5 Steps Facilities Are Taking to Reopen Safely During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Many businesses are looking for ways to safely reopen their doors during the coronavirus pandemic. During the past couple of months, we’ve seen more of our clients begin to bring people back into their facilities.
But as they begin to resume business in their offices, they are taking a number of steps to keep employees, customers and vendors safe.
We’ve been working closely with our clients in Tennessee throughout the coronavirus pandemic to help them keep their facilities clean and their people healthy. As we partner with these businesses, we’ve seen a number of common steps they are taking to operate safely and prevent the potential spread of COVID-19 in their facilities.
As you explore which safety measures and precautions to take in your facility, it might help to know what other companies are doing to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Coronavirus Safety Measures for Facilities
Here are the most common coronavirus safety measures we are seeing our clients take in Tennessee:
1. Encourage social distancing.
Almost every client we are working with has taken steps to encourage social distancing throughout their facility.
The majority of businesses have signs posted throughout their building to remind employees and guests to keep six feet apart whenever possible.
As part of this effort, here are some additional steps companies are taking to encourage social distancing in their offices:
- Encouraging no more than four people per elevator;
- Reducing or removing seating from common areas and break rooms;
- Rework or eliminate shared working environments to space people farther apart;
- Encouraging remote working and meetings when possible;
- Rotating schedules so fewer employees are on-site at a time; and
- Limiting outside access from customers and vendors.
2. Enforce mask wearing and other forms of PPE.
Many cities and counties in Tennessee, including Nashville and Knoxville, now require masks inside buildings. However, there are still some places in the state where masks are not mandated.
But even in locations where masks are not mandated, most businesses are encouraging employees, vendors and guests to wear masks when entering the building, especially in common areas. In some cases, companies are not allowing people in the building without a mask.
Because our chemicals are natural and non-toxic, our technicians do not need to wear masks to safely apply our cleaning processes. However, we are following the requests and requirements for each of our clients. In other words, if a client requires that vendors wear masks in their facility, we are following those guidelines.
In addition to masks, in some cases, our clients are requiring gloves, masks and eye protection for vendors when entering the facility. And while those aren’t needed for our chemicals, we follow the guidelines set by our client. In cases where there are no guidelines for vendors, we are adhering to the local mask mandates as required and following the best practices outlined by the CDC.
3. Temperature checks when entering.
Although this step is a little less common, some of our corporate and multi-tenant clients are requiring temperature checks before anyone enters the building.
In the case of vendors who arrive after hours, we are taking temperature checks on our own before entering the building to ensure no one is entering the building while sick.
This extra measure is helping ensure that anyone who enters the building isn’t experiencing potential symptoms of COVID-19.
4. Hand sanitization and hygiene reminders.
Keeping sanitization practices at the forefront of people’s minds is a common step for a number of businesses. Many of our clients have added hand sanitizing stations throughout their facilities. And in some cases, facilities are providing hand sanitizer to all employees.
Additionally, companies are posting reminders in bathrooms and throughout their facilities to wash hands thoroughly and to avoid touching your face with unwashed hands.
5. Additional surface cleaning.
Some businesses are taking additional measures to more regularly clean and disinfect their facilities. In particular, companies are focusing on cleaning high-touch surfaces like doorknobs, light switches, faucets, phones and desktops. In some cases, that means more frequent cleanings from their janitorial staff or encouraging employees to wipe down surfaces.
We are working with a number of businesses to deploy our SaniShell Surface Protection system to both eliminate harmful germs and viruses from surfaces and prevent them from coming back. Not only does our SaniShell system sanitize surfaces, but it also adds an invisible protective layer that’s proven to continue killing viruses, bacteria, mold and mildew for months.
That means, you save the time, money and hassle of repeated disinfection services. And, you get the peace of mind knowing that your surfaces are not harboring germs that could make your team sick.
Plus, taking the step to both eliminate and prevent germs on your surfaces can help you decrease the level of exposure possible in your building.
What steps are you taking in your facility?
Although every business is different, every one of our clients are taking a number of steps to ensure that their facilities are operating as safely as possible during the coronavirus pandemic.
We would love to know – what steps is your business taking to keep employees and customers safe? Share your comments below so we can all find ways to be healthy together.
And if you are in Tennessee and would like to see our SaniShell Surface Protection system in action, contact us to schedule a free demo. We would love to help you!