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Business Establishments Reopening: A COVID-19 Safety Guide

ByDave Stopher

Sep 27, 2020 #Business

The coronavirus pandemic has changed how every sector and business in the world operates. For safety reasons, most establishments were forced to close and cease operations until the outbreak is safely contained. Even though traces of the coronavirus can still be found worldwide, some business establishments are starting to open and pick up where they left off. Since the coronavirus threat is not yet over, every company, warehouse, restaurant, and office should follow specific steps to ensure employee and customer safety. Read on to learn more about the different safety precautions that every business establishment should implement for a smooth and safe reopening.

Familiarize the Employees and Customers with the Rules

One of the most important steps to take is to familiarize your employees and customers with the new rules and explain that these safety rules are part of your establishment’s plan to reduce the risk of exposure to the coronavirus. You need to start displaying posters that promote thorough personal hygiene, offer your services from a distance, have markers for customers to stand on when they are at the checkout station to maintain social distance, and limit the number of people in specific areas.

It’s much better to be cautious to keep everyone safe and healthy. When you eliminate crowding and everyone to be responsible when it comes to physical contact, your employees and customers will stay safe. Train your employees to properly serve customers from a safe distance and enforce strict, mandatory rules about wearing face masks.

Follow the “Clean As You Go” Policy

You should have everyone follow the “clean as you go” policy to minimize the spread of germs and bacteria. Every establishment should stock up on a lot of wet wipes, alcohol sprays, and hand sanitizers. You can expect the demand to be high for these products, but you can buy now these products in bulk at every establishment to save money. This is especially important when it comes to hand sanitizers or alcohol sprays because every employee and customer should be using them before and after leaving your establishment.

Train your employees to always disinfect their workstations as well as items that were touched by customers, and have them encourage customers to sanitize their hands when they are done. Don’t forget to remind your employees that they should be wearing gloves at all times.  

The Right Safety Procedures Based on Your Business

You need to make sure that you are implementing the correct safety procedures for your business. Every type of business is different and they have specific rules to follow, even though most of them are similar. When it comes to the food and beverage industry, there is a specific checklist to follow for a safe reopening. You are dealing with people’s food and that requires meticulous steps to ensure the quality of the food and the safety of both the customers and employees.

You need to make sure that the packaging used is food grade and ensure that your staff isn’t mixing ready-to-eat foods with raw food. This will decrease cross-contamination levels significantly. Make sure all your employees are using personal protective equipment when handling the food and interacting with customers. 

Implement the Stay-Home Policy

Every government in the world urges business establishments to implement the stay-home policy on every employee on the payroll if they’re exhibiting minor symptoms. You can’t be too sure or safe when it comes to spreading an infection, even if it isn’t necessarily the coronavirus. 

If you see an employee who has a mild fever, a cough, constant fatigue, or a runny nose, then you should send them home immediately. Any employee who has the simplest trace of getting sick should not come to work at all, especially on reopening day. This is the safest step for everyone in your establishment. It will minimize any possible outbreak that could cause you to halt operations again. The virus spreads extremely fast and you can’t risk having one of your ill employees working.

It’s a great thing that businesses are slowly reopening and resuming their operations again. As things start going back to normal, it gives us hope for the future. However, this doesn’t mean that every establishment should just haphazardly reopen without following a specific safety guide. Every business owner should make sure that their staff is acting safely and responsibly when dealing with customers. This is what we should all do to protect ourselves and our loved ones, minimize the chances of another outbreak. Remember to check the different updates that the CDC and WHO releases to ensure that you’re following all the necessary safety procedures for a successful reopening.

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