RETURNING TO THE WORKPLACE

READINESS Our early planning approach to COVID-19 has ensured we have been able to manage our business, employees and client services in a pro-active and safe manner during this pandemic, providing reassurance across our company and allowing us to maintain excellent standards of reduced service provision, whilst acting in a pro-active manner to ensure continuity in client liaison.

We want to help our clients become fully operational again as quickly and safely as is possible. A clean environment will be crucial to infection control and we need to ensure we have in place appropriate hygiene and cleaning specifications. This means having to work smarter to enable us to deliver expanded requirements using the same number of staff. There will be a far greater need to place focus on cleaning and hygiene rather than aesthetics and appearance. It will be important to get firm and accurate return dates so that our HR and Operational Management teams can communicate with the site-based employees about when they are required to re-attend the workplace. Ideally, we would like at least one working weeks’ notice.

WELFARE

To help employees through what will be a turbulent, stressful and unpredictable return to work, we will be communicating with them all to ensure employees are ready and willing to return to work and that they or anyone in their home currently have no symptoms. If an employee or a member of their household are self-isolating, we will provide a cover cleaner for the 7-14 days necessary. We will endeavor to have weekly reviews with the cleaners to ensure they are feeling safe and risk free in their position. Ensuring our employees understand what the workplace will be like upon return is essential to a successful remobilisation. We anticipate a number of employees may expect nothing to change, but we need to be mindful that others will assume everything will be different. Preparing our employees and reminding them that the changes to their work schedules or daily workplace routines have been designed to ensure they are kept safe and fully protected whilst working.

POLICIES, PROCEDURES & TRAINING

As a result of the COVID-19 outbreak we will be providing employees with Infection control policies together with any extra training needed on this together with sanitisation cleaning. This is made available to all operatives before they return to work and we will discuss with them changes to their daily cleaning routines as set out below. Furthermore, we also have updated our Health & Safety Policy to include specific COVID-19 related measures within the workplace.

ENHANCED CLEANING PROGRAM PREPARING THE WORKPLACE

In preparation for a return to the workplace service, some of the deep cleaning services we can offer for our clients include the following –

• Sparkle Deep Clean

• Touch Point Deep Clean

• Full Sanitisation Clean

Generally, these services acquire an additional cost, however we intend to discuss these on an individual basis with our clients to ensure we provide the required services accordingly. These cleans are carried out under the following processes- Please note these services are dependant upon the availability of the correct trained operatives and appropriate machinery available. Please contact the office for further information. A full programme of works, Health & Safety information & applicable COSHH data will be provided upon confirmation of the required deep clean and the Full Sanitisation Clean will receive certification.

ROUTINE CLEANING

Moving forward to daily routine cleaning, we plan to introduce and maintain advanced cleaning and disinfection standards within our daily regime to minimise the risk of any future breakouts, which include but are not limited to enhanced maintenance cleaning throughout the working day and disinfecting of frequent touch point areas. Our primary focus will be on high density areas such as and where applicable –

• Entrances/Receptions

• Breakout areas

• Collaboration rooms & areas

• Lobby/lift areas

• Washroom areas

• Kitchenettes

Within these main collaboration areas our focus will be on frequently touched surfaces, which act as a hotbed for potential infection spread. Potential high frequency touch points include, but are not limited to such items as door handle/plates, cupboard doors, lift buttons, staircase rails, washroom areas, communal coffee machines and electrical equipment such as fridges, microwaves etc. These services combined with the normal level specification tasks such as vacuuming and wiping all surfaces will provide the fundamental basis of our return to the workplace practices. Where there is a full working day cleaning presence, we recommend high frequency touch points listed above are sanitised with the appropriate cleaning agent on a more frequent basis (i.e. every hour). If you currently do not have a day time cleaner, and would like to discuss the potential of having one please contact our office where we can provide a specification and quote. In addition, and as an example, we will sanitise all kitchen appliances externally but the dishwashers should be filled by the individuals to avoid cross contamination. Once washed, our operative will put them back in the appropriate places or otherwise advised by the clients. Furthermore, and as reassurance to our clients and customers, Sparkle Cleaning Ltd is committed to ensuring our front-line operatives are always equipped with the appropriate PPE requirements to carry out the required cleaning and sanitisation tasks in a safe and secure manner. Where an operative is working during offices hours, we will be providing a high vis that states on the back that people should keep a 2 metre distance, however should there be any social distancing measures in place set by the client, please do let us know so we can inform our team. This increased service approach to an infection control and sanitisation cleaning regime will have an impact on the current service scope provision and the operative schedules the contract currently represents. Therefore, and as mentioned previously, we intend to review the existing cleaning specifications and operative schedules accordingly, which may have an impact upon the current working hours. This review will be in conjunction with all the Facilities/Building Managers, with the plan to adjust and/or enhance as required in order to suit the absolute hygienic and sanitisation requirements of our client’s premises.

WORKPLACE HYGIENE FREQUENT TOUCH POINT AWARENESS

Sparkle Cleaning recommend that appropriate signage be placed in workspaces, communal areas and staff collaboration areas to promote worker safety through emphasising basic infection prevention measures, such as frequently washing hands with soap and water and the use of sanitizer dispensing machines if applicable. In addition, posting hand-washing signs in washroom and kitchenette areas and installing ‘frequent touch point’ reference stickers on high risk area touch points and high traffic areas of the premises will ensure all staff are fully aware of the continued effort to promote good hygiene practices.

GOOD HYGIENE PRACTICE

For day to day practices, encouraging good personal hygiene can be achieved by installing dedicated sanitising stations and PPE disposal stations accordingly. These stations can be placed in multiple locations around the premises and especially placed adjacent to common touchpoint zones and high traffic communal areas such as washrooms, kitchenettes and breakout areas/lobbies. Dispensing units come in a range of sizes and designs, and Sparkle Cleaning can source the majority of these products for you. These can include examples such as no touch hand sanitiser dispensers, wall mounted dispensers, and pedal operated hydro alcoholic gel dispensers and full sanitiser stations. PPE disposal stations will be required if our clients request PPE such as masks are to be worn during working times or during commuting journeys. These waste receptacle stations can be touch-free pedal operated and Sparkle Cleaning can produce specific signage for these bins if required, also ensuring safe disposal of the PPE waste accordingly.

COVID-19 WORKPLACE HYGIENE PROGRAMME

Sparkle Cleaning Co. (London) Ltd We are offering a unique COVID-19 Workplace Hygiene Programme which has been developed for clients to help them manage the short and long term cleaning requirements following the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike traditional cleaning specifications, which focus almost entirely on visual standards of cleanliness, this programme helps identify and control those areas where additional hygiene standards are required. This will help minimise the risk of workplace contamination as buildings gradually become reoccupied so that building users remain safe and healthy. The essence of the programme is to identify all areas of a building where the risk of contamination to building users is high, highlight them and then clean them at a frequency that is appropriate to the area they are in. The highly visual system positively drives the behaviours of building users, cleaning operatives and facilities managers, and is based on the use of ‘High Intensity Touch Point’ indicators. The programme is suitable for all types of sites, can be used in conjunction with an existing cleaning specification and can be adapted over time as building usage changes. Implementing the system is as easy as 1, 2, 3 - Step 1: Categorise every area type within your building (E.g. reception area, washrooms etc.) Step 2: Determine the Touch Point cleaning frequency for every area type Step 3: Apply the Touch Point indicators at appropriate locations The programme can be self-managed or independently audited by Site mark to demonstrate that best practice is being achieved. If this is a programme of interest to you, please contact Sparkle Cleaning office.

SOCIAL DISTANCING PRACTICES SMART WORKING INITIATIVES Social distancing is likely to play a significant role in the workplace for the foreseeable future and Sparkle Cleaning Ltd is committed to creating appropriate space planning solutions in order to allow our operatives and staff to adhere to social distancing measures at their places of work. Social distancing measures are designed to reduce social interaction between people to help reduce the Transmission of COVID-19. A few of these measures include-

• Avoiding contact with someone who is displaying symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19)

• Avoiding large and small gatherings in public spaces

• Maintaining 2 metre distance between people when in public spaces (this is particularly relevant for planning a return to work)

As an overview of our social distancing strategy, we plan to assign cleaning operative to dedicated specific areas to carry out routine cleaning on, working in a clockwise or circular motion around that specific area (if applicable) to reduce the direct footfall of that area. Sparkle Cleaning will also monitor and review the cleaning paths of travel through the premises in order to maximise social distancing requirements and reduce the potential risk of further outbreaks or contamination. All Sparkle Cleaning front line operatives will be trained in social distancing responsibilities and the awareness of keeping a safe distance from clients and building occupiers in their place of work and adhere to any specific social distancing measures and procedures our clients implement accordingly. Plans will differ from contract to contract depending on the situation at that site or premises and with social distancing in the workplace being imperative for a safe return to work,, understanding the solution required will need to be discussed in detail with our client lead.

FURTHER INFORMATION For more information regarding bespoke cleaning services, deep cleaning regimes and supplies to your workplace, please contact our office on info@sparklecleaningltd.com or Tel: 01737 555837