Have you ever heard that cleaner facilities are more productive? That has never been more true as we continue to navigate through the coronavirus pandemic. Not only is a cleaner facility more productive, it is safer for your employees and customers.

Disinfecting your warehouse and scheduling regular cleaning will cut down on sick days and help prevent the spread of infection. Below we will discuss some enhanced cleaning procedures that you should adopt to help sanitize your warehouse and keep it clean as you go back to a regular work schedule.

Develop a Plan

Employers should work together with their janitorial team to come up with a comprehensive cleaning schedule for your facility. Begin by determining what areas need to be cleaned more frequently due to high-use or high-traffic. Then, your team should determine how best to clean those areas using recommended disinfecting and cleaning methods. Finally, you should determine what resources and equipment will be needed to maintain your facility.

Each member of your staff should be apart of this plan-development process. Workers will know the typical hazards of their station and they will be able to identify which areas of their workspace that will need the most attention from your janitorial staff. Including everyone in this process will ensure complete coverage of your facility.

Implement Procedures and Maintain Enhanced Routine

Here is where employers will realize the advantages of outsourcing your cleaning services. Hiring a services contractor to take over the cleaning and disinfecting of your warehouse will ease the pressure of keeping your facility clean. Cleaning is their business and they will be helpful in the development process of your plan as well as its implementation.

The EPA has identified the disinfectants that kill the coronavirus when they are applied properly. Contractors will be familiar with this list and their employees will know the proper way to use the products.

It is also important during this phase of keeping your warehouse clean to continuously revise your cleaning plan. New information is being made available by the CDC all the time and new procedures may need to be implemented based on that information. Also, your facility is unique and it is important to be able to measure the effectiveness of your cleaning plan and to institute revisions accordingly.

What to do if an Employee Reports an Infection

Employees should be instructed to get tested as soon as they suspect that they might have contracted Covid-19 and let their employers know the results of that test so they can act to prevent further infection. Work stations should be arranged in a way to promote social distancing and the proper protective equipment such as plastic partitions and face coverings should be used in your facility to prevent spread.

Once a positive infection is confirmed in your warehouse you should:

• Close off immediate areas where the employee was working
• Contact trace that employee's interactions for the last 48 hours
• Increase ventilation in your warehouse by opening doors and windows
• Clean and disinfect immediate workspace

A good industrial cleaning service will be helpful in the event that an employee tests positive because they will be trained in the proper procedures and will be onsite and available to address the situation immediately. They will also be able to educate your employees on what to do in situations like this. It is important that everyone in your warehouse work together to keep everyone safe and to prevent the spread of an infection so your warehouse can stay open and productive.

To schedule a free consultation and assessment of your warehouse's cleaning needs, contact SMO and request a free quote today.