If you have been listening to the news, you may be afraid that a new wave of Covid-19 could resurface this winter. Maintaining good hygiene practices at work becomes more critical in times like this. Learn how to clean your office and protect yourself and your co-workers from coronavirus and other viruses.
Good handwashing practice
One of the most important things you can do to combat coronavirus or other contagious viruses in the workplace is to wash your hands.
Coronavirus is transmitted in part through contact. Washing your hands frequently is an excellent way to protect yourself and others. It would be best to wash your hands after using the bathroom, before, during, and after food preparation, before eating, after blowing your nose or sneezing, after touching someone else, and after touching garbage.
Make sure to wash your hands with warm soap and water for at least twenty seconds.
Hand sanitisers
Hand sanitisers can kill bacteria faster than regular hand washing. Taking some on the way past the dispenser is much more efficient than taking a trip to the bathroom whenever you want to wash your hands.
Even better, mounting hand sanitiser dispensers around your workplace during flu season can help prevent the spread of illness and reduce staff absence.
Although this practice should not substitute for regular handwashing, it may be helpful to for visitors to the building.
Harmful bacteria are typically transferred when touching pens or even door handles and light switches. Hence, antibacterial gel will help to guard against this happening.
Plenty of sanitary supplies
Making it convenient is the key to ensuring everyone does everything they can to keep the workspace clean. Ensure people should never be out of arm’s reach of a bottle of hand sanitiser. If they want to clean their workspace, breakroom, or hands, the tools to do so should be readily available.
Ensure to have a bottle of sanitiser near every doorway, and give every employee a pack of wipes to keep at their desks.
Antibacterial desk wipes
A study found that the average keyboard is 20,000 times dirtier than a toilet seat. Another research by the University of Arizona found that one of the top 10 germs hotspots in the office, the phone, has approximately 25,127 microbes per square inch! The average office desktop harboured 400 times more bacteria than the average office toilet seat. Providing workers with antibacterial wipes will aid in the reduction of potentially harmful bacteria forming on office equipment.
Keep clean communal spaces
It is also a good idea to encourage your employees to maintain the cleanliness of common areas. If you have cleaning staff, consider hiring them for extra hours to keep communal spaces clean.
You can also set up a cleaning schedule among employees to ensure that spaces like break rooms, kitchens, and bathrooms don’t become havens for germs.
Generally speaking, a sponge or dishcloth should be replaced regularly.
Another study by the University of Arizona found that 89% of kitchen tea towels tested positive for coliform bacteria (present in faeces, which can cause food poisoning or diarrhoea), and 25.6% tested positive for E. coli.
Office tea towels are likely to harbour more bacteria as they are likely to be used by more people. It is therefore advisable that you wash them regularly.
Antibacterial spray for kitchen work-surfaces
Providing antibacterial spray in the kitchen will allow employees who have caused spillages to clean up afterwards effectively. The sink area and any eating stations must be sanitised between uses and ready for the next employee.
Provide paper hand towels over actual towels in the bathroom
Bathroom hand towels similarly harbour a vast number of bacteria. This goes double for offices where multiple people may use the same towels, causing them to become saturated and moist – an ideal breeding ground for harmful bacteria.
Providing paper hand towels significantly reduces the spreading of harmful bacteria as there is less chance of the bacteria being passed from person-to-person.
Mandatory hygiene signs
Workplace mandatory hygiene signs have been proven to have shown an increase in employee hygiene standards. These signs should be placed in clear view of workers preparing food in the kitchens and for those taking a bathroom break in the toilets. Different styles are available, including those that display the most effective hand-washing regimes.
Final Thoughts
Enforcing regular cleaning habits will help in maintaining cleanliness in your office. When your workplace is cleaned regularly and safe to work, fewer employee turnovers will eventually boost efficiency and productivity.
If workplace hygiene is important to your organisation, then we are here to help. We leverage our years of experience in the cleaning industry to provide a service that can achieve the level of cleanliness that you want. Why not contact us to see how we can help you and provide a FREE quote.
