Keeping Safe On The Work Site - Coronavirus Edition

Life is constantly changing, and has been for a while. You never know what you are going to wake up to each day. Here at Toolstop, we took the decision last week to close our website and trade counter for the foreseeable future. We are no longer accepting any online orders, and won't be until we have gained some sort of normality back. Our mission is to help keep our staff and customers safe, and we urge you to do the same at this uncertain time.

Whilst closing our doors is a decision we wholeheartedly stand by; we are aware that that’s simply not an option for others. This is why we have put together some tips and tricks for ways you can keep safe at your place of work.

We understand that some people do still have to work, after all, it is your livelihood and may be your only current source of income. If and where this statement stands, we urge you to take the necessary precautions by distancing yourself as much as possible from others. The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus.

We urge you to please STAY HOME where possible and if the job is not absolutely necessary, do not complete it, it can wait. Try calling your customer beforehand to gauge their views, it may be that they also do not want workmen roaming around their home.

Avoid close contact with others! If you are working on a large job site, remember to keep to the 2 meter rule and avoid using the same tools as each other if possible. If you need to get the customer to sign a form etc, perhaps take a picture of the job instead to prove its been done rather than sharing a pen and getting within close distance of each other.

Do NOT leave your home, unless absolutely necessary.

A risk assessment should be carried out to make sure your job site is deemed 'safe'.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth at all times. Use protective equipment whenever it's available (we know it is currently hard to find) but if possible, make sure face masks and protective eye wear are clean, ideally new, and never shared.

Alternatively, keep antibacterial wipes to hand at all times so you can regularly clean and disinfect your tools, hands, van and area of work, keeping them free from any harmful bacteria. Most supermarket bought sprays and disinfectants will be enough to kill the virus, so do so liberally and often!

If you are experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19 - DO NOT GO TO WORK!

Wear protective gloves at all times but make sure to change them regularly! Gloves only stop the virus from infecting your bare hands, therefore if you touch an infected surface you would be passing it onto everything else you touch afterwards. Changing gloves often will help keep yourself and other safe. 

Where possible, wash your hands thoroughly with warm water and plenty of soap. We understand being out on the road all day, it can sometimes be hard to gain access to a sink. This is where your wipes will come in handy.

Apart from stating the obvious, be sure to wash your work clothes thoroughly every night. The virus can live on clothing for days so please do so as soon as you return home to eliminate the chances of passing on any potential virus or infecting other surfaces.

Again, we must reiterate, please STAY HOME if your journey, job or travel isn't absolutely essential. The only way we can make the world a better place is by sticking to these rules. We hope you have taken something from these tips for dealing with Coronavirus on the work site. We urge all of our followers and loyal customers to stay safe during this time and we hope we can be back trading with you all soon.

Stay Safe!

The Toolstop Team