When COVID19 reared its ugly head, many scramble to find ways to protect and safeguard their health from this deadly virus. This novel coronavirus spreads mainly through droplets of discharge or saliva when an infected individual coughs or sneezes. In order to give oneself the most protection, the recommended safety precautions include sanitising high-touch surfaces since most of these droplets will fall on nearby surfaces and objects and survive for a few hours. This is especially important for venues with high foot traffic, such as office spaces and the like.
If you’re not quite sure how to go ahead with disinfecting your office, here are few takeaways to help you avoid possible transmission and infection of the novel coronavirus.
Below is guidance on how the disinfection of office surfaces should take place.
1. First and foremost, you’ll want to select the right disinfectant that is not only effective, but won’t damage the surfaces you’re trying to disinfect. Choosing the proper percentage concentration is key. Always opt for those with an alcohol percentage of 50%-70% as alcohol at this dilution can efficiently penetrate the bacterial wall, disrupts the molecular confirmation and denature the proteins and enzymes, rendering it dead. Avoid those with 90% dilution as the alcohol will evaporate before it can kill the microbes.
2. Ensure that there is ample ventilation as the alcohol fumes can easily induce headaches, nausea and vomiting. Or worse, they can cause respiratory arrest and other breathing problems. Thus, ensure that you have an efficient air ventilation system, or you can open all windows and doors to give room for aeration.
3. Once you’re done, ensure that you wash your hands and wipe the surfaces you’ve disinfected with odour-free wipes. After all, you’re left with the remains of these microbes and it’s best to remove them while you can.
4. Keep all your disinfectant bottles and the like tightly closed. Not only does this avoid the eventual evaporation of alcohol content, but it also prevents any spillage. Moreover, you’ll also prevent any alcohol fumes from leaking out.
5. Ensure that any disposable items such as the gloves and masks are thrown away on a daily. Do take note to never reuse any of these items once you’re done disinfecting as they would’ve already come in contact with the microbes and bacteria.
On top of the above practice, you may want to engage in expert office cleaning services as they have the technical know-how and equipment to do a thorough clean of your office space. They will properly sanitise every nook and cranny, to ensure that your health and the health of your workers aren’t compromised.
Apart from doing general cleaning and these disinfecting practices, do ensure that you dissuade workers from coming to work if they are ill. Working remotely is highly encouraged, so that the risk of transmission stays at a constant low. Always check the temperature of those coming into the office and have your workers wear their masks at all times. Let’s do our part to flatten the curve by staying vigilant and practising all the safety precautions to a tee.