1. Why are protective office screens important?
Scientists and doctors around the world have been very clear on one point: this virus is something we are going to have to learn to live with, not unlike seasonal flu or norovirus. The virus will, each season, mutate enough that new strains will form, just like winter flu, and scientists will try to predict these mutations to create updated vaccinations. However, as with flu, colds, stomach bugs and other contagious illnesses, we will continue to see cases circulating in our workplaces, particularly during colder months.
Office screens are one of the best ways to prevent Covid - or any other contagious illness - from spreading like wildfire through our office communities. Most contagious illnesses are spread through Contact or Droplet Transmission. This refers to respiratory droplets which are expelled when an infectious person breathes, sneezes, coughs, talks or shouts. These droplets cannot remain in the air for a long time or travel across long distances; which is why using divider screens offers an additional layer of protection. Social distancing partitions form a barrier between people, preventing respiratory droplets expelled by one person from infecting the other.
2. What are protective office screens?
Our specially designed social distancing screens are a flexible and affordable way of protecting your workforce. Made from Perspex® acrylic or thermally toughened safety glass, these social distancing panels are available in a wide range of styles including freestanding screens, desk mounted partitions, frameless dividers, countertop desk guards, office pods, mobile dividing screens on wheels and many more. Acrylic and glass are materials that are easy to clean and sanitise, meaning your new office partitions can be quickly wiped down to remove all traces of infectious particles.
3. Types of protective office screens
Social distancing screens can be broken down into four main categories: freestanding partitions, mobile screens, desk dividers and counter screens. Within each of these categories, you will find screens in different materials, including acrylic plastic and glass, and screens suitable for different environments such as offices, schools, hospitality, retail, medical facilities and beauty salons. Our large collection of protective screens includes innovative designs which have been created from concept to manufacture by our team of experts to facilitate safe working during the pandemic.
- Freestanding Partitions - Whether on a desk or on the floor, these screens and dividers stand up by themselves. Although they can be linked to others to cover larger areas, they are sturdy and stable enough to stand unassisted. They are available in a variety of different shapes and sizes and are the most common type of social distancing screen.
- Mobile Screens - Office screens on wheels have metal frames finished with lockable castor wheels. This makes it easy to move them around your workplace and lock them in place temporarily wherever you need them most, for a truly flexible social distancing solution.
- Desk Dividers - Designed for use on banks of desks in offices, schools, training centres, colleges or any locations where workspaces need segmenting, desk dividers can be fixed (screwed into desktops) or freestanding, and are available in both acrylic and glass finishes. We find these are among the most popular of our social distancing screens purchased for office use.
- Counter Screens - Retail and hospitality counters, as well as office receptions, will benefit from a design of protective screen created specifically for transactional purposes. Often finished with cut-out hatches for effective communication and transfer of money, goods or paperwork, you will see these screens most commonly in shops, post offices, bars, pubs and salons.