Banner Blog

From pupil displays to social distance signage, laminating in schools is more important than ever.

Laminating has long been a favourite finish in the classroom and around the school. Not only does it make pupils’ work, learning displays and decorations shine, it also protects them from the everyday knocks, clumsy spills and accidental damage that can plague a busy school environment.

Banner are attending Virtual Events in 2020

Over the coming months Banner are going to be attending virtual events for the first time. Starting on September 9 with both Procurex National and PFH (Procurement For Housing). This is something new for Banner and the team who work behind the scenes to make these events valuable for both visitors and Banner.

We're attending Procurex National 2020

Join us at Procurex National, 9th September 2020 to discover our complete range of workplace solutions for your organisation. For the first time Banner will be attending a digital show and this presents a whole host of new opportunities.

It's set to be a great event and as a sustainable and responsible workplace solutions provider to Central Government and Wider Public Sector, including the Healthcare and Education sectors, we'll be discussing opportunities to innovate, educate and collaborate with visitors, only this time it will be virtually. 

As schools reopen for students and teachers, the classroom is going to look a little bit different from September to allow for social distancing.

With forward facing desks for pupils and teachers needing to maintain a 2m distance as they move around the classroom. Some students may have to learn remotely if they have to self-isolate or if local lockdowns are imposed, therefore technology is key to keeping learning on track both inside and outside the classroom. We look at some of the technology products that can help support learning in a socially distanced world. 

As a provider to Central Government and the Wider Public Sector via a number of Frameworks, Banner is delighted to offer a compliant supply route for a new certified, UK manufactured, face covering to both the public and private sectors. 

The Business Standards Institution (BSI) launched the new quality assured Kitemark^TM to help people instantly know whether they're buying a face covering that is effective or not.

With many face coverings available in the market and as masks become compulsory in more places, the new Kitemark^TM accreditation provides consumers with confidence and assurance that the products have been assessed and approved to a technical specification.

The UK manufactured face coverings are available to all Banner customers and are currently in stock in our Distribution Centres across the UK. 

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove said: "This is a major step to ensure that this country can meet any increase in demand for face coverings by working with British firms to establish the capability, capacity and skills required to manufacture these items at scale..."

COVID-19 heavily impacts the way we work and requires many office workers to work from home.

With lockdowns now being relaxed in many countries, the future will probably require a more hybrid approach, transitioning between working from home and the office. The home office will in many ways, become an extension of the corporate office.

If you are looking to establish this new way of working as a longer term or more permanent practice in your organisation, make sure you tackle the following three topics as part of your strategy – safety, organisation and wellbeing:

The UK Government has announced that, in addition to public transport, shops and supermarkets, wearing a face covering in secondary schools communal areas will now be mandatory in England. 

Ensuring staff, customers and visitors comply with these regulations will be a focus for many companies and organisations in the UK.  But it can be confusing as to what to order for your workplace. 

Here's a simple guide to the different types of face coverings. 

Cleaning and hygiene have always been paramount in care homes, but both these issues have come to the forefront during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Most of us now know that elderly people, including care home residents, are at greater risk¹ from the worst effects of the virus than most of the population, and that care workers² are more likely to contract Covid-19 in their daily work.

For the protection of residents, staff and visitors in the era of Covid-19, these are the essential cleaning and hygiene measures that care home providers are taking:

Any return to work transition is challenging at the best of times.

Whether you’re returning after a prolonged period of remote working or from maternity leave, a process must be implemented to ensure that this transition is smooth and successful. Signage can help facilitate this. For example, if an employee is returning after a workplace injury, warning signs can assure them that everything is being done to promote optimal safety and prevention.

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused us to rely on signage more than ever. The government's plan for a phased return to work following the recent social distancing measures is set to be one of the most difficult challenges to date.

At Banner, we believe that office signage will be crucial in facilitating a smooth and safe transition back to work.

If there was ever a time to take your workplace cleaning to the next level, it's now.

While keeping the work setting clean has always been important for employee health and preventing the spread of illness, this has taken on an extra level of significance during the Covid-19 pandemic.

It’s likely that people pass Covid-19 to each other by either breathing in air-borne virus particles when someone coughs or sneezes, or by touching a surface that harbours these particles and then touching their face.

With respiratory viruses surviving on surfaces for anything from several hours to a few days, the thorough cleaning of surfaces and hands is essential for reducing the risk of contracting Covid-19 through touch. And as lockdown restrictions ease and workplaces prepare to welcome people back in bigger numbers, this is becoming even more pressing.

These hygiene measures will help to create a Covid-secure workplace: