How to Prevent Spreading Germs in the Workplace

Protect Your Workplace From Germs

While workplaces like movie theaters, gyms, restaurants, and bars have closed during the pandemic, there are some businesses that are vital to the function and well-being of society—hospitals and grocery stores chief among them. If your workplace is still open, you and your employees may be worried about the amount of close contact you experience. In some workplaces, like the food industry or the medical field, sanitation is vital to keeping both your employees and the general public safe. Read more below to learn how you can prevent spreading germs in your workplace

Tools to Prevent Spreading Germs in the Workplace

Even if you are maintaining business as usual when in contact with customers or patients, it is crucial that your workplace is clean at all times. There are many ways to help keep those who are in good health safe while minimizing the spread of the virus. To take the guesswork out of protecting yourself, your employees, and the public from coronavirus, we’ve put together some tips for maintaining a sanitary workplace.

1. Face Coverings

Face coverings are the first line of defense against spreading germs in the workplace. With so many options to choose from, it can be confusing which one is right for your business. You can learn more about the different types of face coverings to determine the best option for you.

2. Disposable Gloves

While healthcare professionals emphasize the importance of washing hands, sometimes extra precautions must be taken to avoid coming into contact with the virus, especially in high-risk areas with heavy foot traffic. Nitrile gloves, which are synthetic and a safe substitution for individuals with latex allergies, provide a barrier between you and your workspace while minimizing the spread of the disease.

3. Disposable Shoe Covers

Shoe covers stop workers from tracking outside dirt and grime into a sanitary workplace. These are especially useful if you work in a health care facility because they protect patients from any illnesses you might bring in from the outside world, while also protecting those outside your workplace at the end of the day.

4. Disposable Lab Coats

While you might not sport a lab coat while ringing up groceries at the supermarket, lab coats offer the same sort of protection that disposable shoe covers offer—keeping the spread of the virus to a minimum via transmission on clothing. These should be worn in a health care facility but are also useful in adding an extra barrier between employees and the goods being stocked behind closed doors in stores and restaurants.

Sanitation Standards to Prevent Spreading Germs in the Workplace

1) Wash Your Hands

Washing your hands is good practice for preventing many viruses, like influenza, and should be practiced regularly. Hand sanitizer kills viruses in a pinch, but the World Health Organization recommends only using sanitizer when soap and water are not immediately available. Unwashed hands can aid in the spread of the coronavirus, along with many other viruses.

2) Clean and Sanitize Frequently Used Objects and Spaces

Wiping down surfaces in break rooms and bathrooms should be common practice to avoid the spread of illness year-round, but this is a good way to protect workers against coronavirus when they’re not wearing gloves or other safety gear to protect themselves.

3) Keep Your Workers Healthy

Both physical and mental health are important during a pandemic. Stress can weaken the immune system, making it easier to contract an illness. Allowing adequate breaks and time off will aid in social distancing, and help ease the minds of a stressed workforce by practicing proper sanitation and keeping those with respiratory illness home. Should employees demonstrate common symptoms related to influenza, they should be encouraged to take sick leave and seek medical care, as even mild symptoms can be symptoms of COVID-19.

Focus on What You Can Do, Not What You Cannot

Managing workplace safety during a pandemic can be very stressful, but if we adhere to the recommendations of the World Health Organization, the CDC, and healthcare providers, each individual effort could help slow the community spread. Self-quarantine and social distancing, combined with proper sanitation, travel restrictions, and avoiding those who are at a higher risk for infection—as well as practicing proper sanitation and care in the workplace—are just a few of the things that we can do to keep the number of cases of coronavirus as low as possible.

Browse Our Selection of Disposable Gloves and Safety Wear

PalmFlex understands the necessity of protecting your workplace during this pandemic, and that’s why we offer a large selection of disposable gloves and safety wear to improve sanitation and minimize physical contact. Free shipping over $80 is available within the continental U.S. With our quality products and competitive prices, we’re here to help keep your employees and patrons safe.