Let us say that somebody in your workplace is confirmed to be infected with (or carrying) COVID-19. What do you do? How do you manage the situation without infecting more people or spreading the virus to customers? Most importantly, how are you supposed to clean the infected area safely?
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Once They Are Found
When someone in your workplace tests positive or is found to have symptoms, the first thing you need to do is get them away from anyone else. This means that their employer has to be told, their hands have to be washed regularly, and they need to go home using as little public transport as possible.
The more immediate problem is making sure that the rest of the staff react properly. This means trying to keep away from one another in case they become infected as well, avoiding any spaces or equipment that the infected employee used, and generally remaining careful in case the virus is still a present threat.
Cleaning
After the initial stages of dealing with the problem, cleaning becomes the most important part. Not only can cleaning your office help remove the immediate threat of any lingering COVID-19 risks, but it can also allow other employees to stay safer while working in the same building. However, this is not always an easy cleaning job.
Deep Cleaning
Deep cleaning is often the most effective way of purging COVID from a space, but it can also be the most complex. It generally involves a lot of specialized equipment that is designed to isolate and destroy lingering virus germs, whether they are in the carpets, on the walls, or spread across somebody’s computer workstation.
Unfortunately, deep cleaning is also a very difficult thing for regular employees to handle, and it can often take more equipment than your company will have at the ready. To get around this problem, you can look into commercial cleaning – hiring office cleaning teams to deep clean the space for you.
Incorporating regular cleaning measures, such as utilizing an industrial floor sweeper, can contribute to a safer and more hygienic office environment, as discussed in this informative article on handling COVID-19 cases in your Sydney office.
What Should You Clean?
Anything that the infected person has used might be a risk, no matter how small. This could mean door handles, computer keyboards, cups, desk equipment, or even their chair. While some of these will only hold the virus for so long, it can still be long enough to infect somebody else.
Deep-cleaning the carpet is a common option, but a lot of commercial cleaning services will deep-clean the entire room just to be safe. Individual pieces of office equipment should be wiped down, even things as small as a mouse – they need to be properly cleaned before anybody else tries to use them.
Ideally, anything that can be left alone after cleaning should be left alone. Other employees should not try to take and use the infected employee’s equipment unless it is absolutely essential to running the business, and even then, it should be thoroughly disinfected before use.
Commercial Cleaners
If your business does not already have any commercial office cleaners on standby, then it can be a good idea to call some up and arrange a one-time visit. Ideally, you should at least have some connections to commercial cleaning services already, since they can be the ideal way to respond to this kind of situation.
Getting commercial cleaners involved puts much less risk on your own employees and can also allow them to keep working on their normal responsibilities without having to juggle the cleaning tasks as well.
Perhaps the most overlooked reason to go with commercial cleaning services is that it takes the responsibility away from your employees, something that can be a legitimate concern when COVID-19 is involved. If an employee does not have time to clean their desk, and it infects another employee, then they will be considered the one responsible – and that is a stressful position to be in.
Finding Commercial Cleaners
It is not hard to track down commercial cleaning services, but choosing the best office cleaners for your particular needs depends on what your business might require. When COVID is involved, you will sometimes need emergency cleaning options or a way to call in the team on short notice, so keep that in mind.
It is best to go for a local group of commercial cleaners if possible. This makes it easier for them to reach you quickly, allows them to go back for any gear that they did not bring on the initial trip, and makes everything far more convenient for both parties. It might also reduce the cost since they do not have to travel as far.
Take a proper look at the services that they offer, too. A lot of commercial cleaning groups will offer specific extras that might be perfect for your business, so do not be afraid to ask for more than the bare minimum.
Commercial Cleaners and COVID-19
Commercial cleaning services are the best way to deal with COVID-19 on short notice and can easily clear out areas of your office that might still be carrying some lingering infection. Since they are not your staff, they are responsible for their own equipment and safety, taking the pressure off you.
If you are not sure what to look for, consider hunting for commercial cleaning teams that can offer the things you need most. This could be things like Virus Disinfection options for completely clearing COVID threats from a certain part of the office, which can benefit any business, no matter how large it is or how many employees work there.
Take your time and consider your options before rushing ahead. There are a lot of specific things that might apply to some businesses which do not apply to others, but once you have a good commercial cleaning company locked down, you can trust them to take care of anything that your staff can’t handle by themselves.
