The coronavirus pandemic has impacted many people and businesses. With the virus able to spread easily to people from both symptomatic and asymptomatic carriers, various surfaces, and even simply lingering in the air, safety precautions have been put in place in many areas of business, especially hospitality.
However, it would do well to realize that these precautions should come in addition to already existing precautions, as they are there for a reason. These are some common safety precautions that should not be overlooked when adhering to any new guidelines in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Wearing Proper Attire for the Job
Most places are mandating employees to wear face masks to prevent the spread of the virus. While some people might initially find them uncomfortable, there are many people in the hospitality industry that regularly wear (and should continue to wear) things like hair nets, beard nets, aprons, and other coverings if they are working in a kitchen.
The kitchen floor can sometimes be slightly hazardous if a spill occurs, so wearing slip resistant shoes should always be a requirement for kitchen staff. This and other pieces of attire ensure that everyone is being safe while working and nobody should ignore them when learning about new mandates.
Cross-contamination
Working in a place like a kitchen or a hotel, many employees are aware of the dangers of cross-contamination. Letting one type of food that needs to be cooked, for example, interact with another type of food that isn’t cooked (like uncooked meat coming into contact with salad). While the coronavirus plays into this, the existing protocols shouldn’t be forgotten.
It’s as simple as remembering to wash your hands after taking out the trash before handling a guest’s belongings in a hotel. With the virus, you will likely need to wash your hands much more often than you would before, but also remember that even without the virus, it’s a good idea to wash your hands after you touch something that could be dirty.
Unwell Employees Should not Report to Work
It can be difficult to deal with a shortage of employees. It can result in slow service and unhappy guests. But an unhappy guest is better than a sick guest.
Having a sick employee come to work is very dangerous, especially with this new coronavirus that can easily spread to other workers or guests. Even if someone is sick with something that is not contagious, the workplace is the last place an ill person should be.
The trouble here is that some employees may not be able to afford to miss work, and will attempt to report to work despite being sick and try to hide it from their employer. It is highly recommended that sick employees do not do this, as it could cause other employees or guests to become sick, and then the situation becomes much, much worse. Especially if the coronavirus is involved.
Safety Exits
Pretty much every commercial building has safe emergency exits to ensure safe evacuation in case of an emergency. These can include doors, ladders, fire escapes, and other points of egress. These should always remain clear and free of any obstacles.
These can sadly be overlooked as they are usually not used very often, but it is extremely important that they are never blocked or made unavailable, and should be checked periodically to make sure they are still safe to use.
