Making and Keeping the Workplace Safe and Healthy

3/23/2020 (Permalink)

Safe and hygienic Workplaces

Summary: SERVPRO of Carrollton offers six steps to prevent the spread of infectious diseases in the workplace.

Time is money in the workplace. So both employers and employees can not afford lost work time due to sickness. According to a recent study by the Integrated Benefits Institute, employees covered for sick time and other lost time benefits are absent from work due to illness. And it's approximately 893 million days annually. Impaired work performance due to illness incurs an estimated 527 million lost workdays.

The number of employee absences totals at almost 1.4 billion days annually, which is larger than every nurse in the US missing a year of work.

It Pays to Stay Healthy

“To put this in further context, the cost of poor health to employers is greater than the combined revenues of Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Netflix, eBay, and Adobe,” said Thomas Parry, Ph.D., IBI President.

Whatever the expenses maybe, promoting and maintaining a healthy workplace and a healthy workforce yield a significant return on investment (ROI).

Recent news reports chronicle the emergence of a new strain of the coronavirus, COVID-19. What is COVID-19? It is a contagious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The disease has spread around the world beginning in 2019, resulting in the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic.

Most cases have only mild symptoms which include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Some people experience muscle pain, mucus, and sore throat, as well. Some cases do progress to pneumonia and more serious illness. The fatality rate is estimated between 1% and 5% but varies by age and other health conditions. The infection spreads through respiratory droplets from coughing. Once a person has been exposed to COVID-19, the onset of symptoms is, on average, about five days.

SERVPRO of Carrollton encourages everyone to protect themselves and others by following the precautions offered by the CDC. They recommend the following measures:

1. Washing hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use a hand sanitizers.
2. Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
3. Avoid touching the eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
4. Seek medical attention if one becomes sick, then stay home and self-quarantine until recovery.
5. Cover the nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.
6. Wear a facemask if one becomes sick.
7. Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily.

Workplace Specific Health Strategies

What can employers do to promote a healthy work environment in light of COVID-19 or any other infectious diseases?

A simple and efficient path to promote workplace health includes the following items:

1. Encourage hand washing with real soap for at least 20 seconds.
2. Put hand sanitizer in numerous stations around the office or facility.
3. Provide disinfectant wipes for employees to wipe down surfaces such as keyboards, mouse, desk, chair, pens, stylus, pencils, touch screens, etc.
4. Allow employees to wear disposable gloves.
5. Remind employees of the company's sick policy. Sharing COVID-19 or Influenza with workspace mates or the production crew could be very costly to all involved parties.
6. Coordinate with the facility cleaning team regarding special measures to be taken during flu season or during periods of significant employee sickness.

These measures are very basic yet they go a long way to keep the workplace healthy and happy.

When is the right time to call in a professional cleaning service to clean, disinfect, and sanitize the workplace?

Seeking consultation and assistance from a highly trained, well-informed, and experienced cleaning professional to address workplace health and hygiene is both proactive and pre-emptive. Losing multiple teams or crew members to an outbreak of an infectious disease for a week or two could crush production efficiencies. An office or sales force outbreak could slow or halt sales generation and depress a revenue cycle. The cost of an absentee employee is so much more than paid sick leave.

A qualified cleaning professional can provide prevention strategies for a business as well as for a school, daycare or church. People recognize SERVPRO as the industry leader for water and fire damage restoration and disaster recovery. The SERVPRO team also specializes in commercial cleaning at a level that exceeds other cleaning services. Using advanced restoration and cleaning equipment, SERVPRO experts clean to the deepest level. Adhering to CDC guidelines, they use only the safe and hospital-grade solutions to wipe out germs and bacteria.

For a deep clean that can address germs and infection in an office workspace or industrial environment, the SERVPRO team offers a comprehensive solution that includes disinfecting all floors and flat surfaces. Cleaning the air ducts, HVAC system, and blinds and removes dust and mites that can cause or worsen a reaction. Since COVID-19 causes inflammation throughout the lungs, removing dust reduces exposure to particles that exacerbate inflammation. SERVPRO can clean the drapes, upholstery, and carpet where dust, dirt, and germs hide. They can also address the more heavy-duty situations out on the plant floor and in the canteen, showers, and restrooms.

SERVPRO can make any business look, smell, feeling fresh and clean at the same time making it a sanitary and safe environment. Most people only think of a flooded basement, a sewage spill, fire damage, or disaster recovery when they think of SERVPRO. But the professionals at SERVPRO have been providing deep clean and regular maintenance for businesses, schools, daycares, churches, and homes for decades. They are the pros who know how to serve.

For more information about commercial cleaning services, call SERVPRO of Carrollton at (972) 446-0383.