7 sneeze guard designs to protect workers and customers

Sneeze guards go by many names like cough guards, hygiene screens, perspex screens, and more. But they all represent the same idea - creating a physical barrier between two people to limit the exposure to germs and viruses.

Given the current COVID health crisis, more and more public spaces like bars, restaurants, bakeries, coffee shops, cafes could be recommended to use a physical barrier like this to protect employees and patrons from unnecessary exposure to germs and the virus. Here are the current Government guidelines on how to make your workplace COVID-secure.

So in the DIY spirit and to help inspire companies and individuals to continue to flatten the curve we've created these sneeze guard designs and encourage you to use them, remix them, and build them. We're all in this together and in the spirit of staying safe let's create safer spaces.

The basics of a sneeze guard

What is a sneeze guard?

Sneeze guards are simple partition systems designed to act as a divider between various areas. Especially useful for counters and areas where food is displayed, these protective measures ensure that viruses and germs are not spread between cashiers and customers, and also prevent display food from getting contaminated.

The height of your sneeze guard

The minimum height of your sneeze guard should extend 100mm past average head height. So we estimate that the minimum overall height of your sneeze guard should be 1900mm. Our designs below show the posts being 1000mm tall, so if your counter or surface is below 900mm you may want to adjust the height of your posts accordingly.

The plexiglass screen

You can purchase a variety of pre-cut clear screens online or have some built to your specific requirements. For example, we found these clear polystyrene sheets at B&Q:

Using tube and fittings for support posts

Choosing tube and fittings to construct a sneeze guard will give you the flexibility to build structures that suit any layout, no matter how tight or awkward these are. Using standard cuts of clear screens that you can find in most DIY stores, you can equip your store with sturdy protection in no time.

What is more, you can easily install the system and, later on, disassemble it and reuse the components for other projects or in a different configuration.

Easy to install, the system only requires an allen key to put together.

1. Linear sneeze guard

This design uses 2 pieces of tube as guard posts, both attached to the top of the counter using flanges. The plastic sheet attaches to the structure using M50 single swivel sockets.

Small linear sneeze guard materials

Specs:

Height: 1000mm

Assembly:

Allen key

What's included:

Galvanised steel tube for 2 posts
Fittings for 2 posts

What's not:

Plexiglass
Carriage Bolts
Hex Screws

Fittings

Tabs to connect to plexiglass

Model: M50-6

Qty

Base flanges to connect post to surface

Model: 61-6

Qty

Plastic plugs for top of post

Model: 77-6

Qty

Pipe

Post

Model: 6-2-G

Length

Meters Centimeters

Qty

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Please note: We are providers of frames and do not currently supply perspex or polycarbonate sheets.

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2. Enclosed sneeze guard design

This design offers protection from both the front and one side and is fixed to the counter surface using round flanges. Similar to our prior design, the plastic screen attaches to the uprights using M50 fittings.