23rd July 2020

Reminder – How COVID-19 spreads:

When someone who has COVID-19 coughs or exhales they release droplets of infected fluid. Most of these droplets fall on nearby surfaces and objects – such as desks, tables or telephones. People could catch COVID-19 by touching contaminated surfaces or objects – and then touching their eyes, nose or mouth. If they are standing within one meter of a person with COVID-19 they can catch it by breathing in droplets coughed out or exhaled by them. In other words, COVID-19 spreads in a similar way to flu. Most persons infected with COVID-19 experience mild symptoms and recover. However, some go on to experience more serious illness and may require hospital care. Risk of serious illness rises with age: people over 40 seem to be more vulnerable than those under 40. People with weakened immune systems and people with conditions such as diabetes, heart and lung disease are also more vulnerable to serious illness. 

This document gives protocols on:

• Simple ways to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our workplace
• Isolation and Vulnerable People
• Entry Control and Management
• Return to work after closure
• Best Practice and Information Sharing

Simple ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our workplace

Promote Cleaning and Hygiene:

1. Surfaces (e.g. desks and tables) and objects (e.g. telephones, keyboards) need to be wiped with disinfectant regularly. Provide suitable wipes for employees to use on their personal workspaces, machines and control panels.
2. Ensure welfare and communal areas are cleaned regularly, at least after each breaktime or change of shift using suitable cleaning chemicals that will kill the coronavirus.
3. Ensure all door handles/knobs are cleaned every shift. Leave doors open wherever possible to avoid the need to contact.
4. Ensure cleaning service provider employees and/or cleaning staff are equipped with full PPE as required by local and international guidance.
5. All used cleaning materials and PPE should be disposed on into a bin bag and sealed.

Promote regular and thorough handwashing by employees and all visitors to site:

1. Put sanitizing hand rub dispensers in prominent places around the workplace. Make sure these dispensers are regularly refilled
2. Display posters promoting hand-washing – Including the correct method of hand washing
3. Combine this with other communication measures such as offering guidance from occupational health and safety officers, briefings at meetings and information on the intranet to promote handwashing
4. Make sure that employees, contractors, visitors, delivery/collection drivers and customers have access to places where they can wash their hands with soap and water or antibacterial wash.
5. Make sure employees are provided with regular breaks to allow them to wash their hands for 20 seconds.
6. Provide additional hand sanitizers and/or cleaning wash to meeting rooms, communal or welfare areas.

Promote good respiratory hygiene in the workplace:

1. Display posters promoting respiratory hygiene. Combine this with other communication measures such as offering guidance from occupational health and safety officers, briefing at meetings and information on the intranet etc.
2. Ensure that FFP2 type face masks are available in the facility which can be issued to all employees for use whilst in the facility if appropriate (Follow local or country health advice). Employees should be trained on how to fit and handle the face masks to ensure suitability and fit for purpose. Display posters around the workplace to promote the correct method of fitment.
3. Simple use of an FFP2 face mask does not guarantee prevention of infection.
4. Ensure that paper tissues are available at your workplaces, for those who develop a runny nose or cough at work, along with closed bins for hygienically disposing of them

Brief our employees, contractors and customers:

 If COVID-19 starts spreading in your community anyone with even a mild cough or low-grade fever (37.3 C or  more) needs to stay at home. They should also stay home (or work from home) if they have had to take simple medications, such as paracetamol/acetaminophen, ibuprofen or aspirin, which may mask symptoms of infection

Ensure staff are aware and signs are visible in the workplace reminding employees and customers not to enter the premises if they have COVID-19 symptoms such as a high temperature or persistent cough (or a member of their household displays symptoms) and to avoid touching their eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hand

Display posters with this message in your workplaces. Combine this with other communication channels commonly used in your organization or business.

Make clear to employees that they will be able to count this time off as sick leave.

Social Distancing:

1. Practising good hand hygiene and social distancing is key to minimising the risk of infection.
2. Unless absolutely necessary, employees should maintain and social distance of 2 metres at all times.
3. Encourage and support employees to work from home if possible.
4. Where possible, alter business-as-usual ways of working to ensure social distancing can take place.
5. Break areas and break times should be set up to allow for social distancing to occur to minimise contact during these times. Limit the number of people in the break or welfare facilities and space out seating or changing locations. Look to stagger break times to avoid overcrowding. Display posters and information/instructions.
6. If possible, stagger clocking in/out times by a few minutes to reduce congestions at entrance and exit points.
7. Use floor markings to indicate safe distances where appropriate e.g. clocking in/out, entrances, store locations or welfare facilities. Redesign of customer flows to minimise contact opportunities e.g. one-way systems, entry and separate exit points.
8. Avoid group meetings where possible. Use teleconference calls or video. Even for small meetings try and carry out remotely from your own work zone.
9. If a group meeting cannot be avoided, limit the numbers of participants and ensure 2 metre spacing is maintained at all times. E.g. floor marking of where to stand or space out seating.

Isolation and Vulnerable People

1. Ensure you identify persons who may be at risk, and support them, without inviting stigma and discrimination into your workplace. This could include persons who have recently travelled to an area reporting cases, or other personnel who have conditions that put them at higher risk of serious illness (e.g. diabetes, heart and lung disease, older age).
2. Additional social distancing and PPE may be required or if deemed higher risk, ask the employees to work from home or self-isolate.
3. Ensure a separate isolation room or area is made available and equipped with face masks, gloves, tissues and cleaning materials/chemicals.
4. If a person is detected as having a high temperature or reports symptoms of COVID 19, the potentially ill person should be put in a room or area where they are isolated from others in the workplace, limiting the number of people who have contact with the potentially infected person.
5. The ill person should use their own phone to arrange transport to leave the building and/or notify the local health authorities as appropriate.
6. Anyone who may have been in contact with the potentially infected person should be notified.
7. The isolation room should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected after use

Entry Control and Management

Employees:

1. Display posters at all entry points to remind employees of coronavirus symptoms and the need not to enter.
2. Leave access gates open where possible at time of entry and use proximity (none contact) access control.
3. If thermal cameras are used to detect possible elevated body temperatures, ensure employees are aware of its use and the reactive protocols in place should a person be detected as having an elevated temperature. If an elevated temperature is detected, move the person to the isolation room.

Visitors, Contractors:

1. Wherever possible, limit the number of visitors and contractors to the facility. Only essential visits should be made. Any communications or discussions should be done remotely.
2. If a visit is absolutely necessary, follow local entry control and management, plus, provide a general questionnaire for each person entering asking about current health condition/symptoms, recent locations and areas travelled to, and any known contact with infected person(s). If there is any doubt or concern over any answers, the visitor / contractor should be refused admission.
3. Ensure a 2-metre social distancing gap is maintained between security staff and anyone visiting the site. If not possible, provide a clear protective screen if appropriate.

Delivery/Collection Drivers:

1. Provide a questionnaire at point of entry for each driver entering asking about current health condition/symptoms, recent locations and areas travelled to, and any known contact with infected person(s). If there is any doubt or concern over any answers, the driver should be refused admission.
2. Ensure drivers remain in their vehicle as much as possible.
3. Define a specific location for drivers to report to. This location should maintain a 2-metre gap between the driver and employee. This can be done with segregation room or large table for example.
4. Do not use the same writing materials as the driver.
5. Wash hands after every transaction and before touching face or mouth.
6. Employee should wear surgical or maintenance gloves if possible and dispose of once used.

Return to Work After Closure, annual leave or sickness

If an employee returns to work, they should be re instructed in all the control measures and rules in force to prevent the spread of infection of COVID 19. Provide hard copies of control information and rules in force as appropriate.

All employees should complete the general health questionnaire asking about current health condition/symptoms, recent locations and areas travelled to, and any known contact with infected person(s). If there is any doubt or concern over any answers, the employee should be refused admission.

They should be provided with any PPE as appropriate.