• All office teams should be working remotely. When this is not possible, ensure staff are located as far away from each other as possible. Instead of having in person meetings opt for remote tools like video conferencing.
  • People should be keeping 2m of distance from each other, this may require you to rearrange your plant to make this possible. As this may be the new normal, these changes could prove beneficial for future operations.
  • Check the temperature of all personnel entering your facility. This can be made possible by way of a IR scanning thermometer, these are quick and require no physical contact. A person who shows a temperature 37.8℃ or higher will not be permitted to enter the facility.
  • Wear masks or other PPE while in the facility.
  • Leave all doors open to minimize surface contact.
  • Increase ventilation and increase the amount of outdoor air that circulates into the system
  • Buy all no-touch disposal receptacles or simply remove lids from all receptacles that require touch to open.
  • Disinfect all touched surfaces at the end of the day. Conduct routine cleans throughout the day of all common areas.
  • Stagger shift start/stop times, break times, and lunchtimes to minimize congregations at the time clocks or break areas.
  • Zone the factory and prohibit employees from wandering outside of their designated zones.
  • Isolate key personnel without whom the factory cannot operate (e.g., boiler operators, wastewater treatment engineers, lead electricians, maintenance, etc.) to prevent them from getting ill.
  • Shutdown the plant when production is not needed (even if you ramp on and off on a daily basis). Every bit of time not spent around other people may eliminate the spread of the virus.
  • Actively encourage sick employees to stay home until they are free of fever. If an employee comes in showing signs of illness send them home.
  • Separate employees who appear to have acute respiratory illness symptoms from other employees and send them home immediately. Restrict their access to the business until they have recovered.
  • Reinforce key messages – stay home when sick, use cough and sneeze etiquette and practice hand hygiene – to all employees, and place posters in areas where they are most likely to be seen. Provide protection supplies such as soap and water, hand sanitizer, tissues and no-touch disposal receptacles for use by employees.
  • Frequently perform enhanced environmental cleaning of commonly touched surfaces, such as workstations, countertops, railings, door handles and doorknobs. Use the cleaning agents that are usually used in these areas and follow the directions on the label. Provide disposable wipes so that commonly used surfaces can be wiped down by employees before each use.

Though the Covid-19 pandemic has created many new obstacles for manufactures to overcome, it does not mean that manufacturers need to cease production. By implementing new operating procedures not only can you greatly reduce the risk of spread through your company in the present, but you can also protect yourselves from potential future outbreaks.

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