Germ warfare - Good hygiene leads to a healthy workplace

Good Hygiene In The Workplace

Germs and viruses ranging from common colds to severe stomach bugs can often spread like wildfire through workplaces and can quickly bring workforces to a standstill.

Within days, superbugs such as the dreaded norovirus and severe flu strains can take hold of entire workforces and before you have time to reach for the tissues, large numbers of people are off sick, productivity is at rock bottom and the whole workplace resembles a doctors’ waiting room.

Although it is difficult to completely eradicate these types of bugs and viruses, ensuring that good hygiene measures are in place will make a big difference in limiting their spread. Maintaining great hygiene doesn’t mean doing an occasional, deep clean; instead, good hygiene needs to be part of our daily lives.

In vulnerable environments such as healthcare and kitchens, key legislation such as the Health & Safety at Work Act (1974)and the Food Safety (General Food Hygiene) Regulations 1995 provide strict guidelines on cleaning procedures and the prevention of ill health.

Most illnesses are caused by viruses or bacteria being transferred through direct contact with other people and via everyday items that we handle. Research has found that some cold and flu viruses can live for several days on certain surfaces so good cleaning procedures combined with the regular sanitisation of things that are handled regularly, such as door handles and switches, can make a big difference.

It also makes regular hand washing the best way of reducing the chances of picking up germs and improving hygiene standards. However, employers cannot take this for granted and must promote it throughout the workplace.

The most obvious place to start is in the washroom and at the very least workplaces must equip these with the basic necessities, including clean sinks, soaps and appropriate hand drying facilities such as paper towels or electric driers.

As an extension of this, hand sanitiser dispensers are costeffective and can be placed in strategic positions throughout a workplace or it may even be appropriate to provide disposable gloves, depending on activities.

In areas that are particularly at risk of infection and germs, such as schools and hospitals, a wide range of products are now made using innovative anti-bacterial materials that can resist the growth of microbes and organisms including bacteria, moulds, fungi and others, while still being very strong and long-lasting.

Lastly, it’s important to bear in mind that someone coming to work with a cold or other virus can often do more harm than good so always encourage sick workers (and martyrs!) to go home and recover rather than giving their illness to everyone else.

Heating In The Workplace: A Guide

Your guide to energy efficient heating in the workplace.

Nowadays selecting the right type of heating products for your workplace is more important than ever with the green agenda, fluctuating energy costs and safety issues all having a big impact on the products available.

In recent years there has been a seismic shift by manufacturers to produce products that are as efficient as possible without compromising on performance and safety.

However research suggests that the UK’s industrial sector still wastes more than £1.4 billion each year as a result of using outdated energy sources and heating products, so there’s clearly room for the majority of workplaces to make big savings.

When it comes to buying heating products, the first thing to consider is how often you need to heat a room or space. In areas that are regularly occupied, it usually makes sense to install fixed heaters but if you require occasional heating, or a flexible heat source to give your existing heating system an extra boost, there are a huge range of products available from electric fan and convection heaters through to industrial diesel powered heaters.

Generally, smaller electric powered products are best suited to more confined areas and their compact nature means they can be stored away easily when they’re not in use. Both fan and convection heaters are quick to warm up but whereas a fan heater distributes heat across a room, a convection heater generates warmth in a particular space. There are also oil filled radiators that work in a similar way to standard electric convection heaters while offering improved efficiency and most come with wheels.

Halogen heaters are very effective and emit a radiant heat that warms an object rather than a space. They heat up and cool down very quickly and are particularly useful in workshops and other areas that require an additional burst of heat now and again.

If this is the type of ‘infrared’ heat that you require, but on a larger scale there are a wide range of ceramic and quartz products available that are similar to halogen heaters and produce large amounts of heat while being relatively energy efficient.

For an even stronger, yet more efficient heat source, it may be worth considering a propane or diesel powered product. These are ideal for heating large buildings, such as garages, factories and warehouses, quickly and efficiently but both require good ventilation. Propane heaters run off a separate gas bottle and are generally considered to be more environmentally friendly than their diesel counterparts.