Media Release: Hygiene services enhanced at the GRDM – have yours?

For Immediate Release
17 July 2020

The Department of Employment and Labour issued guidelines which require employers, ‘to ensure, as far as reasonably practicable, that all persons who may be directly affected by the activities of others (such as customers, clients or contractors and their workers who enter their workplace or come into contact with their employees) are not exposed to hazards to their health or safety. This obligation also applies to self-employed persons whose working activities bring them into contact with members of the public’.

In order to comply with these guidelines, the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) put measures in place to prevent the spread of infections in the workplace.  Some of these measures include placing hand sanitising dispensers at entry points; the daily screening of employees for symptoms of COVID-19 when they report for work; providing face masks to be worn in the workplace and conducting virtual meetings to adhere to social distancing protocols.

The value and welfare of hygiene officials are critical, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Therefore, it is vital that these officials are well equipped and looked after. As an additional safety measure, the hygiene officials were each furnished with personal protective equipment to wear.

It is a known fact that regular cleaning routines are a simple, yet effective way to ensure a hygienic environment and prevent the spread of germs and infections caused by contact of surfaces, communal spaces and offices.

Daily workplace cleaning routines have been ‘sharpened’ and cleaning times were altered. Hygiene officials start their workday at 07:30 and knock off at 16:00, whereas administrative officials start at 08:00 and finished at 16:30. The reason behind this arrangement is that when administrative officials arrive at work, their workstations are clean and safe when they start their daily operations. Hygiene officials’ routine starts with the sanitising and disinfection of all offices.

The following areas were identified as ‘hotspots’ in offices that should be cleaned to reduce the possibility of bacterial or viral infection.

• The immediate workstations of officials
• Keyboards and telephones
• Chair seats and handles
• Door handles
• Light switches

Before and after meetings, committee rooms and venues are sanitised and disinfected; however, the responsibility of hygiene staff to serve coffee and tea was temporarily discontinued in order for them to focus on hygiene functions.

The health and safety of officials and visitors are of paramount importance to the GRDM, and for this reason, officials and visitors are requested to work together, to take control and practice safe hygiene habits in order to promote a healthy workplace.