The flu season increases the risk of catching and spreading illnesses in offices. Hence, maintaining cleanliness is important for reducing transmission between employees and visitors. This is something that every workplace in Brisbane should be mindful about. From this article, we will share a few effective flu prevention tips. All you have to do is to go ahead and follow these tips.
Table of Contents
Follow Routine Disinfecting Measures
Surfaces at your commercial workplace are the main culprit behind the spread of illnesses. They include:
- Doorknobs
- Handles
- Elevator buttons
- Light switches
- Desks
- Keyboards
- Phones and all other shared equipment
These items collect germs from many people’s hands over the course of a day. Consistent cleaning removes more disease-causing germs before they spread.
It is also important to clean restrooms, common areas, and breakrooms daily. These spaces see heavy foot traffic, making them prime locations for germ spread. Cleaning floors, sinks, faucets, counters, tables, and chairs help lower risks. Supplying paper towels over hand dryers also prevents germ transmission. They provide much-needed help with office sanitisation and illness control.
Train Employees on Prevention
All your employees should put some effort into maintaining a clean office. Then you can easily control the spread of illnesses. Proper education of staff members can be beneficial with it. You just need to let your employees know how flu and other illnesses spread and how to prevent them.
Encourage frequent and proper hand washing as well as covering coughs and sneezes. You can also provide hand sanitiser and antiseptic wipes for use. Then your employees will use them after contact with common areas. In the meantime, post educational signs with prevention tips. You can have them near sinks, entrances, and common areas. Sending company-wide reminders also helps keep germ prevention top of mind for employees.
Take steps for contagion mitigation
To ensure a hygienic workspace, you need to control the spread of viruses as much as possible. Ask sick individuals to stay home until the risk of infecting others is reduced. You should be ready to deal with increased absences. Consider policies allowing remote work for jobs that permit it. Temporarily suspending business travel and in-person meetings may also reduce virus exposure. Such infection control measures can benefit your office in the long run.
You need to have a system in place for responding if employees report flu symptoms while at work. Direct the sick individual to immediately leave the facility. Then you need to isolate yourself at home. Identify and clean areas where they spent significant time.
Notify employees who interacted closely with the symptomatic individual. You need to do it while protecting the person’s privacy. Check if extra-related illnesses occur over the following days and weeks. Continue stressing ongoing prevention methods regularly throughout all departments.
Use appropriate cleaning solutions
You should proceed with flu season cleaning using appropriate cleaning solutions. This is where you need to stick to EPA (Environmental Protection Authority) approved chemicals. These chemicals are highly effective against pathogens that spread the flu. To be effective, you need to follow directions shared with the cleaning products. For example, disinfectants need to remain on surfaces for a certain period of time. Adhering to these guidelines will help you with maintaining a sanitary workplace.
Bring in Specialised Cleaners after Outbreaks
Did multiple employees of your company get infected with a contagious respiratory disease? Then you should consider hiring industrial cleaning companies to disinfect. These professionals use chemical solutions and equipment designed to kill illness-causing germs. They will clean not only high-touch surfaces but also other areas of your office. They include HVAC systems, carpets, walls, and upholstered furniture. You can expect them to have appropriate office health measures as well. This will ensure disease transmission prevention in the future.
Adjust Policies on Shared Spaces
Communal office areas need extra cleaning cycles. This will ensure workplace safety against viruses like influenza. They include conference rooms, breakrooms, and cafeterias. These shared gathering spaces see many employees passing through daily, increasing risks.
Set schedules for disinfecting these areas proportional to usage frequency. Cafeterias and busy restrooms may enjoy hourly wipe-downs. Meeting rooms can get comprehensive cleanings after each scheduled block throughout daytime shifts.
Consider posting occupancy limits on spaces like small break areas. You need to do it based on social distancing capacity. Remove shared condiments, silverware containers, and napkin holders that involve communal touching. As gatherings increase potential exposure, sanitising supplies are readily available. Then your employees can quickly clean their own areas before and after use.
Reinforce that company dining facilities are primarily for individual meals and work breaks. It is a better option to consider than prolonged social gatherings. You should think about self-regulating behaviours alongside bolstered environmental hygiene policies. This is important in communal office areas. Then virus risks from interactions can remain in check during heightened flu seasons.
Final Words
The diligence of staff is extremely influential in preventing epidemics during high-risk seasons. Employers must provide them with proper training tailored to combatting contagious threats. When flu activity reaches high levels, you should consider going for mitigation strategies. With cooperative commitment across a company, people can continue working. They will also be able to reduce contracting and spreading illnesses to others.
If you are looking for an expert cleaning service to help you in Brisbane, Eco Cleaning Brisbane is there to help. We will come to your office and offer our health-conscious cleaning services. It will provide much-needed help with office disinfection and disease transmission prevention. Since we follow a checklist when offering the services, we make sure not to miss out on any space. Our strategies are highly effective in preventing flu outbreaks at your office. Contact us today to schedule your appointment.
