Your warehouse employees play key roles in your company’s success. Yet, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has changed how these workers perform everyday tasks, and your company must adjust accordingly.
Ultimately, your business needs a comprehensive COVID-19 warehouse safety protocol. With this protocol in place, your warehouse employees can work safely. Plus, they will know exactly what to do to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Here are tips to help you develop and implement your COVID-19 warehouse safety protocol:
Require Social Distancing and Masking
Public health agencies urge people to maintain a distance of 6 ft. from others to help minimize the coronavirus’s spread. They also encourage people to wear a face mask, limiting the risk that people will breathe in droplets that come from sneezing or coughing and can lead to a COVID-19 infection.
All social distancing and masking procedures should be shared with your warehouse employees and enforced by managers. Social distancing markers should be set up on floors, and signs should be set up to remind workers to social distance. Warehouse workers should also be provided with a disposable mask at the beginning of their shift, and they should get rid of the mask when their shift ends.
Ensure Workers Wash Their Hands Frequently
Washing the hands with soap and water frequently can reduce the risk of a COVID-19 infection. As such, warehouse workers should be encouraged to wash their hands with soap and water as much as possible throughout their shift. Antibacterial hand soap and hand sanitizer should be readily available to workers.
Along with washing the hands, your warehouse must have measures in place to clean and disinfect work surfaces frequently. Break rooms, restrooms, and other work areas should be cleaned and disinfected daily. Additionally, you can instruct warehouse workers to keep their workstations neat and tidy.
Create an Infectious Disease Preparedness Program
An infectious disease preparedness program can help your business be proactive in its efforts to combat COVID-19. The program accounts for things like letting visitors come to your warehouse, how to deal with warehouse workers who show signs and symptoms of COVID-19, and more.
Collaborate with warehouse workers as you put together an infectious disease preparedness program. This allows your company to learn about workers’ concerns and address them. You can also develop a plan to educate warehouse workers about this program and regularly update the program.
Partner with Government Agencies
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and other government agencies can help you determine the best ways to safeguard your warehouse workers against COVID-19. These agencies provide workplace safety guidance and ensure you can do your part to protect warehouse employees day after day.
Stay up to date on the coronavirus pandemic, too. In doing so, your business can keep its warehouse workers safe as the pandemic approaches its conclusion.
Ready to Add to Your Warehouse Team? Select Staff Can Help
At Select Staff, we can help you add talented warehouse professionals, even during the coronavirus pandemic. We are one of the leading staffing agencies in Texas, and we are available to assist you in any way we can. To learn more, please contact us today.
