It’s no secret that the workplace can be a breeding ground for sickness and viral infections, which is why it’s crucial for businesses to take action in preventing sickness in the workplace. New Covid variants and viral infections are spreading faster than ever before, and businesses are feeling the brunt of it. With so many people in close proximity to each other, it’s easy for germs to spread like wildfire. And when employees are out sick, it can have a significant impact on businesses. Not only do businesses lose money when employees are out of the office, but they also run the risk of clients getting sick as well.
In the current era of Covid-19, preventing viral infections from spreading is more important than ever. Businesses have a greater obligation and liability to ensure their workplace is clean and free from contaminants. However, this can be difficult to achieve without the proper knowledge and guidelines.
In this post, we will discuss the case for office cleanliness and how businesses can prevent sickness and viral infections from spreading in their workplace.
Costs to business’ associated with staff sickness
When staff are off sick, this can have a significant impact on businesses. Firstly, there are the costs of replacement staff. This can be costly if the business needs to hire temporary staff or if the staff member is not easily replaced. There may also be a loss in productivity as the other staff members have to cover for their colleagues. In some cases, this can lead to projects being delayed or not completed to the same standard.
When employees are off sick, most businesses still have to:
- pay the salary of the absent employee
- pay overtime incurred by other employees covering for the absent employee
- cover loss of output incurred by the absent employee.
- allow time for a replacement to learn the new role and become productive
- manage possible diminished services and product quality
- deal with the loss of business, continuity, and reputation
All these costs can add up and have a significant impact on businesses. In the current climate, with the continued spread of Covid 19 and other viruses, it is more important than ever for businesses to ensure that their office is clean and prevent the spread of infection.
Business obligations and liabilities in preventing sickness in the workplace
Within the US, business obligations for preventing viral infection are vital in preventing sickness in the workplace. For instance, there is an obligation to educate employees and clients on how to prevent the spread of viruses such as Covid and its variants within the workplace.
– They must take all reasonable steps to provide a safe environment by preventing illnesses spreading that may be caused by uncleanliness or pests.
– They must also have a documented health and safety policy in place that is regularly reviewed, updated, and implemented.
– Staff should be made aware of the risks associated with unclean work environments and what they can do to help prevent the spread of any viruses.
Businesses must undertake these obligations and liabilities to prevent staff and client sickness.
What can businesses do to prevent sickness in the workplace?
There are a few key measures businesses can put in place to help prevent sickness in the workplace, including viral infections. One of the most important is ensuring good office hygiene practices are followed. This means regularly cleaning all surfaces and areas that are regularly touched, as well as washing hands regularly and thoroughly and using hand sanitizer.
Businesses should also consider increasing the frequency of their professional office cleanings this will disinfect all surfaces and remove any build-up of dirt or grime.
Another key measure is ensuring staff are up to date on vaccinations, especially for Covid 19 and the flu. Businesses can offer company vaccination sessions to all their staff. Staff should also be encouraged to stay home if they are feeling unwell to prevent the spread of any illness.
Hiring the professional services of a cleaning company
Employing the specialist services of a janitorial company will help maintain a healthy environment in the workplace. It is important to have specific areas of focus when it comes to preventing sickness and viral infections from spreading. A professional cleaning company will be able to clean all surfaces, including high-risk areas such as desks, keyboards, phones, and door handles. They will also be able to provide specialist deep-cleaning services to areas that have been affected by an outbreak of sickness.
Hiring the professional services of a commercial cleaning company is one of the easiest ways to maintain a healthy workplace environment. They adhere to all the latest Covid and viral guidelines and only use EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) N list and CDC (Center for Disease Control) approved disinfectants. They can also provide your facility with stanitization stations and other preventative methods.
A-1 Commercial & Industrial Cleaning
We conduct free consultations for each of our commercial cleaning services, and the products we use are carefully selected to eliminate Covid-19, other viruses, and of course – bacteria. By carefully following the guidelines for each product, we know whether it is suitable for your requested works. You can rest assure we only use the finest products – every time.
Here are a couple of our services that have the highest recommendation for disinfecting and virus control:
Electrostatic Spraying – is suitable for every surface and hard to reach places (including electrics and paper), this electrostatically charged disinfectant allows the product to cling to surfaces. Popular facilities we have carried this out include office buildings, public transit hubs, athletic facilities, and medical offices; however, this application and product are being used in a wide variety of environments such as airplanes, vehicle interiors, schools, and much more.
Daytime porter disinfecting – we know that viruses can spread from person to person as well as on surfaces. Our daytime porter service ensures you have someone at your facility consistently disinfecting high traffic areas such as restrooms, kitchens, meeting rooms and common area touch points daily, this reduces the spread and helps to stop it.
Take a look at our website for the complete range of services we provide and contact us for help in preventing sickness in the workplace.