Guidelines to prevent Coronavirus in your workplace

Coronavirus can be spread in companies and affect workers. The WHO and CDC have released tips to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection in the workplace. Put them into practice if you have to keep going to your job.

The workplace is one of the places where we spend the most time a day and where we most come into contact with people, be they, colleagues or clients. For this reason, and due to the rise of new coronavirus infections in countries around the world, including Spain, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have wanted to give Know some simple guidelines for action to avoid possible SARS-CoV-2 infections in the workplace, in order to help prevent its spread among employees, customers, contractors or visitors.

The first thing to consider is how the virus spreads, and its way of spreading is through the small drops of the nose or mouth exhaled by infected people, especially by the saliva expelled in sneezing and attacks of cough, and although the coronavirus does not seem to have the capacity to withstand surfaces very long, special attention must be paid to hygiene, both of the workers and of the center or the workplace itself.

Workers must maintain good hand hygiene and the tools they use, in addition to avoiding trips to affected areas and encouraging videoconference meetings

When the first cases of coronavirus occurred, the WHO insisted that the best measure to prevent its spread was a good hand washing , something that is now reiterated. Regarding the use of surgical masks , they emphasize that they do not protect from infection and that they should not be worn by healthy people, but by those affected to prevent their fluids from reaching nearby objects and individuals. Still, the new guide to good practice in the workplace published by the Spanish Ministry of Health indicates that it is advisable for people who come to work to take public transport. On the other hand, they recommend masks with filtering systems –such as PPF or N95– for healthcare personnel who may be in contact with patients with COVID-19 , especially when performing certain techniques, such as intubation.

Steps to avoid contagion of coronavirus at work

If you are one of those workers who carry out their work in what are considered essential activities, and you must continue to go to your company despite the isolation and the restriction measures on travel, you will ask yourself what, then, can we do as employees or entrepreneurs to avoid the spread of coronavirus in our workplaces ? The WHO is clear, the key we insist is good hygiene. These are some guidelines of labor performance to achieve it:

Surface cleaning

Surfaces such as tables, doorknobs, chairs, or light faucets should be kept clean and disinfected, as these are areas that are touched on a massive scale and can harbor the virus for hours. In addition, they recommend ventilating the rooms every day for a minimum of five minutes.

Cleaning objects

Phones, tablets, keyboards, mice… All these work tools can be shared, which increases the risk of contagion between people. Make sure your material is disinfected before coming into contact with it. To do this, it is helpful to provide disposable wipes so that employees can routinely clean commonly used surfaces.

Promote hand washing

As we have already said, washing your hands well for at least 20 seconds is the best way to avoid the coronavirus, therefore, they recommend repeating this simple measure when they are visibly dirty or it is considered necessary. Making sure there is soap in company bathrooms or placing alcohol-based sanitizing gel dispensers (60% -95% alcohol) in visible areas are some measures that can improve hand sanitation for employees.

Disposable tissues

Companies must ensure that workers have access to tissue paper at their workplaces, because in the event of a cough or sneeze attack they will be able to follow the WHO instructions to place them as a barrier between their mouths and hands. Of course, it will be disposed of right after use without contact with any other object.

Employee information

Providing action guidelines to workers can help reduce the risk of contagion significantly. The company must send detailed information through the computer systems of the SARS-CoV-2 prevention councils, the symptoms that alert them to their presence, and the protocol to follow if they have any of them. It is also convenient to hang posters by the facilities of the hygiene recommendations.

If you have a fever better stay home

Workers with more than 37.8ºC of body temperature should stay at home and not go to their posts, as it is one of the symptoms of COVID-19. If this is your case, you should not be alarmed, call the emergency telephone service if you get worse, you have other symptoms compatible with COVID-19, such as dry cough or dyspnea (feeling short of breath) or if you have traveled to any of the areas with more cases (Italy, Spain, Singapore, Japan, Iran, China or South Korea) or you have been in contact with someone affected by a coronavirus, and they will indicate the steps to take to carry out the necessary tests to confirm or rule out the disease.

Two meters away

Avoid approaching with people who are coughing or sneezing, as they can expel saliva or propelled nasal secretions, the WHO recommends keeping at least two meters apart. Efforts must be made to ensure that there are no crowds at the entrances and exits of companies, guaranteeing that these two meters of interpersonal distance between employees can be met.

Special care in travel

If your job requires you to travel and travel – and they are still allowed in your area of ​​residence – you should pay special attention to all the hygiene recommendations and also inform yourself of the health situation in the area you are going to. to travel, since many borders are closed to foreigners or require sanitary isolation as a precaution.

Temperature monitoring after a trip

If you have traveled to areas where there have been cases of coronavirus, the best thing is that in the following 14 days you keep a regular control of your body temperature and before a rise or the manifestation of symptoms call 1075.

Encourage video calls

If you can do without travel, it is best to carry out the meeting by videoconference or video call, this way there will be no risk of contagion. In some cases or companies that consider it appropriate, it may be useful to bet on telework .

In a case, isolation is best

If someone starts to show symptoms at work, the WHO recommends isolating the person in a room that is separated from the collective work area and minimizing the contact of the affected person with anyone. Subsequently, the health services will be notified so that they can carry out the pertinent diagnostic tests.