Ensuring post lockdown safety at workplaces: Checklist for organizations in 1 Workplace, 2. Workforce & 3. Awareness areas
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has recommended checklist to ensure safety and security of colleagues in the office as they return after the end of the lockdown. The name of this checklist is the Building Fitness Indicator (BFI). The tool provides guidance based on the standard practices followed across the globe (like WHO, OSHA) and the country (MoHFW) to prevant the workplace exposure to COVID-19.
BFI has been developed as the initiative by the GRIHA Council and TERI to contribute towards the welfare of the people to tackle the novel corona crisis, and has consciously been formulated as a tool and not a rating/certification. The Guidance provided is advisory in nature and informational in content with a set of simple yet effective measures to combat the crisis that prevails at the moment. The ultimate aim is to ensure health and well-being of the occupants while enhancing productivity of the organizations and economy of the nation.
The tool is available at: https://bfi.grihaindia.org
Ensuring post lockdown safety at workplaces
The TERI has requested to MoEF to share this tool with as many people and organizations as possible, espacially with various central and state government organization. Click here to view TERI request & MoEF recommendation
Checklist For Organizations
The BFI tool comprises of guidelines issued by various national and international bodies which will help you gauge your preparedness for fighting COVID-19 as an organization. These guidelines have been summarized in form of questions for easy understanding, which are given below. For detailed analysis, custom recommendations, and reference links for all the guidelines, register yourself and begin your evaluation now.
This self assessment tool is broadly divided in 3 groups: Workplace, Workforce and Awareness. Each group is further sub-divided into Policy, Social Distancing and Hygiene.
1. Workplace
– Policy
| S No | Questions |
| 1 | Is the organization implementing the policy/guidelines provided by the Local Authorities or Government for the post-lockdown phase? |
| 2 | Does the organization have a policy for screening of employees/workforce/visitors at the entrance? |
| 3 | Does the building/organization have a policy for social distancing at spaces like work stations, reception, dining area, etc? |
| 4 | Does the building/organization have a waste management policy for handling wastes like used tissue and Personal Protective Equipments (PPEs)? |
| 5 | Has the organization derived a policy for the post-pandemic scenario with respect to aspects related to spread of the infection (social distancing, personal & workplace hygiene)? |
– Social Distancing
| S No | Questions |
| 1 | Are the work stations rearranged to ensure social distancing? |
| 2 | Is the reception area guarded/altered to ensure social distancing (minimum 1 meter)? |
| 3 | Is the dining space rearranged to ensure that people are seated at least 1 meter from each other? |
| 4 | Does the organization have an isolation room/area for employee(s) exhibiting symptoms of cough/cold/fever? |
| 5 | Are there floor patterns marked (where queuing is anticipated) to ensure social distancing? |
| 6 | Have appropriate number of water dispensers (at least 1 on each floor) been provided to the occupants? Alternatively, has the organization made arrangement for water to be served at desks? |
– Hygiene A- Practices conducive to maintaining health and preventing disease, especially through cleanliness
| S No | Questions |
| 1 | Is there a cleaning and sanitization schedule in place for indoor areas, toilets and frequently touched spaces? |
| 2 | Are the indoor spaces being cleaned and sanitized more than 2 times a day? |
| 3 | Are toilets being cleaned and sanitized more than 2 times a day? |
| 4 | Are frequently touched surfaces like door handles, printer buttons, etc being cleaned and sanitized more than 2 times a day? |
| 5 | Are alcohol based hand sanitizers provided at all common areas? |
| 6 | Are PPE disposed or cleaned as per guidelines? |
| 7 | Is there provision for covered multi-coloured dust bins for waste segregation? |
| 8 | Are the dust bins provided with disposable bags inside? |
| 9 | Are the dust bins placed at all common areas? |
| 10 | Is there an isolated enclosed space for the collection of segregated wastes from the building(s)? |
| 11 | Is the waste disposed from site on a daily basis? |
| 12 | Is there provision for a separate isolated space for cleaning of cleaning equipment? |
| 13 | Are foreign items sanitized before allowing their entry within the premises? |
– Hygiene B- Conditions conducive to maintaining health and preventing disease
| S No | Questions |
| 1 | Is there a provision of exhaust in common space for air change and for maximizing ventilation? |
| 2 | Is the HVAC system equipped with microbial treatment, like UV light, carbon filter, high efficient filter, etc? |
| 3 | Is the building setting the room temperature between 24°C – 30°C and maintaining the relative humidity between 40% – 70%? |
| 4 | Are there O&M guidelines in place for maintenance of HVAC system, including the filters? |
2. Workforce
– Policy
| S No | Questions |
| 1 | Does the organization have a policy for workplace schedule like flexi-hours, work from home, employee scheduling? |
| 2 | Does the organization have a policy for handling employee(s) exhibiting symptoms of cough/cold/fever? |
| 3 | Does the building/organization have a hygiene policy for visitors/delivery professionals? |
– Social Distancing
| S No | Questions |
| 1 | Are the workforces trained for social distancing? |
– Hygiene
| S No | Questions |
| 1 | Is there a provision for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for employee(s) exhibiting symptoms of cough/cold/fever? |
| 2 | Does the organization have a housekeeping team? |
| 3 | Is there a provision for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for all housekeeping staff members? |
| 4 | Is health check-up of housekeeping staff members conducted frequently? |
| 5 | Is hand sanitization mandatory for all outsiders before entering the premises? |
| 6 | Are outsiders screened thermally before entering the premises? |
3. Awareness
– Policy
| S No | Questions |
| 1 | Does the organization have a policy on information dissemination? |
| 2 | Does the organization have a policy to address the queries of the workforce? |
– Social Distancing and Hygiene
| S No | Questions |
| 1 | Does the organization share instructions/information with the workforce on the workplace preparedness? |
| 2 | Are there posters of precautions displayed at strategic locations in the workplace? |
| 3 | Does the organization provide timely alerts to the workforce on basic preventive measures during their stay in the workplace? |
https://www.bfi.grihaindia.org/checklist
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