As we move into flu season, it’s important that everyone, whether in the field or in the office, takes steps to keep themselves and their coworkers healthy. Illnesses like the flu, COVID-19, and other respiratory viruses can spread quickly through coughing, sneezing, and touching shared surfaces. When one person gets sick, it can affect the whole team, slow down productivity, and spread through crews and offices alike
Field Crew Precautions
- Stay Home if You’re Sick: If you’re feeling under the weather, don’t try to “push through.” Coming to work sick puts everyone at risk.
- Wash Your Hands Often: Use soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially before eating or after using shared tools and equipment.
- Use Hand Sanitizer: Keep sanitizer available in trucks, job trailers, and work areas.
- Cover Coughs and Sneezes: Use your elbow or a tissue, not your hands.
- Clean Shared Surfaces: Wipe down lunch tables, steering wheels, tools, and doorknobs regularly.
- Don’t Share Food or Drinks: Avoid passing around water bottles, utensils, or snacks.
Office Precautions
Even if you’re not working in the field, office spaces can spread germs just as easily:
- Disinfect Shared Items: Clean phones, keyboards, and breakroom surfaces frequently.
- Wash or Sanitize Hands Often: Especially after touching doorknobs, copier buttons, or shared equipment.
- Keep Your Distance: Avoid close contact if you or someone nearby is coughing or sneezing.
- Don’t Come to Work Sick: Work from home if you’re not feeling well. It’s better to miss a day than spread illness through the office.
- Ventilate the Workspace: Fresh air helps reduce the buildup of germs indoors.
- Avoid Sharing Items: Pens, mugs, and utensils should be for individual use only.
Company Responsibility
Supervisors and leads should:
- Ensure cleaning supplies and hand sanitizer are stocked.
- Encourage open communication, employees shouldn’t feel pressured to come in sick.
- Remind everyone that health and safety extend beyond PPE and jobsite hazards, illness prevention is part of the safety culture too.
Final Reminder
Healthy workers mean safe and productive jobsites and offices. Taking small, simple steps, every day, can help stop the spread of illness and keep everyone working strong through the season.
