Will Workplaces Change Forever Post-Covid-19 Pandemic?

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As businesses begin to reopen and people return to work, the question is, will workplaces in the UK ever be the same again?

Office Design

Office design has been big business for years, with firms trying to make the maximise capacity in increasingly clever and cool ways. Breakout areas for staff to collaborate away from their desks have been popular, along with communal lunch areas and recreational facilities to provide a break from intensive and intricate tasks.

Social distancing rules now mean that offices simply cannot be so densely populated, and that staff should be mixing as little as possible, with hot desking a complete no no.

Start and Finish Times

There are other perils of the workplace, the first being the entrance and exit. Large number of workers starting and finishing at the same time and accessing the workplace through the same entrance is a social distancing headache.

The immediate answer as suggested in a recent article in The Economist¹ is introducing office shifts, staggered start and finish times, some staff working from home but is this realistic in the long term?

The press widely reported the viewpoint of Jes Staley, Chief Executive of Barclays when he said that big, expensive city offices, “…may be a thing of the past.” He added that the bank was evaluating how much office space it needed.²

Cleaning and making a safe place to work

Big or small, there will always be a need for offices as workplaces. Once inside, office based staff must have confidence that it is a safe place to work. Cleaning must be more often, more thorough and using appropriate products. All high traffic touch points must be cleaned with virucidal disinfectant, and staff must take responsibility for their own personal hygiene with regular hand washing and sanitising becoming the norm.

Employers must take all possible steps to reduce the risk of infection. A recent article by Comparative Immunologist and Professor of Biology, Erin Bromage³, shows how breathing the same air in an enclosed space increased the chance of exposure and infection. Air purification can remove up to 99.99% of viruses from the air, along with bacteria, allergens, and outdoor pollutant as such as diesel particular which become trapped indoors. This is a simple but effective step that all businesses could take to safeguard their workforce. An air purifier, such as the Blue Air Classic can simply be plugged in and within an hour, the air in the room is clean.

The short answer to the question will workplaces in the UK ever be the same is no, it is unlikely. However, we will have leaned valuable lessons not just in the fight against COVID-19, but in the responsibility of businesses to provide a safe working environment.

1. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52467965

2. https://www.economist.com/business/2020/05/09/dont-stand-so-close-to-me

3. https://www.erinbromage.com/post/the-risks-know-them-avoid-them?fbclid=IwAR3-Xd9U7-62VWsy0hFq6XgUWpCwK_Z5jr1zPMSfrMtukAkZLlJ_oFZ5t7w

Return To Work After Covid: Duty of Care & Sanitation

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Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, there’s been a range of different rules and recommendations for the workplace. It was often difficult to make concrete plans until the government released their own plans and recommendations at different stages. But many business owners and managers are already thinking about how it might work and what procedures they’ll want to keep for the long term.

Duty of Care in the Workplace

What is apparent is that employers will have a duty to provide a safe working environment in which their team feels confident. This will be done through a combination of staggered work times, distancing in the workplace, strict sanitation rules and enhanced cleaning programmes.

Infection Control and Sanitation at Work

As infection control specialists, we have supported the medical and care sectors for decades, with advice, cleaning schedules and high level cleaners and disinfectants. We are a tried and tested partner in the prevention and containment of infection.

More recently this has extended to businesses, and we’ve been using our expertise to keep things moving pre-lockdown and now getting them back to work.

Cleaning Products for Viruses in the Workplace

You’ll want to ensure the cleaning products you use in the workplace are adequate and able to disinfect surfaces effectively and with long-lasting protection. Our virusidal, microbial and sporicidal Virusolve+ products are independently lab tested and proven to be effective against a wide range of common viruses, bacteria and even superbugs. This includes COVID-19, ‘Flu, Norovirus, MRSA, C.Diff, Hepatitis, E.Coli, Salmonella, and many, many more.

Not only that, in its ready to use form Virusolve+ is non hazardous. It is Defra approved for use in food preparation areas, and CQC approved. It also has a residual effect which can continue to work for up to seven days. It is the ideal product to use in a workplace to keep staff safe and comes as a liquid, spray or in a wipe format.

Installing Hand Sanitiser in the Workplace

Now workers are back in the office, hand sanitiser will be a crucial way to help stop the spread of viruses and bacteria in the office. The Virusan hand sanitiser we recommend comes as a liquid or gel and these products will be vital in workplaces to ensure good personal hygiene practices. Again, businesses can rest assured that these are hospital grade products, and of the correct standards to safeguard staff.

As government plans unfold and change, new requirements will become apparent, but for businesses planning now, please contact us for infection control advice and guidance.

Email: in**@*************gy.com Tel: 0845 226 0185

 

Controlling the Spread of the Wuhan Novel Coronavirus

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As the number of deaths caused by the Wuhan novel coronavirus (WN-CoV) continues to rise, more and more measures are being taken to try and control its spread.

According to the BBC News website, not only have 132 people died from the virus in China, there have now also been reported cases of it in 16 other countries.

The new virus was identified by Chinese authorities on 7th January. According to the World Health Organization, it was of immediate concern because as it was not known how it would affect people.

Temporarily named “2019-nCoV” and now referred to as WN-CoV, the virus is part of the family or coronaviruses. This family includes the common cold, as well as viruses such as SARS, which infected thousands of people between 2002 and 2004 and claimed 774 lives.

Whilst there is no specific cure or vaccine for Wuhan novel coronavirus, the UK government has only just made the decision to start quarantining people coming to Britain from Wuhan.

Fortunately, according to the Department of Health, of the 97 people already tested for coronavirus in the UK all have been confirmed negative. However, it is still possible that people with the virus may present themselves at hospital A&E departments or doctors’ surgeries over the coming weeks.

So how can hospitals tackle the spread of WN-Cov?

Public Health England has put together comprehensive guidance for healthcare professionals and facilities that may be involved in the investigation or management and care of possible cases. Just click here to see this coronavirus infection prevention and control advice.

Covering everything from patient isolation to environmental decontamination, waste disposal and more, this guide is packed with useful advice for protecting patients, staff and visitors.

For example, it advises that “After cleaning [patient rooms/environments] with neutral detergent, a chlorine-based disinfectant should be used, in the form of a solution at a minimum strength of 1,000ppm available chlorine.”

You might also want to try using Virusolve+. This high level cleaner and disinfectant has been proven in an independent EN14476 test to be effective against Feline Coronavirus (human surrogate for SARS).

Whilst it has obviously not yet been possible to test its effectiveness against WN-CoV, at least it has already been shown to be effective against another dangerous virus in the coronavirus family.

If you are interested in finding out more about Virusolve+.

Allaying public concerns about Wuhan novel coronavirus

You can also help members of the public that visit your hospital or surgery by directing them to useful online advice from the World Health Organization at this link: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public

It has some great tips on hand hygiene and how to stay safe when out and about or travelling.