3 COVID Response Strategies That Strengthen Your Corporation’s Engineering Controls

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The working environment has changed dramatically in the last 6 months. Roughly 40% of Americans have transitioned to working from home full-time during the pandemic. Living rooms, spare bedrooms, and kitchen tables have become our offices, our conference rooms and the backgrounds to our Zoom calls. And it may stay this way for a while. 

Many large corporations across the nation are rethinking physical office spaces and what the new normal looks like for today’s workspace. As employees have adapted to remote working,  creating safe and flexible work environments has been top priority for executives. “Opening offices will be our decision, when and if our employees come back will be theirs.” Twitter said in a recent public announcement. 

The reality is not all companies can function with remote employees to work from home, not solely for financial reasons. Medical professionals, chefs, teachers, pastors, dentists, factory workers- the list goes on and on of essential professionals who need to be back in their workplace to get the job done.

To get employees back into office spaces safely, leadership teams must evaluate every possible situation from every possible perspective. 

When employees feel it’s safe to be at work and when patrons feel it’s safe to visit your place of business, then you’ll feel and start to see your company recover from the effects of COVID-19. But how do we get there?

Focus on the areas of control.  

While it may not be possible to eliminate the hazard, OSHA outlines a hierarchy of categories of control when it comes to reducing exposure risks to indoor environments (listed from most effective to least effective): engineering controls, administrative controls, safe work practices and PPE. While we believe most corporations and entities are able to put into place thorough Administrative Controls and safe practices, the Engineering category is often lacking. 

Here’s where Sasser comes into play…

Engineering Controls include physical removal of hazardous conditions through increased circulation, air filtration, or physical barriers. Our expertise in remediating hazardous and harmful pathogens, with the guidance of our onsite Certified Indoor Hygienists and Environmental Project Manager, allows us to help our clients more holistically control COVID-19 issues no matter their situation. 

Here are ways we can help maximize your company’s engineering controls: 

Increase Circulation & filtration of Air–  One of the most beneficial and cost-effective mechanisms for reducing the spread of COVID-19 is increased filtration and air circulation. Our air movers and HEPA filtration systems are available for rent improving air changes per hour and keeping the air in your office cleaner. Our Phoenix Guardian HEPA air scrubbers are unmarked and meticulously maintained to ensure the purest indoor environment possible. We offer some of the nation’s largest retailers and restoration partners alike access to an extensive inventory of rental equipment. 

Construction Upfits and Physical Barriers–  The COVID-19 viral pandemic has reshaped the way we work and interact with personnel especially when creating action plans to go back into the office.  Many office users and designers have made adjustments to office design to provide additional COVID protection options.  Sasser has a skilled and experienced construction team that can help you design and implement more permanent engineering controls with partitions, drive-thrus, temperature-check stations, quarantine rooms, touchless entries and more. 

Emergency Preparedness Response Plans– Our emergency response planning has proven to be an invaluable asset during these times as we specialize in preparing companies for each and every situation. COVID-19 has catapulted businesses into a new era where we are reminded of how crucial emergency response plans are to corporations. Our commercial partner response process streamlines communication to provide risk-management teams a well-defined emergency preparedness plan that assists in the management of physical space during a situation or outbreak. From isolation chambers, to clean rooms, to containment barriers, Sasser Restoration has your team covered.

So what happens when your business is exposed or has a potential exposure to COVID-19? Sasser offers responsive, tailored cleaning and disinfecting services based on your needs and level of exposure to COVID-19

Specialized COVID Decontamination and Cleaning –Sasser offers a service to professionally clean and apply an EPA registered disinfectant to areas and touchpoints that have a higher likelihood of exposure to COVID-19. There are three levels of response that Sasser can offer you: 

1. Preventative:  Light cleaning and sanitizing of easily accessible surfaces including, but not limited to, door handles, counters, etc. Fogging to eliminate airborne hazards and to eliminate microbials in difficult to reach areas not commonly sanitized with standard cleaning.
2. Suspected:  Cleaning of heavily soiled areas, treating with damp wiping of all surfaces 8ft and below. Use of HEPA air scrubbers to increase ventilation and air filtration. Fogging to eliminate airborne hazards and to eliminate microbials in difficult to reach areas not commonly sanitized with standard cleaning. Mopping hard surface flooring. HEPA vacuuming and disinfecting carpeted flooring.
3. Confirmed: Heavy cleaning and sanitizing by damp wiping, treating all surfaces 8ft and below. Use of HEPA air scrubbers to increase ventilation and air filtration for multiple days. Use of decontamination chambers, if necessary. Additional fogging to eliminate airborne hazards and to eliminate microbials in difficult to reach areas not commonly sanitized with standard cleaning. Mopping hard surface flooring. HEPA vacuuming and disinfecting carpeted flooring

Sasser understands the complexities of providing services in a variety of settings, including municipality buildings, emergency transport vehicles, healthcare and medical facilities, large commercial showrooms, warehouses, office complexes, fitness centers, restaurants and churches. We are prepared to help your business get back to work quickly and with minimal interruption.

We understand that this is an issue that hits close to home for so many and while it may seem daunting to take the first step into returning to a semi-normal work life again our teams are here to get you back to work safely. As we begin to look forward to the end of 2020 and the hope of what 2021 will bring, keep your mind at ease and be prepared at all times with the help of Sasser. 

Have questions about how our services can fit your specific needs? Give our team of experts a call at 888-449-1144 and let’s discuss an emergency preparedness plan and find a safe way to get your employees back to work. Keeping your people safe is our top priority no matter the year. 

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