to maximise office function efficiency. These methods aim to preempt the spread of the virus for employee and customer safety, which in turn reduces the number of days closed or lost profits. For example, some offices have integrated regular COVID-19 testing into their workplace health and safety plan. Group COVID testing in Texas and other US cities with a service such as Drip Hydration can help business owners ensure the workplace is as safe as possible during the pandemic. In this article, we look at some handy, easy to implement practices that will improve safety without untoward fuss.
Disposable Face Masks
One of the first things we started seeing as businesses began to resume onsite work was the rather callus policy that employees should provide themselves with face masks. For many, it is probably a matter of the expense that deters them; however, this is somewhat short-sighted.
While not all companies went this route, those that did set a dangerous precedent. An uncaring approach that is easily remedied by the comparatively reasonably priced practice of providing limited daily supplies of disposable face masks to your staff. Alternatively, business owners are also able to save costs by provided reusable face coverings such as face shields or washable face masks.
UV Light Sanitizers
Computer peripherals and work surfaces have always been a health concern. The buildup of bacteria is a valid health concern as it is. With the advent of Covid-19, we have all started taking more seriously the dangers of invisible health risks. It is impractical, however, to use liquid sanitisers on computer equipment. UV light sanitisers are a once-off expense that can be used to disinfect pretty much any surface imaginable.
When considering that there is hardly any reason to believe that the Covid19 outbreak will simmer down any time soon, it has now become far more logical for businesses to make one-off investments. UV light sanitisers in comparison to gradually spending a more considerable fortune in liquid sanitiser products.
A New Smartphone Policy
We have always thought it is a bit dictatorial when companies impose restrictions on smartphone usage. Indeed, any employee without the basic respect not to sit and text at work has more deeply rooted issues that need to be addressed.
However, we digress. One of the new concerns when it comes to smartphones is that they are a proven breeding ground for bacteria and viruses. Implementing a disinfecting policy for personal devices will help reduce the risk of any viral infections.
A No To Gloves
Few people seem to be aware that gloves are not an effective countermeasure to the spread of viral infections like the coronaviruses. Unless your line of work had previously required the use of gloves, wearing them now is nothing but detrimental to the fight against the spread of viral infections.
The problem has never been that exposing your hands to Covid-19 presents a risk of infection. The real question is that we frequently touch our faces without realising it, and preliminary studies have shown that wearing gloves exacerbate the risk of viral infection in this way.
Provide Hand Lotion
This may not seem like a sensible precautionary measure. Still, when you consider that most people, when questioned regarding their disdain for using hand sanitiser, cited dry skin as the primary determinant, it starts to make sense.
People are pretty much fed up with dry hands caused by using alcohol-based hand sanitiser. Providing an inexpensive hand moisturiser is an easy way to get people to sanitise more frequently without the associated discomfort.
Consider Switching To A Remote Office Space Permanently
While recently businesses were forced to operate remotely where possible as a result of the lockdown measures, most regions have already started the gradual reopening of their economies. As a result, remote working has now become a viable solution for businesses. However, most companies quickly disregarded the benefits of remote office environments in hopes of returning to some form of normality.
Despite the reopening of economies and the option to return to work, it is a sensible conclusion to consider encouraging a remote environment for your team where possible. This will eliminate the concerns of the virus spreading within your workplace, while also offering more generalised benefits such as a reduction in business rental costs among several others.