Public health best practices for service providers
As businesses remain open to deliver essential goods and services during this uncertain time, it’s important for providers who are working at these properties to remain aware of protocols that can help keep their team and customers healthy. The guidelines below can bring you peace of mind that you’re doing everything you can to keep your technicians safe, so that you can continue to serve your customers and communities.
Follow general healthy practices
Encourage your technicians to follow recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
- Clean your hands often. Wash your hands frequently for 20 seconds with soap and water; use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol; and avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or an arm when coughing or sneezing.
- Keep immune systems strong by eating healthy foods, drinking plenty of water, and getting plenty of rest.
- Avoid close contact and practice social distancing. Avoid shaking hands or other personal contact. The CDC recommends maintaining a distance of at least 6 feet between people at all times.
Use protective equipment
If available, provide technicians with the following personal protective equipment (PPE) and educate them on its proper use, in accordance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards.
- Disposable latex or nitrile gloves.
- N-95 or higher respirator (preferred) or face mask
- Shoe covers
- Isolation gowns
- Eye protection (safety glasses to discourage rubbing of eyes)
Also provide disinfectants, including bleach solutions or alcohol solutions of at least 70 percent for surfaces and tools and personal disinfectants with an alcohol concentration of at least 60 percent.
Protect your team with these best practices
- Hold regular safety meetings to discuss and remind technicians of prevention techniques. Technicians should make sure to wash hands before entering and upon leaving a property, avoid close contact with customers, limit the surfaces they come into contact with if possible, and disinfect equipment after work completion.
- Require employees to stay home if they are sick, symptomatic, or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19. Symptoms include cough, fever, and shortness of breath.
- Recommend that any employees who do not need to leave their home to fulfill their job function work from home.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily, including desks, tables, doorknobs, trucks, phones, tablets, and tools and equipment.
- Avoid non-essential travel and reduce trips to common locations, such as supply houses, if possible.