Keeping your business premises safe and hygienic is an important way of protecting customers and staff, which is especially important during the pandemic and post-pandemic world. While employers have a duty of care to their workers, optimizing workplace safety and the hygiene can also reduce illness amongst staff and minimize absences. To find out how you can make your workplace safer for everyone, take a look at these five to improve hygiene now:
1. Install Automatic Doors
When bacteria and viruses can be spread by contaminated surfaces, automatic doors can have a major impact on workplace safety. With a range of options available from Automatic Door and Hardware, you can choose doors that enhance security, improve workplace design and operate automatically. As a result, people won’t have to touch the door or handle in order to open it, which can reduce the spread of illness.
2. Use Hand Sanitizer Stations
Hand sanitizer shouldn’t replace handwashing, but it can be a more convenient option in many environments. When you have hand sanitizer stations located strategically around the workplace, staff can use them as frequently as they choose. This will help to kill bacteria and viruses, thus preventing transmissions and reducing the rate of illness amongst staff.
3. Integrate Screens and Dividers
Many modern offices are open plan, which can make it difficult to control the spread of illness, particularly if an airborne virus is present, as it is with COVID-19. However, Perspex screens can be integrated into open-plan offices to offer more protection to workers. This can help to prevent germs from spreading and improve hygiene in the workplace.
If your business is customer-facing, such as a retail store, you can also use screens and dividers at interaction points, like tills and checkouts. As well as keeping your staff safe, this will reassure customers that you’re putting their well-being first too.
4. Introduce Absence Policies
If staff feel compelled to come into work when they’re not well, you’ll find that illnesses will spread throughout the workforce more frequently. By having appropriate absence policies in place and ensuring that staff feel able to take time off work when they’re unwell, you can prevent other people from contracting the same illness. While many business owners attempt to discourage workers from ringing in sick, people working when they’re unwell can be counterproductive for your company and harmful to your staff.
5. Increase Deep Cleaning Regimes
Keeping your workplace clean and tidy is an important way of reducing the risk of accidents, but it can also prevent illnesses from spreading too. When you have an office or workspace deep cleaned on a regular basis, you can ensure that bacteria and viruses are effectively removed. By doing so, you’ll make the space considerably safer for workers, customers, and visitors.
Maintaining a Hygienic Working Environment
Keeping a workplace safe and hygienic means implementing regular routines and ensuring staff have the resources they need. By upgrading the fixtures and fittings, introducing new solutions, and encouraging workers to put safety first, you can transform your workplace and garner the respect and trust of your workforce.
