Simple tips to protect your workplace during this Coronavirus outbreak

March 13, 2020

The coronavirus continues to grow globally, rapidly - and how! With new outbreaks happening almost daily, it is necessary for employers everywhere to communicate with their workforce and take health & safety precautions to plan for emergencies.

Since we spend most of our time at our workplaces, some extra efforts to prevent the spread of infections in offices is the need of the hour.

Basic workplace preventive measures for the COVID-19

These simple low-cost measures will help prevent the spread of infections in your workplaces and protect your customers, contractors and employees.

Maintain proper hygiene in your workplaces
Reach out to your workers with regular factual updates
Encourage frequent hand-washing
Assure availability of sanitation facilities
Routinely clean and disinfect all frequently touched surfaces
Avoid hand-shakes & keep distance from your colleagues
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
Restrict business travel to COVID-19 prevalent areas
Advice employees not to use public transport at peak times
Encourage sick employees to stay home
Screen visitors for exposure to or symptoms of virus

Manage the risk when organizing meetings & events

There is a high chance that people attending your meetings or events are unknowingly exposed to the virus and bringing this risk to the meeting. Take simple precautionary measures before and after every event for maximum safety.

Consider replacing the vis-à-vis meetings with a teleconference or online event.
Include minimum number of participants
Make provisions for tissues, sanitizers, closed bins and hand-washing facility
Have surgical masks available to anyone who exhibits respiratory symptoms
Avoid physical contact during the meetings
Arrange seats in a way so that the attendees are seated at least one meter apart
Make sure the venue is well ventilated with open windows and doors
Retain the names and contact details of all participants for at least one month post the meeting/event.

Reconsider your employees’ travel plans

Restrict or postpone travel to COVID-19 affected areas
Avoid sending employees who may be at higher risk of serious illness to the prevalent areas (e.g. older employees, heart or diabetes patients, workers with low immunity)
Make sure travelers are briefed about the risks and preventive protocol
Ensure your employees know what steps to take and who to contact if they feel unwell during the travel
Employees who have returned from travelling should monitor themselves for symptoms for 14 days and work from home for this period

Have an action plan ready

Apart from these precautionary measures, employers need to have an action plan ready in case an emergency situation arises:

Develop a plan of what to do when someone becomes ill with suspected virus
Figure out a space or room to put the ill person in isolation until the local health authorities reach out for help
Identify and extend support to people who may be at risk without discriminating
Plan a continuity process in case an outbreak occurs in the communities where your business operates

Simple planning and following the preventive protocol can make a big difference!