How can a healthy work environment be maintained?

Healthy work environments are a top priority in essential businesses that have not yet been shut down to the Coronavirus. Essential businesses are defined as the ones that provide basic amenities to citizens. These can be:

• Grocery stores
• Health care facilities and pharmacies
• Select city workers
• Gas stations
• Bank tellers
• Manufacturers

What is open and what is not varies from state to state, listed above are businesses that almost every state still allows open and for employees to work at. Outside of these, most retail stores have been shut down to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

With nowhere but the grocery store and a few other businesses to go to, people flock to those businesses to gather what they need for an extended period during this time of self-isolation and social distancing. Because of this, it is understandable why employees at essential businesses are worried about being exposed to the Coronavirus. There are several things that a company can do to maintain a healthy working environment during this time. Making sure employees know how to do their part by being aware of how easily COVID-19 spreads is the first step. Reducing transmission is second:

• Employees that have developed symptoms such as a fever, cough, or shortness of breath should immediately tell their supervisor and stay home from work.
  • This usually entails self-isolating for 14 days until one can return back to work.
• Employees who have a family member that is sick should follow the CDC guidelines on precautions.

Identifying how workers could be exposed is next:

• Think about the employees that are at higher-risk and assign them to tasks that minimize face-to-face contact with others to keep them safe.
• Implement a system where monitoring how many people are in one place at a time and using proper social distancing techniques is encouraged.
• Encouraging frequent disinfecting of surfaces is recommended to prevent COVID-19 from spreading as well.