NOVEL

CORONAVIRUS
Winstone Audi
Workplace Safety and Health Adviser

Everton Environmental Safety and Health Solutions ltd

 Getting your
workplace ready
for COVID-19
01 Contents
Coronavirus Demographics

02 Contents
How COVID-19 spreads

03 Contents
Preventing the spread of COVID-19
in your workplace

04 Contents
Develop a contingency and business
continuity plan
• In January 2020 the World Health Organization (WHO) declared
the outbreak of a new coronavirus disease in Hubei Province,
China to be a Public Health Emergency of International
Concern.

• WHO stated there is a high risk of the 2019 coronavirus disease

(COVID-19) spreading to other countries around the world.

• WHO and public health authorities around the world are taking
action to contain the COVID-19 outbreak. However, long term
success cannot be taken for granted.

• All sections of our society – including businesses and

employers – must play a role if we are to stop the spread of this
disease.
 What is a coronavirus?
Coronaviruses are a In humans, several
large family of viruses coronaviruses are known
which may cause to cause respiratory
illness in animals or infections ranging from the
humans.  common cold to more
.
severe diseases such as
Middle East Respiratory
Syndrome (MERS) and
Severe Acute Respiratory
Syndrome (SARS).
 What is COVID-19?
COVID-19 is the This new virus and
infectious disease disease were unknown
caused by the most before the outbreak
recently discovered began in Wuhan,
coronavirus China, in December
.
2019.
 Statistics of the disease as at 10.03.2020
Globally
there are
Italy, 9172
113,702
Algeria: 20 cases cases with
confirmed
cases & 4012 Senegal: 4 cases 463 deaths
deaths South Africa: 7 cases
Morocco: 3 cases, 1
death

7161 cases
China – 80924

3140 deaths.

cases within

Iran with
with 237
3024 (96%)
cases with

Cameroon: 2 cases

deaths
Province
Hubei

Nigeria: 2 cases.
Togo with 1 case
Egypt: 59 cases, 1
death
Outside China Republic of
there were
Korea, 7513
32,778 cases in
109 countries USA, 472 cases with 19 cases with 54
and 872 deaths. deaths deaths
Symptoms of Covid-19 Infection
 Severity of COVID-19
80% 17% 2% About 80% of infected persons recover from
the disease without needing special treatment.
About 17% of people who gets COVID-19 becomes
seriously ill and develops difficulty breathing
Older people, and those with underlying medical
problems like high blood pressure, heart problems or
diabetes, are more likely to develop serious illness
About 2% of people with the disease have died
People with fever, cough and difficulty breathing should
seek medical attention.
 How COVID-19 Spreads
When someone who has COVID-19 coughs or exhales they
release droplets of infected fluid.
Most of these droplets fall on nearby surfaces and objects - such
as desks, tables or telephones.

People could catch COVID-19 by touching contaminated surfaces

or objects – and then touching their eyes, nose or mouth.

If they are standing within 1 or 2 meters of a person with COVID-19 they

can catch it by breathing in droplets coughed out or exhaled by them.

In other words, COVID-19 spreads in a similar way to flu

 Simple ways management can prevent the spread of
COVID-19 at Kenya Bankers Sacco
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
Promote regular and thorough
Si
hand-washing by employees,
contractors and customers
Put sanitizing hand rub dispensers in
prominent places around the workplace.
Make sure these dispensers are
regularly refilled
Display posters promoting hand-
washing
Make sure that staff, contractors and
customers have access to places where
they can wash their hands with soap and
water
Promote good respiratory hygiene in the
workplace
Ensure that paper tissues are available at
your workplaces, for those who develop a
runny nose or cough at work, along with
closed bins for hygienically disposing of
them.
 What you can do to protect yourself and prevent the
spread of disease
Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth. Why?
Hands touch many surfaces and can pick up
Stay aware of the latest information on
viruses. Once contaminated, hands can
the COVID-19 outbreak, available on the
transfer the virus to your eyes, nose or mouth
WHO website and through MOH
Make sure you, and the people around
you, follow good respiratory hygiene
Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands This means covering your mouth and
with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash nose with your bent elbow or tissue
them with soap and water. when you cough or sneeze. Then dispose
of the used tissue immediately

Maintain at least 1 metre (3 feet)
distance between yourself and
anyone who is coughing or sneezing.
Stay home if you feel unwell. If you have a
fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek
medical attention and call in advance
Develop a contingency and business continuity
plan for an outbreak
• The plan should cover putting the ill
The Plan
person in a room or area where
they are isolated from others in the
workplace, limiting the number of
people who have contact with the
sick person and contacting the
local health authorities
• Consider how to identify persons
who may be at risk, and support
them, without inviting stigma and
discrimination into your workplace.
• Promote regular teleworking across
your organization. If there is an
outbreak of COVID-19 in your
community the health authorities
may advise people to avoid public
transport and crowded places.
• The plan should address how
to keep your business running
even if a significant number of
employees, contractors and
suppliers cannot come to your
place of business - either due
to local restrictions on travel or
because they are ill.
• Communicate to your
employees and contractors
about the plan and make sure
they are aware of what they
need to do – or not do – under
the plan. Emphasize key
points such as the importance
of staying away from work
even if they have only mild
symptoms
 Sharing of Correct Information

4
3
2 If not sure, call MOH
1 The following measures on 0800721316 Toll
ARE NOT effective free; 0732353535
WHO recommends the against COVID-19 and and 0729471414.
use of masks for people can be harmful: Smoking; There are currently
Kindly verify who have symptoms of taking traditional herbal no confirmed cases
information before COVID-19 and for those remedies; wearing of COVID-19 in
sharing to curb caring for individuals multiple masks and
taking self-medication Kenya.
spread of who have symptoms,
such as antibiotics.
misinformation. such as cough and
fever.
THANK YOU
&

Take Care