09
Sep
Whether you’re a commercial business or government office, we’re sure that you’ve taken all the Covid-19 precautions on a facility level…but what about a personal level? Your staff is excellent at what they do, but they’re only human.
Ain’t we all? We all forget to use hand sanitizer after opening the door or disinfecting a laptop after bringing into the conference room.
So how can you factor the human element into your Covid-19 plan?
We recommend that each employee have a “Covid-19 Kit” that they can easily make themselves and be stowed in or kept on their desk. By having a “kit” in each workstation, you can ensure that in the event of a hygiene faux pas, they have the right tools to stay healthy.
A “Covid-19 kit” is a collection of personal items that promote good hygiene and prevent the spread of germs. They should be smaller in size—some can even be travel sized– to easily fit in or on a workstation. The best part is that since these are DIY, you can mix and match items with any brands of your choosing! The idea is to have these essentials in one convenient organizer or bin that fits conveniently with your desking situation.
These are the 5 items that should always be in the kit:
Although you may have hand-sanitizing stations around your office, it’s quite possible that an employee won’t stand up from their desk, leave their task and walk across the room to use it. Small, personal hand sanitizer is readily accessible whenever they need it. The more an employee uses it, the more germs they eliminate!
According to the CDC, face masks are the best form of protection against Covid-19. However, they aren’t suits of armor. Sometimes the ear loop breaks, they get dirty, lost or left at home. By having spares in a “Covid-19 kit,” will ensure that if any of these things happen your employees can stay safe and keep others safe with the help of face coverings.
We know that your janitorial staff is doing everything possible to keep your facility germ-free. But when employees routinely wipe down their workstations & office supplies with disinfecting wipes, it makes your workplace that much cleaner. It also makes it safer for your janitorial crew to do their jobs. It might be prudent to have signs in workstations or posted at the office door that say, “Did you wipe down your workstation?” This way, they are reminded of the practice and will disinfect before they leave.
By having small, personal disinfecting or antibacterial sprays in each “kit,” employees can do an even further cleaning if they choose. These are particularly useful in disinfecting the protective barriers and panels you’ve installed in workstations. We understand that these are high in demand, so don’t shy away from using alternative or generic brands instead of the big name ones. They’ll get the job done, too!
A personal microfiber cloth is necessary to effectively wipe the chemicals down to ensure even application on the workstation. Having a cloth in a “Covid-19 kit” is smaller than a bulkier roll of paper towels and can be reused time and time again, making it the better choice for the environment.
Depending on the nature of your job, gloves might be mandatory. In this case, a spare is always useful. But just for general purposes, gloves are excellent to prevent skin contact with potentially infected surfaces. While cleaning and disinfecting chemicals are effective at germ killing, they can be harsh on the skin. Gloves will protect their hands.
Sometimes it’s better to put all your eggs in one basket. A Covid-19 kit should work just like any other, where all the items are together in one neat space. Think about it. What if your first aid kit was scattered in different places? That wouldn’t do at all. Use a convenient plastic bin to store it all in your workstation.
While the “Covid-19 kit” is essential for all employees in DMV businesses to have, there are other products we strongly suggest are used in professional workplaces.
“Antimicrobial” is a solution designed to stop germs in their tracks by preventing their growth. For example, if one coworker uses an antimicrobial stapler, and then another borrows it, neither has to worry about contamination. The antimicrobial coating will stop the germs from the first person from contaminating the stapler, and so on. These supplies function just like any other office supplies, and the antimicrobial coating cannot be detected by any of the 5 senses.
Not sure which supplies should be antimicrobial? Benjamin has curated a list of the top 10 antimicrobial supplies for offices.
If employees are going to have lunch in the office, encourage them to bring their own lunch box with utensils they can wash at home. This will do several things:
Covid-19 is a real issue— but when your employees have safeguarding tools at their fingertips in a “Covid-19 kit” that they can easily make, your entire workplace is better protected. Why? We’ll beat Covid-19 when each and every person doing their part to stay healthy. Benjamin carries all the supplies your employees need to customize their “kit” with their preferred brands and products.
