Workplace Ready for Coronavirus
According to the World Health Organization, “Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases.” When it comes to being workplace ready for COVID-19 (the newest strain of coronavirus), there are many suggestions to follow. Having a visitor management system in place is the most advanced technology today to help prevent worldwide outbreaks from penetrating further into your office.
COVID-19 has spread quickly across the world and organizations like the CDC and OSHA have helpful tips and resources on how to identify potential sources of exposure, knowing how to protect your workers, and all of this can start when visitors try to check-in to your lobby.
Risk Management for Meetings & Events
Most companies see visitors every day to their office: whether it’s a delivery driver dropping off mail, an interview candidate to see HR, a salesperson from another company, a vendor completing their rounds, or a hired contractor to complete a job; office lobbies are a constant stream of movement. A visitor management system provides a digital visitor check-in process that can have customizable questions filled out.
With our software’s custom fields, you can ask such questions like:
Have you recently traveled outside of the country?
Have you recently been feeling ill?
Once a visitor has finished checking-in, their answers appear directly on the dashboard, where a security guard or receptionist can view the information provided. Depending on the answers to these questions, you could require the visitor to wear a mask, deny entrance to that visitor, or request they reschedule their return at a later time.
Reduce Visitor Traffic and Meetings with Coronavirus
Now is also a good time to try and reduce overall visitor traffic to the workplace in general. Employers should know there is a risk that people visiting your office might unwittingly bring the COVID-19 virus, and employees might be unknowingly exposed. There are various key considerations to prevent and reduce risk before, during, and after the meeting or event.
Before the meeting:
- Pre-screen visitors and know where they’re visiting from and their current health status regarding symptoms
- Be aware of the advice given by local authorities in your community
- Pre-order supplies such as tissues, hand sanitizer, and surgical masks
- Make sure communication channels with public health care authorities are correct and in place
- Ask yourself if the meeting could be held online or over the phone?
- Have a response plan in place in case someone becomes ill with symptoms such as dry cough, fever, or malaise
During the meeting:
- Say hello without shaking hands
- Sit at least one meter apart
- Display hand sanitizer around the property or meeting space
- If a visitor starts to feel ill, follow your preparedness plan
After the meeting:
- Encourage hand washing and use of hand sanitizer
- Keep visitor records on file for at least one month to help health authorities if they need to track down potentially exposed people
- If a visitor is a suspected COVID-19 case, your company should let all employees know this and advise them to monitor themselves for the next fourteen days
Beyond Visitor Check-In
Visitor management is transforming lobbies and workplaces today, and it’s going beyond just the visitor check-in. It’s allowing companies to not only increase their workplace security measures, but it allows for an increase in workplace safety as well. COVID-19 and potential future outbreaks pose a big threat to our communities and workplaces, and visitor management can help protect your employees and your business with a few simple pre-registration questions.
Addressing key prevention strategies in your emergency operations plan can help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Contact Veristream today at 1-888-718-0807 to learn more about our visitor management system that can be customized to meet your organization’s needs, or schedule a demo to see how we can fit directly into your plan of action.
