As South Africa battles the third wave of COVID-19 infections, companies need to recommit to the policies put in place to prevent the spread of the virus within their organisations. For fleet managers this means ensuring their sanitisation policies are strictly followed and drivers are given guidance about how to safely interact with people at their destinations.
Before the third wave began in earnest, there was a tendency to be more relaxed about the possibility of contracting or spreading the virus. The CEO of MasterDrive, Eugene Herbert, says: “It is essential to emphasise the importance of maintaining stringent sanitisation processes to reduce the impact of the third wave on your business. While hand washing and sanitising are important, it takes much more than this alone.”
Drivers should follow these steps to ensure all vehicles remain sanitised:
- Wash and sanitise your hands at every opportunity but if you do not have access to hand-washing facilities, just sanitise them.
- If you receive stock or other items, spray or wipe it down with disinfectant as well as any areas other people may have touched.
- At the end of your shift, disinfect the vehicle so that either yourself or a co-worker can start the next shift with a fully sanitised car.
- The accompanying image indicates the areas that need to cleaned with an alcohol-based disinfectant. This includes the door, door handles, dashboard, steering wheel, rear-view mirror, gearstick, handbrake, radio, arm rests, seatbelt and seat.
- Do not forget areas such as indicator levers, seat levers and even fuel cards.
- Wipe down the infotainment system as well but rather avoid using an alcohol-based cleaner.
- Remember to sanitise the exterior of the vehicle: door handles, door frames and the exterior of the boot.
- If someone travels with you, do not forget to sanitise upon their exit.
Sanitising after a refuel:
- Do not forget to put your mask on.
- Make use of the tap function on your card.
- Keep hand sanitiser or wipes in your vehicle in case you need to touch the card machine.
- If you need a bathroom break, ensure you take sanitiser with you.
- Sanitise around your petrol cap both inside and out.
- Wipe down anywhere a petrol attendant may touch.
Follow these tips regularly throughout the day. “It is only if every person does as much as they can to reduce the spread of the virus that we will begin to see the light at the end of this wave,” says Herbert.
Did you know?
- Alcohol based disinfectants will not damage the vehicle as long as you use it sparingly and do not soak the surfaces or use it on infotainment systems.
- Sanitisers cannot set your vehicle alight. Spontaneous combustion can only happen in specific conditions. Gel or liquid hand sanitisers need an external ignition source to catch alight. The heat of a vehicle alone is not enough to cause a fire.
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