Crystal Falls Contemporary Center
COVID-19 Exposure Prevention, Preparedness, and Response
Crystal Falls Contemporary Center takes the health and safety of our employees very seriously. With the spread of the coronavirus or “COVID-19,” a respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, we must remain vigilant in mitigating the outbreak. In order to be safe and maintain operations, we have developed this COVID-19 Exposure Prevention, Preparedness, and Response Plan to be implemented, to the extent feasible and appropriate throughout. Crystal Falls Contemporary Center has also identified the Board Members and Director to monitor the related guidance that U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) continue to make available.
This Plan is based on information available from the CDC and OSHA at the time of its development, and is subject to change based on further information provided by the CDC, OSHA, and other public officials. Crystal Falls Contemporary Center may also amend this Plan based on operational needs.
I. Responsibilities of Board Members and Executive Director
All Board Members and the Director must be familiar with this Plan and be ready to answer questions from employees, volunteers, and class participants. Board Members and Director must set a good example by following this Plan at all times. This involves practicing good personal hygiene and jobsite safety practices to prevent the spread of the virus. Board Members and Director must encourage this same behavior from all employees, volunteers and class participants.
II. Responsibilities of Employees
Crystal Falls Contemporary Center is asking our employees and volunteers to help with our prevention efforts while at the Center or classes at other facilities that are run through the Crystal Falls Contemporary Center. In order to minimize the spread of COVID-19 at our community, everyone must play their part. As set forth below, Crystal Falls Contemporary Center has instituted various housekeeping, social distancing, and other best practices at our jobsites. All employees and volunteers must follow these. In addition, employees and volunteers are expected to report to the Director if they are experiencing signs or symptoms of COVID-19, as described below. If you have a specific question about this Plan or COVID-19, please ask a Board Member or Director.
OSHA and the CDC have provided the following control and preventative guidance for all workers, regardless of exposure risk:
Frequently wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. When soap and running water are unavailable, use an alcohol-based hand rub with at least 60% alcohol.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
Follow appropriate respiratory etiquette, which includes covering for coughs and sneezes.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
In addition, employees and volunteers must familiarize themselves with the symptoms of COVID-19, which include the following:
Coughing;
Fever;
Shortness of breath, difficulty breathing; and
Early symptoms such as chills, body aches, sore throat, headache, diarrhea, nausea/vomiting, and runny nose.
If you develop a fever and symptoms of respiratory illness, such as cough or shortness of breath, DO NOT GO TO WORK and call your supervisor and healthcare provider right away. Likewise, if you come into close contact with someone showing these symptoms, call your supervisor and healthcare provider right away.
III. Job Site Protective Measures
Crystals Falls Contemporary Center has instituted the following protective measures at all jobsites.
A. General Safety Policies and Rules
Any employee/volunteer/class participant showing symptoms of COVID-19 will be asked to leave.
If meetings or classes are conducted in-person, attendance will be collected verbally. During any in-person meetings or classes, avoid gathering in groups of more than 10 people and participants must remain at least six (6) feet apart.
Employees must avoid physical contact with others and shall direct others (co- workers/volunteers /class participants) to increase personal space to at least six (6) feet, where possible.
Crystal Falls Contemporary Center will provide, if available, alcohol-based hand sanitizers and/or wipes.
Instructors will set up work stations at classes in ways that participants will be 6 feet apart for the duration of the class.
When supplies such as paint brushes and other tools or equipment must be shared, Crystal Falls Contemporary Center will provide alcohol-based wipes to clean item before and after use.
Two instructors/volunteers will be present during classes to assist in maintaining these guidelines.
Shared in-studio equipment and tools (such as pottery wheels, paint brushes, etc.) must be properly cleaned and sanitized between each use.
B. Personal Protective Equipment and Work Practice Controls
o Gloves: Gloves should be worn when engaged in cleaning tasks, dish washing, food prep. The type of glove worn should be appropriate to the task. If gloves are not typically required for the task, then any type of glove is acceptable, including latex gloves. Employees should avoid sharing gloves.
o Masks should be worn during group activities when staying 6 feet apart is not a possible accommodation. Mask does not have to be a N95, but a home-made mask or commercial mask is sufficient.
NOTE: The CDC is currently not recommending that healthy people wear N95 respirators to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
IV. Job Site Cleaning and Disinfecting
Crystal Falls Contemporary Center has instituted regular housekeeping practices, which include cleaning and disinfecting frequently used door handles and other elements of the work environment, where possible. Employees should regularly do the same with shared class supplies when instructing classes.
Any trash collected from the jobsite must be changed frequently by someone wearing nitrile, latex, or vinyl gloves.
OSHA has indicated that a reliable report that an employee has tested positive for COVID-19 does not typically require an employer to perform special cleaning or decontamination of work environments, unless those environments are visibly contaminated with blood or other bodily fluids.2 Notwithstanding this, Crystal Falls Contemporary Center will clean those areas of the jobsite that a confirmed-positive individual may have contacted and it will do so before employees can access that work space again.
Crystal Falls Contemporary Center will ensure that any disinfection shall be conducted using one of the following:
o Common EPA-registered household disinfectant;
o Alcohol solution with at least 60% alcohol; or
o Diluted household bleach solutions (if appropriate for the surface).
V. Jobsite Exposure Situations
• Employee Exhibits COVID-19 Symptoms
If an employee exhibits COVID-19 symptoms, the employee must remain at home until he or she is symptom free for 72 hours (3 full days) without the use of fever-reducing or other symptom-altering medicines (e.g., cough suppressants). Crystal Falls Contemporary Center will similarly require an employee who reports to work with symptoms to return home until he or she is symptom free for 72 hours (3 full days). To the extent practical, employees are required to obtain a doctor’s note clearing them to return to work.
• Employee Tests Positive for COVID-19
An employee who tests positive for COVID-19 will be directed to self-quarantine away from work. Employees that test positive and are symptom free may return to work when at least seven (7) days have passed since the date of his or her first positive test, and have not had a subsequent illness. Employees who test positive and are directed to care for themselves at home may return to work when: (1) at least 72 hours (3 full days) have passed since recovery;3 and (2) at least seven (7) days have passed since symptoms first appeared. Employees who test positive and have been hospitalized may return to work when directed to do so by their medical care providers. Crystal Falls Contemporary Center will require an employee to provide documentation clearing his or her return to work.
• Employee Has Close Contact with an Individual Who Has Tested Positive for COVID-19
Employees who have come into close contact with an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19 (co-worker or otherwise) will be directed to self-quarantine for 14 days from the last date of close contact with that individual. Close contact is defined as six (6) feet for a prolonged period of time.
If Crystal Falls Contemporary Center learns that an employee has tested positive, Crystal Falls Contemporary Center will conduct an investigation to determine co-workers who may have had close contact with the confirmed- positive employee in the prior 14 days and direct those individuals who have had close contact with the confirmed-positive employee to self-quarantine for 14 days from the last date of close contact with that employee. If applicable, Crystal Falls Contemporary Center will also notify any sub-contractors, volunteers or class participants who may have had close contact with the confirmed-positive employee. If an employee learns that he or she has come into close contact with a confirmed-positive individual outside of the workplace, he/she must alert the Executive Director as soon as possible.
Recovery is defined as: (1) resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and (2) improvement in respiratory symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath).
VI. OSHA Recordkeeping
If a confirmed case of COVID-19 is reported, Crystal Falls Contemporary Center will determine if it meets the criteria for recordability and reportability under OSHA’s recordkeeping rule. For purposes of COVID-19, OSHA also requires employers to report to OSHA any work-related illness that (1) results in a fatality, or (2) results in the in-patient hospitalization of one or more employee. “In-patient” hospitalization is defined as a formal admission to the in-patient service of a hospital or clinic for care or treatment.
OSHA has made a determination that COVID-19 should not be excluded from coverage of the rule – like the common cold or the seasonal flu – and, thus, OSHA is considering it an “illness.” However, OSHA has stated that only confirmed cases of COVID-19 should be considered an illness under the rule. Thus, if an employee simply comes to work with symptoms consistent with COVID-19 but is not a confirmed diagnosis, the recordability analysis is not necessarily triggered at that time.
If an employee has a confirmed case of COVID-19, Crystal Falls Contemporary Center will conduct an assessment of any workplace exposures to determine if the case is work-related. Work-relatedness is presumed for illnesses that result from events or exposures in the work environment, unless it meets certain exceptions. One of those exceptions is that the illness involves signs or symptoms that surface at work but result solely from a non-work-related event or exposure that occurs outside of the work environment. Thus, if an employee develops COVID-19 solely from an exposure outside of the work environment, it would not be work-related, and thus not recordable.
Crystal Falls Contemporary Center’s assessment will consider the work environment itself, the type of work performed, the risk of person-to-person transmission given the work environment, and other factors such as community spread. Further, if an employee has a confirmed case of COVID- 19 that is considered work-related, Crystal Falls Contemporary Center will report the case to OSHA if it results in a fatality within 30 days or an in-patient hospitalization within 24-hours of the exposure incident.
II. Confidentiality/Privacy
Except for circumstances in which Crystal Falls Contemporary Center is legally required to report workplace occurrences of communicable disease, the confidentiality of all medical conditions will be maintained in accordance with applicable law and to the extent practical under the circumstances. When it is required, the number of persons who will be informed that an unnamed employee has tested positive will be kept to the minimum needed to comply with reporting requirements and to limit the potential for transmission to others. Crystal Falls Contemporary Center reserves the right to inform other employees that an unnamed co-worker has been diagnosed with COVID-19 if the other employees might have been exposed to the disease so the employees may take measures to protect their own health. Crystal Falls Contemporary Center also reserves the right to inform sub-contractors, vendors/suppliers or visitors that an unnamed employee has been diagnosed with COVID-19 if they might have been exposed to the disease so those individuals may take measures to protect their own health.
VIII. General Questions
Given the fast-developing nature of the COVID-19 outbreak, Crystal Falls Contemporary Center may modify this Plan on a case by case basis. If you have any questions concerning this Plan, please contact Executive Director.
References:
https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/covid-19/controlprevention.htm
https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/getting-workplace-ready-for-covid-19.pdf
https://www.epi-win.com/
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/index.html
COVID-19 Checklist for Employers and Employees
Know the Symptoms of COVID-19
• Coughing, fever, shortness of breath, and difficulty breathing.
• Early symptoms may include chills, body aches, sore throat, headache, diarrhea, nausea/vomiting, and runny nose. If you develop a fever and symptoms of respiratory illness, DO NOT GO TO WORK and call your supervisor and health-care provider immediately. Do the same thing if you come into close contact with someone showing these symptoms.
Employer Responsibilities
• Develop a COVID-19 Exposure Action Plan.
• Conduct safety meetings (toolbox talks) by phone if possible. If not, instruct employees to maintain 6-feet between each other. The foreman/supervisor will track attendance verbally rather than having employees sign an attendance sheet.
• Access to the office will be limited to only those necessary for the work. • All visitors will be pre-screened to ensure they are not exhibiting symptoms.
• Employees, contractors, and visitors will be asked to leave the jobsite and return home if they are showing symptoms.
• Provide hand sanitizer and maintain Safety Data Sheets of all disinfectants used on site.
• Provide protective equipment (PPE) to any employees assigned cleaning/disinfecting tasks.
Employee Responsibilities
Become familiar with the Exposure Action Plan and follow all elements of the Plan.
Practice good hygiene: wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If these are not available, use alcohol-based hand rub with at least 60% alcohol. Avoid touching your face, eyes, food, etc. with unwashed hands.
Cleaning/Disinfecting Job Sites and Other Protective Measures
Clean and disinfect frequently used tools and equipment on a regular basis. This includes other elements of the jobsite where possible. Employees should regularly do the same in their assigned work areas.
Disinfect shared surfaces (door handles, machinery controls, etc.) on a regular basis.
Trash collected from the jobsite must be changed frequently by someone wearing gloves.
Personal Protective Equipment and Alternate Work Practice Controls
• Provide and wear the proper PPE.
What is COVID-19?
COVID-19 Toolbox Talk
The novel coronavirus, COVID-19 is one of seven types of known human coronaviruses. COVID-19, like the MERS and SARS coronaviruses, likely evolved from a virus previously found in animals. The remaining known coronaviruses cause a significant percentage of colds in adults and children, and these are not a serious threat for otherwise healthy adults.
Patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection have reportedly had mild to severe respiratory illness with symptoms such as fever, cough, and shortness of breath.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”), Chinese authorities identified an outbreak caused by a novel—or new—coronavirus. The virus can cause mild to severe respiratory illness. The outbreak began in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, and has spread to a growing number of other countries—including the United States.
How is COVID-19 Spread?
COVID-19, like other viruses, can spread between people. Infected people can spread COVID-19 through their respiratory secretions, especially when they cough or sneeze. According to the CDC, spread from person-to-person is most likely among close contacts (about 6 feet). Person-to-person spread is thought to occur mainly via respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes, like influenza and other respiratory pathogens. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs. It is currently unclear if a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes.
In assessing potential hazards, employers should consider whether their workers may encounter someone infected with COVID-19 in the course of their duties. Employers should also determine if workers could be exposed to environments (e.g., worksites) or materials (e.g., laboratory samples, waste) contaminated with the virus.
Depending on the work setting, employers may also rely on identification of sick individuals who have signs, symptoms, and/or a history of travel to COVID-19-affected areas that indicate potential infection with the virus, in order to help identify exposure risks for workers and implement appropriate control measures.
There is much more to learn about the transmissibility, severity, and other features associated with COVID-19, and investigations are ongoing.
COVID-19 Prevention and Work Practice Controls:
Worker Responsibilities
Frequently wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. When soap and running water are unavailable, use an alcohol-based hand rub with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands that are visibly soiled.
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze or use the inside of your elbow.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Employees who have symptoms (i.e., fever, cough, or shortness of breath) should notify
their supervisor and stay home—DO NOT GO TO WORK.
Sick employees should follow CDC-recommended steps. Employees should not return to work until the criteria to discontinue home isolation are met, in consultation with healthcare providers and state and local health departments.
General Job Site / Office Practices
Clean AND disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces such as workstations, keyboards, telephones, handrails, and doorknobs. Dirty surfaces can be cleaned with soap and water prior to disinfection. To disinfect, use products that meet EPA’s criteria for use against SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19, and are appropriate for the surface.
Avoid using other employees’ phones, desks, offices, or other work tools and equipment, when possible. If necessary, clean and disinfect them before and after use.
Clean and disinfect frequently used tools and equipment on a regular basis. o This includes other elements of the jobsite where possible.
o Employees should regularly do the same in their assigned work areas.Disinfect shared surfaces (door handles, machinery controls, etc.) on a regular basis.
Avoid sharing tools with co-workers if it can be avoided. If not, disinfect before and after each use.
Any trash collected from the jobsite must be changed frequently by someone wearing gloves.
2 https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/covid-19/controlprevention.html