What have you been asking us this week?

I’m sure by now your own business has put its own Coronavirus Pandemic Action Plan in place. Ours was shared with our client base this week with regular updates going out as and when new information becomes available.

To try to minimise face to face contact please can we have asked our Clients to not request our management team to attend site if a call, email or Teams Meeting/Skype call would suffice? This has been working well for our Sales Team over the last couple of weeks who have been conducting meetings through the wonders of digital communications! Here are a few of the most frequently asked questions we have received this week and our responses to them.

How long does the virus live on surfaces? Answer: According to the World Health Organisation it is not certain how long the virus that causes COVID-19 survives on surfaces. However, it seems to behave like other coronaviruses. Studies suggest that coronaviruses (including preliminary information on the COVID-19 virus) may persist on surfaces for a few hours or up to several days. This may vary under different conditions (e.g. type of surface, temperature or humidity of the environment).

If you think a surface may be at risk of contamination, clean it with simple disinfectant to kill the virus and protect yourself and others. Clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water. Avoid touching your eyes, mouth, or nose.

Can you advise what your guidelines are if the government decide to close our [educational/medical] facility to contain the virus? Answer: If there is a confirmed case, a risk assessment will be undertaken by the educational establishment with advice from the local Health Protection Team.

On your notification of a closure our team will be asked to cease cleaning of the building until a decontamination clean has been carried out. This must be conducted by a full certified company and we have several approved partners who we can suggest to you.

Do your staff know how to self-isolate? Answer: Yes! All our staff are advised to stay away from their place of work when they are feeling unwell* regardless of a coronavirus outbreak. We have revisited this aspect of our Infection Prevention Control training recently to reinforce the message to all our colleagues. *sickness, diarrhoea, high temperature etc.

If we require a deep clean do you have a specialist team that would do this? Answer: Yes…and no! A ‘deep clean’ will not be enough if you identify the virus within your workforce/workplace. However, if you are looking for a decontamination clean, we would use one of our approved partners to deliver this.

They use an electrostatic spray system. Electrostatics is the process of adding an electrical charge to the liquid droplets when they are sprayed. When you spray a solution that is properly charged with electrostatics, the solution will envelop the targeted object to provide an even 360 coating.

The chemical used has been formulated in a reacted mass of peracids to create a highly effective cleaner and disinfectant which removes dirt that harbours mould, fungi and yeast. It kills C-Diff in less than 2 minutes and offers up to 48 hours antimicrobial activity (it carries on working as a persistent solution). It is fragrance free, chlorine free, and degrades / decomposes into safe by- products after use (water and oxygen). It is easy to use with excellent levels of user acceptance with a prolonged antimicrobial effect and excellent materials compatibility. This process is being used in places like Stanstead Airport on a 24/7 basis. If you would like a full quotation, could you please send us over the floor plans of your office space and the size of the floor area.

What do we do if we suspect one of our own staff has had contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19? Answer: Public Health England suggests that if a confirmed case is identified in your workplace, the local Health Protection Team will provide the relevant staff with advice.

These staff include:

1. any employee in close face-to-face or touching contact

2. talking with or being coughed on for any length of time while the employee was symptomatic

3. anyone who has cleaned up any bodily fluids

4. close friendship groups or workgroups

5. any employee living in the same household as a confirmed case
   

Due to point 3 we ask that you notify us via the Client Portal or by emailing helpme@workplace.co.uk as soon as you are made aware of a confirmed case.

Our team will need to be notified as they may need to self-isolate at home for 14 days. The safety of our customers and our team is a priority. We are following the advice of Public Health England to give ongoing guidance to the team and have increased hygiene measures in our offices and yours, which includes supplying all colleagues access to extra PPE and gloves.