Due to mandated stay-at-home orders, many office tenants have been working from home, yet many tenants in industrial warehouses, distribution and manufacturing facilities have been reporting to work. It’s important to protect the health of all with the uncertainty COVID.
In response to these issues, “BOMA International assembled a task force of industrial real estate professionals to develop best practices that should be considered by owners and property managers, as well as other recommendations that may be shared with tenants in industrial properties.”
Below, we’ve outlined BOMA’s guidance*:
Plan and Prepare:
- Stay abreast of federal, state and local mandates and recommendations. Adhering to guidelines from the CDC, EPA, and other regulatory and public health agencies are essential.
- Assign a property management team to research and compile best practices, checklists, and other resources and information to share with other property managers and tenants.
- Ensure teams understand updated policies for distancing, PPE, health checks, property access, and communication with tenants and vendors. Provide training where necessary.
- Review leases for any necessary updates or revisions, such as new or additional tenant insurance requirements, protection of landlord from rent abatement and loss-of-use claims and hold-harmless protection.
- Re-assess protocols for common areas, including access requirements and restrictions, cleaning and disinfection, building system maintenance or upgrades and other best practices.
Communications with Tenants and Contractors:
- Ask tenants to share updated safety protocols in writing. Distribute their access rules to vendors and contractors performing building work.
- Require vendors to submit written safety plans, including PPE use, distancing, health checks, and protocols for building work. Share this information with your tenants.
- Clearly communicate property management’s new procedures and protocols for protecting the health and safety of personnel when interacting with tenants and tenants’ employees.
- Offer guidance to tenants on operational changes in response to COVID-19. Share best practices and updates on federal, state, and local mandates and recommendations. Help identify resources for cleaning, signage, security and other services if requested.
- Report incidences of COVID 19 to tenants, contractors and property managers who may be affected. Always protect the identity of the infected person and his/her employer.
Building & Property Access:
- Notify tenants in writing regarding the landlord’s responsibilities, plans and protocols to access the building to perform inspections, preventive maintenance and other services as required by the lease.
- Ask all vendors and contractors to contact property management in advance of performing any work on the property. Ensure property managers, vendors and general contractors practice social distancing, wear protective face coverings and frequently wash hands or use hand sanitizer while on property.
- Ask tenants to inform you of any operational changes that could affect parking areas and other property spaces outside the building(e.g. requirements for queuing to manage visitors, construction of outdoor restrooms or washrooms for delivery workers, etc.) and to submit plans to property managers for approval when necessary. Work with owners and brokers to schedule virtual tours when possible.
- Require brokers to schedule and coordinate any in-person tours with you in advance. Ensure food truck vendors implement appropriate standards for social distancing (e.g. queuing lines), cleaning and disinfection and PPE use.
- Consider closing or limiting access to common areas shared by multiple tenants, such as gyms, cafes, on-site restaurants and outdoor picnic areas, until local social distancing regulations are eased or lifted.
Common Area Cleaning:
- Increase frequency of cleaning and disinfection in high-density and high-touch common areas. Consult with your janitorial provider to assess needs and determine new requirements and protocols.
- Follow CDC guidelines for more frequent cleaning of outdoor spaces, such as picnic and break areas that may be shared among tenants.
- Follow EPA, CDC and other government-approved guidelines for cleaning products, procedures, dwell times and protocols; confirm with your cleaning service provider or consult a third–party if practical.
- Request that maintenance personnel and other vendors clean and disinfect spaces that may have been touched.
- Perform appropriate cleaning and disinfection following broker tours.
Social Distancing:
- Follow CDC guidelines to maintain social distancing and wearing face masks or coverings. Utilize visual guides to communicate and manage social distancing requirements in workspaces and tenant spaces.
- Consider designating one-way corridors, stairwells and entrances and exits to reduce contact among workers, and clearly post queuing instructions and markings where needed.
- Remove or space–out furniture in reception areas, break areas, work areas and other tenant spaces as needed.
- Post signage reinforcing social distancing in these areas and throughout tenant spaces.
- If possible, consider closing break rooms and other areas where groups of workers could congregate until social distancing regulations are eased or lifted.
Workforce Health and Safety:
- Communicate new rules, procedures and protocols with all workers and building personnel for social distancing, use of PPE, health screening/assessments, illness reporting, etc., and provide applicable training.
- Promote proper hygiene, such as frequent handwashing (with hot water and soap for 20 seconds, as recommended), and provide hand sanitizers in work areas, break areas, restrooms and other tenant spaces.
- Where practical, recommend workers use face coverings, gloves and other appropriate PPE while in the building— especially in work areas—and provide touch-free covered waste containers for disposing used masks and gloves. Following CDC guidance, discourage workers from sharing equipment, phones and computers.
- If equipment must be shared, clean and disinfect after each use and between shifts. If possible, require workers and contractors to maintain their own tools and to clean and disinfect all tools between uses.
- Consider retrofitting touch-free devices throughout the building.
- Require truck drivers and delivery personnel to wear face coverings at transaction points, at a minimum.
- Require temperature checks and other health screenings at the building.
- Encourage employees to perform health assessments at home and to stay home or seek medical care if they are ill, have a temperature or have a cough.
- Ask employees to notify you if they test positive for COVID-19. Request the same of tenants. Also inform other employees, and anyone else who may have had contact with the infected employee, so they may seek medical attention and to control spread. Always protect the identity of the infected employee.
- Continue normal and regular HVAC maintenance, including filter changes and consider increasing exhaust and infusion of outside air. Consult ASHRAE guidelines for operating heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems to reduce COVID-19 transmission and follow CDC guidelines where applicable.
Cleaning:
- Review site inventory for adequate cleaning supplies, and products and ensure cleaning supplies and materials used by the cleaning contractor are not shared with other buildings or clients.
- Increase frequency of cleaning and disinfection in high-density and high-touch area.
- Increase frequency of cleaning and disinfection in kitchens, break rooms and break areas.
- Provide disposable and recyclable cups, plates and utensils and/or enforce strict dishwashing rules.
- Increase frequency of cleaning workspaces, including assembly lines, conveyor belts and other production throughout the day
*Information provided by BOMA International.
Contact Continuum Services for facilities support. Call us 833.378.4088. Email us cs-sales@continuumservices.com.
