2020 has been a year unlike any other. COVID-19 in particular has tested us all and revealed many opportunities for improvement in the way that we interact with each other and work in common space. 
At the time we are writing this post there is a tension between the re-opening of businesses in Los Angeles and Los Angeles County and a record breaking rise in COVID-19 cases in our communities. Many of your businesses have opened, then once again been told to close in some cases only weeks after opening.
Employees are hesitant to return to work, patrons are nervous to shop and eat out and schools are uncertain what the Fall looks like. There is still no vaccine, no clear COVID treatment and no definitive answers on if you are immune once you have already contracted the virus.
In the midst of these confusing emotions, the question we want to ask is “What can you DO to provide the safest work environment possible?”
Long Beach Building Maintenance is committed to providing you industry expertise that will allow you to confidently re-enter your facilities. There is a lot of bad information and confusion right now as to “best practices”. Face masks or no face masks? Do we contract COVID through touch points or human interaction? What is the difference between sanitizers and disinfectants?
Our goal with this post is to simplify the noise and highlight time tested best practices that you can implement in your building: we can help!
There are 7 key components to providing a clean and safe environment in your workplace:
1 Signage- upon entry you need to set the tone for what your expectations are for people entering your facility. What they should expect (temperature taking?), what they should wear (face mask or no face mask?), how t
hey should behave (social distance spacing, hand hygiene)
2 Take everyone’s temperature who enters your building with an infrared thermometer. This is not only the best practice to prevent the spread of illness but it gives your employees and customers confidence as they enter
3 Face masks are a must! Provide surgical style face masks to those who don’t have them and insist that they are worn while they are interacting with other people in your building
4 Hand Hygiene- provide 60% minimum alcohol hand sanitizer to people as they enter your facility. Hand sanitizer dispensers on stands, wall mounted dispensers and desk top formats are all great and provide people peace of mind. We recommend the Purell brand: not because it works better than others necessarily, but because it is the most recognized and trust brand and people are more likely to use Purell as opposed to generic brands that are not even clear what they are. Lets not forget about washing our hands- the CDC recommends 20 second hand washing as the better alternative to hand sanitizer.
5 Proper Disinfection Practices- there is a lot of bad information floating around right now about disinfecting. New products are being pitched every day claiming residual kill claims and protective barriers. Lets get back to the basics: first, forget sanitizing, you should demand disinfectants only. What is the difference between a sanitizer and disinfectant? Think bow and arrow vs machine gun. Disinfectants kill a broader range of bacteria and viruses and in a shorter amount of time. Disinfectants are the only items currently on the EPA registered N list to kill emerging pathogens (COVID-19)
Second, dwell time is the amount of time the surface needs to stay wet in order to kill the viruses. If you see someone spraying a surface and immediately wiping it dry, they are not disinfecting. LBBM is using only 1 minute kill time disinfectants and are focusing on the use of Electrostatic Sprayers, which have emerged as the best way to disinfect indoor areas hands down! Check out this short video showing our electrostatic disinfecting gun in use:
6 Eliminate touch points in offices and restrooms: automated paper towel dispensers, soap dispensers, faucets and flushers are all readily available and are best in class to prevent spreading of germs in restrooms. Keep office doors open when possible to prevent frequent touching of door handles.
7 Smile! Unexpected final point I know but a positive attitude, greeting others in a friendly way and simply smiling has been shown to make those around you feel more comfortable, boost your immune system and actually make you healthier.
LBBM is positioned to help you achieve all of your goals as you open your buildings back up for business. We can help provide you with PPE, disinfecting supplies such as wipes and hand sanitizer and provide the labor to keep your buildings clean and healthy. And we will help you with a smile on our face!
Stay safe everyone!
Your friends at LBBM
