4 Tips for a COVID-Free Workplace
As an employer, you have the responsibility to do everything you can to provide a safe working environment. This includes protecting your workers from infection with the virus that causes COVID-19, a potentially deadly lung disease. Prevention can be challenging because the virus spreads by person-to-person contact, which is essential in many business environments. If it is necessary that your employees come to the office rather than work from home, here are some prevention methods that can help keep everyone safe.
1. Physical Distancing
Wherever possible, you should space your employees out so that they are working at least three feet apart from one another. This helps to prevent them from being within range of respiratory droplets from co-workers that could contain the virus. Three feet is a minimum; it is preferable to have greater spacing when possible.
2. Barriers
Where physical distancing isn’t possible, you can use barriers to help stop the trajectory of respiratory droplets. For example, you could engage plastic welding services to create transparent barriers that allow workers to see each other while still affording protection from invisible contagions. A simpler example of a barrier is a mask, which you should require, or at least strongly encourage, all workers to wear. If you can obtain and supply disposable masks, this removes the excuse that the worker does not have access to one.
3. Hygiene and Sanitation
One of the most effective ways of preventing the spread of illness such as COVID-19 is proper hygiene. Depending on your business, you may already have signs advising employees to wash hands frequently. You can also help by providing alcohol-based hand sanitizer at convenient and prominent locations around your office.
Hygiene alone is not enough, however. You also need to clean and disinfect the office more frequently. Concentrate your attention on high-traffic areas where a lot of people come in contact with objects and surfaces.
4. Reasonable Attendance Policies
Many workers feel pressure to come into work even if they feel ill to avoid penalties. Revise your attendance policies to be consistent with public health guidance and stress to your employees the importance of isolating themselves when sick.
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