Cubicle shields, but no coffee pots: CDC offers guide to reopening offices safely
As restaurants, beaches and shopping malls slowly reopen across the country, many office workers remain glued to their at-home work spaces as the coronavirus continues to spread.
Eventually, however, some offices will need to reopen despite being enclosed spaces that can facilitate viral spread.
That’s why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday released an extensive list of advice for employers on how to reopen and operate as safely as possible.
For starters, the CDC says, businesses should “prohibit handshaking, hugs and fist bumps” and limit the number of people allowed on elevators.
“You, as the employer, are responsible for responding to COVID-19 concerns and informing employees of the hazards in your workplace,” the CDC said. “Remind employees that people may be able to spread COVID-19 even if they do not show symptoms.”
But it takes teamwork to ensure such guidance is carried out appropriately.
“The biggest factor is on the work force and the personal responsibility they must take in making this reality work,” Tracy Wymer, workplace vice president for Knoll, Inc., told The New York Times.
Many companies are also considering permanent remote work, a foreign concept before the pandemic began.
Two weeks ago Twitter announced it doesn’t anticipate returning to offices anytime soon, “so if our employees are in a role and situation that enables them to work from home and they want to continue to do so forever, we will make that happen.”
But for offices where virtual work and meetings are impractical, the CDC recommends the following.
Prepare the building
The CDC said the first step employers should take is to ensure the office is functioning properly and safely.
Ventilation systems should have clean filters, and hazards such as mold growth, rodents and “stagnant” water systems should be taken care of because such issues are common in buildings that sit dormant for too long.
The agency also recommends letting in as much outdoor air as possible, “potentially as high as 100%,” by opening windows and using fans, but not if outside pollutants such as carbon monoxide, mold or pollen can enter.
Such contaminants can pose health risks, the CDC said.
Identify high risk areas
Meeting rooms, break rooms, cafeterias, locker rooms, waiting areas and all entries and exits should be reworked in a way that protects employees from contracting the coronavirus, according to the CDC.
Businesses should use signs, tape and posters to encourage social distancing of at least 6 feet and remind workers about face mask rules and proper handwashing techniques.
Employers should turn, remove, space out or drape reception and other shared seating areas with fabric to alert staff and visitors that the furniture is off limits, the CDC said. Outdoor seating is best, the agency added.
“Consider all close interactions (within 6 feet) with employees, clients, and others as a potential source of exposure,” the CDC said.
Employees might also have to work with transparent shields in between them “where social distancing is not an option.”
Re-engineer the office space
In addition to physical barriers and visual cues to enforce social distancing, the CDC suggests daily or in-person temperature and symptom checks before workers enter the office.
Staggered shifts and breaks are also recommended, along with no-touch trash bins.
High-touch surfaces like door knobs and refrigerator handles should be disinfected as frequently as possible, and “coffee pots, water cooler and bulk snacks” should be replaced with “alternatives such as pre-packaged, single-serving items,” the CDC said.
The agency even recommends having employees and visitors call office administration while still in their cars to say they’re about to enter.
And in another twist to years of convincing people to travel in environmentally friendly ways such as by bike, public transportation or carpool, the CDC said for the time being, “offer employees incentives to use forms of transportation that minimize close contact with others, such as offering reimbursement for parking for commuting to work alone or single-occupancy rides.”
“This means many fewer workplaces per floor, reducing the density considerably. Where will the remaining workers be housed? Will the furniture work in the new layout?” Peter Kimmel, the publisher of FMLink, a publication about the facilities management industry, told The New York Times.
“While there are many solutions, these often require substantial thought and a budget that likely doesn’t exist.”
