Requirements for Operating Commercial Establishment - COVID-19

The Government of India has announced various requirements that are a must for opening and operating a commercial establishment like an office, factory or shop in India from 20th April 2020. The following are general guidelines for operating a workspace in India.

• The workspace should have adequate arrangements for temperature screening and provide sanitizers at convenient places.
• A gap of one hour between shifts must be provided to employees.
• Lunch break should be staggered to ensure social distancing.
• Persons above 65 years of age and persons with co-morbidities and parents of children below the age 5 should be encouraged to work from home.
• Use of Arogya setu should be encouraged for all employees both private and public.
• The workplace should be sanitised between shifts.
• Large meetings to be prohibited.
• Frequent cleaning of common surfaces and mandatory hand washing should be mandated.
• Intensive communication and training on good hygiene practices should be taken up.

In addition to the above, the Government has provided Standard Operation Procedure for Social Distancing in Offices, Workplaces, Factories and Establishments as below:

Standard Operating Procedure for Social Distancing for Offices & Factories

1. All areas in the premises including the following shall be disinfected completely using user-friendly disinfectant mediums;
   1. Entrance Gate of building, office etc.
   2. Cafeteria and canteens.
   3. Meeting room, Conference halls/ open areas available/ verandah/ entrance gate of site, bunkers, porta cabins, building etc.
   4. Equipment and lifts.
   5. Washroom, toilet, sink; water points etc.
   6. Walls/ all other surfaces
2. For workers coming from outside, special transportation facility should be arranged without any dependency on the public transport system. These vehicles should be allowed to work only with 30-40% passenger capacity.
3. All vehicles and machinery entering the premise should be disinfected by spray mandatorily.
4. Mandatory thermal scanning of everyone entering and exiting the workplace should be done.
5. Medical insurance for the workers to be made mandatory.
6. Provision for hand wash & sanitizer preferably with touch-free mechanism should be made available at all entry and exit points and common areas. Sufficient quantities of all the items should be available.
7. Workplaces should have a gap of one hour between shifts and will stagger the lunch breaks of staff, to ensure social distancing.
8. Large gatherings or meetings of 10 or more people should be discouraged. Seating at least 6 feet away from others on job sites and in gathering, meetings and training sessions.
9. Not more than 2/4 person (depending on size) should be allowed to travel in lifts.
10. Use of the staircase for climbing should be encouraged.
11. There should be a strict ban of gutka, tobacco etc. Spitting should be strictly prohibited.
12.  There should be a total ban on non- essential visitors at sites.
13. Hospitals/clinics in the nearby areas, which are authorized to treat COVID-19 patients, should be identified and a list should be available at the workplace at all times.