Business owners, operators, and vendors

If you are a business owner, operator, or vendor working within the Southeast Public Health region, please review health regulations, requirements, and guidelines that pertain to your business.

Preventing the spread of infection in workplaces

It’s important that employers have a plan in place to lower the spread of communicable diseases in their workplace. For assistance with developing a plan visit COVID-19 and workplace health and safety. Public Health Ontario also provides information on heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in buildings and COVID-19 and for the use of portable air cleaners and transmission of COVID-19.

Cleaning of frequently used surfaces in the common and shared areas in workplaces is important to reduce the spread of infection. High touch surfaces should be cleaned twice. First to remove visible dirt, then to be disinfected.

If items cannot be easily cleaned (e.g., newspapers, magazines, stuffed toys) it is recommended to perform hand hygiene before and after use.

For information on cleaning and disinfecting in the workplace visit the Government of Canada’s website.

Hand hygiene is the removal of visible soil and the removal of transient microorganisms from the hands. Hand hygiene is one of the best ways to prevent contracting COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. For information on hand hygiene visit Public Health Ontario’s website.

Video: A Public Health Inspector Shows You How to Wash Your Hands

Transcript

[Music]

Good morning. Gord Mitchell here I work at Kingston, Frontenac, and Lennox and Addington Public Health as a public health inspector and this morning I’m going to give you a brief demonstration on how to properly wash your hands.

First thing you want to do is turn on the water so it’s pleasantly warm. Take your jewelry off. Watches and rings if you can.

Make sure your hands are thoroughly wet.

Apply the soap. Vigorously massage the soap between the fingers around the backs of your hands, around your thumb.

15 to 20 seconds. About as long it takes to sing mary had a little lamb or happy birthday.

Try to get it under your nails. Once you’ve done your 20 seconds rinse thoroughly. Make sure you get all the soap off your hands, so it doesn’t remain, causing drying problems later. Grab the paper towels. Dry your hands. Turn off the taps (using the paper towels), dispose of the paper towels.

Information for employers on mental well-being at work

Workplaces can take steps to create a supportive and healthy work environment for employees.