COVID-19 has proven to be a virulent virus that spreads through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. COVID-19 can also be acquired by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it, then touching your mouth, nose or eyes. If employees, suppliers and customers are coming and going from your workplace, it’s important to do everything possible to protect them from the risk of exposure to COVID-19. Properly implementing appropriate cleaning and disinfecting procedures is critical. When and How Often? Your workplace should be cleaned and surfaces disinfected at least daily, or more frequently if you have a high movement of staff, suppliers or customers who are likely to touch surfaces. If your workplace operates with shifts, cleaning and disinfecting between shifts is highly recommended. If your workers share equipment, clean and disinfect it between uses if possible. If a case or a suspected case of COVID-19 has visited your workplace, clean and disinfect immediately. How to Clean and Disinfect Physically remove germs, dirt and grime from surfaces of your workplace with detergent and water then Disinfect to kill germs on surfaces, following the instructions of the disinfectant manufacturer, or Use a combined detergent and disinfectant product to complete the process as one task. The following disinfectants are suitable for use on hard surfaces: Alcohol in a concentration of at least 70%, Chlorine bleach in a concentration of 1000 parts per million (ppm)*, Oxygen bleach, or Wipes and sprays that contain quaternary ammonium compounds. To be effective, follow manufacturers’ instructions when using disinfectant. If not specified, leave disinfectants on surfaces for ten minutes before removing. Health authorities recommend using a 1000 ppm bleach (sodium hypochlorite) solution to disinfect hard surfaces. To find out more about appropriate cleaning procedures for your industry, and how to clean different types of surfaces, visit www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/doc/how-clean-and-disinfect-your-workplace-covid-19 There’s More You Can Do Promote regular and thorough hand-washing by employees, contractors, and customers, Ensure hand sanitiser dispensers are filled and prominently located in the workplace, Display posters and offer guidance from occupational health and safety officers, briefings at meetings, and information on intranet sites to promote hand-washing, and provide guidance on respiratory hygiene, Ensure that face masks or paper tissues are available at your workplace for situations when social distancing is not possible and for those who develop a runny nose or cough at work, along with closed bins for hygienically disposing of them, Brief employees, contractors, and customers that if COVID-19 starts spreading in your community, anyone with even a mild cough or low-grade fever (37.3 C or more) needs to stay at home, Ask people to stay home (or work from home) if they have had to take simple medications, such as paracetamol/acetaminophen, ibuprofen or aspirin, which may mask symptoms of infection, Encourage people with symptoms of COVID-19 to be tested for the virus, and Collect details of people who visit your premises: their names, contact details and time of visit should be recorded and maintained in case needed for contact tracing. State clearly that their details will be shared with local public health authorities if anyone on the premises becomes ill with a suspected infectious disease. Anyone who does not agree to this condition should not be allowed to enter the premises. Assistance for Your Business COVID-19 is presenting businesses with new challenges every day that require flexible thinking and fast action. At the Ayers Group, we can free you up from managing administrative and financial obligations, so you have time to focus on protecting your organisation and individuals from new threats. Our extensive services range from tailored back-office payroll management through to migration solutions. Call on an expert from the Ayers Group today to find out more about how we can provide the resources you need, and free you up for growth and success.