How to protect your workplace from Viruses and bacteria
Workplaces can be a breeding ground for viruses and bacteria which can lead to high levels of sick days for your employees, lower morale and decreased productivity. Since the outbreak of Covid, office disinfection and office sanitising are more important than ever.
How bacteria and viruses are spread through the office
Viruses and bacteria spread through offices primarily through:
- person to surface contact.
- respiratory (person to person).
- airborne transmission (droplets in the air).
Why germs spread fast:
- Sick employees attending work.
- Insufficient cleaning.
- Poor airflow.
- Type of surfaces- bacteria tends to live longer on plastic surfaces.
How to disinfect the office effectively
1. Focus on areas that get touched most frequently
- Office keyboards
- Phones
- Reception desks
- Shared electronics
- Printers and photo copiers
- Door handles
- Lift buttons
- Stair railings
- Bathroom fixtures
- Door handles
Ensure you use high quality disinfectants to eliminate bacteria.
TOP TIP: give each desk antibacterial wipes so employees can easily wipe down keyboards and desk regularly throughout the day to ensure adequate office disinfection.
2. Invest in commercial cleaning and disinfecting
Commercial cleaning companies use industry approved methods and cleaning products. Hiring a commercial cleaning company will also provide consistency.
Daily cleaning will ensure that your office is protected from viruses and bacteria all year round.
TOP TIP: Up your office disinfection and office sanitising in the winter months.
3. Encourage sick employees to stay home.
Encouraging sick employees to stay home is essential to stop the spread of viruses and bacteria. With the possibility of hybrid working, It’s better to encourage employees to either work from home when unwell,or to take time off to recuperate and avoid longer absenteeism.
- Employees who are unwell often produce lower quality work.
- One sick employee can lead to more employees coming down with illness.
- Encouraging rest shows you care for employees’ welfare.
- Sick employees staying home protects vulnerable staff who may have weakened immune systems or family members who do.
4. Encourage hand hygiene
Our hands carry thousands of germs and bacteria that can easily lead to viruses.
With shared office spaces it’s easy for germs and bacteria to spread through high touch zones.
- Place posters in staff toilets showing how to effectively wash hands.
- Damp hands can spread bacteria more easily, so ensure your staff toilets are well stocked with hand towels or that hand dryers are in working order.
- Bacteria can live on hands for 3 hours, so place anti bacterial hand gel around the office and on desks to encourage regular hand sanitising.
5. Ensure you stay on top of waste disposal
Inadequate waste disposal will not only encourage pests in your office but it can also be a breeding ground for pathogens.
- Touching dirty bin lids can cause hands to spread the bacteria around the office.
- As part of office disinfection you should ensure that bins are cleaned out regularly as biofilms can thrive even after rubbish is removed.
- Plastic surfaces can allow harmful bacteria to survive for longer periods of time, so ensure as part of your office sanitising you thoroughly disinfect plastic bin lids.
- During warmer weather, ensure waste disposal is done more regularly along with bin disinfecting.
- Have separate bins for wood waste, rubbish and recycling to limit bacterial load.
- Encourage hand washing after touching bin lids or disposing of waste.
6. Improve airflow
Disinfect the office by improving air flow which can minimise the concentration of pathogens in the air.
- Control humidity: high levels of humidity create an environment for bacteria to grow. Increasing air flow in small spaces can help reduce moisture.
- Invest in HVAC systems: HVAC systems can reduce the amount of particles that include bacteria.
- Open windows regularly: open windows on the opposite sides of the room to improve air quality.
- Use fans in high risk areas like bathrooms to push contaminated air out.
7. Keep distance between office desks
A good way to prevent viruses and bacteria from spreading so quickly, is to put distance between employees desks. You can place physical barriers like screens and partitions which can help protect employees from germs.
TOP TIP: Disinfect screens and partitions as part of your weekly cleaning schedule.
8. Focus on communal areas
Communal areas like shared breakrooms and staff kitchens can be home to lots of germs and bacteria.
- Avoid the use of shared cups and cutlery encouraging staff to bring their own.
- Ensure staff microwaves and fridges are cleaned out regularly.
- Keep on top of kitchen bins.
- Make sure spillages are dealt with quickly.
- Clean dish cloths and tea towels regularly to avoid bacteria.
- Deep clean upholstery at least once a year.
9. Schedule deep cleans
To protect your workplace from viruses and bacteria, it’s recommended to deep clean twice a year.
Deep cleaning will:
- Target built up grime and dirt that might get missed during a regular clean.
- Deep clean floors and carpets.
- Deep clean upholstery.
- Help restore hygiene and cleanliness.
- Give a more thorough clean than daily cleaning.
- Help you prepare for inspections and audits.
Taking steps to protect your workplace from viruses and bacteria will allow you to focus on running your business.
At Creswells we understand the challenges of office disinfecting and office sanitising. Our commercial cleaning and disinfecting services are catered to you and your needs, ensuring that your office stays protected from viruses and bacteria.
Contact our team for a commercial office cleaning quote today.