The world is adapting to the new normal after the COVID-19 pandemic. Business leaders significantly take care of their employees’ health and safety for continuity and productivity. Below are tips to guide you in creating new norms, protocols, and purposes for a safe place.
Limit Close Contact with Other People
If you have not resumed business operations yet, ensure the environment is ready for employees to occupy. Identify areas where employees have close contact, such as the meeting rooms, cafeteria, checking sites, break rooms, and waiting areas, to limit close contact for safety. Modify the workstations and the furniture to maintain social distancing. Where social distancing is not possible, install transparent shields to act as barriers between employees or clients. Use signs on walls and floors to remind people and show them the position to take to stay apart from each other. Installation of touchless activations can also help open doors and other spaces where workers have to use.
Improve the Building Ventilation
Consult an HVAC professional for guidance on improving the building ventilation based on CDC guidelines and the latest in air filtration systems. The professional should also look at the HVAC systems in your building to ensure they are compatible with the outdoor air. Using natural ventilation increases the devolution of outdoor air for improved air circulation. Install high-efficiency particulate air filtration systems to clean air. Proper ventilation removes allergens, particulates, and pollutants for fresh air, increasing productivity and the staff’s health.
Active Shooter Preparedness
Mass shootings in the workplace have become increasingly common in recent years. These situations are unpredictable, tend to escalate quickly, and frequently end in tragedy. A leader should ensure staff members have the right resources for learning what to do in the event of a workplace shooting. For example, provide active shooter training for employees. That way, in the unlikely but nevertheless possible event of a workplace shooting, your employees are prepared in ways that increase the odds of survival.
Encourage Employees with COVID-19 Symptoms to Work at Home
Employees with COVID-19 symptoms should be separated from other workers to avoid the spread of the virus. Business leaders should ensure these employees don’t return to work until their health is in good condition. There should be a cleaning and disinfection performance for others’ safety when an employee gets sick while in the building. It’s also essential to ensure facilities and equipment are available to screen people before entering the workstation.
Is Work From Home Getting On Your Nerve?
Take Care of Yourself as a Leader
Follow the CDC guideline and get COVID-19 tests. Doing this sets an excellent example to your employees and encourages them to follow these guidelines freely. Communicate to your employees and know how they are faring. As a leader, be passionate, have compassion and empathy for your employees to ensure they are safe every day.
Lead from the Front
As a business leader, build a positive workplace culture for employees to feel your support. Employees will be happy when you take the first step to ensure their health and security are prioritized. The results of this will be a sustainable organization.
Identify the Potential Sources of Hazards and Risks
When there are no hazards identification in an environment, injuries and accidents are inevitable. Threats to look out for include hazardous chemicals, noise pollution, weather-related hazards, mechanical hazards, and ergonomics. Hazard identification helps your team understand and familiarize themselves with the environment to protect themselves from risks. Something reduces and eliminates injury occurrences when identified since there is better handling.
