How Can I Prevent Colds and Flu in the Workplace?

It’s flu season again and time to get serious about keeping your employees healthy and on the job, now and in the year ahead. What steps can you take to prevent colds and flu in the workplace?

In addition to routine cleaning of your workplace, cold and flu season calls for more frequent disinfection of all surfaces. Office Pride Commercial Cleaning Services follows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines all year long.

Some cold and flu prevention tips:

• Clean all surfaces with soap and water first. Remember to clean all high-touch areas, including doorknobs, refrigerator handles and light switches.
• Clean the above again, this time using disinfecting products. After applying disinfectant, do not dry the surfaces off; let them air dry naturally.
• Double-check labels on disinfecting products to ensure they are safe and appropriate for the type of surface you use them on.
• When possible, increase circulation in your office by opening doors and windows or using fans.
• Wear rubber or latex gloves, and goggles if recommended, to protect yourself from splashes or sprays.
• Label all products and store them safely away from children or animals.

When disinfecting surfaces, it’s important to leave the chemical product on the surface long enough to kill germs. You can find the recommended “dwell time” – manufacturers’ phrase for the contact/wet time – on the product’s Safety Data Sheet (SDS) and instructions. Office Pride Commercial Cleaning Services maintains all SDS forms on the products we use.

Office Pride uses only chemical products approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). We also follow all Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards that apply to the professional cleaning industry.

In addition to more rigorous cleaning regimens, you may want to share information with your team on when and where to go for flu vaccines, provide hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes in the office and encourage employees to stay home when they are sick.

Our No. 1 tip: Hire Office Pride Commercial Cleaning Services to ensure routine cleaning and disinfection of your workplace is performed at the highest, safest level by professionals.

Clients of Office Pride can choose from three levels of cleaning and disinfecting services: healthy clean, premium clean or superior clean. No matter which one you choose, these high-quality programs will help to keep your employees safe and healthy during flu season and beyond. Your local franchise will work with you to customize a routine schedule that works best for you and your business.

We work with all types of businesses in more than 150 locations around the U.S. Please check out our franchise locations and call your nearest franchise location to request a free custom quote for all your cleaning and disinfecting needs.