Department of Facilities Management

We have returned to our workplaces, but many aspects of working at the office have changed. 

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Entering and Exiting Office Buildings:  

• Familiarize yourself with instructions to enter and exit your workplace and/or when visiting other MCPS school/facility sites. 
• Adhere to site/facility specific posted signs of directional flow of traffic.  

Lobby Areas: 

• Avoid congregating in lobby areas. 
• Maintain 6 feet distance if waiting is necessary in the lobby area. 
• Do not cross any physical barriers that have been put in place to maintain safe distances between visitors and site staff. 

Elevators and Stairways: 

• Avoid congregating in front elevators or stairways.  
• Do not exceed the maximum posted number of persons allowed in an elevator. Most elevators have a limit of one person per elevator. 
• Follow posted signs on stairway doors for directional flow information. If two or more stairways are present in the building, one may be designated to going up and the other may be for coming down. 

Restrooms: 

• Do not exceed the number of persons allowed to use the restroom. In most cases, no more than two persons are allowed in the restroom at the same time. 
• Do not use any blocked off individual stalls or urinals.  
• Practice proper hygiene and wash hands thoroughly for a minimum of 20 seconds. 
• Inform custodial staff if soap and paper towel dispensers need to be replenished. 

Workspaces:  

• Maintain 6 feet apart distance between co-workers. 
• Wipe down the desk, computer keyboard, mouse, telephone, chair, and other frequently touched surfaces daily with disinfectant wipes. 
• Remove personal items from the floor/workspace to facilitate cleaning. 
• Discontinue the use of shared office supplies. 

Break Rooms and Kitchens: 

• Minimize the use of shared appliances like coffee/beverage stations, microwaves, and refrigerators. 
• Do not share kitchen utensils or drink ware.
• Consider bringing your own drinking water.   
• If you bring your food to work, consider foods that do not require refrigeration or warming up. Thermal containers are a good alternative. 

Conference Rooms and Common Areas: 

• Consider using videoconferencing or teleconferencing when possible for work-related meetings and gatherings.  
• If necessary, large conference rooms may be used for up to 10 people as long as 6 feet distancing can be maintained. 
• As a general rule, maintain 100 square feet of space per occupant in conference rooms/meeting rooms. 
• Follow the posted signs on the door to the conference room, do not exceed the maximum persons allowed. 
• Use hand sanitizer before and after touching a computer keyboard, mouse, remote controls, and any other shared office equipment in conference rooms. 

Copy Rooms and Workrooms: 

• Consider sharing and/or filing documents electronically instead of printing. 
• If available, use a local printer instead of a shared printer/copier as much as possible. 
• Discontinue the use of shared office supplies. 
• If necessary, bring your own staplers or other office supplies that you may need to the copy room/workroom.

Visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website for more information about workplace safety.