Workplace hygiene
While some employees have settled into working from home, many key workers and skeleton staff are in the workplace.
IOSH has developed a seven-step workplace hygiene guide along with a care checklist. The guide will help you to ensure that everyone is safeguarded as they work behind the scenes to keep your organisation operational during these challenging times.
Advice for Workplace Hygiene
Understand where there is potential for the virus to spread and consider where working environments and activities may need to be restricted or reduced.
Exposure can be minimised by considering essential staffing requirements. For instance, how can you restrict or contain activities and locations or workspaces to essential levels, while still adhering to guidance on social distancing?
How you can best minimise exposure through enhanced workplace hygiene:
|
Examples |
Measures |
Caution/care points |
|
Workstation Desks, tables, computers (screen/keyboard/mouse) Telephones, work tools and other regularly handled tools/equipment/machinery controls/panels Window openers, blinds |
To be wiped with disinfectant regularly
|
Equipment usage by others (shared or multi-use)
Appropriate disinfectant - type, application, inhalation/contact health risks
Availability/stock of suitable disinfectant –Substitution could lead to increased harm |
|
Transitory areas Corridors, stairs, escalators, lifts |
As above |
As above |
|
Communal areas Rest rooms, canteens, meeting rooms, prayer rooms |
As above |
Canteens – food hygiene & handling rules apply.
Use disposable plates & cutlery |
|
Shared facilities Small business, shared buildings, |
Agree collective arrangements/preventative measures |
Cohesive effort & maintained vigilance to change |
|
General (internal) Workplace Air conditioning Air circulation/movement Ventilation |
Check filter efficiency /effectiveness
|
Avoid use of re-circulated air, closed units |
Communication during this period is key. It is vital that all staff members, including agency and locums, are kept updated with the latest advice and guidance. This should include how to report symptoms to a manager and how to monitor your health and wellbeing.
Define the required standards, rules and behavioural expectations: workplace and personal hygiene; distancing and personal contact; and operational flexibility (for example, allowing skeleton staff to start later or finish earlier).
To ensure adherence to defi ned standards, rules and expectations, the following should
be considered:
- Leadership – managing remote staff, ensuring adherence to (enhanced) health and
hygiene controls and strict consistency of application.
Responsiveness to changes in circumstances – consider timeliness, consistency and clarity
of messaging and communications.
During this time, as government rulings change, your working environment will also need to be reviewed constantly, with the safety and health of all staff being the priority.
The following should be reviewed continuously:
- Being vigilant to changes in health of staff (and/or families)
- Keeping informed. Awareness of external threats: partners/customers/clients
Develop a plan of what to do if someone becomes ill with suspected Covid-19 at your workplace.
The plan should cover putting the sick person in a room or area where they are isolated from others in the workplace, limiting the number of people who have contact with the sick person
and contacting the local health authorities.
For more information about workplace hygiene in the healthcare sector, please see: Advice for healthcare workers.
For more information about workplace hygiene in the healthcare industry please see: Advice for Healthcare Workers