Last week during the second of our Covid Communictions webinar series, we asked attendees to share practical procedures and best practices they were carrying out in their facilities to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Not surprisingly, the tips that followed were thoughtful, helpful, and showcased the forward-thinking required of all industry leaders during this unprecedented pandemic crisis:

1. “We changed the traffic pattern in our office and/or distribution center for employees to eliminate outside contamination into the work area.” –Norma Record, Hollandia Dairy, Inc.

2. “We are assessing our hand washing and sink operations to determine if any function: soap, water, paper towel dispenser can be automated to eliminate high touch points.” –Graham Houle, Compass Group

3. “Store your masks in paper, not plastic bags, to prevent moisture buildup that could promote bacteria growth.” –Bill Grande, Thomas Plastics

4. “We are staggering shifts, breaks, and lunch times and holding cross-training between crafts to ensure that there are backups in case one craft loses multiple employees to illness. We are also increasing cleaning in buildings and shared vehicles, working remotely when able, and having employees who can’t work remotely remain at home, on payroll, but ready to come to work on a short notice to respond to issues.” –Sean Speed, Texas A&M University

5. “We created a plant map with all high touch points, notated to ensure that all services are sanitized routinely. The sitemap makes changing the focus and frequency of cleaning and sanitizing easier.” –Sharon Roberts, Cookies-N-Milk

6. “We are using the 0, 6, 20 rule. Zero contact, six feet apart at all times, 20 seconds to properly wash your hands. Referring to it as the 0, 6, 20 rule makes it easier to remember!” –Angela Williams, BRILL

7. “We are using devices on door handles that require use of forearm versus hand on bathrooms.” –Cliff Johnson, Holli-Pac

8. “We are lightly spraying surgical-type masks with 70% IP and letting them air dry in lockers overnight.” –Aaron Secrist, Now Health Group, Inc.

9. “We have modified our shift hours to allow 40 minutes between shifts for touch point cleaning in employee welfare areas, the plant, and warehouse. We’ve hired employees specifically for this function on each shift.  These employees perform continuous touch point cleaning throughout their shift.  We have also staggered our start times for departments to help with the traffic flow.”  –Terri Wilson, Trophy Foods

10. “Shaving cream is an anti-fogger and works great for preventing fog on safety glasses. One other thing we did at our facility was to get rid of pens that are shared. Currently, all employees are to use their own personal pen and not leave them in common spaces where it can be used by someone else. This means no more pens attached to clipboards for employee sign-offs.” –Tonya Smikal, Nutrition Supply Corp

Have any best practices that you haven’t seen listed here? We invite you to join our LinkedIn Group, Intertek Alchemy Community Connections, and post them there. It’s a gathering place where you can connect with other industry leaders and share best practices, seek guidance, and feel a sense of unity with your peers as we navigate this crisis together.

And please join us for our next webinar, Operating Your Essential Business During the
Covid-19 Crisis. We look forward to having you.