Reopening Your Business After the Coronavirus Shutdown? You Need These 5 Things.

Ensuring the safety of your employees and guests has probably always been one of the main priorities of your business. With the risk of spread and exposure to the 2019 Coronavirus (COVID-19), though, you may be revisiting what it means to keep employees and guests safe and what products you need to help you do so.

Social Distancing Floor Stickers

Remind employees and guests of the importance of maintaining the recommended six feet of distance at all times with floor stickers. These floor stickers should be placed wherever lines may form such as check-in at a dentist or doctor’s office, checkouts at stores, or order pick-up lines at restaurants to name a few. When ordering floor stickers for your business, be sure they are slip-resistant and can withstand new disinfection and cleaning guidelines your business may have put in place.

Hand Sanitizer

While handwashing with soap and warm water is the best way to help stop the spread of germs, it may not always be possible. To help keep employees and guests safe, be sure to have plenty of hand sanitizer on hand and placed throughout your business, especially in places where contact with items such as pens, keyboards, or touchpads may occur.

To ensure the hand sanitizer you’re offering is effective, verify the solution is alcohol-based containing at least 60 percent alcohol. If placing or storing hand sanitizer outside, be sure that it’s stored properly in an area where the temperature does not rise above 105° F.

Non-Contact Thermometers

As a way to help decrease the spread of coronavirus by catching early symptoms such as fever, you may choose to implement temperature screenings of employees or guests. A non-contact thermometer can help the screener safely take temperatures while maintaining distance and eliminating contact. With limited personal protective equipment (PPE) available to some, it also eliminates the need to change gloves, face masks, and other PPE for each screening by eliminating contact.

Face Masks

Whether reusable or disposable, face masks can help reduce the risk of a person who may not know they are infected from spreading the virus to others. Face masks should be used in high-traffic community areas or situations where social distancing may not be possible. Requiring employees to wear a face mask during work hours is an easy way to help protect themselves and others around them.

Emergency Equipment

In addition to the new equipment recommended above, you should be sure you’re prepared for a medical emergency, should one arise. Before reopening your business, take time to ensure your automated external defibrillator (AEDs) is in good working order and easily located. Take this time to make sure first aid and bleeding control kits are sufficiently stocked. Lastly, make sure employees know where these items are located, understand your businesses' emergency response plan, and understand their role in it.

DISCLAIMER: Information and resources found on the AED.com blog is intended to educate, inform, and motivate readers to make their health and wellness decisions after consulting with their healthcare provider. The authors are not healthcare providers. NO information on this site should be used to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease or condition. 

Sources:

Centers for Disease Control. Accessed 07/07/20.

FDA. Accessed 07/07/20.