GARDEN ROUTE DISTRICT NEWS - The Department of Employment and Labour issued guidelines for employers to ensure that people are not exposed to health or safety hazards at the workplace.
This pertains particularly to situations where people are directly affected by the activities of others, such as customers, clients, or contractors and their workers, who enter their workplace or come into contact with their employees.
This obligation also applies to self-employed persons whose working activities bring them into contact with members of the public.
The Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) issued notification this morning that it has put measures in place to comply with these regulations. The measures include placing hand sanitising dispensers at entry points; the daily screening of employees for symptoms of Covid-19 when they report for work; providing face masks to be worn in the workplace and conducting virtual meetings to adhere to social distancing protocols.
As the welfare of hygiene officials is critical, especially during the Covid-pandemic, it is vital that these officials are well equipped and looked after. Therefore every hygiene official was furnished with personal protective equipment to wear as an additional safety measure.
The municipality says it is well known that regular cleaning routines are a simple, yet effective way to ensure a hygienic environment and prevent the spread of germs and infections through contact with surfaces, communal spaces and offices. Thus daily workplace cleaning routines have been ‘sharpened’ and cleaning times were altered. Hygiene officials now start their workday at 07:30 to sanitise and disinfect all offices of administrative personnel before the latter arrive for work at 08:00. Hygiene staff then knock off 16:00, and administrative staff at 16:30.
The following areas were identified as ‘hotspots’ in offices that should be cleaned to reduce the possibility of bacterial or viral infection:
- The immediate workstations of officials
- Keyboards and telephones
- Chair seats and handles
- Door handles
- Light switches
Before and after meetings, committee rooms and venues are sanitised and disinfected. In order for hygiene staff to focus on cleansing functions, they will for the time being not serve coffee and tea.
The health and safety of officials and visitors are of paramount importance to the GRDM, and for this reason, officials and visitors are requested to work together, to take control and practise safe hygiene habits in order to promote a healthy workplace.
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