COVID-19 Office Building Sanitizing Checklist & Guidelines

With the second wave of COVID-19 hitting nations hard, it’s important to remain diligent on hygiene in workplaces. Each day, your office building is frequented by many visitors, particularly around the elevators and main entrances. These locations could become potential high-risk areas during the pandemic. As such, sanitizing the office building is necessary to ensure a safe and protected environment.

Since your office building is a large and complex facility, you will need a sanitizing checklist to navigate the cleaning process efficiently. This checklist should define your responsibilities, along with the supplies, labour, and time involved with each cleaning activity. From sanitizing elevator buttons to clearing recycling containers, there are numerous tasks that should be included in your office building sanitizing checklist.

For more details, follow the below guidelines on how to conduct an office building disinfection and stop the coronavirus in its tracks.

Office building sanitizing schedule

Having a sanitization schedule helps you keep track of areas that have been cleaned and which ones should be cleaned next. A schedule also guides cleaners on where to start and when the cleaning takes place. The order in which you sanitize your office building is as important as the cleaning itself. By cleaning in an orderly manner, you limit the exposure of germs and viruses in your building.

Begin your sanitizing checklist with an outline of all the occupied public spaces in your office building, such as entrances, lobbies, elevators, and staircases. Identify the high-touch areas and recommend a schedule for keeping these locations clean. In the highly frequented parts of the office building, disinfection may need to be done more regularly. Think in terms of daily, nightly, and midday office cleaning.

When establishing a cleaning schedule, consider the best times to maximize productivity and minimize disruptions. Generally, cleaning is done at the end of every workday. You may also choose to clean the office building at sensible intervals during the day, such as doing it after the busy morning rush hour.

Office building sanitizing supplies

Once you have a schedule in place, you will need to assemble the right sanitizing supplies. Essentially, you will need wipes, disinfecting solutions, along with sanitizers and cleaning detergents. The key is to use products that are suitable for various surfaces. For instance, your floor cleaning products will require different materials than what you use to sanitize doors or elevators. Make sure you highlight this distinction.

In addition, you will need to provide personal protective gear, also known as PPE. The equipment adds an extra layer of protection for the face, the body, and the respiratory system. Your cleaning staff should wear PPE to protect themselves and to prevent them from infecting others. Make sure your office building facility is equipped with PPE disposal bins, which will ensure the gears are discarded safely.

Building & office disinfection

An office building is made up of numerous parts and components. To maximize safety from COVID-19, make sure you disinfect the high-touch fixtures as many times as possible. On a regular basis, you should clean door handles, elevator buttons, and light switches. Also, you should sanitize the chairs and tables in your lobby, the desks and phones in your office, and the toilets and taps in your bathroom.

For an easier and safer time with cleaning, equip your office building with sanitizer wipes dispensers. This type of equipment encourages visitors to maintain good hygiene practices while navigating your office. Have these dispensers set up at strategic areas of the building so everyone can easily access them.

Safety & cleaning guidelines

Safe cleaning is as crucial as the job itself. The last thing you want is for your workers to get infected with COVID-19 as they clean the office building. You also don’t want them to go about their job while transmitting the virus to others. As such, you should establish a set of cleaning guidelines, ensuring the disinfection process is carried out thoroughly and cautiously.

One of the most crucial guidelines is to instruct your workers to wash their hands before and after each cleaning session. They should also wear disposable gloves whenever possible and never share their gloves with others. Plus, your workers must have a clear understanding of how to apply each cleaning product or ask questions if necessary. Encourage communication between management and the cleaning staff so that everyone understands these guidelines.

The post-sanitization guidelines are equally important. Once the building is cleaned and sanitized, you will need to carefully dispose of the PPEs. To discard these items safely, place them in a specialized disposal bin. For reusable PPE and other items, launder them using the appropriate cleaning equipment. Let these supplies dry fully before reusing them again.

Isolating the office building

Should any area of the office building be suspected of COVID-19 infection, make sure you isolate and block access to it immediately. Communicate with the people in your office until everyone becomes aware of the risks. Taking prompt action will keep the situation under control, and your office disinfection efforts will become a lot easier to manage.

The goal is to isolate the office areas visited by people with suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19. In many instances, you may need to isolate common areas like the break rooms, the bathrooms, and other high-touch points in the office. Keep everyone away from these locations since the surfaces are potent infection nodes. When possible, open the windows and doors to allow for better ventilation.