How to protect own company and employees against COVID-19?

Ones laugh at Panic, others are terribly afraid about coronavirus pandemic, which completely arounded the world. Employers must comply to new rules related to coronavirus, but also must consider everything and care about employees safety.

New accidence of coronavirus in Poland.

Poland is no more safe place. Amount of infection grow very quick, and one accidence was deathful. Government closed all cultural and educational establishments. Recommends to reduce personal contacts and stay at home, if it is possible. Not all care about that, but also not all can get time off from work. Employers in many enterprises noticed a lot of loses, and eventual company closure sometimes is impossible, because of contracts, commitments and economics’ issues.

Work from home

Very good solution is possibility to work remote. Remote does not mean ineffective! It’s a kind of work well known in other countries for many years, and slowly getting fans in our country. It’s about short-term solution, so dear employer, just swallow your afraids, and you will see that it won’t be so bad. Let’s think, who without any doubts can work like this. You will have to ensure unnecessary tools, like laptop. Especially when such a person store important company’s or personal data.  Then cannot store on its home computer where third party have access.

As far as white-collar employees are concerned,  work from home will be not too problematic, the real problems begin in case of physical work. You cannot put into somebody’s house a production machines, or construction site, therefore in this case you must apply safety considerations and elaborate new procedure rules.

Antibacterial agents and hygiene rules

Although getting antibacterial agents is almost impossible, take care of soap and paper towels. Sensitize your employees to: clean hands often, do not touch your face, try to work (if it is possible) in safety distance, and reduce physical contact. If it is possible install dispensers with antibacterial agents on the company’s area. Supposedly everybody know about that, but it can’t hurt to remind them.

Reduction of going outside

Call off your meetings, parties, courses. Reduce access of third party to your company. Create survey for those, who want to enter the company’s area. Ask in survey, about latest travels and contact with people potentially infected. Answers of people who arouse your suspicion – do not let them enter. It is not overstatement. Many companies applied this solution. Surveys may apply to suppliers, service men or drivers. Prevention is better than cure. Try to also get to know whether your employees who are on leave of absence, that they did not leave the country. Ask them to inform you about such a situation.

OSH training

We recommend to reduce courses, but what about obligatory courses, that you are obliged  accordance with the law? Remember, that most of courses you can do online on e-learning platform. Many companies from OSH field work just like that, understanding the threat of which brings many hours of stationary course with dozen of employees in one room. You can  carry on E-learning for managers who manage other employees in your company, for office administrative and technical-engineering employees. Such a course ends up with a test and receiving the required certificate.

Obviously there is again problem with physical employees. Government didn’t change control in this range, but exceptionally such a courses are conducted online with the intention of conducting stationary course after epidemic situation. National Labour Inspectorate each accident in this situation will consider individually, and let’s hope, that in this case regulations would match. Better to do not put people at risk of virus infection and present online  Occupational Health and Safety rules so far.

Common sense

Even the best developer procedures and ensuring antibacterial agents will not protect us in 100% against coronavirus. Call to your employees about common sense and responsibility, ensure remote work if it is possible and wait till this hard situation for entrepreneurs finish. Think positive.