A higher level of protection

The following are recommendations to help limit cross contamination among your Team Members.  Please also consult the CDC website for more ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other flus and viruses

Workspaces

For manufacturing and factory Team Members, start by asking these questions:

• Can your Team reduce sharing of workspaces?
• Can you keep Team Members working in pairs?
• If equipment needs to be shared, can a simple disinfectant wipe down between users, wear gloves?
• Can you split up your team in separate shifts and keep them separate. Perform a disinfect wipe down after each shift

For office environments, here are a few options to consider:

• Can your Team work from home or perhaps on a rotating schedule? (i.e. stagger by cubicles or work stations, so no one is working within 6-10 feet of each other)
• Have office visits take place from the door, when possible and one-on-one meetings can take place in a larger conference room. Use intercoms, instant messaging, or video calls when possible in the office
• If essential office work needs to occur within the office, try to work in pairs and minimize interactions outside of that pair, when possible. This may prevent the entire office from getting a virus or sick
• If equipment needs to be shared, perform a simple disinfectant wipe down between users with a spray bottle, paper towels (ideally with an automated dispenser or have the users wear gloves
• Bring a lunch to avoid going to public dining environments
• Don’t enter offices, stand at office doors but avoid touching or leaning against door or door frames
• If possible, implemented new or diverse work schedules

Reducing Risk

• Track all daily (in person) employee interactions
• For those in essential services, have each Team Member email HR on a daily basis every person they came within close contact.  Should one Team Member get sick, you now know everyone that could be at risk and not have to quarantine the entire team.

Outside Vendors

Limit or eliminate all vendors from entering your office.   Use other creative measures to interact with Vendors.

Limiting Traffic Patterns

Within your work areas, assign each Team Members their daily route.  Require that Team Members enter in a specific door, use a specific restroom, avoid the cafeteria, bring their lunch and eat at their desk or even in their car. 

Handling Common Areas

• Limit/close all shared spaces that are not business essential unnecessary, including Break rooms, seating areas, cafeterias, lounges.  If necessary to stay open only allow a single chair at each table or keep everyone at least 6 feet apart and have disinfectant wipes at each table or area.
• Prop open all doors that people are forced to open/close

Sharing equipment

• Provide gloves, wipes or disinfectant at each of these locations and provide a process to properly disinfect the equipment each time.
• Remove the public use of coffee machines, carafes and other shared  food equipment.  Do this at your OWN RISK.  If your team can function without the use of coffee, consider removing these machines during times of outbreak.  As a coffee lover, this would be tough to give up.
• Provide spray bottles of disinfectant or wipes at all high-touch point areas (Kitchens, bathrooms, reception, conference rooms, etc)

Create Regular Disinfecting Schedules

Take specific interval breaks and have assigned Team Members perform disinfectant wipe downs on all high-touch areas

• Door knobs
• Bathroom handles
• Copier
• Printer
• Mail rooms

Team Member Care

If using alcohol-based hand sanitizers, be certain to provide lotions for hands, as the alcohol will dry out your hands and could cause a quick infection of the disease, should one come in contact with the virus or germs. These disinfectant wipes are a good option.

Also, during Lock downs, quarantines, and restrictive public restrictions in the environment, some people might struggle with depression.  Provide literature and resources to keep your Team engaged and safe.

Increase Communication

During times of crises and dramatic life and work changes, be sure to communicate with you team on a regular basis.  Leadership and Department heads should meet with their team daily or weekly at a minimum.  Team Members need to know you have things under control.

Additional Recommendations and Resources can be found on the CDC website:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/guidance-business-response.html

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/disinfecting-building-facility.html