As Coronavirus (COVID-19) dominates discussions, it is important to cut through all the noise and focus on what steps we can take to ensure we protect the health of our employees and customers.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Australian Government have released a range of guides, articles and info graphics to help us understand the steps we can take to improve the situation and reduce the risk of spreading the virus.

As a business owner there are 3 areas to focus on; what to do in our business premises, what to do when travelling, and what you to do while in the field with our customers.

1. Business Premises

The World Health Organisation (WHO) have published the following article outlining their recommendation for what each business should do. The document discusses:

• Simple ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in your workplace
• Make sure your workplaces are clean and hygienic
• Surfaces (e.g. desks and tables) and objects (e.g. telephones, keyboards) need to be wiped with disinfectant regularly
• Why? Because contamination on surfaces touched by employees and customers is one of the main ways that COVID-19 spreads
• How to manage COVID-19 risks when organising meetings & events
• Before the meeting:
• Check the advice from the authorities in the community where you plan to hold the meeting or event. Follow their advice.
• Develop and agree a preparedness plan to prevent infection at your meeting or event.
• See the article for more information.
• During the meeting:
• Provide information or a briefing, preferably both orally and in writing, on COVID-19 and the measures that organisers are taking to make this event safe for participants.
• Display dispensers of alcohol-based hand rub prominently around the venue.
• See the article for more information
• After the meeting:
• Retain the names and contact details of all participants for at least one month. This will help public health authorities trace people who may have been exposed to COVID-19 if one or more participants become ill shortly after the event.
• See the article for more information.
• Getting your workplace ready in case COVID-19 arrives in your community
• Develop a plan of what to do if someone becomes ill with suspected COVID-19 at one of your workplaces
• Promote regular teleworking across your organisation. If there is an outbreak of COVID-19 in your community the health authorities may advise people to avoid public transport and crowded places. Teleworking will help your business keep operating while your employees stay safe.
• Develop a contingency and business continuity plan for an outbreak in the communities where your business operates
• See the article for more information

2. Employee travel

You won't be able to continue offering great service without travelling between buildings. By taking the steps outlined by the WHO and Australian Government you can continue to service and protect at the same time.

• Before Travelling:
• Make sure your organisation and its employees have the latest information on areas where COVID-19 is spreading. You can find this at https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/situation-reports/
• Based on the latest information, your organisation should assess the benefits and risks related to upcoming travel plans.
• See the article for more information.
• While travelling:
• Encourage employees to wash their hands regularly and stay at least one meter away from people who are coughing or sneezing
• Ensure employees know what to do and who to contact if they feel ill while travelling.
• See the article for more information
• When returning from travelling:
• Employees who have returned from an area where COVID-19 is spreading should monitor themselves for symptoms for 14 days and take their temperature twice a day.
• See the article for more information

The article referenced above outlines many more steps you can take to improve your chances of reducing the spread of the virus. Many of these steps are ignored during the ‘good’ times, however, general hygiene is very important and taking steps to begin building a work environment where everyone chips in to support each other by improving hygiene is a win for all.

3. On-site field customers

While your tradesmen are on-site with your customers, there are a few things they should do to improve their chances of reducing or being infected by the virus.

With the current hysteria surrounding the virus, many of your customers will be extremely nervous about coming into contact with another human however you can help to reduce these fears by showing your customers that you are taking all the necessary steps recommended by the government.

Here is a list of things you can do:

• Before you leave your vehicle, use an anti-bacterial gel to clean your hands.
• Don’t shake your customers hand. A simple nod, wave or slight bow will be enough.
• Keep a packet of anti-bacterial wipes on you at all times, and use them in-front of your customer.
• Wipe the screen of your device to show your customer that you are taking every step possible to reduce the spread.
• If you use a stylus pen, wipe them as well or request your customer use their own when signing your device
• When you are ready to present your quotation, ask if you can present it to them in person. If they are not comfortable with you being next to them, simply send the quotation and ask them to open it on their device – you can still explain your solution to your customer from over a metre away!

With regards to wearing a mask whilst around your customers, the World Health Organisation has a whole section dedicated to discussing when to use the mask.

In the 'when to use a mask' section, WHO explains that:

• If you are healthy, you only need to wear a mask if you are taking care of a person with suspected 2019-nCoV infection.
• Wear a mask if you are coughing or sneezing.

Disposing of a mask is extremely important. Head over to the WHO section on masks to find out more!

The WHO have created a range of infographics that are downloadable. We recommend you print the infographs and keep it in your office and in your vehicle. If you are questioned by your customers on why or what precautions you are taking, you can easily show them the print out.

Though rare, events like the COVID-19 will recur throughout our lifetime and it is important to take all steps to reduce the spread but it doesn’t have to be the end of your business, being there for your customers, demonstrating that you care, and offering exceptional service, will ensure loyalty amongst your customers.

Regarding the above images:

These images are available on the WHO website:

• The Mask Infograph
  https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/when-and-how-to-use-masks
• The Other infographs
  https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public