Shutting the 'back' door on COVID-19

Employers have a statutory duty to ensure the health and safety of employees whilst at work. No employee will also wish to put any fellow employee at risk of contracting the coronavirus while at work. Simple precautions and planning can make a big difference. This is a practical guide to employers in the hospitality industry on how to deal with the issues in an effective manner.

Destination ‘hand washing’: Washing hands or using soap / hand gel immediately on arrival at work: First and foremost, ask all staff arriving at work to wash their hands immediately upon arrival. You could put up a notice at the entrance to remind them. Consider installing washbasins (preferably with foot tap),  with soap / hand gel at the point of entrance with security people if stationed there, to ensure proper hand washing is done by all. This will remove any virus particles picked up on the way to work and minimise spread by employee hands touching contact surfaces (door handles, push buttons, tables, kettle handles, kitchen equipment, etc).

Position a waste bin (with lid) near the exit to make it easy for employees to discard tissues, paper towels, etc.

Also advise employees to wash their hands as soon as they get home from work, particularly if they have travelled on public transport / stopped to shop on the way.

Educating everyone: Promote everyday prevention actions in the workplace: Post signs throughout the back-end areas (staff corridors, changing rooms, cafeteria, etc.) of the hotel, providing information about COVID-19, how person-to-person transmission can occur and describing ways to prevent the spread of germs, such as avoiding touching their faces and to practice ‘social distancing’ by standing at least six feet away from guests and other co-workers. Provide information in multiple languages where necessary.

If masks are worn, (two layer cotton mask is generally recommended.), then care needs to be taken not to contaminate oneself when putting them on, or when adjusting them. Remember- hands are the main route of transmission, so employees need to wash hands before putting the mask on or when taking it off and replacing it. In the meantime, ensure that the mask is not contaminated because it fits directly on the face - facilitating a quick route of transmission. EMPLOYEES MUST NOT SHARE MASKS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!

Consult with local health authorities to determine appropriate actions if a guest or worker presents symptoms of COVID-19 infection, as well as how to report, respond, and implement control measures, including isolation and quarantine until help arrives. Develop an ‘action plan’ and let all employees be totally aware it and each one’s role. Please follow the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health (MOH).

Maintain records: Be able to track movements in case of a situation: Apart from the legal requirements of maintaining records, review and implement a record keeping process to maintain records of staff movement. These records should be kept for a minimum of 90 days. This includes maintaining employee work assignments, documentation of key control procedures including the electronic lock records, and security camera closed circuit tapes. This is especially important if someone in your hotel has been confirmed to have the virus. Please follow the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health (MOH).

Protection is everyone’s business: How staff can protect each other:

• By not shaking hands or hugging each other. Practice the “Ayubowan” instead.
• By keeping hands away from the face, eyes, and nose unless hands have been just washed
• Avoiding crowded places – even in the workplace (cafeteria, locker rooms, etc).
• When queuing up for meals – maintain safe distance.
• Discouraging sharing of food and/or beverages, sharing tumblers – even cigarettes.
• By turning away from people when coughing / sneezing (particularly when in the lift / tight spaces)
• By always sneezing / coughing into the crook of your arm to prevent hands from becoming contaminated
• By turning away from people when they are coughing / sneezing – especially on public transport
• Immediately bin any used tissue without leaving it in your hands or on any surface.

Recommended moments of hand washing (times):

• On arrival at work.
• After using the finger print scanner (when in use).
• After using the changing room, toilet or visiting the toilet areas.
• In the office – when sharing / using another person’s phone, keyboard mouse and / or desk
• After touching hand contact surfaces such as door handles, handrails. trolleys, luggage handles,
• After clearing a table, after cleaning, including after cleaning hotel rooms, touching used bedding, towels.
• Wash hands immediately after using and discarding tissue/tissues.
• After touching anything that guests may have contaminated.
• After collecting guest laundry and / or when doing any laundry.
• Other determinants- depending on particular employee’s work station (Kitchen, Guest-facing & Public areas, etc.)

Dealing with employees who fall sick:  While in the past working while sick was heroic in certain workspaces, now people realise such actions challenge the sustainability of a business and human health. Actively encourage sick employees to stay at home. If an employee arrives at work displaying symptoms of respiratory illness or if employees have symptoms of an acute respiratory illness (e.g., fever, cough, shortness of breath), you can ask them not to return to work until they no longer have a fever for at least 24 hours. You should immediately separate the employee from the other employees and send him or her home. Please follow the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health (MOH).

Additional consideration for hotels:

• To assist in security checking at entrance, instruct staff to open/show bags, to ensure security personnel avoid touching bags and other personal possessions of staff.

• Hotels that use fingerprint scanners to record staff attendance must sanitise scanner after every shift.
• To eliminate / minimise hand contact with handles, keep staff entrance / internal doors- wherever possible, wide open, or install kick-plates where staff can kick the door to open it, rather than using hands.
• If carrying out temperature checks of staff entering the hotel, ensure that a second check, using a different thermometer is carried out, when someone is detected to have a fever. This will confirm the accuracy of the first reading. 
• Where possible, stagger work shifts, meal times and breaks, to prevent simultaneous arrival and departures of large groups of employees. This would also help reduce footfall at the changing rooms.
• Avoid ‘start-of-shift’ briefings; instead handout written copies of daily briefings or teleconference or use intercom. The goal is to minimise staff interaction during the shift. The ideal situation is when staff interacts with only one other employee – the immediate superior.
• Arrange chairs in the staff cafeteria to avoid side-by-side sitting during meal times.
• Ask staff to avoid using the lift and instead use the stairways – especially if it is to climb/ descend 1 to 3 floors.
• When having to use the staff elevators – minimise number of passengers (staff)
• Uniform must not be worn on the way to work as it could become contaminated. There is more control if laundry is carried out in-house or professionally, rather than staff taking it home.
• Employees must have their fingernails trimmed neatly, and long fingernails must not be allowed as the area under the fingernails is a common breeding spot for bacteria and viruses.
• Prevent dormitory / bunk bed sleeping during staff sleepover. Allocate individual rooms if and when staffs need to sleep overnight.
• Identify critical staff members and functions – develop a business continuity plan. Consider the ability for certain employees to be able to work from home.

Compiled by In2ition.

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