Covid sanitisation workplaces: regulations and penalties
Sanitisation of workplaces against Covid is required by law on company premises as a preventative measure designed to combat the spread of the Coronavirus epidemic faced by the world for two years now.
The contagiousness of the variants has encouraged institutions to impose checks and preventative measures in workplaces. Companies are obliged to respect these; the guidelines they must follow are included in a Protocol signed by the Italian Government and dated 14th March 2020.
The main checking procedures for workplace sanitisation
National regulations stipulate that every company must carry out anti-Covid sanitisation in workplaces, in particular cleaning (of rooms, equipment used by staff and communal areas) and disinfection (of rooms and apparatus used in indoor heating or air conditioning).
The owner is obliged to respect government measures scrupulously and to carry out deep cleaning of the premises at the end of every shift (if the new procedures prove too expensive, they can request tax reductions, via state contributions, as mentioned in the ‘Cura Italia’ decree.
For example, when a member of staff is found to be Covid positive on Company premises, all the areas where they have been present must be sanitised. This must be done using the appropriate detergents and water and then disinfection must be carried out using specific products normally used in hospitals (the most common is sodium hypochlorite -0.1% -0.5%).
As well as all this, ventilation systems present in all buildings must be constantly checked; considering that correct ventilation has proven essential in reducing pathogens and in restoring a healthy atmosphere in rooms, maintenance of such systems must be carried out with maximum attention to detail.
The inspectors’ checklist
Checks concerning confirmation with anti-Covid regulations can be carried out on a sample of randomly selected companies or as a result of a warning that the pathogen is suspected to be present. When inspectors are involved, company managers must be ready to answer questions such as those below:
- Is the sanitisation of company premises carried out regularly?
- Is cleaning carried out at the end of shifts in accordance with the protocol?
- When Covid cases have been found, were all the necessary precautions observed?
- Is the company receiving state contributions to carry out periodic or specific intervention?
This framework of questions enables inspectors to verify the situation in terms of checking the state of Covid sanitisation procedures on the premises so that workers can be free to carry out their tasks in complete safety and in full accordance with the various regulations in force.
Once all the necessary data has been gathered for analysis, it is recommended that the inspectors send a complete and comprehensive report of their investigations to the local Prefecture. This documentation, including details of access and checks, is known as ‘Covid-19’.
Penalties for transgressors: who imposes them and the risks
Inspectors have no power to impose penalties and (as mentioned above), their job is limited to providing all the material gathered during their investigations to the Prefecture, which is the only official organ authorised to handle any potential sentencing, should it become necessary.
Considering that anyone who contravenes Covid sanitisation regulations risks heavy penalties, such as the suspension of all their business activities, (as explained in this article in Zerosottozero), it is advisable to use certified technologies and products in order to guarantee the maximum possible safety level.
Translated by Joanne Beckwith
