Cintas Offers Tips for Preventing the Spread of Illness at Work

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CDC recently announced that the flu has reached epidemic levels in the U.S. due to a severe strain and a less effective flu vaccine. Increased cold and flu outbreaks result in more absences, greatly reducing productivity. To help organizations keep employees safe and healthy this flu season, Cintas Corporation offers four illness-fighting tips.

Tips for minimizing the impact of workplace illness include:

1) Clean and disinfect surfaces to remove germs. Infection prevention is key for maintaining health and safety among the workforce. Infections can spread when people touch surfaces contaminated with illness-causing pathogens. Organizations should focus on frequent cleaning and disinfection of high-touch surfaces so that germs are removed. These surfaces include doorknobs, phones, desks, light switches and elevator buttons.

2) Follow hand hygiene rules to prevent the spread of illness. Proper hand hygiene is another important infection prevention method. Employees should be reminded to wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water, or with hand sanitizer, to reduce the transmission of pathogens from one’s hands to his/her mouth or from one person to another.

3) Provide relief through well-maintained first-aid kits and cabinets. Organizations should keep first-aid kits and cabinets stocked with a variety of solutions, including individually-packaged, non-drowsy headache and pain relief, to help alleviate unpleasant aches and pains.

4) Prepare employees for increased outbreaks. Employees must be on board with infection prevention strategies. Businesses should teach workers how to reduce the spread of illnesses through proper etiquette, such as coughing and sneezing into their arms and taking medication at the first sign of illness. Manger can also remind workers where to find the first-aid cabinet and highlight some its key features.

For more information visit www.cintas-corp.com/.