Coronavirus in the workplace Readying the workplace for COVID-19

Readying the workplace for COVID-19

On 18 March 2020 the WHO website confirmed the number of cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has

risen to more than 191 000 globally with at least 110 000 cases outside of China, as the economic trauma caused

by the outbreak continues to impact global share markets.

At least 7 807 people have died as a result of the virus, with the majority in mainland China. But figures outside of the country where the virus was first reported are growing, even as China slowly starts to get back to normal.

Almost one hundred countries and territories have confirmed cases, now including South Africans that recently travelled to Italy. During early March Italian authorities placed much of the northern part of the country on lockdown, affecting nearly 15 million people, while other regions will face varying forms of travel restrictions. More than 31 500 cases and 2 503 deaths have already been confirmed in Italy.

With confirmed cases of COVID-19 in 25 African countries including South Africa, the World Health Organization (WHO) and key health partners are strengthening cooperation to better coordinate readiness and response efforts across Africa. The WHO convened a meeting in Nairobi during the first week of March, with representatives from the Kenyan Health Ministry, the African Union and key United Nations partner agencies in attendance.

The WHO Regional Office for Africa is supporting member states to prepare for a potential case of COVID-19 in a number of ways. The WHO has dispatched experts to countries believed to be at higher risk of an outbreak of coronavirus to assist in areas including case management, surveillance and early detection. Across the continent, the WHO is working to increase the capacity of national laboratories to detect COVID-19 by supplying reagents, testing equipment and training for staff. Essential personal protective equipment has also been dispatched by the WHO to some African countries.

It must, however, be kept in mind that although the World Health Organization and public health authorities around the world are taking action to contain the COVID-19 outbreak, long-term success cannot be taken for granted. All sections of society, including businesses and employers and most definitely the professional cleaning industry, must play an active role in presenting workplace hygiene solutions if we are to stop the spread of this disease.

Background – how COVID-19 spreads When someone who has COVID-19 coughs or exhales, they release droplets of infected fluid. Most of these droplets fall on nearby surfaces and objects – such as desks, tables or telephones.

People could catch COVID-19 by touching contaminated surfaces or objects and then touching their eyes, nose or mouth. If they are standing within one metre of a person with COVID-19, they can catch it by breathing in droplets coughed out or inhaled by them. In other words, COVID-19 spreads in a similar way to flu. Most persons infected with COVID-19 experience mild symptoms and recover. However, some go on to experience more serious illness and may require hospital care. Risk of serious illness rises with age: people over 40 seem to be more vulnerable than those younger. People with weakened immune systems and people with conditions such as diabetes, heart and lung disease are also more vulnerable to serious illness.

When considering hygiene in the workplace, it is imperative to be mindful of the following information made available by the WHO. These measures should also be discussed with the professional cleaning contractor on site in order to ensure seamless action against infections in the workplace.

Ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in your workplace The low-cost measures below will help prevent the spread of infections in your workplace, such as colds, flu and stomach bugs, and protect your customers, contractors and employees. Employers should start giving attention to this now, even if COVID-19

All sections of society, including businesses and employers and most definitely the professional cleaning industry, must play an active role in presenting workplace hygiene solutions if we are to stop the spread of this disease.

has not arrived in the communities where they operate. In doing so, they can already reduce working days lost due to illness and stop or slow the spread of COVID-19 if it arrives at one of your workplaces.

Ensure workplaces are clean and hygienic • Wipe surfaces including desks and tables as well as telephones and keyboards regularly with disinfectant, as contamination on surfaces touched by employees and customers is one of the main ways that COVID-19 spreads.

Encourage regular and thorough hand washing by employees, contractors and customers • Position sanitising hand-rub dispensers in prominent areas in the workplace. These dispensers should be refilled regularly. • Display posters promoting hand washing (available through local public health authority or alternatively on the WHO website: www.who.int). • Combine this promotional material with other communication measures including offering guidance from occupational health and safety officers, briefings at meetings and information on the intranet to promote hand washing. • Ensure all staff, contractors and clients have access to facilities where their hands can be washed with soap and water as washing kills the virus on the hands and prevents the spread of COVID-19.

Encourage good respiratory hygiene in the workplace • Display posters promoting respiratory hygiene. Combine this with other communication measures such as offering guidance from occupational health and safety officers, briefings at meetings and information on the intranet, etc. • Ensure that face masks and/or paper tissues are available at your workplace, for those who develop a runny nose or cough at work, along with closed bins for hygienic disposal. Good respiratory hygiene combats the spread of COVID-19.

Brief your employees, contractors and clients that if COVID-19 starts spreading in your community, anyone with even a mild cough or low-grade fever (37.3 °C or higher) needs to stay at home • They should also stay home (or work from home) if they have had to take simple medication such as paracetamol/acetaminophen, ibuprofen or aspirin, which may mask symptoms of COVID-19. • Keep communicating and promoting the message that people need to stay at home even if they have mild symptoms of COVID-19. • Display posters with this message in your workplace. Combine this with other communication channels commonly used in your organisation. • Make it clear to employees that they will be able to count time off as sick leave.

Issues to consider when you and your employees travel

Before travelling: • Ensure that your organisation and its employees have the latest information on areas where COVID-19 is spreading. You can find this at https://www.who. int/emergencies/diseases/novelcoronavirus-2019/situation-reports/ • Based on the latest information, your organisation should assess the benefits and risks related to upcoming travel plans. • Avoid sending employees who may be at higher risk of serious illness (e.g. older employees and those with medical conditions such as diabetes, heart and lung disease) to areas where COVID-19 is spreading. • Make sure all persons travelling to locations reporting COVID-19 are briefed by a qualified professional (e.g. staff health services, healthcare provider or local public health partner). • Consider issuing employees who are about to travel with small bottles (under 100 cl) of alcoholbased hand rub. This can facilitate regular hand washing.

While travelling: • Encourage employees to wash their hands regularly and stay at least one metre clear of people who are coughing or sneezing. • Ensure that employees know what to do and who to contact if they feel ill while travelling. • Ensure that your employees comply with instructions from local authorities where they are travelling. If, for example, they are told by local authorities not to go somewhere, they should comply with this. Your employees should comply with any local restrictions on travel, movement or large gatherings.

Return from travelling: • Employees who have returned from an area where COVID-19 is spreading should monitor themselves for symptoms for 14 days and take their temperature twice a day. • If they develop even a mild cough or low-grade fever (i.e. a temperature of 37.3 °C or more) they should stay at home and self-isolate. This means avoiding close contact (one metre or nearer) with other people, including family members. They should also telephone their healthcare provider or the local public health department, giving them details of their recent travel and symptoms. • Small- and medium-sized businesses without in-house staff health and welfare support should develop partnerships and plans with their local health and social service providers in advance of any emergency. • Your local or national public health authority may be able to offer support and guidance in developing your plan.

Clarity on some of the misconceptions As the COVID-19 epidemic spreads around the globe, a host of misconceptions and falsehoods surround it. Here, some of these myths are dispelled to help you cut through the confusion.

The COVID-19 virus cannot be transmitted through goods manufactured in China or any country reporting COVID-19 cases. Even though the new coronavirus can stay on surfaces for a few hours or up to several days (depending on the type of surface), it is very unlikely that the virus will persist on a surface after being moved, travelled, and exposed to different conditions and temperatures. If you think a surface may be contaminated, use a disinfectant to clean it. After touching it, clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash hands with soap and water. The COVID-19 virus cannot be transmitted through mosquito bites. To date there has been no information nor evidence to suggest that the new coronavirus could be transmitted by mosquitoes. The new coronavirus is a respiratory virus, which spreads primarily through droplets generated when an infected person coughs or sneezes or through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose. To protect yourself, clean your hands frequently with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water. Also, avoid close contact with anyone who is coughing and sneezing.

Hand dryers are not effective in killing COVID-19. To protect yourself against the new coronavirus, you should frequently clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water. Once your hands are cleaned, you should dry them thoroughly by using paper towels or a warm air dryer.

An ultraviolet disinfection lamp can kill the new coronavirus. UV lamps should not be used to sterilise hands or other areas of skin as UV radiation can cause skin irritation.

Thermal scanners are effective in detecting people infected with the new coronavirus. Thermal scanners are effective in detecting people who have developed a fever (i.e. have a higher-than-normal body temperature) because of infection with the new coronavirus. However, they cannot detect people who are infected but are not yet sick with fever. This is because it takes between 2 and 10 days before people who are infected become sick and develop a fever.

Spraying alcohol or chlorine all over your body kill the new coronavirus. Spraying alcohol or chlorine all over your body will not kill viruses that have already entered your body. Spraying such substances can be harmful to clothes or mucous membranes (i.e. eyes, mouth). Be aware that both alcohol and chlorine can be useful to disinfect surfaces, but they need to be used according to appropriate recommendations.

Now is the time to prepare for COVID-19. Simple precautions and planning can make a big difference. Action now will help protect your employees and your business.

Vaccines against pneumonia protect you against the new coronavirus. Vaccines against pneumonia, such as pneumococcal vaccine and Haemophilus influenza type B (Hib) vaccine, do not provide protection against the new coronavirus. The virus is so new and different that it needs its own vaccine. Researchers are trying to develop a vaccine against COVID-19, and the WHO is supporting their efforts.

Although these vaccines are not effective against COVID-19, vaccination against respiratory illnesses is highly recommended to protect your health.

Antibiotics are effective in preventing and treating the new coronavirus. No, antibiotics do not work against viruses, only bacteria. The new coronavirus (COVID-19) is a virus and, therefore, antibiotics should not be used as a means of prevention or treatment. However, if you are hospitalised for the COVID-19, you may receive antibiotics because bacterial co-infection is possible.

The new coronavirus only affects older people. People of all ages can be infected by the new coronavirus (COVID-19). Older people, and people with pre-existing medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease) appear to be more vulnerable to becoming severely ill with the virus. The WHO advises people of all ages to take steps to protect themselves from the virus, for example, by following good hand hygiene and good respiratory hygiene.

Remember: Now is the time to prepare for COVID-19. Simple precautions and planning can make a big difference. Action now will help protect your employees and your business.

How to stay informed: Find the latest information from the WHO on where COVID-19 is spreading: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/ novel-coronavirus-2019/situation-reports/ Advice and guidance from the WHO on COVID-19 https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/ novel-coronavirus-2019 https://www.epi-win.com/

For more local information about COVID-19 visit: www.sacoronavirus.co.za