How Can You Stop the Coronavirus from Spreading In Your Workplace?

How Can You Stop the Coronavirus from Spreading In Your Workplace?

Do you work in an office or are you an employer, responsible for the health and wellbeing of employees, not mention the health of a business?

If you are, you’re probably worried about the spread of the coronavirus and the impact it might have if it’s not contained sooner rather than later.

Workplaces like offices are breeding grounds for illness; people work in close proximity, eat lunch at their desks, occasionally share mugs, and might not always pay close attention to the cleanliness of their work area.

But there are some common sense ways that you can stop the coronavirus from spreading in your workplace.

How does the coronavirus spread?

Like many other viruses, the coronavirus is spread by:

Particles or droplets that are released into the air when a person with the virus coughs or sneezes.

Close contact with an infected person, such as shaking hands. This alone is not enough to infect you; the virus enters your body if you then go on to touch your mouth, nose, or eyes without washing your hands.

Touching contaminated surfaces

If there are virus particles on surfaces, touching these, then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes can allow the virus to enter your body.

This all might sound scary (and a little disgusting), but because we know how viruses spread, we can take precautions to stop the coronavirus spreading in our workplace.

How to prevent the coronavirus from spreading

Measures you can take

Even though you’ve probably heard these countless times in the last few weeks, it never hurts to have a reminder.

Wash your hands with soap and water, for at least 20 seconds. Make sure you do this after using the toilet, before eating, and every time you leave or enter your workplace. Alternatively, you can use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser if soap and water is not available. We’ll talk more about washroom etiquette later on in this article.

Avoid touching your nose, mouth, or eyes if you haven’t washed your hands. The chances are, you’ll only just have realised how much you actually touch your face, but try your best to keep your hands busy and refrain from doing so.

Avoid contact with anyone who is sick, even if their symptoms are mild.

Stay home when you are sick. The latest government advice is that anyone displaying even mild symptoms of fever or a cough should self-isolate for seven days.

Eat well and get plenty of sleep to keep your immune system firing on all cylinders.

Keeping your workplace clean

Because the coronavirus can live on surfaces for days, keeping them clean has to be a priority.

Disinfect your work area regularly with wipes that contain at least 60-70% alcohol, especially things you touch often like phones, your desk, and your computer keyboard. Before you start work, and at regular intervals:

• Remove everything from your desk and wipe the surface down.
• Wipe your desk phone, especially the mouthpiece and keypad.
• Hold your keyboard over the office bin and give it a tap to remove any debris that’s stuck between the keys and give it a good clean with the wipes.
• Don’t forget to clean your mobile phone too, as these are an often forgotten breeding ground for bugs.

What can employers do to stop the coronavirus from spreading in the workplace?

Restrict traveling to meetings-use video conferencing instead.

Think about allowing people to work from home where possible.

Encourage anyone who is unwell to stay at home and communicate information and advice about your sickness policy and sick pay to employees.

Keep the workplace EXTRA clean

Now we aren’t saying that your cleaning procedures aren’t rigorous already, but in the face of a rapidly spreading coronavirus pandemic, you’ll probably need to take it up a notch.

Here’s what you can do:

Clean surfaces, washrooms, meeting rooms, lifts, beverage bays and staffrooms, and bin areas regularly-at least once per day. Consider doing a deep clean of the premises, even if this means drafting in a specialist company.

Print out posters and guidance on how to reduce the chance of spreading the coronavirus and put them in staff kitchens, bathrooms, and around entrances and exits.

Provide plenty of soap, paper towels, and hand gels.

A word on washrooms…

Bathrooms are already germy places at the best of times, but many of them will be bearing the brunt as people sneeze and cough their way through this current outbreak. Make sure that there’s a regular and thorough deep-cleaning schedule in place for bathrooms, especially toilets, toilet roll dispensers, sinks, urinals, door handles, hand dryers, soap dispensers, light switches, and any other surfaces/shelves.

Why a no-touch bin is your secret weapon against viruses

Bins are a breeding ground for germs and if your office or washroom bin is full of discarded tissues that people have sneezed in to (gross, we know) or used to wash their hands, you don’t want to be putting your hands anywhere near it.

Your best option for hygiene is a no-touch bin, where the lid can be opened by simply waving your hands across the lid. The sensor senses movement and opens the bin on-demand, and you don’t have to touch a germy lid.

Check out our Hygi-Top Sanitary Waste Bin for your washrooms. Of course, these are only a glimpse into our high-quality range of bins designed to keep your workplace clean, tidy, and hygienic.

For more information on advice on the bins you need for your workplace, get in touch with our friendly expert sales team on 01684 292727 or at sales@litterbins.co.uk