Tips for workshops on the coronavirus front line

WHEN WORKSHOPS OPEN AGAIN, THEY WILL COME FACE TO FACE WITH CUSTOMERS AND THEIR ‘PERSONAL SPACE’ — THE INTERIOR OF THEIR CARS

Workshops will be keen to get back into business as soon as the lockdown ends but they will also need to take precautions for dealing with the coronavirus, Covid-19, as customers’ cars which can harbour this and other viruses.

While community spread may be containedin New Zealand by the lockdown, the virus is stillactive overseas so it’s possible the virus could bereimported later, and if we don’t have ‘herd immunityhere’ because the lockdown stopped the spread, wewill remain vulnerable until a vaccine is available.

As both bacteria and viruses can remain viable onhard surfaces like metal, glass, and plastic for daysand possibly more than a week in suitable conditions,workshops will have to manage the risk to staff.

Roads and vehicles will continue to be the mainarteries of life in New Zealand for the foreseeablefuture. Vehicles will continue to need service and

repair, and that means workshop staff will be in the front line, coming into contact with both customers and their ‘personal space’, inside their vehicles.

In Australia, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) has advised that automotive brands and their dealer networks will remain open to provide sales and service support to customers.

Tony Weber, chief executive of the FCAI, said: “The operation of motor vehicle dealerships, their service and repair centres, and key supply chain facilities play a critical part in supplying essential services to the community.

“At the same time, the automotive industry rates the preservation of the health and safety of our

employees, dealer network, and customers as our number one priority. The industry has considered and adopted a number of additional hygiene and safety protocols, including extended cleaning processes, personal distancing, and contactless sales and service consultations — all with the number one priority of ensuring the safety and security of our communities,” Mr Weber said.

“It is largely business as usual — but with extra care and consideration for our key stakeholders.”

Implementing basic cleaning and sanitizing practices will go a long way to reduce risk to workshop staff. We have collated the top tips here.

Wearing disposable gloves, grab a rubbish bag and chuck out any litter in the car — food wrappers cups, discarded receipts. Vacuum any soft surfaces in the car including floors and seats.

Use disinfectant wipes to clean the dashboard, switches, cup holders, and interior handles. Note too that vents and the plenum chambers behind vents can harbour germs, especially as UV light, which kills a lot of germs, doesn’t reach in there. Wipes won’t reach in there either, nor into other nooks and crannies like the recesses around switches. Consider using an antibacterial misting agent and giving those vents a squirt. Commercial products are available that won’t leave behind spots, stains, or residue like some cleaning agents. And don’t forget to clean car keys. You could also investigate sourcing handheld UVC fluorescent lamps or LEDs which can be used to disinfect work stations, equipment, tables, machines, keypads, computers, and of course car interiors.

UV, specifically UVC light — UV light in the 100–280mm wavelength — can kill up to 99% of harmful bacteria and viruses, including the Covid-19 coronavirus. It is regularly used in drinking water treatment.

The Car Coach Report’s consumer automotive expert Lauren Fix says the average vehicle has about 283 different types of bacteria in every square inch. The average steering wheel has four times more bacteria on it than a typical public toilet seat. The worst spots in cars are the front seat cup holder, the dashboard air vent, the driver side floor mats, and the door handles.

Ideally, after finishing work on a vehicle, you willrepeat the interior sanitizing process before handingit back to the customer.

WORKSHOP CLEANING

You may want to consider sanitizing yourworkshop, office area, and toilets several times aday to maintain a safe environment for everyone.

Consider suspending your lobby coffee andbeverage service for a time, to reduce waste.People may be reluctant to use it anyway. Providedisinfecting wipes and sanitizing gel in the waitingareas, as well as wipes in employee workspaces.You could provide gel here too, but it’s better toencourage proper handwashing.

GERMS ON HARD SURFACES

A variety of viruses can trigger the commoncold, and cold germs can survive for days on hard,nonporous surfaces like desktops and handrails— even longer than they survive on bare skin.However, they rarely remain infectious for morethan 24 hours.

Influenza germs can survive in the air as dropletsfor hours and live on hard surfaces like phones andkeyboards for up to 24 hours. Infectious flu virusesclinging to a tissue can last for about 15 minutes.Viruses on the hands tend to fade quickly. Most willbe only a minimal threat after five minutes. It maybe a small window of time, but influenza germsdon’t warn you of their presence and can make youvery sick if you’re unlucky enough to encounterthem when they’re infectious.

The highly contagious norovirus that triggersstomach cramps, vomiting, and diarrhoea canspread through small droplets that travel throughthe air before settling on surfaces. They don’t laston soft or porous surfaces but they can survive onhard surfaces.

The same is true for other coronaviruses likeSARS and MERS. They can survive on hard surfacesfor two hours to nine days but the risk is greatlyreduced after 72 hours. The best advice of all is towash your hands thoroughly.