WHAT YOU MUST KNOW: CARING FOR YOUR BUILDING DURING COVID-19

In these uncertain times, do you know all the steps you should be taking to protect your building from an outbreak? The COVID-19 global pandemic not only has disrupted the way we do business, but it also seems like new recommendations pop up almost hourly to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, and chances are your facilities have been affected by these recommendations. How can you keep up with all of it? 

As a facilities manager, there is always a long list of logistics to contend with, but right now, it seems like that list is a mile long. What do you need to know to care for your building during COVID-19? How can you keep your occupants and building safe?

Establish a Safe Work Space

The safety of your workers and your on-site contractors is, of course, top priority. Employees who can should work from home to help promote physical distancing within your workplace, but in many places like restaurants and grocery stores, your workers aren’t able to work from home, and their work is essential.

To protect these employees, you can help keep your building safe and prevent the spread of infectious disease by putting certain measures in place. For example, Facilities Net suggests the following measures:

• Splitting your staff into shifts or sets of days to work so that fewer people are working in the building at the same time
• Dedicating separate entrances for employees and visitors
• Temporarily disabling building fobs or security passes if your employees should be home

This is also a great time to ensure that your building’s insurance policy covers coronavirus.

The International Facility Management Association has put together an ongoing series of webinars and other resources for facilities managers who are looking for guidance and best practices moving forward. 

Change Operating Procedures and Set Points for Lower Occupancy

If your building is currently empty and all of your occupants are working from home, then your building should be set to reflect a low load so you aren’t spending unnecessarily on utilities.

Check HVAC, water heater and lighting settings to conserve energy during this time. There’s no reason to pay to heat or cool a building if there’s no one in it. Keeping things running at low period levels keeps your systems functioning and in working order without overpaying for utilities.

Ensure Your Emergency Systems Are Up to Date

You may not have as much access to your building as you would like—and it’s hard to properly manage a facility from home. One of the things you should do is check to make sure that your emergency systems are all in proper working order so that if an emergency does arise, the right people are notified. 

Are your fire suppression systems and fire detection systems up to date on their inspections, testing and maintenance? 

The National Fire Protection Agency is working hard to respond to the COVID-19 crisis. Personnel who service these fire suppression and detection systems have been deemed essential workers and still are working. They can check to make sure that if an emergency happens, your systems are prepared to respond accordingly—regardless of the occupancy status of your building. 

Keep Your Facility’s Air From Drying Out

Cold, dry air with low humidity levels makes it easier for airborne viral particles to spread—that’s why we see an uptick in flu cases during the winter. You can help by adding a humidifier to raise humidity levels to slow the spread of airborne particles. 

A level of 40-60-percent humidity seems to be ideal; the air is humid enough to slow the spread but not so humid that airborne droplets containing the virus can land on surfaces and survive for longer periods of time. 

Provide Sanitizing Options for Your Occupants

Sanitizing hands and high-touch surfaces are two major ways to help prevent the spread of disease. If your facility houses an essential business, chances are your occupants are worried about protecting their business and keeping themselves safe. You can help out by providing hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes for building occupants and their visitors.

Cleaning Services Group supplies sanitizing wipes that can be used to disinfect both hands and surfaces. We provide these wipes for use in grocery stores, gyms, retail stores, schools, hospitals, offices and anywhere else germs are transferred easily. 

While many of these businesses and buildings are currently closed, we can think of no better use for these wipes than in essential businesses, hospitals, grocery stores and restaurants serving carryout and delivery—or better yet, in school cafeterias, where cafeteria workers are making and distributing free meals for students in their school districts who deal with food insecurity. 

Let Us Take Care of Your Building

There is a lot of protocol that’s necessary to protect your building from the threat of infection, and the CDC recommendations seem to change by the minute. Let us worry about keeping up with the escalating viral outbreak and sanitize your building for you. 

A professional sanitizing office cleaning service can be a great solution to help kill germs and relieve fear if someone in your building contracts the virus. Commercial janitorial service companies like Cleaning Services Group have the tools, the products and the training to handle these kinds of intensive sanitizing procedures and make your facility safe. 

Cleaning Services Group offers complete commercial cleaning services that include all of the proper sanitizing procedures. We provide national janitorial services, so if you manage facilities in multiple locations, we can be there to help at each and every building, from sanitizing to floor maintenance. 

The COVID-19 situation is complicated enough. Simplify your work by having one detail-oriented commercial cleaning company take care of all of your locations instead of having to track down multiple COVID-19 cleaning companies.

Can we be your building’s coronavirus cleaning service? Let us help you! Request a quote today.