As parts of the workforce reopen and workers return from layoffs due to the COVID-19 outbreak, there are a variety of health and safety concerns you need to address before any employees enter your workplace. The coronavirus has forced businesses around the world to deal with normalcy, workers must keep their distance from each other, hygiene and cleaning are part of daily operations and…
Where do we start? There are some effective health and safety measures provided by federal agencies that you can follow to protect your workers from contracting COVID-19 and other diseases. For example, the Trump administration has issued guidance for employers preparing to reopen, which will help you develop policies in the following areas:
Determining distance from other people in society
Personal protective equipment
Check the temperature
COVID-19 testing and contact tracing
How to disinfect high traffic areas
Limit business trips
OSHA is another federal agency that has issued guidelines for preventing the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace, and its recommendations are based on guidelines developed by the CDC. When implementing policies that adhere to the guidelines of various agencies, one of the most important things is to stay up-to-date with the federal, state, and local laws that apply to your business because some areas open later than others. The shape of the opening and the challenges you face will be unique to each center. However, there are some methods that any employer can employ to ensure the safe return of their employees.
Create a healthy workplace
Although you already have health and safety protocols implemented in your daily operations, getting ready to welcome employees means you need to expand existing protocols to further protect your employees and ensure guidelines are followed. To prevent the spread of COVID-19, every worker should take personal and collective hygiene measures. The most common methods currently recommended include:
Screening workers and preparing a questionnaire that asks them if they experience flu-like symptoms (fever, body aches, headache, difficulty breathing, cough) or if they have recently been in contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19.
Conduct temperature checks as employees and visitors enter the workplace.
Workers should refrain from coming to work if they feel sick.
Develop and implement a response plan in case of employee positivity for COVID-19, including quarantine and workforce tracing methods.
It is important that employers adhere to EEOC guidelines and keep any health information strictly confidential.
Maintain a health facility
As workers return, one of the most important actions is cleaning the workplace. The CDC provides guidelines for cleaning and disinfection that include:
Reminding employees to wash their hands frequently and for at least 20 seconds
Sufficient supply of hand sanitizers, wet wipes and disinfectants and other cleaning supplies
Asking employees to clean common items or spaces, such as doorknobs, copiers, clocks, desks or workstations, computer keyboards, and telephones
Encouraging respiratory etiquette (covering coughs and sneezes)
Install open doors so people don’t have to touch handles
In addition to personal hygiene, hygiene in lunch rooms and other break areas is very important. It is recommended not to use shared microwaves and refrigerators and encourage employees to bring their own coffee mugs and containers instead of sharing them among employees. Areas where people tend to collect and share items should be given special attention. These changes may take some time for workers to get used to. To communicate these new practices, post hand-washing signs around your workplace, reminding employees to practice hygiene. Placing the necessary posters and signs can ensure that workers are doing what they can to keep the workplace clean.
Provide personal protective equipment
Depending on where you live, you may need to wear a face covering when in public. The CDC has updated its guidance on face coverings, urging everyone to wear them to prevent the spread of respiratory droplets because many people who test positive for COVID-19 are asymptomatic. Many workplaces are required to require both their employees and any customers or visitors to wear masks in their workplace.
In addition to the mask, you need gloves, safety glasses and safety protection to prevent the spread of the disease. According to OSHA’s PPHA standard, employers are required to provide their employees with the necessary PPE to stay safe in the workplace, as well as train them in the safe use, disposal, use and disposal of protective equipment.
Practice social distancing
Workplace safety is about more than disinfecting surfaces, and employers need to make physical changes before workers return. The CDC has established a safe distance of at least six feet to prevent the spread of respiratory illness and has asked everyone to social distance. Before employees return, ask yourself: How is social distancing in your workplace? As with most other safety recommendations, there are general guidelines:
Ensure that desks and other stations
The works are six feet apart
Reducing the amount of sitting in waiting areas, rest rooms and meeting rooms
Placing social distancing strips and other types of floor markings as a visual tool to indicate where people should stand to maintain their distance
Changing visitor policies so that fewer people come to work
Rotating shifts so that fewer employees are present at a time
This may take some time for employees to get used to. Post signs throughout your facility to remind and encourage people to practice social distancing. You can also post signs on office doors and other areas to encourage employees to follow social distancing guidelines and remind them about the number of people allowed.
Other health and safety tips
Other workplace concerns with returning employees depend on the nature of your business. One of the biggest factors is whether you are able to work remotely. The return can happen gradually, as you require certain teams to work physically in the office while others continue to work remotely. You may also ask a certain number of your employees to come to the company on certain days or hours. Whether your job requires the physical presence of employees or not should be based on your job requirements.
What if employees test positive for COVID-19? Before workers return, you must establish procedures for how you will work:
Ensure workplace is thoroughly cleaned (including contracting with third party cleaning vendors)
Conduct contact tracing to see if other employees come into contact with a person who has tested positive
Temporarily shut down or ask employees to work remotely for a specified period of time
Having these policies in place in advance will help you control positives quickly, which will keep your employees healthy and your business intact.
Back to work
Before your employees return to work, you should have a plan in place that clearly explains policies and procedures and addresses a variety of issues specific to your workers and workplace. When you have operational procedures in place as part of your daily COVID-19 plan, you can train workers to fully understand the new policies and adhere to these protocols every day.
Keep in mind the fact that even when workers return, day-to-day activities will not be the same. Although you offer the same type of work in the same location, the day-to-day tasks and concerns of the workers will be different. It is important for businesses to take advantage of these changes. Assess your condition daily. Assess company ethics, take complaints about unsafe work practices seriously, and stay abreast of updates from health authorities as new advisories are issued.
Source: https://www.creativesafetysupply.com/articles/returning-to-work-safely/
