Creating a More Hygenic And Healthy Workspace
When we tend to think about questions of workplace health and safety, our minds often go to the most dramatic and violent examples of when it goes wrong. Accidents, injuries, and chronic back pain; all of these are serious risks, but you need to make sure that you’re not overlooking the most common cause of sick days: viruses and bacteria spreading through your workplace. Hygiene is vital for maintaining a healthy and productive workplace, but how do you make it a real focus?
Know Your High-Touch Areas
A healthy workplace is all about ensuring that spaces are kept clean and free of contamination. There are surfaces that are going to be touched dozens or even hundreds of times a day, such as door handles, elevator buttons, light switches, and equipment used by multiple people. Working with professional cleaners can ensure that these are routinely maintained, but providing disinfectant wipes for your team to maintain their cleanliness can be just as important, as well.
Make It Easier To Clean
The nature of the surfaces in the workplace plays a big role in their cleanliness as well. The work surface and the materials underfoot play the biggest roles. Porous or fabric finishes can be the perfect place for dirt, dust, and bacteria to build up. Working with teams like epoxy flooring contractors can ensure that you’re able to make the workplace much easier to clean, making them perfect for high-traffic areas. Similarly, desks, counters, and tables made from limante or sealed stone can be routinely disinfected quickly and without any damage. These material choices not only make cleaning faster and more effective but also improve the overall appearance of the workplace.
Mind Your Air Quality
Clean air is just as important as clean surfaces in maintaining your workplace, as there are plenty of airborne contaminants to worry about as well, not to mention dust and allergens, which can affect people’s immune system or trigger allergic reactions. Installing high-quality HVAC systems with high-quality filters helps to trap more of the potentially harmful particulates in the air. Regular maintenance is vital to maintain their cleanliness and performance, as well. For areas with a high density of workers, air purifiers and dehumidifiers can help further improve air quality.
You’re All In It Together
The right equipment, surfaces, and professional services can help maintain a certain standard of cleanliness, but to achieve a truly safe and hygienic workplace, your employees need to be involved, as well. You should encourage proper handwashing, provide hand sanitiser stations in high traffic areas, and make things like disposal wipes easy for employees to access. Reinforce the importance of wiping down their work station, maintaining good cough etiquette, and staying at home if they think that they might be sick. A little flexible working, such as allowing occasional remote work, can help you prevent sick employees from coming to the workplace as often.
You can’t totally prevent sick days from taking some kind of toll on your business, but you can make sure that you’re doing your part to stop illness from spreading through your office with the tips above.
This is a collaborative post.
