Restaurants can do their part to help limit the transmission of viruses
Flu season is hitting parts of the U.S. hard this year. And with fears of the coronavirus, people are taking extra precautions this season to stay healthy. Your pizzeria can help your staff and customers in that effort. It starts at the top with your policies and procedures. Here are several things to look at to keep your customers and staff safe:
- What policies do you have in place about requiring your workers to tell managers when they are sick?
- Do you have a built-in provision in scheduling to ease the pressure for those who need to call in sick?
- If an employee comes in sick, immediately send them home and sanitize everything.
- Clean. Clean. Clean. Keep the restaurant clean and sanitized. Disinfecting surfaces tasks should be increased more frequently.
- Have hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes readily available to employees and customers.
- Post signs on hand hygiene and cough etiquette.
- Hold a quick staff meeting to reiterate the following measures:
- Hand Hygiene! Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after human contact and contact with shared surfaces.
- Avoid touching your face (eyes, nose and mouth).
- Encourage team to take precautions to keep their immune systems strong.
- Go over signs and symptoms of the flu and your policies regarding call offs and coming to work sick.
- Staff members responsible for busing tables should wear gloves.
- If an obviously sick customer dines with you, be sure their dinnerware is cleaned immediately. Clean and disinfect table, chairs, underside of table and sharable condiments on the table.
Dive deep into the flu and the workplace
We’ve pulled together some additional resources from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to help you prevent the spread of the flu in your workplace.
? OSHA’s “Employer Guidance — Reducing All Workers’ Exposures to Seasonal Flu Virus”
https://www.osha.gov/dts/guidance/flu/nonhealthcare.html
? CDC’s Action Steps to Keep Your Business and Employees Healthy, with helpful advice.
https://www.cdc.gov/H1N1flu/business/toolkit/pdf/actionsteps.pdf
? CDC’s Flu Symptoms & Complications
? CDC’s Food Workers Working When They Are Sick
https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/ehsnet/plain_language/food-workers-working-when-sick.htm
