EMERGENCY CARE IN THE OFFICE: IS YOUR COMPANY COVERED?

Providing first aid courses and evacuation routes aren’t enough, you need to have plans in place for any emergency. Here are three underappreciated services that we recommend for offices now in the new normal.

The workplace has changed in 2020, and while the number of remote workers has increased drastically, there are still many employees who need to travel into offices around South Africa. As a result, fool-proof safety solutions and hygiene practices are now more critical than ever. But even if you have all your evacuation routes, COVID-19 tactics, and first aid skills sorted, there are other smart services you can use to help keep employees safe and healthy. Here are the three options we recommend you send in a request to your Human Resources Department (or choose to use in your own company):

1. DRIVING COVER

Even though this is technically not in the office, it covers employees while they’re travelling on the road. If your company requires employees to drive into the office regularly, then it’s worth worthwhile providing a company-wide membership to an on-the-road help service such as the AA. Not only will this help employees that have car issues and breakdowns on the way into work, but it’s also about ensuring that they’re safe and cared for, no matter what areas they drive through.

One sad truth of living and working in South Africa is that our road-based accident toll is astronomically high, and your staff need to be covered in the case of an emergency. This becomes even more important when you have employees that need to drive long distances and cover plenty of mileage as part of their job. These services usually have a 24-hour emergency call centre which can help with everything from breakdowns and roadside assist through to emergency medical issues. The corporate solutions are customisable so that you can tailor it to the needs of your company.

12,921:  the number of reported fatalities caused by road-based accidents in 2018.
Source: Road Traffic Management Corporation

2. EMERGENCY SERVICES

In some cases, businesses that offer a group medical plan will have an option for this which covers the office. However, the way we work has changed in that there are now more remote workers. Therefore, a more versatile, adaptable set of emergency services are needed – especially with regards to paramedics. While you could rely on public ambulance services, you will need to take into account that they cover large areas, and are generally understaffed and lack resources. Their reaction times are also slower on average in 2020 due to the added pressure of COVID-19. Here’s where a private ambulance service offers plenty of benefits: they bring paramedics directly to you, offer immediate medical aid, and then monitor your health on the way to the best-suited medical facility. The public ambulance will take you to the nearest state hospital. These private ambulance services can also look after your staff even when it isn’t an emergency – your employee’s health and comfort always come first.

1,971: the number of public service ambulances in South Africa. According to the National Health Department, there should be one ambulance for every 10 000 people, but the current allocation of ambulances barely covers one-third of the population.
Source: Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism

3. COVID-19 CLEANING AND TESTING

While this is technically not considered an emergency service, office cleaning routines are now crucial in avoiding mass infection and the negative results it has on workplace health, productivity and financial output. Due to that, it requires immediate attention. Most offices have cleaning teams who do a sterling job in keeping workplaces clean every week, but now the added dangers provided by COVID-19 means that an extra layer of cleaning needs to take place. This means that your current cleaning routine may need to be ramped up, or that a specialist serviced is used. The bottom line: the common surfaces need to be cleaned thoroughly on a daily basis, and frequently touched areas like light switches, door handles, staircase railings, buttons, and touch screens need special attention. Then, you will also need to put some thought into your office procedures regarding COVID-19, and investigate whether you would like a separate testing service to come to your offices regularly.

70: the percentage of people in an extensive COVID-19 study who tested positive, but who were asymptomatic. This places even more pressure on finding smarter, more effective screening procedures.  
Source: Science Media Centre

In conclusion, there are emergency services that your company probably doesn’t cover, and should. These are the three services we recommend to help protect staff in the office and those working remotely in the new normal.