The coronavirus crisis has changed the way that many people are currently working in the UK. Official advice is that people should work from home where possible to avoid spreading Covid-19 to vulnerable people. But what happens in workplaces where it isn’t possible to work from home? Of course, many of these people will be key workers such as NHS staff and people working in supermarkets. Yet there are also many offices which need to stay open too; take as an example call centres. It’s estimated that there are up to 6,200 call and contact centres across the UK, and many are not set up to allow work from home. In this blog, we’re going to look at how to reduce risks of passing on coronavirus in a locked-down call centre.
Practical measures to take to limit contact within contact centres
There are a number of steps which call centre employers can take to limit the spread of coronavirus, even in a fully functioning office environment. Spacing of the workforce at desks will be vital. If there is spare desk capacity, this should be utilised, or desks moved to create more distance between colleagues. Where possible, it will be best to avoid hot-desking. More generally, it will be worth considering more flexible work practices around core hours. And it’s vital to think about staggered breaks to avoid logjams in common areas such as cafeterias and washrooms.
Of course, the general themes of cleanliness remain important. Good hand hygiene will limit the spread of infection being shared via fomites, i.e. objects or materials which are likely to carry infection. These might include common touch points such as phone handsets, keyboards and monitor screens at individual desks. In high-traffic areas such as kitchenettes and print rooms, these would include water coolers, coffee machines and photocopiers. The other element is to spread the word on cough and sneeze etiquette to limit the spread of Covid-19. People should sneeze or cough into a disposable tissue and dispose of that in a lidded bin or toilet. Posters in bathrooms with the messages of ‘Catch it, Bin it, Kill it’ and hand washing procedure will help further.
Coronavirus cleaning, disinfection and decontamination in call centres
It’s vital to take proactive measures if contact centre premises has been exposed to the SARS-Cov2 coronavirus. Our team are experts at cleaning and disinfecting areas exposed to the virus. Routine decontamination is insufficient and may spread rather than reduce contamination. We highly recommend ATP testing to be certain of success. In the event that a person has tested positive for Covid-19, has been identified and is self-isolating, contact us for advice on the correct procedure to follow. Our team will arrive on-site following your instructions. They are trained to the highest standards and are security cleared. Our operatives will always act in a manner appropriate to working in or near public locations, and with discretion and respect.
We follow rigorous health and safety guidelines for all coronavirus cleaning processes, adhering to rules around colour-coding, specialist equipment, protective clothing, use of fluids and disinfection methods. The team lead will check and prepare sanitising equipment following the industry standards and will display warning signs near the area to be disinfected. The team will only enter a room once equipped with the correct Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), as a minimum Hazmat Cat 3 suit, A1P2 mask & 2 pairs disposable gloves. All objects that are visibly contaminated, for example with body fluids, and all potentially contaminated high-contact areas such as toilets, door handles, telephones will be cleaned thoroughly. We’ll then disinfect them correctly following recognised safety protocols.
Office deep cleaning and decontamination that gets results
We use superior products that identify the presence of infections such as coronavirus (Covid-19) and measure the correct usage levels of sanitising agents. Our team will deploy ULV (Ultra Low Volume) fogging and pump spraying where appropriate, always following agreed procedures and manufacturers' recommendations. We have processes in place to measure, record and demonstrate the efficacy of our work so you can be sure that the area is immaculate and free of infection.
As well as the more stringent demands of coronavirus decontamination and infection control, we can still undertake standard office deep cleaning tasks too. For instance, we’ll protect server rooms against the build-up of dust and other debris circulated by modern air conditioning systems. This directly protects a call centre against the risk of business disruption or even fire due to a build-up of flammable materials over time. But for the time being at least, we know that the focus needs to be on infection control and decontamination. And we’re here to help.
Key Infection Control Cleaning features
Rapid response 24/7/365.
Secure the area, protecting staff and public.
Test for contaminants pre- and post-clean.
Deploy BS EN 1276 chemical cleaners.
Utilise superior quality PPE.
Clean and thoroughly disinfect.
Licensed to remove hazardous waste.
Experts in the specialist cleaning sector.
To find out more about our office deep cleaning and decontamination services for call centres open in the coronavirus crisis, contact one of the team today.
Telephone: 01283 550 503
Email: info@reactplc.co.uk
Website: www.reactsc.co.uk
Post by Shaun D. Doak
Shaun is the Managing Director of React Specialist Cleaning. He is deeply committed to making sure that every one of our company’s clients receives the highest possible level of service. An expert in HVAC and commercial and industrial cleaning methodologies, Shaun has extensive experience in the facilities management and renewable services sector.