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The Prevention DeskInfection prevention in premises

An independent magazine on infection prevention in shops, workplaces and public spaces, written in plain words with named sources.

Infection prevention in shops, workplaces and public spaces

Infection prevention in shops, workplaces and public spaces. Plans and rules for small businesses, ventilation and cleaning, hand hygiene, outbreak preparedness and the lessons small teams kept after COVID-19, written in the third person with named sources.

Start with the planVentilation in small spaces

A staff member wiping the door handle of a small shop in the morning light while a customer waits outside
A staff member wiping the door handle of a small shop in the morning light while a customer waits outside

Four sections

From the premises to the record

Each section opens with an index of its guides. Pick the plan and the rules, the air and the cleaning, the preparation, or the policy and the records.

  1. A shop manager and two staff standing at a back counter reading a single printed checklist together in the morning light.
    01

    Infection Control in Premises

    A written plan, clear rules for customers and a fair sickness policy: the three pillars that hold infection control together in a real premises.

    3 guides inside

  2. Two windows open on opposite walls of a small room, a light curtain lifting in the draught and daylight crossing the floor.
    02

    Air, Cleaning and Hygiene

    Ventilation that works in small rooms, cleaning high-touch surfaces in the right order and hand hygiene that people actually keep doing.

    3 guides inside

  3. A clipboard with a short checklist and a pen resting on a desk beside a telephone and a wall calendar.
    03

    Outbreak Preparedness

    An outbreak checklist, how certification schemes work, what small businesses learned from COVID-19 and how to keep useful records.

    3 guides inside

  4. A stack of dated printed notices and a closed ring binder on a shelf, a wall calendar open beside them.
    04

    Policy and Records

    How infection policy moved from emergency rules to routine practice, and how to keep records that stay useful.

    1 guides inside

Section 1 of 4

Infection Control in Premises

A written plan, clear rules for customers and a fair sickness policy: the three pillars that hold infection control together in a real premises.

  • A handwritten one-page plan pinned to an office wall beside a staff rota, a mug and a pen on the desk below.

    Infection Control in Premises

    A Small Business Infection Control Plan

    Build a one-page infection control plan for a small business: name a lead, map the space, set cleaning and air routines, brief staff and review monthly.

    One page, one lead, five steps.

  • A small printed notice card held in front of a shop counter, with shelves of goods softly out of focus behind.

    Infection Control in Premises

    Customer Rules and Signage

    Write customer rules and signage people actually follow: keep it short, put it where the decision is made, use plain words and update it when things change.

    Readable notices placed where the decision is made.

  • A staff rota sheet and a digital thermometer on a small office desk with a wall clock and a cup of tea nearby.

    Infection Control in Premises

    Staff Sickness and Return to Work

    Set a fair staff sickness policy: when to stay home, how to report, who covers the shift, when to return, and how to keep records without overreach.

    A fair rule written before it is needed.

Open the Infection Control in Premises index

Section 2 of 4

Air, Cleaning and Hygiene

Ventilation that works in small rooms, cleaning high-touch surfaces in the right order and hand hygiene that people actually keep doing.

  • A room corner with an open window, a small fan placed low near the floor pointing towards the opening, sunlight on the boards.

    Air, Cleaning and Hygiene

    Ventilation in Small Spaces

    Improve ventilation in small rooms with cross-flow windows, a fan placed low, short regular airing and a simple carbon dioxide check when it matters.

    Cross flow, fans and a single window.

  • A cleaning caddy with a spray bottle, folded cloths and gloves on a counter, a hand wiping a door handle beside it.

    Air, Cleaning and Hygiene

    Cleaning High-Touch Surfaces

    Clean high-touch surfaces in the right order: list the spots people actually touch, remove soil first, then disinfect, and set a realistic frequency.

    Clean first, then disinfect.

  • Hands being washed under running water at a small sink with a soap dispenser and a paper towel holder beside it.

    Air, Cleaning and Hygiene

    Hand Hygiene in Public Spaces

    Make hand hygiene stick in public spaces: fix the moments, put soap and gel where the work happens, keep sinks usable and correct the common misses.

    Five moments and a stocked dispenser.

Open the Air, Cleaning and Hygiene index

Section 3 of 4

Outbreak Preparedness

An outbreak checklist, how certification schemes work, what small businesses learned from COVID-19 and how to keep useful records.

  • A clipboard with a short handwritten checklist and a pen on a desk beside a telephone and a wall calendar.

    Outbreak Preparedness

    Outbreak Preparedness Checklist

    A practical outbreak preparedness checklist: named lead, supplies, staffing cover, communication lines, cleaning surge plan and a dated review each season.

    One page that survives a bad week.

  • A blank framed certificate leaning against a wall on a desk, with a folder of documents and a stamp pad beside it.

    Outbreak Preparedness

    Business Certification Schemes

    How infection certification schemes for businesses work: what they check, how a site is assessed, what the sticker means, and how to judge a scheme.

    What the sticker does and does not mean.

  • A closed shop front with the lights on inside, a staff member writing on a notepad behind the counter in the evening.

    Outbreak Preparedness

    Lessons From COVID-19

    What small businesses learned from COVID-19: keep a plan after the emergency, protect cash and staff, communicate early and build habits that outlast a crisis.

    Habits worth keeping after the emergency.

Open the Outbreak Preparedness index

Start here

Three guides to begin with

If you have nothing written down yet, these three cover the frame, the air and the preparation. Each one can be started in an afternoon and reviewed later.

Section 4 of 4

Policy and Records

How infection policy moved from emergency rules to routine practice, and how to keep records that stay useful.

  • A ring binder open on a desk showing a simple handwritten log table, with a pen and a dated sticky note on the page.

    Policy and Records

    Records That Stay Useful

    Keep infection records that stay useful: cleaning logs, staff briefings, supply notes and reviews, written so a new manager can pick them up later.

    Short notes that change a decision.

Open the Policy and Records index

Sources

Where the guidance comes from

The Prevention Desk is an independent magazine and sells nothing. For decisions about your own premises, always check the latest guidance from your national or local authority. These are the public sources this site reads.

  • Outside this site

    WHO Coronavirus disease

    The World Health Organization hub on COVID-19, with guidance on ventilation, masks and hand hygiene used across this site.

    International guidance

  • Outside this site

    European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control

    European technical guidance on infection prevention and control in community and workplace settings.

    European technical guidance

  • Outside this site

    US CDC Hygiene

    Practical hygiene guidance for homes and shared spaces, including cleaning and handwashing basics.

    Cleaning and handwashing

  • Outside this site

    US CDC Handwashing

    When and how to wash hands, with the moments that matter most in public settings.

    Hand hygiene moments

  • Outside this site

    UK Health and Safety Executive

    Guidance on workplace health and safety, including ventilation and sickness reporting duties.

    Workplace health and safety

  • Outside this site

    UK Health Security Agency

    Public health guidance for England on outbreaks and infection control in everyday settings.

    Outbreak guidance

From the guides

Five scenes from the guides

Five photographs from the guides below, each with the page that explains the scene in full.