Since the COVID-19 pandemic started in March 2020, many office-based employees that work in the warehouse or industrial sector have been working from home using remote communication tools such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom. The world of work has dramatically changed for the present and the future as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. This change in work functionality has had an impact on how workspaces are going to be laid out in future years. Many manufacturing and warehouse businesses are classed as essential; therefore, they have continued to operate throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
In this blog post, we’ll give you some tips on how you can enforce social distancing in your business to keep your employees COVID safe.
Educating Employees
Your staff at the warehouse or industrial plant must be aware of any government guidelines and how they can feel safe while at work. They need to be mindful of how COVID-19 spreads and how can they stop the virus from spreading by washing their hands frequently and keeping their distance from other people. Communication with your employees is important, it is a good idea to hold a virtual meeting with all employees explaining the COVID-19 regulations and what staff need to do to keep themselves and those around them safe.
Physical Dividers & Barriers
The ongoing Coronavirus pandemic has made us all rethink the physical distance we should be from other people. Physical barriers and dividers can help staff keep their social distance to stop the spread of the virus. You could install dividers between each machine or computer, this helps employees continue to communicate effectively. This is an effective way of instructing staff on keeping a 2-metre distance from others. Segregation dividers can reduce the spread of COVID-19 and ensures that all staff members feel safe when they go to work.
Extra Entrances and Exits
It’s important to understand people’s work patterns. Is there a certain time of the day when a lot of staff come into the workplace at once? Spreading out the people flow coming through the door is key to reducing the virus spreading. Additional entrances and exits enable staff to have enough personal space when they enter and exit the building. Ensure that there is a hand sanitiser station at all entrances. Staff rooms and corridors are areas of the building where it is common for individuals to hang around. To reduce the spread of the virus in these areas, you should remove any seating.
Personal Equipment for Each Member of Staff
Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, staff would share equipment such as engineering tools. You need to ensure that each member of your team have their own engineering tools to avoid individuals looking around for the piece of equipment they need. This will also stop employees from touching areas that have been used by multiple members of staff and reduce the chances of the virus spreading.
Heavily Focused on Health & Safety
Your focus on health and safety should never have been as high as it is now. An effective way to ensure that your staff are safe at work is by introducing temperature scanners when entering the workplace. Regular hand sanitisation stations should be introduced alongside surface sanitisation, sanitisation mats for footwear and face coverings. These are just a few of the important safety measures you should be introducing in your workplace.
Read our latest COVID-19 Response. This outlines what measures we have taken here at Pure Staff to ensure that our staff and clients are kept safe. Read more about the latest government guidelines surrounding social distancing here.
Contact our Team of Recruitment Experts at Pure Staff
Are you looking for new staff for your warehouse or industrial business? Get in touch with our team at Pure Staff to speak about potential candidates that will fill the vacancy.
