REQUIRED: COVID-19 Safety Plans
Workplace COVID-19 safety plans need to be posted and followed accurately to stop the spread. We have some very helpful tips here for you to include inside that. Your policies now need to reflect the following changes and measures recommended by our Local Public Health Unit and the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Training, and Skills Development.
Build with Safety wants to break down recent construction workplace requirements for you, and be there for you and your team when you need us. Please read the following and ask us if you have any questions or need us to help you implement your COVID-19 Self Assessment Quiz and safety plan today to become compliant!
Immediate Notification to Public Health
Assign someone at your workplace to handle all COVID-NINETEEN related claims. When a workplace becomes aware of two or more people who test positive of the virus within 14 days of one another in connection with that workplace, the local Public Health Unit must be made aware of all details immediately.
The Health Unit will require all contact information for those involved in the workplace outbreak. From there, a representative from the health unit will likely be involved in upgrading, analyzing, or implementing new safety measures to prevent the virus from spreading again. The Ministry of Labour, Training, and Skills Development will also need to be notified of what is happening at your workplace, as well as any other governing bodies involved in your operation that require you to notify them as well.
Suggested Infection Preventions:
Provide or ask for 90% alcohol content sanitizer to be made available throughout your workplace, especially in rest areas. Create and follow a cleaning and sanitizing schedule that involves the frequent cleaning of all areas, especially high touch surfaces like washrooms, check-out counters, phones, lunch areas, doorknobs, tables, tools, and equipment.
If applicable to your workplace, have someone check out the heating, ventilation, and HVAC systems in place regularly to ensure safe air is being circulated with tons of fresh air coming through!
If possible, never have more than one individual in a work vehicle. If you must, having the window open while using preferably medical grade facemasks and spread out seating is best. Workers should be distancing themselves from one another at least 2 meters apart at all times, so this is especially important during breaks and for restrooms to make sure that these rules are being complied.
Installing one-way walkways, plexiglass barriers, posting signage about directions, or using directional arrows to guide workers is highly recommended, and if you need help finding a local service that prints those, please let us know! Even with PPE in place, social distancing is the most recommended.
Supports for Workers
Do you and your colleagues know about income replacements in the event that you need to be off work for COVID-19? In order to encourage forthright reporting of COVID-19 symptoms or contact among employees, ensure that all employees are aware of income replacement and workplace-related benefits they are entitled to if they have to isolate due to symptoms of COVID-19, being tested for COVID-19 or being a close contact of someone with COVID-19. Information. You can find information on Ontario’s New Recovery Benefits here.