Tag Archive for: flu season

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Combatting more than just COVID this Christmas

How to minimise illnesses this winter by maintaining a clean and hygienic workplace. 

As the nights draw in and the winter months approach; as does regular cold and flu season. This is always a big concern for businesses across the globe, and due to a more vulnerable population through an overall lack of immunity to the flu, public health officials are preparing for an especially harsh winter.

During this time, it’s important to remain vigilant in protecting your workplace from the spread of diseases by continuing the good hygiene practices that most have fallen into during the pandemic. Whilst these will help to minimise staff sickness and absences, they can only do so much. Therefore, it is also important to take the necessary steps to keep your staff and workplace safe. This includes:

  • Staying home if you are feeling ill

Pre-COVID, most office-workers in the UK would likely admit to being guilty of maintaining a ‘stiff upper-lip’ and going into work despite a sniffle and a cough. And whilst the recent easing of government restrictions may make it feel safe to slip back into old habits, public health officials are urging people to steer clear of the workplace if they fall ill this winter, whether with COVID19 or something else.

  • Routinely cleaning surfaces

COVID19 and other viruses like the flu can potentially survive on surfaces for some time, ranging from a few hours, to a number of days. Luckily, both COVID and the influenza virus are fairly fragile. This means that typical cleaning and disinfecting practices should be enough to kill them, provided that this is done regularly.

  • Regularly disinfecting high-touch point areas

COVID19 and the flu can both be spread through touch, so be sure to be vigilant in cleaning any surfaces or objects in your office that are frequently come into contact with – such as desks, keyboards, chair arms, phones, door handles, taps, or bannisters. These areas should be cleaned up to three or four times a day if possible, depending on the busyness of your workplace.

  • Regularly removing waste

It may seem obvious, but you should be emptying and sanitising your bins and wastebaskets daily to get rid of items like tissues that can harbour bacteria and germs.

  • Vacuuming and cleaning carpets

Deep cleaning or vacuuming your carpets regularly helps reduce the spread of germs and also improves the indoor air quality in your office. This is especially important when dealing with airborne pathogens like COVID and influenza. You could also help this by clearing out your air-conditioning/heating systems.

If these practices feel difficult to maintain by yourself, why not get in touch with us and use ServiceMaster Clean for a regular and high quality office cleaning service? Trust us to help you get ready for winter this year, and keep your premises germ and virus free by letting us handle all your commercial janitorial needs.

Click here to find your nearest ServiceMaster Clean and learn more about our services today.

 

Another blog post you may be interested in reading is on promoting good hygiene in the workplace

Keeping Your Offices Clean During Flu Season

At work, you may be exposed to a number of germs, especially when flu season rolls around and keeping your offices clean during flu season is important for you and your staff. Sick coworkers likely touch a variety of surfaces on their way in and out of the office, including shared spaces like the kitchen, bathrooms and conference rooms. Their germs can linger on tables, office equipment, door handles and other surfaces for significant periods of time, putting you and other staff members at risk of getting sick.

Plus with COVID-19 still about, if any symptoms occur, ensure you test yourself with a lateral flow test or a PCR test.

Luckily, there are some things you can do to help prevent getting sick with the flu or spreading germs, find out three cold and flu prevention tips from the professionals at ServiceMaster Clean.

Washing your hands

Washing your hands regularly is one of the best ways to prevent getting sick year-round. In the winter months when viruses can remain active longer due to colder temperatures, proper handwashing becomes more important. Use these tips to wash your hands correctly:

  • Wash your hands regularly throughout the day with warm water and soap for minimum 20 seconds each time
  • Dry your hands thoroughly with disposable towels
  • Always wash your hands after using the bathroom, as these spaces are havens for germs
  • Wash your hands after coming into contact with any bodily fluid, this includes your own.
  • Use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser when soap and water are not available. Keep an alcohol-based hand sanitiser with you at your desk or in your personal bag or purse.

Cough Etiquette

Coughing is something we all do, and you don’t have to be noticeably sick to cough here and there throughout the day, but using proper techniques when you cough can help alleviate the spread of germs. Teach your staff members these tips to help remind them to cover their cough at work:

  • Cover your mouth with a tissue when you’re coughing, if possible.
  • Dispose of tissues immediately in a nearby wastebasket.
  • Cover your mouth with your hands or cough into the crook of your arm when you don’t have access to tissue.
  • Wash your hands with soap and water immediately after coughing.

Keeping Your Offices Clean During Flu Season

A clean workspace can help keep germs to a minimum and potentially even increase worker productivity, especially if frequently touched items and surfaces like keyboards, doorknobs and phones are disinfected regularly. Help reduce the number of germs in your office throughout the day by enforcing these cleaning steps:

  • Clean and disinfect daily by wiping down high-touch surfaces with disinfectant wipes or low-level disinfectant products to help kill germs in shared spaces as well as your own work area
  • Stock up on supplies, by making sure your office has an adequate amount of tissues, paper towels, soap, hand sanitiser and disinfectant wipes to keep the office clean every day.
  • Allow sick employees to go home. If an employee starts feeling sick at work, let them go home before they have an opportunity to infect the staff around them.

Keep in mind that if your employees show cold or flu symptoms throughout the year, including fever, muscle aches, fatigue and bouts of coughing, ask them if they begin feeling better when they spend time away from the office.

Along with having your staff take an active role in cleaning throughout the day, a janitorial crew can help reduce the number of germs and infections lurking in your office. If you need help keeping cold and flu symptoms to a minimum while you’re at work, call on the experts at ServiceMaster Clean. Our commercial janitorial services can help keep your office clean and healthy. We’ll even work with you to create a detailed, comprehensive cleaning regimen that meets your facility’s unique needs and schedule. Contact us today to find out how we can help your business.

 

Find your nearest ServiceMaster Clean business here.