covid 19 exposure control plan january 2022

COVID-19 Exposure Control Plan

December 2020

CONTENTS

POLICY OVERVIEW

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, Therma has followed all State, Government, and CDC guidelines to reduce contamination in our workplace including sending our entire office and field workforce home, hosting virtual meetings, and delaying non-essential work and requiring any staff who display any of the main symptoms to self-isolate and not return to work without clearance from a licensed health care professional. Due to the fluid nature of COVID-19 this policy is subject to change and may vary by Federal, State or local ordinance(s).
Failure to comply with this policy may constitute grounds for disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal from employment.

SCOPE

RESPONSIBLE PARTIES

GENERAL POLICY

  1. All employees who choose to work do so voluntarily, and no employee shall be forced to work on a project. An employee may choose to leave a project without fear of reprisal.
  2. No worker who displays the following symptoms may work on any active Therma project:
    a. Fever
    i. Fever in adults is a temperature of 38ºC (100.4ºF) or above. ii. Therma will not administer temperature checks unless requested by the GC. b. Sudden onset, persistent dry cough
    c. Unexplained tiredness
    d. Shortness of breath
    e. In some cases, loss of sense of smell and taste has been an early indicator.
  3. No worker shall be permitted to work who in the last 14 days has:
    a. Been diagnosed with COVID-19
    b. Been exposed to an individual diagnosed with COVID-19
    c. Had close contact with someone suspected of having COVID-19
    d. Not been in full compliance with the recently lifted shelter in place order
  4. No worker who meets any of the conditions stated in item 2 shall be permitted to return to work until they have been asymptomatic for 14 days.
  5. No worker who meets any of the conditions in item 3 shall be permitted to return to work until they have satisfied the quarantine requirements as set forth by the CDC.
  6. Therma employees must be authorized by his/her supervisor before returning to work. Any Therma employee who has not been authorized is prohibited from working at any active job sites.
  7. Return to work authorization will not be granted until the employee has completed the Illness Health Assessment Questionnaire. (See: Appendix D)
  8. If a General Contractor requires temperature measuring on job sites, Therma will comply with that request.
  9. Therma will provide face coverings which employees are expected to wear at all times. It is the employee's responsibility to properly care for and clean the provided face coverings. (See: Appendix B)

PROCEDURE FOR REPORTING SYMPTOMS OF INFECTION

Any employee who develops the symptoms, or meets the requirements mentioned above after their initial return to work, must immediately notify their supervisor via telephone and leave the job site.

MEDICAL INFORMATION REQUESTS & CONFIDENTIALITY

  1. If you are out sick or show symptoms of being ill, it may become necessary to request information from you and/or your health care provider.
  2. Our policy is to treat all medical information as confidential. Disclosure of medical information will be limited to supervisors, managers, safety personnel and government officials as required by law.

BASIC PREVENTATIVE PROTOCOLS

PERSONAL HYGIENE

  1. Avoid physical contact with other workers (handshakes, fist bumps, etc.)
  2. The worker shall wash their hands frequently throughout the day with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
  3. Where available, hot running water should be used.
  4. In the event no running water is available hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol should be used.
  5. Extra care must be taken when using shared equipment such as ladders, MEWP's, and portable tools.
  6. Avoid touching your face, even with gloves, as the virus can be spread from surface to skin.

WORK ENVIRONMENT PROTOCOLS

  1. Ensure social and physical distancing is exercised. Attempt to maintain 6' of separation between workers.
  2. Avoid sharing tools and equipment where possible; wipe down tools.
  3. Employees should attempt use his/her assigned vehicle, MEWP's or equipment on every shift.
  4. When team lifting or working near others is required, extra caution must be taken.
  5. Coordinate work to be away from other trades or workers but check in regularly with colleagues.
  6. Breaks and lunches shall be staggered where permitted to reduce the occupancy of break areas.

ADVANCED PREVENTATIVE PROTOCOLS

POST WORK & ARRIVING HOME

FOREMAN ASSESSMENT SURVEY

To mitigate the community spread of COVID - 19, supervisors are required to review the recommendations outlined in the Foreman Assessment Survey (Appendix C) and complete the survey with their team each day before the start of work.

OFFICE EMPLOYEE SELF-ASSESSMENT

All office employees are required to perform a health self-assessment prior to entering the office. Using the Envoy App employees are required to “Reserve a spot in the office” by answering a series of health questions, as detailed in the original policy.

TRAINING

All employees are provided training related to COVID-19 protocols and appropriate workplace safety measures, including information about how to isolate individuals with suspected or confirmed COVID-19.

EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION

The COVID-19 Exposure plan is communicated to all employees through the company's website, providing information on Prevention Procedures, Testing, Symptoms & illnesses relating to COVID-19.

RETALIATION

Under this policy, no adverse action is to be taken against an employee who reports, complains about or participates in the reporting of a possible COVID 19 exposure.

RESPONDING TO A CONFIRMED CASE

Steps to take if a confirmed COVID-19 case is reported include ensuring the worker isolates, notifying employees who may have been exposed, and initiating contact tracing.

RESPONDING TO A SUSPECTED CASE

Steps for suspected COVID-19 cases involve sending the worker home and advising them to get tested as soon as possible.

IDENTIFYING & EVALUATION OF HAZARDS

Foremen are responsible for identifying workplace conditions that could result in potential exposure.

CORRECTING COVID-19 HAZARDS

Once a COVID-19 hazard has been identified, unsafe conditions or practices will be corrected as soon as practically possible.

NOTICE OF POTENTIAL EXPOSURE

Notice must be provided to employees who were on the same premises at the same time as an infected person, within one business day.

WORKPLACE OUTBREAK CASE NOTIFICATION

An outbreak is defined as three or more laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 within a two-week period among employees.

MAJOR OUTBREAK CASE NOTIFICATION

A major outbreak is defined as twenty or more laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 within a thirty-day period among employees.

OSHA REPORTING & RECORD KEEPING

A work-related exposure in the work environment will be recorded according to OSHA guidelines.

APPENDIX A: SUGGESTED PPE PLACEMENT & REMOVAL

BEGINNING OF THE SHIFT

Workers should put on PPE while at their vehicle for a clean and controlled environment.

END OF THE SHIFT

Workers should take all PPE with them at the end of the day, ensuring proper sanitization protocols before repeat use.

APPENDIX B: FACE COVERING CARE

Care instructions for face coverings include machine washing and drying on a delicate setting.

COVID-19 ILLNESS/HEALTH ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE

A series of key questions to assess exposure risk and potential COVID-19 symptoms.

Home Isolation & Quarantine Guidelines

Isolation and Quarantine Steps for People Before and After COVID -19 Diagnostic Test Results

Detailed guidelines on actions to take while waiting for and after receiving COVID-19 test results, specifically tailored for those exposed to or diagnosed with COVID-19.