Over the past two months, several regions in the U.S. have made numerous sacrifices to “flatten the curve” of COVID-19 spread. These efforts have been largely successful, and many areas are now moving towards the next phase of this pandemic: slowly reopening their economies. This is great news for those who have been furloughed or forced to work at limited capacity during this time. However, returning to work doesn’t mean everything has returned to normal just yet. The risk of transmitting or receiving COVID-19 still looms, which means businesses and employees that are getting back to work soon must take the proper precautions to minimize and control infection.

So, whether you’re an owner, manager, employee, intern, or contractor, what are your personal protection responsibilities?

Decisions Should Be Based on Regional Risk Levels and Recommendations

First, it’s worth noting that the optimal decisions for businesses and individuals should be largely based on where they operate. While COVID-19 has spread to every corner of the U.S., certain states, cities, and counties have it better or worse than others. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that “business operation decisions should be based on both the level of disease transmission in the community and your readiness to protect the safety and health of your employees and customers.” The CDC recommends that employers coordinate their efforts with local and state health officials to stay up to date and deliver appropriate responses.

Three Key Facets of Workplace Personal Protection

The CDC also clearly outlines the points of focus that all businesses and individuals should follow to limit the spread of COVID-19 and lower its impact. The first is finding ways to prevent and reduce transmission among employees; the second is to maintain healthy business operations; and the third is to maintain a healthy work environment. A successful workplace protection strategy requires a multi-faceted, interconnected approach that takes these three main considerations into account.

Specific Workplace Actions and Responsibilities for Personal Protection

Now, let’s outline some of the steps businesses and workers should take to ensure the health and safety of everyone inside:

• Encourage sick employees to stay home (and stay home if you are sick)
• Conduct daily health checks on workers before entering the premises (i.e. symptom and temperature screenings)
• Identify high-risk areas and actions within the workplace (i.e. places where individuals might be most exposed to COVID-19 and other diseases)
• Continue to educate employees on matters such as:
  • Specific info on COVID-19 transmission
  • Local, state, and federal news updates on COVID-19 and workplace guidelines
  • Proper personal hygiene and handwashing methods
  • How to properly clean and disinfect personal workspaces and surfaces
  • The importance of face masks, gloves, and personal protective equipment (PPE)
• Maintain social distancing standards whenever possible (six-feet separation between employees, customers, etc.)
• Delegate a COVID-19 coordinator to monitor and adjust efforts
• Implement sick leave and more flexible scheduling
• Support and encourage remote work if possible
• Adjust work practices and operations according to best practices for personal protection and infection control
• Improve ventilation and filtration systems for better airflow
• Establish a thorough cleaning and disinfection regimen, including:
  • Following CDC guidelines for COVID-19 cleaning and disinfecting
  • Regularly cleaning high-touch surfaces
  • Spraying surfaces with EPA-registered disinfectants and following instructed dwell time before wiping them
  • If possible, hiring professional disinfecting services to handle more complex situations, save time, etc.
• Limit and carefully monitor employee travel
• Limit in-person meetings and other large gatherings

As more and more regions begin to open back up, employers and workers have a responsibility to minimize the risk of infection not only for themselves but for those around them. While the recommendations from the CDC outlined above cannot guarantee absolute personal protection for all individuals, these measures will greatly reduce the number of COVID-19 cases in the months to come.

If your business is preparing to resume its operations, you may be seeking reliable disinfecting cleaning services to get your workplace ready for what’s to come and/or take care of daily cleaning and disinfecting operations. Whatever your needs, The Budd Group is happy to serve them. For more information regarding COVID-19 and recommendations for environmental cleaning and disinfection from the CDC, click here.