The COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented situation for everyone. It is understandable you may have concerns about how to keep your teams and customers safe and ensure all WHS measures are achieved and exceeded. There are a number of practical steps you can take to manage the risk of exposure to COVID and meet your legal obligations. COVID-19 spreads through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. A person can acquire the virus by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose or eyes.

A key way you can protect workers and others from the risk of exposure to COVID-19 is by implementing appropriate cleaning and disinfecting measures for your workplace.

Workplaces should be cleaned daily, cleaning with detergent and water is usually sufficient. Once clean the surfaces should be disinfected, how often your workplace should be disinfected will depend on the likelihood of contaminated material being present. You should prioritise cleaning and disinfecting surfaces that people touch (touchpoints). Alternatively, you may be able to do a 2-in-1 clean and disinfection by using a combined detergent and disinfectant.

How to clean and disinfect in your workplace

Cleaning means to physically remove germs (bacteria and viruses), dirt and grime from surfaces using a detergent and water solution. A detergent is a surfactant that is designed to break up oil and grease with the use of water. Anything labelled as a detergent will work.

Disinfecting means using chemicals to kill germs on surfaces. It’s important to clean before disinfecting because dirt and grime can reduce the ability of disinfectants to kill germs. Chemicals will be labelled as ‘disinfectant’ on the packaging and must be diluted or used following the instructions on the packaging to be effective. Cleaning should start with the cleanest surface first, progressively moving towards the dirtiest surface. When surfaces are cleaned, they should be left as dry as long as possible to reduce the risk of slips and falls, as well as spreading of viruses and bacteria through droplets. Before a surface is disinfected, it is important it is cleaned first because dirt and grime can reduce the ability of disinfectants to kill germs. Disinfectant may not kill the virus if the surface has not been cleaned with a detergent first. The packaging or manufacturer’s instructions will outline the correct way to use disinfectant. Disinfectants require time to be effective at killing viruses. If no time is specified, the disinfectant should be left for a minimum of ten minutes before removing.

Which areas should be cleaned and disinfected, and how often?

Any surfaces that are frequently touched (touchpoints) should be prioritised for cleaning, such as door handles, counters, phones, EFTPOS machines and workplace amenities. Any surfaces that are visibly dirty should be cleaned as soon as they are identified, regardless of when they were last cleaned. If your workplace has large volumes of customers or others entering each day, more frequent cleaning and disinfection is recommended. If your workplace is only attended by the same small work crew each day and involves little interaction with other people, routine disinfection in addition to daily cleaning may not be needed.