10 Commandments of Workplace Safety During COVID-19

Follow these steps to help keep you, your teammates and your customers safe

1. Stay home if you are feeling sick.
2. Wash your hands often and for at least 20 seconds, especially before eating.
3. Keep 6 feet between you and all other people. Be strict and be a leader about this (better safe than sorry).
4. Cover your mouth/nose with a bent elbow or tissue whenever you sneeze or cough (throw used tissues away immediately).
5. Wipe down work surface, chair, and any tools with disinfectant before settling in for the day and before leaving for the day. If you cannot find sanitizer or disinfectant wipes, you can make your own using bleach and paper towels. How: Buy a good quality paper towel and tear the sheets apart. Cut them to the size you would like. Get a container to store your wipes. An old baby wipes container works great. Add 1/4-cup bleach to 1-gallon water. Pour half of the liquid in the container, then add your towels. Pour the remaining liquid over the towels. Let this sit overnight and you’re ready to go!
6. STOP touching your face – this includes nose, mouth and eyes!
7. Wipe down your computer, phone, chargers, etc. with disinfectant before leaving and packing them up for the day.
8. Open doors with your feet and/or elbow when possible and safe.
9. Do not enter people’s office. Talk from doorway or a spacious conference room, if possible.
10. Do not share pens, computer mice, computers, or other workplace tools.

Ways to keep you and yours safe upon returning from work or public

1. Remove and leave your shoes next to your door. Try to limit which shoes you wear in public.
2. Wash your hands as soon as you arrive home.
3. Wipe down your phone, keys, wallet, credit cards, etc. with disinfectant.
4. Change your clothes before sitting down and place them in a designated basket/container (disinfect this container before placing clean clothes back in).
5. Wipe down commonly touched surfaces with disinfectant often (interior and exterior doorknobs, light switches, faucets, handrails, microwaves, car, etc.).
6. Utilize curbside services for essential activities like grocery shopping (e.g. Kroger Pickup).
7. Re-plate all takeout food and ask the restaurant NOT to provide plastic utensils. Wash your hands after handling and before eating.

COVID-19 Safe Work Environment Checklist

Below are things we are hearing and seeing our safest clients do to keep their teams protected and perform their duty to fight the spread of COVID-19.

1. Modify/eliminate clock in/out procedure if it requires employees to touch a shared surface.
2. Prop as many doors as possible to eliminate shared touch points / surfaces. Remove handles and allow to doors to swing freely if doors must remain closed.
3. Stagger shift start / end times and breaks to eliminate people congregating in entry / exit ways, break rooms, etc.
4. Split shifts into A / B for two weeks on, two weeks off (if feasible) to reduce number of employees coming in close contact with one another.
5. Mark off seats / standing locations to have a safe 6 ft radius where any meetings commonly occur. Remove excess seats to avoid the risk of close contact between employees.
6. Enforce employees to keep a safe 6 ft distance from one another. Install sneeze guards in settings where employees must work close to one another (e.g. assembly lines, packaging lines, etc.)
7. Limit the number of people per room (e.g. bathrooms 1-2, break rooms 4-6).
8. Ensure a cleaning schedule is in place and that all common areas are disinfected at least 2-3x per shift. Hourly sanitation of vending machines, breakroom doors, etc.
9. Require employees to disinfectant their work areas at the start and end of each shift with provided supplies – especially shared keyboards, PLCs, touch screens, etc.
10. Make sure employees have access to water, soap and paper towels and are encouraged to wash their hands regularly. Post visuals of proper hand washing techniques/reminders.
11. Establish a policy that requires all employees to take their temps before starting work. Some clients have hired a nurse to take temps at the start of each shift due to shortage of thermometers.

COVID-19 Symptoms (may take 2-14 days to appear)

Have your staff notify you or a member of your leadership team immediately if they are are experiencing any of these symptoms.

If you a member of your staff has come in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, they should notify you or a member of your leadership team immediately and self-quarantine at home for 14 days.

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