Eight BEST Tips for a Clean and Safe Workplace

It has been more than a year since BEST Service Pros implemented a “work from home” policy to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. As more of our team members get vaccinated, we have started taking steps to return to our pre-pandemic routine of in-office work.

As part of BEST’s core values, we are empowered to take action by maintaining a safe and healthy workplace for our employees and clients. In the continued fight against COVID-19, we are taking additional measures to prevent viral transmission by encouraging team members to stay home from work when unwell and take time off to rest after getting vaccinated if necessary. We are recommending some additional precautions below, to help keep yourself and your coworkers safe as you transition back into the office:

• Stay home if necessary: If you have tested positive or think you might have symptoms of COVID-19, stay home. You should also consider staying home when you have a sick family member or have recently had close contact with someone with COVID-19.
• Monitor your health: If you are experiencing fever, cough, shortness of breath, or other COVID-19-related symptoms, you should avoid going into the office. If symptoms persist, take your temperature and book an appointment for COVID-19 testing.
• Masks are recommended: Wearing a mask in public settings is recommended, especially since not everyone has been fully vaccinated yet. Interacting with others without a mask increases the risk of COVID-19 transmission, especially for people with certain medical conditions and the elderly.
• Social distancing is recommended: The most common way to become infected with COVID-19 is from close person-to-person contact. Therefore, keeping a distance of 6 feet apart (about two arms-length) is recommended for those who are at risk of severe illness, people with certain medical conditions, and those who are not yet fully vaccinated. Indoor spaces increase the risk of transmission, as it can be more difficult to keep the recommended distance from others. It’s important to remember that people who are infected with COVID-19 can be asymptomatic but still contagious to others.
• Wash your hands often: Always wash your hands thoroughly using soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If washing hands is not possible, use a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth, as infection from viruses and bacteria can easily be transmitted this way.
• Cover your coughs and sneezes: Remember to cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze with a tissue or the inside of your elbow. Make sure to throw used tissue away immediately, followed by washing your hands properly for 20 seconds.
• Avoid sharing objects and equipment: Use a personal workstation and equipment when possible. Clean and disinfect shared equipment before and after use. While surface-to-person transmission is not the most common way of contracting COVID-19, it is still possible to become infected after touching a contaminated surface then touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.
• Disinfect frequently touched objects: Clean high-touch surfaces and shared objects with disinfecting products that can remove contaminants or weaken the risk of infection of viruses and/or bacteria.

High-touch office surfaces include:

• Door handles
• Elevator buttons
• Coffee stations and water coolers
• Microwaves and refrigerators
• Counters and tables in the break room
• Vending machines
• Printers and fax machines

After touching these common surfaces, wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.

Source: shorturl.at/kCT08