February 18, 2021 COVID-19 Virus Disinfecting For Offices

It’s estimated that 70% of New Yorkers that recover from COVID-19 will be required to return to work. But many offices still have the virus.

By Four Star General Cleaning Service

It’s estimated that 70% of New Yorkers that recover from COVID-19 will be required to return to work. As an office manager and employer, you need to properly disinfect your office against COVID-19 to prevent the spread of the virus and further infection. The trouble is that a lot of companies think that surface cleaning is enough to remove COVID-19. It’s not. If someone from your facility has tested positive for the virus, employers should notify their staff of this occurrence and let the employee know how the facility has been cleaned with an electrostatic sprayer to remove the virus completely from the space. Employers should also consult with their staff before making any decisions about going back to work, ensuring they feel comfortable returning to a safe environment.

When it comes to the current pandemic, most workers are sitting at home and working hard – but there has to come a time where employers are preparing to bring everyone back to the office. Office managers must ensure that they are cleaning and sanitizing New York offices thoroughly before any staff sets foot back in the building, especially if there was a current employee or customer that has tested positive for COVID-19. It’s also important to keep up with infection control measures to ensure that all of your employees come back to work safely.

Communication with your team will help them to feel more confident and secure about returning to work. It’s your job, then, to ensure that you are putting the right measures in place to help your staff to come back to work with confidence. Official guidance needs to be shared and implemented with your employees before you throw the doors open, and doing this will ensure that your customers feel safe, too. It’s important that you reduce the risk to those in and out of your business, and the key considerations for getting this right are set out below.

Understand & comply with government guidelines

Checking out the current guidance before reopening your premises and offices in a pandemic is so important. You need this to help you to learn how to work safely in your sector.

Thorough risk assessments need to be undertaken specifically to Coronavirus, too. You have to continuously review the risks of people being in the building and keep a close eye on the changing virus parameters, too. This means increasing workplace cleaning, changing office layouts to maintain social distancing and implementing mask policies in the open-plan offices, and performing an electrostatic sanitization if someone entering your facility has tested positive for COVID-19. Employers have a duty of care to ensure that all of the safety measures are adhered to by all those in the office.

Keep reviewing health and safety policies

It’s part of your job to ensure that you are keeping on top of the written policies on health and safety, especially when you have more than five people in your business. Taking steps to comply with all of the health and safety obligations is vital for your health and the health of the others in the building.

Using an electrostatic sprayer to disinfect your office against COVID-19

Electrostatic cleaning sprays are one of the most efficient and effective cleaning methods to remove bacteria and viruses from surfaces. This includes Coronaviruses. With specialized electrostatic sprayers, you use a liquid disinfectant that is positively charged as it moves through the sprayer and the surface will stay cleaner and free of persistent viruses for up to 28 days. These sprayers are lab tested, effective and safe to use, as the spray isn’t harmful to the environment. The chemicals in electrostatic cleaning equipment are friendly to the environment and safe for people to be around – and they’re quick! They can be used throughout your office setting, including kitchens and bathroom spaces to keep the area free of any and all bacteria.

New Yorkers are returning to work and feel unsafe

Not everyone can stay home to work. It’s estimated that 70% of New Yorkers that recover from COVID-19 will be required to return to work. In the fight against the virus, businesses need to do everything in their power to provide a safe space to prevent the spread and reinfection of their staff. The trouble is that a lot of companies think that surface cleaning is enough to remove COVID-19. It’s not.

It is predicted that 48 percent of employees will return to their offices by July of this year. These workers will be expecting a clean, safe, and protected work environment, yet 21 percent of those who have already returned have stated that they are not happy with the health and safety measures that have been put in place. Education workers are the most uncomfortable group returning to work, followed by office workers and customer-facing businesses.

Why electrostatic disinfecting is a must

One of the main issues associated with office health and safety is that companies are only cleaning more frequently, not more thoroughly. If an employee or customer has tested positive for the virus, general surface cleaning cannot properly disinfect your office against COVID-19

This is because electrostatic cleaning is a CDC-approved disinfecting spray that can sanitize areas general surface cleaning can’t, including paperwork, electronics, keyboards, carpets, telephones, and vents. If someone at your office has tested positive, electrostatic cleaning is a requirement to protect workers from COVID-19.

What happens if there has been an employee who tests positive for COVID-19? Electrostatic cleaning is a one-time service that you can ask to have added to your regular office cleaning schedule to completely remove the virus! Office managers who are bringing back employees or plan on opening their doors to return to work should look into hiring a commercial office cleaning company to help with their sanitization.

From commercial offices and factories to schools and medical facilities, this cleaning service can be used across all work environments to prevent the spread and further infections.

Four Star General Cleaning Bio:
Four Star General Cleaning Service is a privately-owned commercial office cleaning company that has provided professional and customized cleaning services in New York City for over 25 years.

Sources

https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/work/trends/goodwork/covid-impact
https://www.bain.com/insights/covid-19-back-to-work-advance-retreat-adapt-repeat
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/30/nyregion/new-york-city-office-coronavirus.html

Return to Office Survey Results Released – October 2020

Not everybody can work from home: Black and Hispanic workers are much less likely to be able to telework

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/taking-it-to-the-cleaners-coronavirus-spurs-spike-in-demand-for-jobs-to-sanitize-america-2020-03-12

See published article: https://4starcleaning.com/how-to-properly-disinfect-your-office-to-prevent-the-spread-of-covid-19/

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