How To Keep Your Workplace Safe From COVID-19

CONTENTS

• Ensuring excellent hygiene standards
• Undertaking a risk assessment
• Employing professional cleaning services
  • Our innovative ICE SHIELD® solution
• Other things you can do to prevent contamination
  • Avoid shared use of equipment
  • Maximising safety in communal areas
  • Regular handwashing & sanitisation
  • Educating staff
• Get in touch

In recent weeks, there has been a steep increase in coronavirus cases with the onset of the Omicron variant. This has meant that maintaining a safe and clean working environment is as important as ever.

Carrying out a regular deep clean is key to stopping the disease in its tracks. Here at ICE Cleaning, we offer specialist coronavirus decontamination services to help our customers keep their workspaces safe.

Read on to find out how you can ensure your workplace remains clean and hygienic to protect the safety of your staff.

Ensuring excellent hygiene standards

Even though coronavirus has resulted in the advancement of more people working from home, the ONS has reported that approximately 67% of people were still going into work during the period 3-14 November. This reinforces the importance of a clean working environment for employees.

The implementation of stringent hygiene measures in the workplace is important in preventing bacteria and viruses from spreading.

It also means less chance of disruption to daily operations due to illnesses. This will help to improve the overall productivity of the workforce because staff will be more content in a safe atmosphere.

Reminding staff of coronavirus policies and procedures specific to your workplace will encourage them to remain engaged with current health practices. It also places individual responsibility on employees to uphold the hygiene standards that you expect from them at work.

Undertaking a risk assessment

A risk assessment should be regularly performed in every workplace to establish any potential dangers in the environment, including from COVID-19. Once this is completed, you should implement any measures or adjustments that need to be put in place to maintain staff safety.

These assessments are important because they place the safety of all staff at the centre of how a company operates and holds them accountable for the well-being of their employees.

The Health and Safety Executive has published up-to-date guidance for employers on looking after their staff during the pandemic. To read more about this, please click here.

Employing professional cleaning services

Here at ICE Cleaning, we have a wealth of experience in coronavirus decontamination services. Our aim is to create a safe space for you and your employees to work, and we use industry-leading equipment to achieve this.

Our skilled technicians are well-equipped with the knowledge to undertake specialist contaminations cleans. We have experience in different working environments, from factories and warehouses to offices and hospitals.

Hiring a professional cleaning company for your decontamination cleaning is the best way to stop the spread of viruses and bacteria in the workspace. Deep cleaning an office is not as simple as having the right tools and equipment – it requires specialist cleaning teams who understand the right cleaning solutions and treatments to use.

Our innovative ICE SHIELD® solution

With extensive knowledge of coronavirus deep cleaning, here at ICE Cleaning we understand the importance of making staff feel safe and comfortable in the workplace. This is especially the case with coronavirus still dominating the news.

This is why we created a unique solution called ICE SHIELD®. It helps protect your workplace from bacteria and viruses for a period of up to 28 days, and is used in all of our coronavirus cleaning decontamination services.

It consists of a persistent solution that uses electrostatic technology to eradicate bacteria and viruses from your workplace. It also only takes ten seconds to start working - it cleans, disinfects and deodorises surfaces all in one go.

We would recommend an ICE SHIELD® treatment once a month. This will allow you to keep on top of your cleaning schedule, as well as preventing the spread of COVID-19 on frequently used touchpoints.

Other things you can do to prevent contamination

Whilst hiring coronavirus decontamination services is an important aspect of your cleaning routine, there are other practices you can add to your daily activities to maintain a safe workplace.

Avoid shared use of equipment

Discouraging the use of shared equipment in workspaces, such as kitchenware or apparatus, reduces the chances of COVID-19 contamination.

Additionally, while it may be tempting to make hot drinks for others while in the office, this may actually increase the spread of diseases such as COVID-19. Requesting staff bring in their own cutlery and lunches to work is a way of remedying this.

As offices are adapting to new ways of working due to the ongoing pandemic, small steps like these can make working in the office slightly easier for everyone.

Maximising safety in communal areas

To prevent employees from spreading the virus during break times, consider staggering lunchtimes throughout the day.

Consider creating designated seating areas where staff are required to sit at a safe distance while they eat and drink. This will help to keep everyone safe during busy periods.

To find out some tips about maintaining social distancing in working hours, please see this guidance from Medical News Today.

Regular hand washing & sanitisation

Reminding staff to undertake regular handwashing will also improve hygiene within the workplace. You should encourage them to wash their hands for 20 seconds with soap and warm water to aid the prevention of COVID-19.

We would also recommend having hand sanitisation stations throughout the office, particularly in places frequented often.

Another idea is to provide staff with their own hand bacterial gel where possible. This will show your employees that you are putting their safety at the forefront of everything you do and want everyone in the workplace to be happy in their working environment.

The importance of good hand washing practices is remarked upon by the NHS, who detail how this is effective at disease prevention.

Educating staff

Educating your employees of the importance of excellent hygiene in the workplace is important to ensuring a safe environment prevails.

This could be in the form of informational sessions that help staff understand what their responsibilities are in keeping the workplace clean, or could be posting leaflets around the building that reinforce how crucial the issue is.

By reiterating this message throughout the workplace, you stand a good chance chance of stopping the spread of COVID-19 in your office and protecting your staff from illness.

For more guidance on how you can protect your staff during this time, have a look at this manual provided by the government.

Get in touch

If you would like to learn more about our full professional decontamination offering, please get in touch with a member of our customer service team on 0208 066 0360 or enquiries@icecleaning.co.uk.

Our team are available 24/7, 365 days a year to answer any concerns or queries you may have.