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Define clear rules of conduct

With a number of interventions, you can ensure social distancing and hygiene rules are respected, both between employees and during contacts with customers and suppliers.

People walk in and out of every building, but are you able to ensure they keep the necessary distance when they cross paths? Separate incoming and outgoing flows via a partition, for example. Maybe separate entrances and exits are an option by temporarily opening an unused door or emergency exit?

More tips can be found in this info document

Ensure sufficient distance during contact with colleagues, customers, suppliers, visitors, etc. Place a physical barrier or markings at an appropriate distance, or provide Plexiglass screens. Also, limit the number of people who are in the same room at the same time.
 

Tip: Hang this poster in clearly visible places to remind your employees of the basic rules. This is because people also have to adhere to the rules in dressing rooms, toilets and the cafeteria.

Read more about social distancing in this info document

During contact with external parties, try to minimise the exchange of documents and objects. For example, your receptionist can complete the logbook and allow visitors to pick up their visitor’s badge themselves. Confirmations, delivery receipts and transport documents can be generated and exchanged electronically or posted in a letterbox.

Remind employees and visitors of the hygiene measures as often as possible. Did you know you can use our ready-made posters about coughing and sneezing, hand hygiene and general precautions against coronavirus for this?
 

Important: Your employees should always have enough handkerchiefs to cover their nose and mouth while blowing their nose, sneezing and/or coughing. They must throw the used handkerchief away into a closeable bin immediately, and then wash their hands straight away. Equip every lorry or delivery van with sealable plastic bags in which to temporarily store handkerchiefs.

Take a look at our other useful documents

Only receive external parties (e.g. suppliers, representatives) physically in your organisation for essential activities. In addition, limit their presence in terms of number of people, duration and spaces visited.
 

Tip: make agreements about this before restarting, and email your instructions to all concerned.

Start up your workplace safely

From switching on machines to rearranging meeting rooms and adjusting emergency plans: our information sheets show you what to pay attention to.

You can limit the spread of the coronavirus by ventilating your rooms properly. Opening the windows regularly, and this includes lorries and other vehicles, is the message. If you have a ventilation system, ensure regular maintenance and have the filters replaced or cleaned when they are due. This naturally also applies to the air-conditioning installations in lorries and delivery vans.
 

Do not use individual fans that can spread the virus.

Read more in this note from REHVA

Check which doors can be left open. These may be able to provide extra ventilation, for example, or act as an additional entrance or exit. Always take fire safety into account, as well as the risk of unwanted visitors or theft. Close doors that must stay permanently closed.
 

Important: Place a notice on all closed doors. This will prevent people grabbing the door handle to feel if it is actually locked.

To guarantee social distancing, ensure there is a clear layout of the workplace: use floor markings, pictograms, barrier tape and so on. Physical barriers can be placed between work stations that are close to one another. Instruct your employees not to enter rooms in which they are not required.

More information can be found in this info document

Ensure that your employees receive all the necessary information beforehand in order to allow an efficient delivery. If the customer issues specific instructions on-site, your drivers should follow these closely.

More details can be found in this information document.

When starting work activities, always check for employees who are out of sight or hearing range of colleagues. If this is the case, these persons must have an alarm device (e.g. mobile phone, telephone, walkie-talkie, fire alarm, etc.). Work activities in dangerous conditions must never be entrusted to a single, isolated employee. There should always be a second person in the vicinity who can quickly raise the alarm and has the proper protective equipment for urgent assistance.

Only essential meetings that cannot be organised remotely may take place on location. In this case, choose a space where you can respect social distancing, and keep the number of participants to a minimum. Keep an attendance list of each physical meeting for one month.

A lift is an essential tool in transporting heavy goods efficiently from one floor to another. However, it is a small space and maintaining a sufficient distance is not always easy.
 

Tip: motivate your employees to choose the stairs as much as possible by hanging this poster in a highly visible place.

Also review these measures for safe lift use

Motivate your employees to always grab the banister when using the stairs. They can use their sleeve or a tissue to grasp the handrail. Provide bins with foot pedal in the staircase; at the beginning, at the end or in different overflows and inform workers to throw the tissue into the trash immediately after use. In addition, you can also provide a hand alcohol gel per floor in a holder so that employees can disinfect their hands before and after using the stairs. Also make sure that the cleaning of banisters and handles (of the doors that lead to the staircase) is included in the cleaning program.

It is no easy task to keep a distance in lorries and delivery vans. It is therefore best for employees to travel alone. Try to ensure that each vehicle is linked to one employee. If this is not feasible, always thoroughly clean and disinfect the vehicle after use.

More practical tips can be found in this information sheet.

Social distancing is also relevant during breaks. Therefore, remove chairs until the necessary distance between employees is guaranteed. Have them sit diagonally across from one another at a table, organise lunch breaks in shifts, or set up additional break rooms or let people take their breaks outside.
 

Get your drivers to break for lunch en route, outside or in the cabin of their lorry or delivery van. Encourage them to take their own packed lunch and drinks, so they are not required to use the customer’s infrastructure (e.g. coffee machine, snack vending machines).
 

TIP: Cups, plates and cutlery should preferably be cleaned in the dishwasher. In this case, the virus has no chance of survival. If there is no dishwasher on the work floor, make sure you clean everything manually with a clean sponge.

This checklist provides even more tips and tricks

If several employees use the same machine (e.g. loading ramp, pallet transporter) or the same vehicle, there is a real risk of infection. Try to organise your activities in such a way as to minimise the exchange of work materials and vehicles.
 

If possible, provide a manual pallet transporter in the lorry or delivery van with which to load and unload at the customers. If your employees must still use the customer’s equipment it is essential to apply good hand hygiene both before and after.
 

If you come by public transport (train, tram, bus), follow the instructions of the transport companies. It is mandatory to wear a mouth mask when using public transport.

You will find a list of possible modifications in this information sheet

It is beyond dispute that everyone must adhere to the prescribed instructions in the event of a fire. If you cannot guarantee social distancing at your existing muster point during an evacuation, provide an additional location.
 

Please note: your fire-fighting team must also respect the social distance rules as much as possible during interventions. Reserve necessary personal protective equipment for interventions.

More information can be found in this info document

Keep the work environment clean

In addition to adequate hand hygiene for your employees, thorough maintenance of the workplace and equipment is also crucial to avoid spreading the coronavirus.

When cleaning, absolute priority is to be given to surfaces, door handles, switches, telephones, printers, coffee machines, keyboards and so on. Machines and vehicles used by several employees must also be cleaned and disinfected at least once at every shift change. To reinforce this, your cleaning programme may need to be reorganised, both in terms of frequency and cleaning equipment.
 

TIP: Cups, plates and cutlery should preferably be cleaned in the dishwasher. In this case, the virus has no chance of survival. If there is no dishwasher on the work floor, make sure you clean everything manually with a clean sponge.

View the recommended disinfectants for surfaces and objects

Hang clearly legible instructions about hand hygiene at every washbasin. Inform employees to close the water tap with a paper towel or close the tap with the elbow after washing and drying hands. Also underline the importance of good toilet hygiene. Specifically: leave the toilet clean, flush and close the toilet lid.
 

Tip: Points for attention for bleach as a cleaning agent and disinfectant.

Download our hand hygiene poster

Provide sufficient quantities of soap – preferably in soap dispensers – paper towels and closable bins, if possible with pedal control. If the distance between the workshop and washing facility is too great, provide hand alcohol gel (preferably one individual pack per employee). Also, make sure that your drivers have hand disinfectant or a container with soap and water available in their vehicle.
 

Avoid using electric hand dryers or towels.

First and foremost: the risk of corona contamination via waste is minimal. Correct, efficient waste collection is crucial to avoid additional hygiene and health risks. Remove full bins or bin bags from the work floor immediately. Waste collectors must wear gloves.

How to take off gloves correctly? Read the instructions

Keep a close eye on the health of your employees

Those who exhibit symptoms must go home. But what about the mental health of your employees? And, have your employees received the right information about first aid?

If an employee feels ill and exhibits flu-like symptoms (e.g., fever, cough, shortness of breath, runny nose, sore throat, headache, muscle aches, fatigue), send him/her home immediately to contact the doctor. Anybody with respiratory complaints must not come to work.

This article contains a number of frequently asked questions about dealing with sick employees

Your employee can come to work, even if a housemate is ill. It is important that this employee follows the same instructions as other employees

More information is to be found in the general measures of the government

The government is going to trace those who have been in close contact with a corona patient. If your employee has been in contact with a corona patient he may receive a phone call from a contact tracer working for the government. They will advise him what measures to take depending on the nature and the length of the contact. Provided your employee receives no guidelines (government, doctor, etc.) and shows no symptoms he may go out to work.

Employees who are mentally troubled (for example, stress, workload, work-life combination), feel anxious or are mourning the loss of a loved one can contact the Mensura psycho team during office hours for a confidential conversation.
 

We can also activate a 24/7 helpline for your staff. Would you like to know more about this? Send an email to psychosociale-aspecten@mensura.be.

Frequently asked questions related to coronavirus and mental well-being

Even if your non-Dutch speaking employees have mastered our language reasonably well, they may still lack certain nuances. This can lead to misunderstandings. Therefore, provide basic information in the native language of your employees.

Download posters, FAQs and audio files with corona info in different languages

It is important that your employees know how to care for themselves in the event of injury. More details can be found in this info brochure.

This information contains all adapted information for emergency responders

Face masks are part of the lockdown exit strategy. It is important that we wear them, but it is crucial that we continue to respect the hierarchy of the prevention measures. Specifically: when the first measure in the hierarchy cannot be respected, only then does the measure in the level below come into force.
 

Face masks are at the bottom of the ranking and are only recommended if all other measures are not feasible. They are required on public transport – including stations and stops – and in crowded locations.
 

Preventive measures according to hierarchy 

  1. Stay home, especially if you are sick. 
  2. Work from home whenever possible if the job allows for this. 
  3. Wash your hands often with soap and water. 
  4. Maintain a distance of at least 1.5 metres, indoors and outside. 
  5. Wear a face mask on public transport and in crowded public places. 
  6. Limit your physical social contacts.
     

Infographic: 'How to wear a face mask safely'

This information sheet contains more information about face masks

Employees who come from abroad need extra follow-up to prevent the spread of the Corona virus. Mensura developed a procedure for this:

Would you like to know more about this procedure? Please contact your contact person or your regional Mensura office.

Do you have a question about the specific situation in your workplace?

We are happy to help you! Get in touch with your trusted contact or our regional office.

Sector-specific e-learning courses for your employees

Do you want to inform your employees about how they can work safely and healthily during these corona times? You can with our sector-specific e-learning sessions.

Find out more about e-learning for your sector