Although it is still advised to work from home, if possible, and many staff are still furloughed, a lot of companies have brought back a skeleton staff to start things up again. Manufacturers are one of the industry sectors that need employees on site and they also need some sales and administration staff to handle orders as they come in. In this blog, we look at the steps you can take to keep your team safe as they return to work.
Staying Safe in Your Workplace
There are a number of steps to take in order to provide a COVID-Secure work environment. An initial risk assessment is vital before any employees are invited back to work and it should be communicated to all staff for their feedback. Furthermore, it is important to survey staff on their individual situations and to make the decision about who will return, and when, in consultation with your staff.
Some may be living with family members who are vulnerable and shielding, others may need to continue to work from home due to child care obligations. Many people can’t wait to go back to work and resume some sort of normality! Once the risk assessment and consultation have been completed, employers can work out how to keep staff safe whilst enabling them to perform their job effectively.
The steps that need to be taken are:
- Improving and maintaining workplace hygiene
- Providing personal protective equipment (PPE)
- Implementing social distancing measures
Improving and Maintaining Workplace Hygiene
While your workplace may have already had a strict cleaning regime in place, this needs to be even more thorough in-line with COVID-19 guidelines. High-contact objects, like door handles, photocopiers and credit card machines need to be cleaned more frequently and more thoroughly. Systems should be put in place to minimise transactions that require contact as much as possible.
Staff should also be provided with, and instructed in the regular use of, the appropriate hygiene facilities. This may include additional hand washing stations and provision of hand sanitiser at regular intervals around the premises. Signs to remind employees and visitors to wash their hands regularly should be displayed. The new cleaning routine should also be communicated to them.
At Ecotile, we have created a range of printed social distancing floor signs that can be incorporated into an Ecotile floor to indicate hand washing stations. We also provide ‘Use Hand Sanitiser’ floor signs which can be used in dedicated areas as a reminder to individuals.
Providing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
The need for PPE depends entirely on your workplace and the nature of your occupation. However, due to social distancing, PPE may be required in order to effectively comply to the guidelines.
This may include physical barriers, screens or visors to safely separate employees from visitors. Other personal protective clothing may include gloves and overalls too, however this will be unique to your company requirements.
Plus, when confined to a workspace and the only interaction is with other employees, a face mask may be necessary for use of lifts or other enclosed spaces. This will primarily reduce the risk of the disease being spread.
Implementing Social Distancing Measures
There are many ways social distancing can be implemented in your workplace. A few examples include staggering employee start times, opening more entrances and exits, and creating one-way walk throughs. These measures specifically deal with the ongoing traffic throughout the workday.
By creating ‘fixed teams’ or ‘partnering’, you can ensure that each employee is only working with a few others. Additionally, by redesigning work spaces to maintain a distance of 1 metre plus between people, employees can identify exactly how far they need to be apart from the next person.
Our ready-made social distancing floor signs include 2 metre indicators and ‘Keep 2m Apart’ safety tiles. Custom-made floor signage can also be printed, so please give us a call to find out more about these.
Social Distancing Floor Signs from Ecotile
Ecotile has designed these floor signs to provide a simple solution to a complex challenge COVID-19 has presented to us. From the hospitality industry to factories and warehouses, leisure facilities to public transport, they can be used in all kinds of workplaces to enforce social distancing measures.
Make going back to work easier with this quick and easy, flexible and cost-effective flooring solution!
Lucinda O’Reilly, Exports & Marketing Director is an integral part of the team that has grown Ecotile Flooring in to the successful manufacturing business it is today. Over the last 20 years she has successfully employed her skills in sales and marketing to ensure Ecotile Flooring is recognised as the market leading manufacturer of PVC interlocking floor tiles. Lucinda’s love of travel means the Ecotile brand is dominant all over Europe, North America, the Middle East, Asia and India.
To ensure compliance with export regulations Lucinda has gained accreditations from the Chamber of Commerce in Incoterms & Export Licence Controls and Export Procedures & Documentation and has completed the Institute of Export course on Incoterms 2020. She is a member of the Institute of Export, was a finalist in the Natwest Open to Export competition in 2018 and was instrumental in Ecotile Flooring winning a Queen’s Enterprise for International Trade in 2017. Lucinda has recently been interviewed by BBC News and Channel 4 News for her insights on Brexit and is an Export Champion for the Department for International Trade.
