Maintaining strict hygiene levels in the workplace and keeping the work environment as clean as possible is vital in ensuring the health and safety of employees, as well as keeping the workplace running smoothly.
As employees return to work after lockdown, it’s important that workplace cleanliness is at an all time high to help prevent the spread of viruses and other germs and illnesses.
Not only does having good hygiene and cleanliness levels affect the health and safety of employees, but helps increase workplace productivity and happiness too.
Today, the experts at Equip4work have created this helpful guide to help you maintain and improve hygiene levels and cleanliness in the workplace.
Personal hygiene
Having good personal hygiene is important to help prevent the spread of germs as well as make the workplace a nice place to be.
Hand hygiene
Hand hygiene is more important than ever, and employees should ensure that they wash their hands frequently throughout the day using good hand washing techniques.
Installing industrial hygiene stations around the workplace is a good way to enforce frequent handwashing, and providing areas with hand sanitisers and hand sanitiser dispensers helps encourage consistent hand sanitation.
It’s recommended that employees sanitise their hands on the way into the workplace, as well as after touching equipment and before touching their face.
Similarly, thorough hand washing should be done after using the toilet, before handling and eating food, after blowing your nose or sneezing or coughing, and after touching animals.
It’s recommended by the NHS that hands should be washed for 20 seconds, with efficient hand sanitiser/soap.
Uniform and clothing cleanliness
Making sure that there’s no contamination between work uniforms and casualwear is a good way to help stop the spread of germs and bugs from outfit to outfit. Providing clean and dirty lockers in the workplace allows for separation of clothing, as well as keeps it safe while employees are at work.
It’s also important that clothing is washed frequently between working days to prevent dirt and grime build up.
Having effective cleaning procedures
Frequent cleaning of the workplace, whether that be an office or a warehouse, is crucial when it comes to overall cleanliness and hygiene levels. Good housekeeping goes a long way and makes the workplace a much better place to be in, as well as much safer.
Having and following a workplace cleaning schedule is a good way to ensure all cleaning jobs are always done. While some workplaces have specific cleaning companies from outside coming in to do the work, many workplaces rely on employees to keep the workplace clean, meaning it’s important everyone plays their part.
Providing the correct workplace cleaning supplies means that cleaning jobs can be done efficiently and effectively, with cleaning essentials vital for competent cleaning.
Steam cleaning surfaces and flooring regularly not only gets rid of grime and bacteria, but helps control allergens too. For a commercial steam cleaner that kills 99.999% of germs including viruses, take a look at the range of Kärcher products available from Equip4work today.
Areas that need to be focussed on the most include:
- Touch points such as light switches, door handles and bannisters
- Communal areas such as kitchens and toilets
- Individual workspaces such as desks and workstations
Before cleaning, the average desk has 400x more germs than a toilet seat, so making sure desk areas and workstations are wiped down and cleaned frequently is very important.
Educating employees
For workplace cleanliness and hygiene levels to be as high as possible, educating and reminding employees of its importance plays a vital role in maintaining these high standards. While physically speaking to and promoting cleanliness and good hygiene levels is the most important way to educate employees, installing signage around the workplace is a good way to help remind them.
While work safety signs are probably already in use to inform employees of workplace dangers and safety rules, hygiene and cleanliness awareness and safety signs are beneficial when it comes to cleaning procedures and hygiene standards.
Similarly, toilet and washroom signs being placed near handwashing stations are a good way to remind employees of how to wash their hands and when to wash their hands, while signs and floor stickers advise on social distancing rules and other warnings.
Keeping up with cleaning of equipment
The cleaning of equipment between uses is vital in preventing the spread of germs and keeping the overall cleanliness levels of the workplace high.
Using suitable industrial pressure washers on equipment and outdoor flooring blasts away muck, grime and germs, while they can also be used to clean down vehicles and other heavy duty equipment.
In an office environment, it’s important that keyboards and mice are cleaned regularly, and that office desks are wiped down every night.
Maintaining a clean and hygienic workplace is vital in helping to keep employees safe and business running smoothly.
Take a look at the wide range of cleaning and hygiene products available today from Equip4work and find the perfect cleaning materials for your workplace.