Keeping Your Workforce Safe This Holiday Season

As a business, your number one priority is how will you be able to provide a clean and hygienic working environment to assist in combating Coronavirus, and other risks to your staffs health.

There are many ways to help ensure a safe working space for the people who rely on you and encourage them to be familiar with high-risk areas such as light switches and door handles that need particular care and to be cleaned properly.

High Touch Points

These are surfaces or areas that have high contact with hands, and these high touchpoints require recurring and persistent cleaning. Disinfection has to be observed at all times to kill and eliminate all harbouring germs and viruses. Some of the high touchpoints are light switches, door handles, faucets, keyboards, mouse, telephones, mobile phones, etc.

We all know that in the cleaning industry a surface may look clean, but it is the unseen enemy that can harm us. We need to make sure that germs and bacteria are eliminated during routine cleaning throughout the workplace.

How to address high touchpoint surfaces

Surface type

You need to know what type of material you are cleaning to use the proper cleaning chemicals. The use of appropriate disinfectant so as not to damage the surface will be a major factor for any workplace. Always read the label to learn how long you need the disinfectant to sit on an individual surface.

In an office set up, touchpoints are lift buttons, common area telephones, toilets, stair rails, doorknobs, and chairs in the reception area. Please know that disinfectants target a specific virus or germs. You will need a broad-spectrum disinfectant to disinfect the surface successfully.

Surface shape

Compare the surface of a table and a door knob. The latter is more complicated than the first one. The doorknob has an irregular shape offering multiple points where bacteria can stay and multiply.

Bacteria double their numbers every half an hour, and specific types can live up to six to eight months on surfaces like phones, tables, and doorknobs.

Different tools should be used for hard to reach surfaces to address all germs and bacteria.

Know your cleaning product

Reading labels is a must in the cleaning industry, and using different chemicals and approaches to eradicate bacteria and germs is equally important.

It is also imperative for you to follow the proper dwell time in utilising the disinfectant. Dwell time or contact time is the amount of time disinfectants need to remain wet on surfaces to properly disinfect.

Train your office staff

Once you have developed a cleaning technique, you must make sure that all the cleaners who work for you know the method and best practices, and are happy to follow these correct cleaning techniques. This will also ensure that everyone is in line with the idea of getting rid of as many germs as possible.

Difference between cleaning & sanitising

Cleaning and sanitising are not the same and you need to understand the difference between them.

Cleaning removes dust, dirt, grime, and some germs from surfaces or objects. Cleaning does not kill bacteria but makes it difficult for viruses to survive and multiply, reducing the risk of infection.

Continuous cleaning should be done in all commercial businesses. High touchpoints or areas that are touched frequently by numerous members of staff and should be cleaned on a regular basis, examples of these high risk areas are listed below.

•        Touchpoints              • Shared desks

•        Door handles            • Vending machines

•        Hand railings            • Shared keyboards

Using specific items such as microfibre cloths or disposable wipers will assist in making the cleaning more effective.

A thorough ongoing cleaning program is significant in controlling the spread of infection. However, there are times when cleaning is just not enough. In most instances, cleaning should be done first, followed by sanitising.

Sanitising reduces germs on surfaces to a safe level to help decrease the risks of spreading the virus and is done by using a sanitising chemical which is more effective if the surface is clean first.

High-risks areas pose a higher risk of transmitting the virus. They include high touchpoints and other high-risk locations in the workplace.

How to sanitise door handles

We all know that high touchpoints are a breeding ground for germs and bacteria. Light switches and door handles are not an exception to this, and many people use disinfecting wipes because it seems convenient. Disinfecting requires the spot to be wet at a specific timeframe, and it will be difficult for you to achieve this with disinfecting wipes.

You need to use a disinfectant that will help you sanitise the hard to reach surfaces. The surface should remain wet during this period to properly disinfect.

Here are the steps on how to effectively disinfect door handles:

• Clean the door handle and remove dust and filth.
• Apply the disinfectant with a hand pump trigger spray. Spray a liberal amount at least six to eight inches away from the surface
• Spray the disinfectant until the door handle is covered and wet.
• Allow sitting for two minutes
• Air dry or wipe with a clean cloth

How to clean your frequently touched surfaces in your office

Employees stay in their respective workstations for at least eight hours a day. Keeping your workstation clean can help you eliminate germs and viruses.

Computer Keyboard

Based on studies, keyboards have more germs as compared to office toilets. Whereas, your keyboard is lucky to have a wipe, maybe at least once a week.

Here are some tips on cleaning your keyboard:

• Unplug your keyboard
• Use a can of compressed air to blow off all the dust and debris seated at the bottom of the keyboard.
• Apply the disinfectant of your choice to a swab and wipe it in between keys
• Using a lint-free cloth, apply the disinfectant to the entire keyboard.

Telephone

Whether you like it or not, your desk phone is a home for many germs and viruses.

To clean it properly, you should:

• Unplug the phone
• Use a lint-free cloth with a cleaning solution and wipe all the surfaces carefully giving careful attention to the mouthpiece.
• After cleaning use disinfecting wipes to wipe all over the phone

Computers

Once you are done with almost everything on your desk, you are now ready to clean your computer.

Follow these simple steps to get a clean, germ-free computer:

• Remove all the clutter from your desks
• Use disinfecting wipes to clean all computer surfaces that you can touch and reach.

Cleaning & Hygiene Site Audit

Here at Heatons, we offer a free and comprehensive site audit with advice on how to reduce the overall cost of your supplies, tackle difficult to clean areas, improve the quality of your cleaning and hygiene and reduce the amount of time taken to clean. This provides an in-depth analysis of the products you use, uncovering any areas where you can save time and money.

Our audit includes a visit to your site and a complete site review, including discussions with key members of staff to establish if you have any specific concerns on which we should focus. Our systematic approach to cleaning and hygiene will identify the specific issues that are unique to your business and your own working environment, and we recommend a completely bespoke solution. Our divsional experts hold over 20 year experience, and strive to provide the best solutions possible.

If you require any assistance in identifying the correct products to use, please do not hesitate to contact me using the details below, and I would be happy to set up an initial call with our facilities division specialist.