Coronavirus. 10 Steps to Mitigate the Risk

At the time of writing, no-one knows how the Coronavirus will affect us.

It may be successfully contained out with the UK. Or it may wreak havoc on us.

If we were to assess it in the same way we assess all other risks at work, I think we would class it right now as Medium Risk and High Severity.

In other words, we all need a plan.

As a national cleaning company with almost 2,000 staff in over 1,000 commercial locations, our exposure to it is significant, and there is a lot we can do to help prevent it spreading.

For our own implementation, and as a resource for all our customers and readers, here’s the Spotless 10-point plan to manage the risks associated with Coronavirus 2019 -nCoV.

As you will see the plan is based mostly around prevention.

1.Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Count it out. Do this after going to the bathroom, before eating, after sneezing or coughing, when on public transport.

OR use an alcohol hand-sanitiser only if soap and water are not freely available. (We are noticing several places are now selling out).

2. Avoid touching your eyes, mouth and nose with unwashed hands.

3. Avoid close contact with anyone who is sick. Person-to-person spreading requires a proximity of 2m. If you want to go a stage further, make a joke out of not shaking hands. They’ll understand.

4. Encourage your staff to stay at home if they are unwell. Presenteeism is rife and unhelpful.

5. Do not travel when you sick. You WILL infect others. Don’t be a super-spreader.

6. Ask your cleaning company to step up their focus on disinfecting touch points around the office. Especially toilet handles, door handles and taps. Ensure they are using a suitable chemical. Spotless uses Innuscience. See below for more details.

7. Use disposable tissues and dispose of them immediately. Alternatively use the crook of your elbow. But avoid using your bare hands.

8. Reduce sharing of workstations, stationery and other personal items.

9. If you have a confirmed case, let visitors (and cleaning contractor!) know. Asap.

10. Request your cleaning contractor to do a special clean. This will focus mainly around common touch points, e.g. handles, toilet flush points and other frequently touched points.

Innuscience and The Spotless Approach

In over 90% of all our sites, we use Innuscience. And we love it.

Normal use of a disinfectant will hugely reduce microbial communities, but they soon grow back.

Innuscience is a good-bacteria cleaning agent that floods an area with good micro-organisms that act on the surface days after use, continually killing the re-emerging bad bacteria.

We regard it as the most superior cleaning agent we have ever used, in terms of its effectiveness, economic and eco-credentials.

However, in the event of a confirmed outbreak we would enhance the use of Innuscience with a diluted 10% bleach solution for all touch points, under controlled conditions of usage.

Need help or extra advice? Please contact us [email protected]