WINTER MAINTENANCE READY FOR THE CHILL?
At this time of year, winter preparations traditionally revolve around avoiding slips, rolling out festive decorations and system maintenance checks. But this year, there’s a whole lot more.
Not only are the usual preparations essential this winter, but organisations’ response to Coronavirus safety measures are so critical it could be the difference between remaining open for business and facing closure.
phs data, based on 120,000 UK customers, reveals a staggering 43% of premises closed during lockdown. While most have reopened, 5% remain closed. The problem is even more pronounced in London where 10% of premises remain closed. These statistics form the phs Index, a new barometer of the economic impact of COVID-19.
As a good proxy of building occupancy, analysis of the amount of washroom waste generated reveals that throughout just four months, building usage dropped 49% year on year. As we hit the 95% open rate, these premises are still 17% quieter indicating that people have not yet fully returned to the workplaces and venues they would normally visit.
And now, new containment restrictions will keep people working at home longer, locking down regions and limiting social interactions. If organisations struggled to recover so far, the outlook for the winter is bleak. Taking adequate winter preparation measures this year are not only recommended, they’re critical.
Go the extra mile when it comes
to hygiene Hygiene is the number one measure in battling COVID-19. Promote regular handwashing, ensuring facilities are available and signposted, supported by hand-sanitising stations throughout. Implement stringent cleaning regimes including regular deep cleans and equip people with the ability to clean their hands and equipment around them if they wish to.
Ensure compliance is at the forefront Compliance checks are a legal requirement, particularly after periods of closure and making layout changes, including water system checks and fire-risk assessments. You also may want to consider Coronavirus surface-swab testing to identify infection as soon as possible.
Help users adhere to social distancing Adopt practices which keep people apart wherever possible and ensure compliance by limiting numbers, one- way systems, physical barriers and reminders through signage and purpose-designed messaging floormats.
50 | TOMORROW’S FM
Darren Hawkins, Head of FM at phs Group, explains why preparing for winter is critical this year.
If you’re fed up of unsightly tape and bollards, consider more aesthetically pleasing options from free-wall plant dividers, directional planters and planting units with integrated sanitisers.
Use Christmas to boost morale Only a matter of weeks away, use Christmas as an opportunity to welcome people back. A traditional Christmas tree and decorations will make your premises more welcoming and add cheer to their visit. If you want to support a cause, find out more about phs Greenleaf’s Rainbow Christmas Tree, raising money for mental health charities.
Dispose of PPE responsibly PPE is the world’s latest plastic polluter, taking up to 450 years to decompose. At the very least, ensure masks straps are cut to reduce the risk they post to animals but also consider responsible disposal such as sourcing a specialist PPE bin; safely segregating contaminated waste. We’re proud to say that PPE waste collected by phs is diverted from landfill and used to create energy to power homes.
Inspire confidence As part of the phs Index, we asked 2,000 consumers how they felt about going into local businesses. More than a quarter (26%) said they weren’t confident about hygiene measures and around a third (35%) admitted they weren’t confident about social distancing practices within these premises. This is a huge concern and will certainly hold people back from returning to the places they would normally work and visit. Organisations must instil indisputable confidence in their premises through comprehensive hygiene and robust social distancing, ensuring their premises is as safe as possible.
For the full phs Index white paper, visit the phs website.
www.phs.co.uk/phsIndex
twitter.com/TomorrowsFM
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