We have heard so much about personal protective equipment (PPE), washing your hands, and cleaning; but, have you fully implemented a plan to keep your workforce safe while they are back at work?

There is a lot to consider. Here are some of the recommendations we have to keep your workforce safe and minimize risk:

Cleaning & Disinfecting
Know the difference between cleaning and disinfecting your workspace. You want to look at the chemicals your cleaning staff are using and take into consideration what shared equipment needs additional disinfecting. This could mean increased disinfecting of shared surfaces like desks, phones, and trash cans.

Identify & Isolate Infected Employees

If an employee does become ill, have a plan in place to identify who they came in contact with and how you can isolate the employee until they are safe to return to the workplace. This is a plan you should have established well before employees return to work.

Limit visitors, mail people, delivery people, etc.

Establish what you will be doing to limit visitors, including mail and package delivery services, vendors, customers and more! The more outside visitors you have to your facility the greater the unknown risk is to your workforce.

Side on Social Distancing

Every business has to look at social distancing differently. It largely depends on how many employees you have, the office space you inhabit, and the work that is being done. For some businesses it may look like staggering shifts, for others it could mean physical barriers or taping off areas of the floor or using one day directional plans. It may even mean only bringing on 30-40% of your workforce during the first phase of reopening. Only you are able to determine what plan works best for your business.

Plan For OSHA

OSHA has issued an enforcement plan and they are conducting inspections based on outbreaks. But, they are also conducting inspections based on employee complaints. This is important to consider as employees may be fearful to come back to the workplace, causing more diligent reports of workplace hazards.

Take any and all safety risks into consideration when putting in place a reopening plan. It is also important to look at your ventilation systems, as COVID-19 is a respiratory infection and OSHA may consider your ventilation system a risk to your workforce.

Turn In Every Possible Claim

As we have outlined in previous blogs, turn in every possible claim because legislation is changing rapidly.  It is also important to turn in claims if your employee does become sick, even if they test negative for COVID-19. False negatives have been reported and if a future test comes back positive, you want to stay ahead of the curve.

To find out if you have a claim, speak to your broker about any possible claims and the various coverage issues your company is facing. We are here to help you reopen safely and handle any liabilities that may arise. Contact your agent today by calling  610-770-6600 or using our form.