Flu season is around the corner.
*Cue dun, dun, duuun sound effect*
Summer is over, which means that everyone is going to start hanging out indoors much more now. It’s no secret that staying healthy can be challenging at this time of the year when exposure to the flu is on the rise.
Nothing, and I mean nothing drives us to the other side of the office faster when a co-worker starts sneezing or coughing! And don’t get me wrong, while we do wish them a speedy recovery, we definitely don’t want to catch what they have.
The flu and other common illnesses don’t just result in sick employees. It can have some big effects on companies over time like employee attendance, productivity, and even employee morale.
While getting hit with the flu may seem unavoidable, this isn’t necessarily the case. Good hygienic practices by your professional commercial cleaning service and even yourself, can greatly reduce your exposure to the dreaded flu.
“So, what should I be doing to protect my team during flu season?”
The answer is simple – treat it like Covid-19 because it’s a virus and is no different.
The team at In-Tec Commercial Cleaning have been through many many flu seasons (28 years of them in fact) so it’s only fitting that we’ve worked out the best way to keep a workplace safe and healthy from the virus. In this article, we’re going to go through 2 things:
- What your cleaning service should be doing to reduce the chance of catching the flu
- What you and your employees can do to help
What your cleaning service should be doing to minimise workplace flu risks
Just because we’re still dealing with Covid-19, doesn’t mean we should forget all about the flu.
In fact, this is certainly the one time of the year when you probably want your cleaning company doing some sort of disinfecting. This year especially (2022) is really vital because we didn’t have flu season last year, which means the outbreak will go through the roof!
Now, your commercial cleaners should always be cleaning and sanitising surfaces during your weekly service. Whereas with a flu outbreak, your cleaning service should be coming up with a plan to disinfect your workplace.
If you weren’t aware, disinfecting involves killing 99.99% of pathogens on a surface. It’s the most effective way of stopping the spread of germs and infection.
🔍 If you want to read further on the different methods of cleaning, I recommend taking a look at our article What’s the Difference Between Cleaning, Sanitising, and Disinfecting? You’ll find all the information you need there!
There are two important steps your cleaners should be doing to disinfect your surfaces for the flu.
Pay close attention to high touchpoints
Don’t be grossed out, but did you know that we touch over 300 surfaces every 30 minutes?
Talk about keeping our hands to ourselves!
The first thing you want your cleaners to be taking care of when you have a flu outbreak is identifying and disinfecting the hotspots with an electrostatic sprayer. These surfaces offer a nice little breeding spot for germs, bacteria, and viruses – which you certainly don’t want!
High touchpoints are surfaces that are handled frequently and can range from:
- Light switches
- Door handles
- Landline phones
- Stair handrails
- Elevator buttons
- Appliance handles
- Toilet flush
- Door push areas
- Other office equipment e.g., printers
Research shows that the flu can live and potentially infect a person for up to 48 hours after being spread to a surface.
In reality, taking a proactive approach to disinfecting high touchpoints is a basic, yet fundamental principle that curbs the spread of the flu in the workplace. For this reason, it is absolutely essential that your commercial cleaning company disinfects your high touchpoints when a flu outbreak occurs.
Disinfect high-risk areas
Not only do you have to worry about frequently touched surfaces, but also frequently used areas.
At In-Tec, we have a little saying.
High-risk areas are waste in and waste out areas. You know, lunchrooms (waste goes in) and toilets (waste goes out).
Because these areas are both communal and a breeding ground for germs, bacteria, and viruses, there is a much higher risk of contamination.
With any type of virus, you don’t want to take any chances which is exactly why we disinfect these 2 areas with an electrostatic machine and Oxivir, which is a hospital-grade disinfectant cleaner.
Fun fact – it kills Influenza A in under 1 minute!
You don’t want to leave disinfecting your office till the last minute and find out it’s too late.
By having your cleaning service disinfect high touchpoints and high-risk areas, you’re saving yourself a lot of trouble and in turn, keeping your staff healthy and safe. That’s what it’s all about.
Is there anything you can do to keep your workplace healthy and safe from the flu?
After reading about what a cleaning company can do, you’re probably wondering if there’s anything you and your staff can do to help reduce the chance of a flu outbreak in your office.
And there most certainly is!
With that being said, here are the three simple things you can do!
Let your cleaning company know immediately when you have a flu outbreak
There’s no time to waste.
As soon as you’re notified that one of your employees has come down with the flu, give your commercial cleaning service a call.
You want to act on this immediately in order to give your cleaning service enough time to get a team of cleaners ready to disinfect your workplace. Remember, the flu can live on hard surfaces for as long as 48 hours.
Wash your hands frequently
Remember when your mum and dad told you to always “wash your hands?”
They were right.
A clean, hygienic, and safe work environment can be compromised by people who forget to regularly wash their hands.
Yes, you want to make sure that your cleaning service is adequately stocking handwashing soaps (the right ones). But you also want to make sure that your employees are washing their hands before and after eating, after using the bathroom, blowing their nose, and touching high touchpoint surfaces.
Your hands are a viruses and bacteria’s best friend. They can survive on your hands for several minutes and are the ultimate gateway to spreading contagions around the office.
Reminding your staff members to wash their hands frequently will reduce touchpoint transmission.
Get the flu shot
Just like we all went and got our Covid-19 vaccinations, the same can be said for the flu shot.
The flu shot is designed to assist your body in building antibodies needed to protect you from the virus. In fact, recent studies have shown that the vaccination reduces the risk of flu illness and complications by between 40% and 60%.
Make sure to encourage your employees to get the flu shot every year.
The importance of cleaning for flu season
We all learnt some valuable lessons during covid-19, so let’s not forget them.
Disinfecting is important and must be done to curb the spread of any virus, no matter whether it’s the flu or covid-19.
But remember, in order to disinfect accurately, your site must be cleaned properly and regularly. In other words, for the disinfecting process to work as best it can, a clean site is always needed.
If you have any questions about cleaning for flu season, just schedule a call with us! Paul, our Managing Director, will get back to you within 48 hours.
Until then, keep safe and healthy!
