When was the last time you took a look at The Office of National Statistics’s webpage? Do you know one of their recent surveys reveals COVID-19 and the state of the NHS are two top talking points among the population?
Why Does This Matter?
While COVID-19 infection rates are going down across the UK, flu season has started early and experts are warning that there’s likely to be a surge in COVID-19 cases this winter as well.
Long COVID is also emerging as a problem with an increasing number of people accessing the NHS for chronic symptom treatment. Combined with winter flu and COVID-19 cases, there is the potential for NHS services to become oversubscribed.
This is why your focus should be on prevention.
Why Prevention?
You’re entering a season where the prevalence of viruses increases. Your chance of catching a virus goes up. The second is that you may have an extended wait to access treatment at the NHS or may not be able to get help at all.
No one seems to know for sure why the winter season makes everyone sicker than usual, but there are a few theories.
One of them is that lower temperatures decrease people’s immunity. The sun also sets earlier and the reduced light translates into less opportunity for your body to make its vitamin D, a vital component in your immune response.
Because of the cold, people spend more time indoors in sealed rooms breathing the same, recirculated air.
Viruses also survive longer in colder, drier weather. This is in the air and on surfaces.
Computer Hygiene As A Form Of Prevention
Offices present the perfect environment for viruses to flourish and for people to become infected.
The air circulates through a closed system and there are plenty of spots for germs to settle and multiply. Your desk is one of them.
You may not be aware, but your desk, computer screen, keyboard, mouse, and telephone regularly poll as some of the dirtiest objects that people regularly come into contact with.
Most office cleanings are superficial, carried out by the employees or an in-house cleaner, with some dusting and a wipe of the screen or keyboard.
Given how transmissible viruses are and how serious COVID-19 or even seasonal flu can become in some people your cleaning regime should go beyond this.
This is why you need to have a discussion with your employees about using computer and other device hygiene to promote everyone’s overall health.
How this discussion benefits everyone
You can remind everyone of their personal responsibility to help keep virus transmission down. If needed you can design a cleaning regime in consultation with the rest of the staff.
You and the staff can also determine to what extent and which cleaning duties are outsourced to a professional service. For example, you can decide while workers are responsible for doing a general cleaning of their work area every day, a cleaning company can handle more in-depth disinfection every month.
You can show employees the benefits of observing good computer hygiene. For example, if everyone is healthier throughout the winter season, it means fewer people are out sick. No one has to take on extra work which leads to a happier and more productive workforce.
There’s less work-to-home transmission of viruses. You can keep your family safe.
If you decide to use a professional service …
You want a company that has experience with deep cleaning and disinfecting of offices. They should have the requisite equipment and government-sanctioned cleaning materials and certifications.
It’s important to pick a service that’s trustworthy and has a good reputation backed up with positive reviews from previous customers.
If you want to learn more about our services and protocols, please browse through our website or call us at 0141 374 2869.