Dealing with COVID-19 as a Facility Manager

The novel coronavirus has turned the world completely topsy-turvy. If you are a facility manager, dealing with the outbreak at the workplace, both as it refers to prevention and containment, is now one of your primary responsibilities.

Even though the world hasn’t dealt with a pandemic of this magnitude in centuries, facility managers are tasked with the sole duty of taking action towards implementing the proper prevention and containment strategies in the workplace. Not sure how you can do this? We can help.

But first, what is COVID-19?

Coronaviruses (CoV) are a family of viruses that cause illnesses in human beings that range from simple common colds to more severe issues such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome or SARS-CoV. The novel coronavirus is a new strain of coronaviruses that wasn’t identified until December 2019 in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

It is not yet clear what the exact dynamic of the transmission of the virus is but it is known that respiratory viruses are typically transmitted through droplets that are dispersed when someone coughs or sneezes as well as through surfaces that have already been contaminated with the virus.

So, what can you, as a Facility Manager, do to deal with COVID-19?

The facility manager is charged with the job of maintaining buildings, organizations, and the people that work in these places. As such, creating a strategy that can prevent and contain the spread of this disease is essential. Some of the things that facility managers can do include:

Reduce the Number of Personnel at the Workplace

The number of workers should be reduced so that social distancing rules can be maintained with ease. You can limit the concentration of personnel by assigning or adjusting your regular shifts as well as by encouraging workers to do their job from home. Employees that exhibit flu-like symptoms should be encouraged to stay home from work until they are fully recovered.

Enforce Distancing Rules

Those that do make it to work should be encouraged to practice social distancing, which involves staying at least 6 feet away from the next person. This means monitoring the number of people that use elevators.

Staff members should avoid greeting each other. Integrated facility management services provider should also distribute alcohol gel and hand sanitizers in commonly used areas such as the lobby, meeting room, or lounging areas.

Ensure that Your Facility is Clean and Sanitized

The facility manager should reinforce cleaning routines during the pandemic period to reduce the chances of survival of COVID-19 on various surfaces and objects. The cleaning crew should be sensitized on the subject and the proper procedures for cleaning should be explained by the facility manager to make certain that it is been done properly.