COVID19 restrictions are slowly easing all across the world. Still, all business leaders must take precautions to keep their workspaces safe and healthy for their staff and customers. Food businesses successfully followed these restrictions by employing safety measures like making workers wear masks and face shields. However, there’s one safety device that helped these businesses the most during the pandemic – the sneeze guard.
What are Sneeze Guards?
Sneeze guards are products that all food businesses use to combat the spread of the COVID19 virus. These guards are made of plexiglass or acrylic. They help fight the spread of pathogens inside food stores and facilities by shielding specific regions from external exposure.
The Department of Health continues to mandate the use of acrylic sneeze barriers inside food stores to prevent virus transmission. The health agency has also asked restaurants, food serving companies, and self-service restaurants to –
- Use single-use packets to store ready-to-eat foods.
- Provide extra utensils to customers to ensure two people never use the same ones.
- Masked employees must always monitor the delivery of food items to customers.
Of all these steps, using sneeze guards is the most important. That’s because these guards help protect employees, customers, and prevent food items from getting contaminated. They serve multiple vital purposes so that food businesses can safely serve customers and protect their front-line workers.
Where Do Food Business Operators Use Sneeze Guards?
The latest sneeze guards in the market are fully transparent and come in different sizes. Due to their efficiency in preventing transmissions, they’re also used in schools, offices, public spaces, etc. In restaurants and self-serving food stores, sneeze guards are used in various locations. Workers can place them at their check-in desks, checkout counters, or on tables.
- Installing sneeze barriers at all points where customers and workers come in close contact is very important. These meeting points include – the counter, reception, entrance, and exits.
- Using transparent or translucent sneeze barriers is very important. That’s because such guards offer total visibility. They don’t obstruct communication between workers and customers.
- These guards are also installed in takeaway and delivery counters. Even though interactions between workers and customers are very short at these counters, there’s still a risk of virus transmission. Delivery professionals receive the same amount of protection as other workers.
Since these guards are so light and easy to install, food business operators use them flexibly and interchangeably. They disinfect these guards at the end of each workday. The next day, the clean guards are ready to be used again.
What Types of Sneeze Guards Are Used in Food Businesses?
These guards come in various different sizes and heights. In food businesses, the standard size of sneeze guards is between 36 to 60 inches. It’s always safer to buy slightly taller sneeze guards than you actually need. That’s because these guards are customizable and can be cut down and made into any desired height or size.
In the past, sneeze guards helped food business owners protect their food from contaminants. Now, these protective items help food business owners safeguard their customers and employees from virus transmission risks.
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