As the country moves into new re-opening phases, many businesses and companies are starting to bring employees back to work. As an employee, you might not have control over when you return to work, but you can take steps to ensure your safety when you do so. It’s especially essential for those who generally work close to others, such as those in offices or factories, to understand the risks involved with returning to work.
While you can’t remove risks entirely, recognizing them in your workplace will help you take the necessary steps to mitigate them.
How Coronavirus spreads
To adequately protect yourself from Coronavirus when returning to work, you first need to understand how the virus spreads. As it is a new virus, more research is required on the topic, but here is how experts think it’s spread:
- Respiratory droplets from sneezes, laughing, singing, coughing, and breathing fall onto surfaces and then touched by another person.
- Smaller droplets from the same sources called aerosols that linger in the air for minutes and are then inhaled by someone else.
- Directly coming into contact with an infectious person.
- Through human feces.
By understanding the above ways that the virus spreads, you can identify potential risks at work. Here are some methods to keep your workplace safe and mitigate potential risks.
How Coronavirus spreads
To adequately protect yourself from Coronavirus when returning to work, you first need to understand how the virus spreads. As it is a new virus, more research is required on the topic, but here is how experts think it’s spread:
- Respiratory droplets from sneezes, laughing, singing, coughing, and breathing fall onto surfaces and then touched by another person.
- Smaller droplets from the same sources called aerosols that linger in the air for minutes and are then inhaled by someone else.
- Directly coming into contact with an infectious person.
- Through human feces.
By understanding the above ways that the virus spreads, you can identify potential risks at work. Here are some methods to keep your workplace safe and mitigate potential risks.
Enhance sanitization procedures
The level of sanitization in the workplace needs prioritization to keep staff safe. Any areas that have a lot of traffic or that people are always touching need frequent sanitation. That include door handles, desks, phones, elevator buttons, refrigerators, coffee machines, microwave, etc. Workplaces need to implement a systematic approach to sanitization by either hiring a cleaning service or scheduling employees to sanitize their stations and common areas.
The bathrooms can also present a hazard. Many small droplets are released into the air when a toilet is flushed. These droplets can linger in the air for up to 30 minutes, meaning they are likely to be inhaled by other staff. Leaving toilet lids shut when flushing and having exhaust fans running can help to reduce the risks.
Maintain adequate distance
Workplaces will need to reduce the density of its employees by separating workstations the recommend 6 feet apart. Plexiglass barriers may be helpful to limit exposure to respiratory droplets from staff who are sitting nearby. If there is no space to adequately distance staff, then considering alternating workdays or creating separate shifts for staff may be necessary.
Improve ventilation
There is a good chance that Coronavirus is spreading through the air, just as much as through direct contact. For that reason, improving the ventilation of workplaces is essential to reducing the risks. While larger respiratory droplets will fall onto nearby surfaces, the smaller aerosols will disperse and travel much farther than 6 feet. Installing high-grade filters in workplace HVAC systems should be an integral part of the return to work measures. Also, investing in portable air purifiers with HEPA filters can help remove germs from the air.
Extra Precautions
Taking the steps listed above will help you avoid the Coronavirus. But what happens if you still come down with it? While there is no vaccine, there are things you can try to help fight it off.
Did you know that chiropractic care can help boost your immune system? Though it is not meant specifically as a way to fight the Coronavirus, chiropractic adjustment can improve the body’s nervous system. A misaligned spine can compromise the body’s nervous system, which controls the body’s immune system.
SnapCrack, a walk-in chiropractor in Coral Gables, can help. The highly-trained professionals at SnapCrack have lots of experience with spinal alignment and can walk you through all the health benefits spinal alignment can provide. Since it is a walk-in clinic, no appointment is needed. Simply walk into the Coral Gables chiropractor location and be seen quickly.
