COVID-19-Return to Work-Workplace Hygiene Policy

Overview

In January 2020 the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the outbreak of a new corona virus disease Pandemic in Hubei Province, China to be a Public Health Emergency (PHE) of International Concern. World Health Organization (WHO) declared there is a high risk of the 2019 corona virus disease (COVID-19) spreading to other countries. The COVID-19 Pandemic (Disease) has the potential to drive momentous business and operational negative impact on us as employees of [YOUR COMPANY NAME]. We as [YOUR COMPANY NAME] must have a clear plan and ways of communications with our employees, as well as clients and third-party entities.

Our Informative and Guiding Principles as we Continue to Move Forward:

Keep [YOUR COMPANY NAME] employees’ safe.
Continue to serve our customers (Clients, third-parties, sub-Contractors) with the highest standards.
Do our part to slow community spread of the virus where there appear to be outbreaks, so that the most vulnerable people can get the care they need

How COVID-19 Spreads

Let’s start with the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) information about the spread of COVID-19. When personal who has Novel Corona virus (COVID-19) coughs or exhales they release droplets of infected fluid. Most of these released droplets by the infected fall on nearby surfaces and objects such as floors, desks, tables or telephones or other devices or accessories. Other People could catch COVID-19 by touching those contaminated surfaces, floors or objects and then by touching their eyes, nose or mouth. If normal non-affected persons are standing within one meter of a person with COVID-19 infection they can affect it by breathing in droplets coughed out or exhaled by them.

In other words, COVID-19 (Novel Corona virus) spreads in a similar way to the flu. Most people infected with COVID-19 experience moderate symptoms and recover. However, some affected go on to experience more serious illness and may need intensive hospital care.

Most of the risk of serious illness rises with age:

People over 40-years likely to be more vulnerable than those under 40.
People with Weakened Immune Systems (IS) and people with conditions such as diabetes, heart and lung disease are also more vulnerable to serious illness.

What’s Expected of You

Given the situation at hand, we have developed the following checklist as workplace hygiene guidelines for you to follow when at work.

Travelling to work

When travelling to work please follow the Public Transport Policy guidelines.

On Your Arrival to Work

When arriving at work please dispose of any masks used in transport to the office
Limit the touching of any surfaces
Wash your hands for at least twenty-20 seconds with soap and water properly and promptly
Place any bags on the ground and not on desks
Please wipe down your desk area with a cleaning wipe and dispose of soiled wipes

Whilst at Work

Practice physical distancing by maintaining a 1.5-metre distance between yourself and other persons
Apply social distancing in meeting rooms & avoid being in an enclosed meeting room for some time with a group of people (continue to use the virtual meeting for large groups)
Frequently wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water or by using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
Please cough or sneeze into your elbow or a tissue. Immediately dispose of the tissue after use.
Clean and disinfect regularly used objects such as mobile phones, keys, wallets and work passes
If you feel unwell, tell your direct manager and then promptly leave work if it is safe for you to do so. Symptoms to look out for: fever, cough, sore throat and shortness of breath
Please be extra attentive in cleaning up after yourself when using shared facilities such as the kitchen and bathroom