As states and communities begin to reopen during the coronavirus emergency, it will be up to individual business owners to decide when it’s right for their employees and customers to return. It won’t be “business as usual” for anyone, and it will be up to each business owner to decide the safest way to return to work.
The goal of all business owners will be to earn the trust of employees and customers with the steps they’re taking to reduce the risk of exposure to coronavirus and to protect the health and safety of their businesses. Reopening plans should include specific guidelines for your business that incorporate social distancing and disinfection. First, what are the business reopening guidelines in your state?
Cleaning and Disinfection Guidelines
The federal coronavirus task force has created its set of guidelines to reopen the country. However, it’s up to individual governors to decide when it’s the right time for businesses in their states to move through the phases of reopening the economy. So, reopening timetables will be different from state to state, and it will be up to individual business owners to keep themselves up to date on the timetable in their region.
New regulations include which business can reopen and when, capacity limits for restaurants and retail stores, physical distancing guidelines, and disinfection protocols. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has developed new guidance to help businesses and schools reopen safely.
CDC Guidance:
- Routine cleaning with soap and water
- Disinfect commonly touched surfaces with products approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to kill viruses like the one that causes COVID-19
- Use bleach solutions to clean surfaces when EPA-approved disinfectants are not available
The CDC also recommends employees and customers:
- Practice social distancing
- Wear protective face coverings
- Wash hands frequently or use hand sanitizer
As a business owner, you should use COVID-19 disinfection recommendations from the CDC in combination with state guidelines to create a plan that works for your business. For additional guidance, look to essential businesses for examples of safe workplace plans. These businesses have continued to operate while implementing new health and safety protocols.
Rethinking Your Workspace
Offices may need to rearrange cubicles and desks to meet social distancing recommendations. You may want to recall remote workers in phases while we adapt to the new normal. For those workers who do return to the office, provide cleaning supplies to sanitize workstations and hand sanitizer dispensers throughout the office.
If you own a restaurant, your reopening plan will need to address food safety, creating dining areas that meet social distancing recommendations, and identifying the high traffic areas in your business that could be harboring coronaviruses and other dangerous diseases.
All businesses, including gyms, beauty salons, schools, and others, may want to consider restricting restrooms into one person at a time and make narrow corridors one-way traffic when possible. When creating a COVID-19 disinfection plan that meets the needs of your specific industry, you may want to hire health and safety experts to further reduce the risk in your business.
Call in Expert Help
Health and hygiene play an important role in the success of your business. These days, it’s even more important to make employees and customers feel safe inside your business.
At Enviro-Master Services, our mission is to disinfect, sanitize, and protect your business. We offer a wide range of commercial cleaning services to help you save money and keep your business safe. Our unique Virus Vaporizer™ electrostatic spray service uses hospital-grade germicide which is EPA-registered to kill coronaviruses and 47 other disease-causing pathogens.
Our technicians can also keep your business stocked with hand sanitizer, soap, and paper products to make sure your employees have the tools they need to stay safe. Once you have a reopening plan, share it with employees and customers.
Share Your Plan with Employees and Customers
Employees and customers will not feel safe coming back into your business if they’re not aware of all the important changes you’re making to keep them safe. Share your plan with employees before they return to work, so they know what to expect. When you reopen to customers or other visitors, make sure they see your hard work too.
Post signs encouraging social distancing and frequent hand washing. Provide hand sanitizer stations, especially near entrances. If you partner with Enviro-Master, you will receive a Certificate of Disinfection. Display it to let everyone know you’re taking extra precautions to keep them safe and healthy.
Call 1-833-GERM-PRO to find out how Enviro-Master can help with your COVID-19 reopening plans.
