Manufacturing in the Age of COVID-19 – Cleanliness

Manufacturing in the Age of COVID-19 cleanliness

 

 

Cleaning and disinfecting have only increased in importance for manufacturing facilities in the wake of COVID-19. Maintaining pristine working conditions protects both workers and customers from possible contamination. To fully integrate the new requirements for keeping facility environments clean, companies need to invest in equipment, supplies and training.

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These investments and the loss of business may make a significant financial impact on companies. In fact, a recent survey showed 78.3% of manufacturers anticipate a major impact on their finances from COVID-19. Additionally, 53.1% think they will have a change in operations. Changes in operations and incoming cash flow may stem from changes in supply and demand, including supplies for necessary cleaning equipment and materials in some instances.

Supply chain disruptions have already posed a genuine problem for several industries. At the end of April 2020, 65% of businesses in a survey of 900 organizations reported disruptions in their supply chains. Finding new sources of supplies to meet the higher standards for cleaning and product production is now paramount to maintaining operations.

Unfortunately, the problems with incoming cash flow and business uncertainty have led to 40% of companies furloughing or firing workers since March 1, 2020. Having fewer workers places more responsibility on those who remain. A smaller workforce also increases the need to keep the employees left as healthy as possible. Deep cleaning and keeping work conditions sanitary may protect worker health, thus preventing lost productivity from workers who fall ill.

Despite these supply chain and personnel concerns, operations must continue for many companies, especially those that fall under the category of “essential businesses.” Those in the food and healthcare industries, such as food manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies, especially need to maintain production as members of these essential sectors. To keep operations running, essential businesses have needed to adapt production methods and employee practices to keep workers safe and healthy.

Now, many states have allowed all businesses to reopen or have plans to do so soon. Companies that were running with skeleton crews or completely closed must now restart their work and start to use the required higher levels of cleanliness and worker protection against the viral spread.

The manufacturing sector has changed its focus and production methods, and companies have amended their standard operations to ensure they protect the health and safety of their workers. Additionally, many have reevaluated their suppliers to ensure the cleanliness of products and consistency of deliveries. All these concerns start with companies supporting a healthy working environment for their workers and clean products for their customers.

About COVID-19 and Special Risks to Manufacturing Workers

COVID-19 is a respiratory virus that spreads in multiple ways, but transmission between people through respiratory droplets presents the most concerning threat. The chances of getting COVID-19 increase with certain environmental conditions and personal behaviors. Those in the manufacturing sector have risks of contracting this disease that workers in other industries do not have. Infection control within a facility starts with understanding these risks and mitigating them where possible. The following are risks unique to the manufacturing sector.

Maintaining 6 feet of distance between warehouse employees

1. Worker Proximity

The distance between workers should fall under regulation at all workplaces. Ideally, workers should always maintain at least 6 feet of distance from each other. In many instances, this does not always happen. For example, workers may have stations closer than this or may stand elbow-to-elbow in crowded break rooms, cafeterias or changing areas. Keeping the ideal distance can help reduce this risk factor for manufacturing workers.

Space out workstations so that there are 6 feet on either side of each worker. If the distance across a workstation measures less than 6 feet, installing a barrier or partition to stop the spread of respiratory droplets can help. If a facility cannot install these partitions, removing workers from stations facing others can serve as an alternative method to meet the minimum distance between people.

Because many work areas in manufacturing facilities can get hot, workers often use fans to circulate air and cool off. The air blown by the fans could spread respiratory droplets⁠ — which might contain the virus — farther than in still air. To avoid spreading the virus in this way, do not allow fans to blow across multiple people where they could carry air droplets from one worker to another.

Crowded work environments or any workplace where large numbers of employees have frequent, close contact with others pose a medium-level risk of contracting COVID-19. By separating workers and reducing their contact with others, you can reduce their risk to a low-risk level.

Regardless of the distance between workers, you can encourage them to wear cloth face masks. Note that these masks do not provide the same protection as personal protective equipment (PPE) required in some industries. In facilities that do not require workers to wear PPE masks for safety, workers can use cloth masks to help prevent viral spread in instances when they must get closer than 6 feet to others.

Workers have less exposure to larger numbers of different employees

2. Time of Exposure

Standing within 6 feet of another individual is only one risk factor. Another contributor in spreading COVID-19 is the contact time between individuals. Longer contact times in close quarters raise the risk of the virus moving between people. Those who work in tightly packed, highly populated facilities for extended times have a higher chance of spread the virus compared to those who briefly encounter others. Poultry and meat processing facilities where workers stand close together have become a source of rapidly spreading COVID-19 infections in the United States.

In the manufacturing industry, workers typically have shifts of eight to 12 hours. If a person in a factory has COVID-19, the chances of others contracting the virus increase with each hour of the shift they spend with the carrier.

Staggering shifts to reduce extended exposure between groups of workers could help mitigate this issue. Schedule workers in the same groups – or cohorts – throughout the week. By working with the same team of people regularly, workers have less exposure to larger numbers of different employees. Reducing the number of people employees work beside can also lessen their chances of contracting COVID-19 from someone while on the job.

Another way to help mitigate the risk of spending hours with others is to train workers on frequent handwashing and hygiene practices. For example, inform workers of how to safely put on and remove cloth masks and how to sneeze or cough into a sleeve facing away from others if they do not have a face covering.

Disinfect frequently touched surfaces throughout the day at least once a shit

3. Shared Spaces and Sources of Contamination

Shared spaces such as break rooms, locker rooms, bathrooms, data centers and workstations pose a risk of contamination through surface contact. To keep germs from spreading, disinfect frequently touched surfaces throughout the day. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend cleaning these surfaces at least once a shift.

Materials that multiple people use should also undergo frequent cleaning every day, including:

  • Tools
  • Partitions
  • Keyboards
  • Microwaves
  • Pallets
  • Material handling equipment
  • Doorknobs

Keeping facilities clean in this manner can help with infection prevention of other pathogens that could sicken workers. Scientists still remain uncertain as to whether the virus that causes COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, can spread from contact with contaminated surfaces. Erring on the side of caution, decontaminating shared surfaces remains up to employers according to guidelines from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

When cleaning shared surfaces, workers may need PPE to protect themselves from strong disinfectant products. Always encourage those cleaning to follow the manufacturers’ instructions for all disinfecting substances to avoid health hazards.

The Importance of Clean Manufacturing Companies

Whether manufacturers fall under the category of essential or not, when they open and continue operations they must maintain strict environmental cleaning and disinfection and worker guidelines to reduce spreading the virus.

Maintaining regular cleaning and preventing viral spread can help facilities to stay open. For example, at the end of April 2020, meat processing facilities responsible for 25% of United States pork production closed due to the spreading of COVID-19 among workers. As of the end of April, 5,000 meat processing facility workers had positive COVID-19 tests. Avoiding this situation at other facilities requires companies to follow recommendations strictly to prevent spreading the virus .

The food industry is not the only sector that requires extra protection measures for its workers. Essential manufacturers, such as those that make hand sanitizer and hand soap in the beauty and health industry, have also experienced problems with COVID-19 spreading through facilities and workers feeling unsafe due to a lack of protective measures.

The cleanliness of a facility makes workers feel protected while keeping them physically safe. Some facilities that have received complaints or had workers with COVID-19 have closed to conduct a deep cleaning of their plants. This type of shutdown affects productivity. Avoid these types of costly closures by offering workers PPE to protect them from the viral spread, hand washing stations to keep themselves clean and cleaning products to sanitize their work areas.

Problems with manufacturing plants that result in closures in the food and health industries impact the entire supply chain. At the end of April 2020, John Tyson, chairman of major meat supplier Tyson Foods, paid for a full-page ad to address his concerns that COVID-19 plant closures could lead to a break in the food supply chain. Maintaining levels of production to meet demand can protect the supply chain.

Forced closures of manufacturing facilities have not been the only impact on productivity. Challenges with keeping up production with reduced work-forces also pose concerns for plant operators.

Absenteeism at plants shrinks the numbers of available workers, but in some cases, these absent workers cannot return to work immediately or safely. Some workers need to self-quarantine after exposure to someone with COVID-19, or they may need to take fewer hours to care for children who are at home from school closures.

Workers who fall sick should also remain away from work. While managers cannot prevent people from needing to stay home to care for children, they can alter plant operations to reduce the chances of workers getting sick and needing to take time off. Infection prevention can reduce rates of COVID-19, colds and the flu.

Though it requires extra effort, maintaining a clean, healthy workplace can reduce absenteeism by making workers feel safer while helping to keep the facility open.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Manufacturing Companies and Cleanliness

As noted, COVID-19 has caused many plants to close due to a lack of cleanliness and employees spreading the virus to one another. Cleanliness can prevent these closures while protecting worker health. To help businesses keep their facilities at peak operation, sanitation standards have increased for all companies beyond the basics already required by OSHA.

OSHA sets standards to ensure workers’ rights to a safe, healthy work environment. Employers must protect their workers from on-the-job hazards such as illnesses and injuries. These requirements include offering PPE and respiratory protection. These measures overlap with the requirements for maintaining a safe, healthy environment in light of COVID-19. Managers must assess the risk their workers have of infection and do everything possible to protect them.

Should management fail to offer enough resources to workers, the employees can turn to OSHA to protest. In fact, OSHA protects workers who voice concerns about unsafe work environments. To prevent complaints, plant managers must keep their working environments safe. The best way to do this is to follow the CDC guidelines for manufacturing facilities for COVID-19 cleaning and plant operations:

CDC recommends closing off working areas for 24 hours before starting cleaning processes

1. Clean and Disinfect Facilities

In the past, manufacturing companies rarely had to contend with procedures for deep cleaning when a worker fell ill. Today, if an employee tests positive for COVID-19, the CDC recommends closing off their working area for at least 24 hours before starting cleaning processes for the area and the rest of the building.

Ideally, cleaners should disinfect the area and everything the sick worker touched. Only after this thorough cleaning should other workers who did not have close contact with the sick employee return to the area. An alternative would be closing off the area for seven days and following routine cleaning of the space.

Kill germs with appropriate chemicals

2. Kill Germs With Appropriate Cleaning Products

Some cleaning products that are touted to save time may not offer effective sanitation of surfaces. The CDC does not recommend UV lights or sanitizing tunnels for disinfecting surfaces of COVID-19. Facilities should only use a select group of products listed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as effective at killing the SARS-CoV-2 virus from surfaces.

Though the listing includes other germs that the products kill, all products will rid a surface of the virus that causes COVID-19. Always follow manufacturers’ instructions and guidelines from the EPA for surface contact to ensure proper disinfection of the surface.

How to educate workers about covid-19

3. Educate Workers

Not everyone knows the symptoms of COVID-19 or how to prevent transmitting it. Employers should educate their workers so they can recognize symptoms in themselves and others and know how to prevent getting sick. Training employees should include lessons on safe handwashing and hand sanitizing techniques. Workers should also know to stay at least 6 feet away from others while on the job.

Screening workers for fevers as they enter the job site may help to identify ill workers who need to go home and isolate themselves. While the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) permits temperature checks, employers must separate all workers when testing them. Only the employee and temperature taker can know the results. Workers who must leave for having a fever of 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher should leave so other workers cannot see them. To take temperatures quickly and noninvasively, you can use an infrared scanning thermometer that does not touch the skin and does not need sanitation between checks.

While having a fever should prompt an employee to go home, elevated body temperature is one of the many symptoms of COVID-19. All workers need to learn the symptoms that should prompt them to stay at home, regardless of temperature. These symptoms include:

  • Fever
  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath
  • Chills
  • Sore throat
  • Muscle pain
  • Headaches

Any worker experiencing trouble breathing or chest pain, especially with a cough and shortness of breath, needs urgent medical attention.

Focus on safety and cleanliness in the workplace

4. Focus on Safety and Cleanliness of Supplies Over Costs

Shrinking workforces, even in essential manufacturing facilities, requires employers to reconsider purchasing decisions. Instead of buying products to save money or to replace workers, many companies now make labor-saving purchases to reduce the effort on overworked employees. Such measures can prevent tired workers from requiring time off or getting injured on the job.

Additionally, employers need to consider their cleaning supplies and equipment purchases. For some facilities, switching to pallets that workers can sanitize may be a wise purchase. Sturdier, longer-lasting pallets may require a higher investment initially, but the extra-long life from these units can offset their upfront cost while allowing for the repeated industrial cleanings required to maintain healthy facilities.

Don't rely on health screenings

5. Don’t Rely on Health Screenings

Some employers rely on temperature screenings to prevent workers with fevers from entering their facilities. But this process does not catch all potential carriers of the virus. A recent COVID-19 update from Harvard Medical School indicates those who get the virus may not feel symptoms for three to 14 days. Up to three days before showing symptoms, people with SARS-CoV-2 can spread it to others. New studies indicate that 48 hours before getting sick, an infected person may be most contagious.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 80% of COVID-19 cases only cause mild symptoms or are asymptomatic. Fever screenings at workplace entrances may not find these less severe cases, but the infected individuals may still spread the virus to others.

Because not everyone who has the SARS-CoV-2 virus has symptoms while contagious, manufacturing plants cannot rely only on health screenings to keep their workers safe. Plant managers must use strict cleaning methods and environmental controls to prevent the spread of the disease among workers.

Benefits of Company Cleanliness

Keeping a manufacturing facility running today goes beyond the regular maintenance of equipment. Now, plants must have additional health and safety features in place to keep workers protected. Company cleanliness offers multiple benefits that can prevent productivity loss, including the following:

How to prepare for OSHA audits

1. Meeting Government Updates on Sanitation and Health

OSHA’s standards for worker health and safety remain intact, even with the extra precautions required for COVID-19 prevention. These include providing a workplace free of hazards that could cause physical harm or death. Because illness falls under these workplace dangers, OSHA requires employers to record cases of workplace-borne COVID-19 as they would an injury. No company wants an on-the-job injury, and the same holds true for wanting to prevent filing records with OSHA for workers sick from COVID-19.

Keeping a clean facility prevents the extra paperwork required for OSHA while maintaining a safer plant that meets the latest government requirements for cleanliness.

how to improve employee safety post covid-19

2. Improving Employee Safety

OSHA equates the working environment with worker safety. To maintain worker safety throughout this difficult time and beyond, manufacturers need to adopt the strict cleaning procedures and personal changes recommended by the CDC. A cleaner facility can reduce worker absenteeism from illness while protecting the health of everyone at the plant.

Preventing sick employees from going to work can also prevent infection spread. Temperature checks, self-reporting and employee training can all help to ensure workers with COVID-19 symptoms or exposure to the virus stay at home to keep the rest of the workforce safe.

3. Reducing Worker Stress

Concerns about contracting COVID-19 pose a real threat to workers’ mental health. During pandemics, employees may experience rising stress levels in their lives. Exposure to the virus while at work ranks among these stressors. Employers who can maintain a healthier environment for workers can reduce this fear.

Workers naturally feel concerned about the safety of their work environment. Providing a safer, cleaner facility for workers can reduce their stress levels, thus helping both their physical and mental health.

In addition, the extra training offered within a comprehensive infection control plan can reduce feelings of powerlessness. Workers who feel that their actions — such as disinfecting work surfaces — can prevent the spread of COVID may feel in control of some aspects of their lives. Identifying what individuals can and cannot control is an important part of reducing the negative effects of stress and building resiliency.

How to Help Your Business Recover From COVID-19

Companies that were able to maintain operations through the statewide shutdowns can continue their safety and cleaning requirements to help keep workers healthier. Businesses that experienced shutdowns, as many auto manufacturers did, may need to reassess their operations to find out how to get their facilities up and running.

Even as the country opens up, the new standard of cleanliness for all businesses remains. For businesses that are preparing to reopen, creating a plan before bringing workers back is crucial. While the federal government strongly suggests that companies encourage face mask use and temperature checks, neither is a requirement. Planning how to protect workers through training and policy changes can make the transition easier.

Prior to bringing workers back, facilities should train environmental staff and provide them with proper cleaning equipment and EPA-approved products. Cleaning and disinfecting the facility and maintaining a regular schedule of upkeep can help workers stay healthy.

Plant managers should examine the production processes in their facilities to evaluate the possibility of social distancing, installing barriers or reducing the number of shared workspaces. For social areas, such as cafeterias, removing chairs that encourage close congregating can keep workers from breaking social distancing recommendations.

In the work areas, employees should have access to hand sanitizer, cloth face masks and gloves. Increasing airflow and adding filters to ventilation systems can lower airborne disease spread. Where possible, removing doors can also increase airflow while eliminating frequently touched surfaces. Keep disposable cleaning wipes near regularly used surfaces so workers can clean them after use.

Facility managers in the recovery process from COVID-19 have changed focus. At Cherry’s Industrial Equipment, we have seen an increased concern with the pallets on which facilities bring their supplies in. Some businesses have chosen to buy and send new pallets to their suppliers to ensure cleanliness throughout the supply chain. While others choose to receive supplies only from places that can assure cleanliness of products.

Pallet washers allow facilities to reuse their pallets while keeping clean. By cleaning off pallets after use, any germs that were picked up get washed away, protecting workers who will contact the surfaces during future uses.

In addition to implementing practical cleaning standards, companies must decide how they will best educate their employees with regard to wearing masks and standing at least 6 feet from other workers. With many supervisors working from home while businesses navigate changes to scheduling, reporting and operations, training workers and lower level managers becomes even more critical to keeping the workplace safe.

Antimicrobial Materials to prevent contamination

Equipment and Features to Enhance Workplace Sanitation

Materials and tools that make cleaning easier are crucial as industrial manufacturing plants increase the frequency of cleaning procedures. Sanitary equipment is often easier to wash since it features a smoother surface. A piece of equipment with antimicrobial properties can prevent contamination from bacteria and mold spores. New machines can cut down on cleaning time, which can be a vital boost to productivity considering that extra cleaning time can impact day-to-day operations.

The following are specific features and equipment that support enhanced sanitation:

  • Plastic pallets: Using the right pallets in your equipment can make the manufacturing floor more sanitary and aid cleaning processes. Once, wooden pallets were the industry standard. However, wooden pallets often became warped and rotted. They also made cleaning and disinfecting much more complicated since microbes and viruses can get wedged into the pallet’s grain and crevices. Plastic pallets are washable and have a smooth, easy-to-clean surface. The industry has increasingly turned to plastic pallets, especially during the COVID-19 crisis, because they can stop product contamination and be cleaned faster. Hygienic plastic pallets are stackable, rackable or nestable and come in a variety of shapes to fit manufacturing processes.
  • Stainless steel lift tables: Stainless steel equipment is also more hygienic since the material is antimicrobial and scratch-resistant. The food processing industry requires sanitary stainless steel lift tables because they can meet food safety standards. They also have a few other features that improve their hygienic properties. A continuous weld reduces the gaps at corners, so contaminants won’t get left behind during cleaning. A passivated finish reduces the surface’s chemical reactivity, so it can stay smooth and rust-free in a variety of applications. Rust can create the perfect hiding place for germs and impede cleaning, so sanitary equipment must stay rust-resistant.
  • Washing equipment: Even the best antimicrobial materials need frequent cleaning and disinfection. Sanitary manufacturing procedures protect your final products while also reducing the chances of infection for industrial workers. You can speed up the process with pressure washers and industrial washing equipment. Pressure washers can clean a facility from floors to walls to machinery. Pallet washers can handle pallets, containers, spacers and totes. Keeping equipment dry can help prevent bacteria spread, and pallet dryers speed up the process so your pallets can be used again sooner. With industrial washing equipment, you can cut down on washing and drying time and put less strain on the staff charged with cleaning and disinfection duties.

Industrial Washing equipment

We Can Make Cleanliness Possible for Your Company

The control and prevention of pathogens and their spread remain essential aspects of all manufacturing businesses — in times of crisis and in times of calm. When it comes to maintaining cleanliness in a facility, having equipment that performs the required tasks and can withstand harsh sanitation procedures is crucial.

During this time, Cherry’s has changed its method of sourcing components. We only get products and materials from suppliers whose policy is to deliver clean, sanitized, and packaged items. If we cannot get that mindset from a provider, we change our sources. This exacting supply process helps ensure our customers receive products that match our high standards for cleanliness.

At Cherry’s Industrial Equipment, we offer a range of products that help our customers meet their higher demands for clean manufacturing. Our options also help customers maximize their efficiency while upholding their cleanliness goals. Washers, pallets and other products improve the ability to keep materials clean and uncontaminated.

Providing quality equipment for cleanliness is one way we can help businesses. We can also adapt our services to the needs of our customers looking to make operational changes in light of tightening cleanliness rules. Some examples of our successes include a pharmaceutical company and a meat company. Both the pharmaceutical and food manufacturing industries already have rigorous standards for keeping their facilities clean, but with COVID-19, the needs have increased.

Pharmaceutical company uses pallets to eliminate contamination

1. Pharmaceutical Company

Cherry’s Industrial Equipment helps businesses across multiple industries get the material handling equipment they need for successful, streamlined operations. One pharmaceutical company needed to increase their standard of cleanliness inside and outside their facility. Rather than just focusing on their internal operations to change their cleaning procedures, they sought a solution that involved their entire supply chain.

To ensure that the facility got new pallets with every shipment of goods from their suppliers, they made a special request to us at Cherry’s in their pallet order. When they placed their blanket order for plastic pallets, they asked that the pallets go directly to their suppliers. The caveat was the suppliers had to use the pallets to send supplies to the pharmaceutical company.

We happily fulfilled the pharmaceutical manufacturer’s request. The result of customizing their supply chain was an increase in cleanliness and consistency throughout. By having their supplies shipped on the new pallets, the manufacturers did not have to worry about possible contamination from the suppliers’ pallets. Additionally, every order came on a known pallet size to ensure consistency with deliveries. The company also followed the same procedure to send purchased pallets to their packaging material and ingredient suppliers.

Other companies looking to take more control over their cleanliness can use this example as a model. The cleanliness of the manufacturing process starts with ensuring the integrity of everything entering the facility. While purchasing pallets and sending them directly to suppliers for shipments may seem like an unusual measure, this step greatly eliminates the likelihood of cross-contamination.

Meat Company safely transports food

2. Meat Company

The food industry needs to protect its workers and the food it produces. Without consistent control of the environment and material handling equipment, food producers may not meet the strict requirements set forth by the government.

Equipment in food processing facilities may undergo extreme conditions not found in other places. For example, pallets will need regular cleaning at high temperatures to kill any contaminating bacteria. The constant moving, cleaning, and stacking of plastic pallets posed a problem for one meat company. While they appreciated the plastic pallets, the harsh conditions caused the pallets to bend, chip and flake.

The meat company consulted with Cherry’s to determine the best solution, which quickly appeared in the form of aluminum pallets. Aluminum is a lightweight and robust metal that offers many benefits similar to plastic. Workers could rack the aluminum pallets on edge and wash them regularly. Additionally, every order came on a known pallet sized precisely and consistent in tier weight to ensure that there was consistency throughout the entire operation.

To test out the pallets before investing in a large order, the food producer ordered a few samples. These samples underwent a trial in the meat company’s facility with the same use as plastic pallets. After the success of the trial with a handful of samples, the company chose to follow their ultimate goal of replacing all their plastic pallets with aluminum ones.

Contact Cherry's for your personalized safety and cleanliness solutions

Maintain a High Level of Cleanliness With Our Help

COVID-19 may not be the last crisis of its kind that manufacturers must deal with. Establishing in-house guidelines for reducing infections should become part of a long-term emergency plan for similar situations. Required cleanliness policies may not decrease after the threat of COVID-19 ends. Investments in cleaner facilities will produce lasting results, and integrating these new standards of cleanliness during this uncertain time does not have to feel daunting.

At Cherry’s Industrial Equipment, we have the products to help manufacturers organize, store, move and clean pallets. Plus, we have solutions that adhere to the specifications of a variety of industries, including the food and pharmaceutical fields that require extra clean conditions in storage and manufacturing areas. To learn more about our products and how we can help your company adapt, contact us at Cherry’s or call 800-350-0011 today.