Engineering Workplace
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the engineering workplace environment is unprecedented, and businesses will need to re-shape their physical environment and develop new policies to enable employees to return to work safely.
Several leading fit-out contractors around the world are helping industrial, construction, technology, utilities and manufacturing companies assess and adapt their current engineering workplace to meet new government guidelines to prepare for employees’ return to work. These include the re-configuration of floorplans to create social distancing, the installation of touchless technology and hygiene equipment and communication among a few.
Several design engineering companies encourage businesses to see this as an opportunity to not only make their engineering workplace compliant and safe, but also healthier, and more sustainable for the future.
In light of government easing COVID-19 restrictions, engineering companies can now operate at a maximum capacity of 50% staff, with 100% likely to return to work as per government communications for the public sector. Design engineering experts and contractors says there are some important physical changes all businesses will need to implement to make their engineering workplace healthier and more sustainable for the safety and wellbeing of employees.
The post-coronavirus office will be different from what was ‘normal’ just a few months ago, and for many businesses it may mean they no longer need as much floorspace as some employees continue to work from home.
According to various design engineering companies in Asia and Europe, the essential part of any ‘return to work’ plan for businesses is to rethink their physical workspace and also consider the mental health and well-being of your team during this phase of returning to work. Here are its top considerations:
Floor Plan Reconfiguration
- Social distancing is the reality of our new engineering workplace. Where employees sit and work, and meet will need to be carefully planned to ensure social distancing. This can include re-configuring entire floorplans, moving workstations/desks and furniture to ensure social distancing, and adding desk partitions/screens.
Installing Hygiene & Well-being Equipment
- Installation of hygiene stations equipped with thermometers, protective items such as sanitizer and facemasks and hygiene reminder signs is the first essential step. Business should also consider installing anti-microbial materials/surfaces, and touch-less sensor technology (motion sensor bathroom taps, lights, sanitizer dispensers, and voice activated elevators and office machines) to reduce the number of surfaces touched by employees.
- How we take care of the human needs of going to the restroom, using toilets, and washing our hands in the workplace may need to change as a result, too. Having queues for the bathroom does not promote social distancing in the workplace and overuse of facilities can lead to them becoming more unhygienic, requiring us to clean them more. Instead, we can install more facilities with the help of site toilet hire. This way, there are fewer crowds, and less upkeep of each facility becomes easier since there are more facilities per person.
Improvement of Air Quality
- Global health authorities such as the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend increased air circulation and flow, and to improve air filtration and ventilation. A design engineering contractor can assess and measure air quality and ventilation effectiveness and conduct maintenance where required.
Refurbishments & New Fit-Outs
- For companies looking to reduce floorspace, and re-configure existing workspace as staff continue to work from home, A design engineering contractor can demolish, rebuild and fit out offices to new design specifications.
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