Tips/Tricks

Safety Month: Safety on the Jobsite

June is National Safety Month, the perfect time for a little refresher on best practices for a safe jobsite. In 2019, the most recent year for which statistics are available, more than 5,000 workers suffered fatal accidents on the job, or nearly 15 per day. Of those, one in five were related to the construction industry. So while jobsites in general have made safety improvements over the years, there’s clearly still a great deal of room for improvement.

Let’s take a look at the top ways to keep work sites safer:

Plan ahead: Jobsite safety begins with a plan for what will happen that day and making sure the appropriate tools, equipment and safety gear are ready to go. Many workplace accidents result from using inappropriate equipment for a particular task, or from the absence of proper safety apparatus.

Train: The right tools and safety equipment are just the start. Workers must be trained on safe operation of any equipment, and on the proper use of safety gear. Safety training is not a one-and-done event either … plan for regular refresher sessions so all team members are always up to date. From the importance of using the appropriate tool for the job at hand to proper techniques for lifting to avoid injury, there’s no shortage of safety training topics.

Communicate: Employees will tend to take safety about as seriously as management does. Company leadership needs to make it clear that jobsite safety is a high priority, and to communicate that message consistently. From regular meetings to jobsite signage, keeping the safety message from and center is vital.

Inspect: “Inspect what you expect,” goes the saying. For jobsite safety this means regular checks of tools and equipment for signs of wear or breakage, as well as ensuring that equipment like scaffolding or fall protection gear is properly set up. And the work site itself should be inspected daily to make sure proper “housekeeping” related to safety is maintained. Regular inspection will identify safety issues before they have tragic results.

Review: The final step in a solid safety plan is a regular review of results. Were there accidents or injuries? How could they have been prevented, and what policy changes need to be put in place to keep them from happening again? This process should involve all levels of management, especially those who are actually on the jobsite.

While we highlight workplace safety in June, jobsite safety is vital every day of the year. Begin with proper planning, and finish with a regular review of results to keep jobsites safer.

Educating in Safer Spaces

The only certainty in education during the pandemic has been uncertainty. Some schools remain closed, others are educating in person and still others have embraced a hybrid model to accommodate students both onsite and at home. Make educating in safer spaces a priority!

For those with students on site, educators and administrators know that the same old ways of doing things won’t work in a pandemic environment. Changes in both procedures and the physical environment, including administrative offices, have been necessary.

For teachers, principals and other administrators readying for a return to the classroom, here’s a look at some components of a safer educational space.

Flexibility: We’ve written many times here about the various benefits of flexible education spaces during normal times, and the ability to adapt has become even more important during COVID-19. Not only does it make sense to have different configurations to support different types of learning, having flexibility makes it easier to accommodate physical distancing.

Sanitizer stations: Clean, sanitized hands are the goal under any circumstances, and never more than now. Touchless sanitizer stations located prominently throughout a school will help achieve that goal.

Desk partitions: We’re seeing a lot of demand now for divider partitions for desks and tables. These are typically transparent to allow eye contact and communication when collaborating on projects, but provide a physical barrier against sneezes and other droplet transmission.

Cubicle walls: For settings that already have cubicles, wall heights are increasing for those same reasons. Many cubicle systems can be retrofitted with higher walls for greater safety in multi-person spaces.

Countertop sneeze guards: From reception to teachers’ desks to cafeteria settings, sneeze guards are also in high demand. Like desk partitions, they’re transparent and offer a physical barrier to reduce the risk of transmission.

With proper planning and design modifications, classrooms can be a safer space for students and educators alike.

Questions about furniture or design for education? Contact Douron.

WFH and You: Keeping Your Mental Well-Being

For more than a month most of us have been doing the work from home (WFH) routine, and we’re feeling the effects for sure. Isolation, uncertainty about the future, cabin fever … the combination is stressing out even the best of us.

We miss our co-workers (most of them, anyway). It’s great that we have Zoom meetings, but they’re just not the same. And if you’re at home with family members, you’ve probably found that it’s possible to simultaneously feel loneliness and a need for privacy.

While not having a commute is fine, that means literally no boundaries between home and office. It’s hard to concentrate on work with all the at-home distractions, but also hard to step away as the hours and days run together.

The first thing to understand is that while you may be physically alone, you’re not alone in experiencing whatever your state of mind is right now. We’re all adjusting in our own way, and some are handling things better than others, but we’re all struggling to some degree.

What to do about it? A few suggestions:

Boundaries: Have a schedule for work … and a schedule for play. When you set a finish line you protect yourself from the never-ending WFH workday. And physical boundaries are important too: give yourself a private work area if you can.

Analog time: Screen breaks should be a part of your day in any situation, but they’ve never been more important. Chances are pretty good that you’re staring at a computer screen all day, Netflix all night and your phone in between. Your brain and your eyes need relief. Try an old-fashioned book or a jigsaw puzzle instead, and put that time on your schedule too.

Move it: Exercise helps with stress and anxiety, of course, and it’s never been more important. Get a daily walk in, and if you can do that surrounded by nature instead of traffic, even better. If the weather’s not cooperating, make an exception to the screen-time rule and find workout videos you like online, but do something every day.

Connect: You may have Zoom fatigue in your business life, but it is a good tool to connect with friends and family. No, it’s not as much fun as being together, but it beats not connecting at all.

Unprecedented times call for a change in habits. These will help.

Questions about your work environment? Contact Douron.

Cleaners and Disinfectants recommended by the CDC

The most reliable way to prevent infection from surfaces is to regularly wash hands with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces can also reduce the risk of infection. Cleaners and disinfectants recommended by the CDC to combat COVID-19 when cleaning guidelines are followed as directed:

Detergent or Soap and Water (prior to disinfection)
1:5 Bleach/Water Solution
Alcohol-Based Cleaners (at least 70% alcohol)
Quaternary-Based Disinfectants
Hydrogen-Peroxide Based Cleaners

When practicing healthy cleaning habits, make sure to clean high-touch surfaces regularly. Cleaning with cleaners that contains soap or detergent reduces the amount of germs on surfaces and decreases the risk of disease. Take steps to limit contamination of surfaces from airborne particles or from touching surfaces with contaminated hands.

NOTE: As always, when using any cleaners and disinfectants, it is important to follow the manufacturer’s instructions, not saturate the surface of the fabric or vinyl, and remove all residue with a clean, damp cloth so the surface of the fabric or vinyl will not be damaged. It is also important to ensure adequate ventilation for the safety and well being of yourself.

For additional information on COVID-19, please visit CDC.gov.

The safety and well-being of our customers are very important to us. We urge all to take precautions to remain healthy and inhibit the spread of the virus.

The Flexible Classroom

If you have school-aged children, chances are that you’ve suddenly found yourself in the home-schooling business … in addition to trying to get your own work done at home. We’ve written quite a bit in this space about successful classroom environments. Does any of that translate to the home, and how can it help?

Probably the most important thing to know about trends in learning environments is the move away from the traditional teacher-up-front, everyone-facing-forward classroom and towards flexible spaces to support different types of activities and different types of learning.

This definitely applies at home. If your child or children need to participate in online classes, a quiet, private area as free from distractions as possible is best. The fewer things going on around them to take their eyes and ears off the screen, the better. They’ll be more engaged in what’s being presented and better prepared to participate. Consider having them use earbuds, which will help block outside noises and also keep the session from distracting others.

For these sessions, you don’t want them flopped on the couch somewhere. Sitting up straight at a desk or table will be more conducive to maintaining the focus they need.

Group activities with siblings, on the other hand, will want larger, flexible spaces to the greatest degree possible. A large table suitable for educational games or jigsaw puzzles is great if one is available, and if it’s in a room that can be closed off so the inevitable noise doesn’t disturb your home-working, so much the better. And there are plenty of educational shows and activities that can be served up via your smart TV while the kids are comfy on the couch.

(As noted in this post, the colors used in a learning environment can make a big difference too, but we’re going to guess that you’re not up for redecorating right at this moment.)

No one knows your child and the way he or she learns better than you do, but if you have the ability to provide multiple spaces for different types of learning, you’ll find that it breaks up the day into manageable chunks and helps with attention spans.

Maybe you can even get some of your own work done.

Question about learning environments? Contact us at Douron.

Social Distancing and Self Quarantine

Social Distancing and Self Quarantine? Here’s What to Do:

Telecommuting, or working from home, has been on the rise for several years now as improved technology has made it easier to connect and collaborate. All of a sudden, however, many more workers have been asked to stay home in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, and with very little time to prepare.

If you’re new to telecommuting, here are some tips to get you off on the right foot.

Find your space. While you don’t need an office in the literal sense of the term, an area that’s private and free of distractions – and still within range of your Wi-Fi router – is best. If there’s a door you can close to shut out distractions, better still. Pay attention to what you’ll be sitting on and using as a desk, also. Office furniture is designed to be used all day, but your dining room chair and your back may not get along all that well.

Dress for success. Theoretically, you could work all day in your pajamas if you don’t have any videoconferencing responsibilities. But studies show we do better work when we’re dressed for the work we do. Prepare yourself as though you’re going to the office.

Discipline is key. There are more distractions at home, especially if the kids are around, as they are for many of us. It takes some discipline to stay on task when Netflix is calling you to the couch, or when it’s a nice day outside. Try to observe the same work routine as you would if you weren’t at home.

Take breaks. Having discipline doesn’t mean chaining yourself to the desk for eight hours. Set alarms to remind you to get up and move around for at least a few minutes every hour. This is especially important at home, where your work setup may not be as ergonomically friendly as the office.

Be a video star. If you are videoconferencing, see the previous tip about how to dress (at least from the waist up). The best spot for this may not be the space where you’re doing most of your work. You want a well-lit area (lit from the front, not from a window behind you … you’ll disappear into the shadows), and a neutral background so as not to distract other participants. Test out your webcam and speakers well before the call, especially the webcam, so you get a good look at how others will see you and can make adjustments if necessary. And again, if you can be away from kids, dogs and outside noises, your meeting will go more smoothly. Know where the ‘mute’ button is on the software and use it as needed if things get noisy on your end.

Finally, relax. We’ve just undergone a seismic change in the numbers of people working from home, and everyone understands that many of us are new at it. People won’t judge you too harshly if a dog barks or if your child goes running through the background on your video call.

Questions about getting set up at home? Contact Douron.