SCACL Safety Plan – JANUARY 2021 (Update #7)
This is an updated safety plan and will replace previous editions.
SCACL had a small outbreak of CV-19 in December 2020 with three staff testing positive. No supported individual has tested positive to date.
SCACL operated essential services between March and June of 2020. Services re-opened for employment and community inclusion programs in May of 2020, with a small cluster model of support and outreach food security programs implemented. As of January, 2021, we continue to operate at this level. All individuals we support are deemed to be at high risk if they caught the virus.
SCACL will continue to follow provincial safety principles for the duration of the pandemic. These principles include:
o Staying informed, being prepared and following public health orders and recommendations.
o Practising good hand hygiene, and encouraging staff/persons served to avoid touching their face.
o Conducting daily wellness checks of both staff and supported individuals
o Ensuring staff and persons served stay at home and away from others when ill – with no exceptions.
o Maintaining physical distancing e.g., no handshakes or hugs, keeping the number of contacts low and keeping a safe distance from each other.
o Making necessary contacts safer with appropriate controls, e.g., using barriers or reducing numbers of staff/supported persons in one place.
o Increasing cleaning of frequently touched (contact) surfaces
o Use of PPE in all facilities. and encouraging the use of masks for persons served wherever possible (as long as the individual can wear a mask)
o Minimizing non-essential personal travel.
The Risk
The virus that causes COVID-19 spreads in several ways, including through contact with respiratory droplets when a person coughs or sneezes, and from touching a contaminated surface before touching the face, nose or eyes.
The risk of person-to-person transmission is increased the closer you come to other people, the amount of time you spend near them, and the number of people you come near. Physical distancing measures help mitigate this risk. Air circulation (outdoors) also helps to mitigate this risk.
Some infections can be spread by exposure to the virus in small droplets and particles that can linger in the air for minutes to hours. These viruses may be able to infect people who are further than 6 feet away from the person who is infected or after that person has left the space. This risk of this occurring is higher in small enclosed spaces. The documented transmissions occurred within enclosed spaces that had inadequate ventilation. Sometimes the infected person was breathing heavily, for example, while singing or exercising. Under these circumstances, scientists believe that the amount of infectious smaller droplets and particles produced by the people with COVID-19 became concentrated enough to spread the virus to other people. The people who were infected were in the same space during the same time or shortly after the person with COVID-19 had left.
Available data indicate that it is much more common for the virus that causes COVID-19 to spread through close contact with a person who has COVID-19 than through airborne transmission.
The risk of surface transmission is increased when many people contact the same surface, and when those contacts happen in short intervals of time. Effective cleaning and hygiene practices help mitigate this risk.
Prevention
First level protection (elimination): Limit the number of people in your workplace where possible by implementing work-from-home arrangements, establishing occupancy limits, rescheduling work tasks, or other means. Rearrange workspaces to ensure that workers are at least 2 m (6 ft) from co-workers, customers, and members of the public.
SCACL’s occupancy levels have been reduced based on square footage:
103 = Four people in offices (includes one in the kitchen at a time) – no exit/entry via HR office. Posted occupancy is three, so there can be a fourth visitor.
104 = Six in total (one entry/exit way)
105 = Day Program area = Seven in total (dedicated exit/entry)
Supported Employment area = Three in total (dedicated exit/entry)
Further Breakdown of working areas
• 105 Kitchen = One person in the kitchen at a time (between the counters)
• 105 Rear administration office = Two people
• 105 Quiet Room = One person
• DP Main area = One staff and up to three persons served or two staff and two persons served (dedicated entry/exit door)
• 103 Admin staff are to continue rotating working remotely, no more than three people are working in 103 office at any given time
• Employees with underlying health issues (or persons in their households with health issues) to work remotely as much as is possible
Lunch/meal breaks will not be communal (except at residences where distance can be maintained)
Sinks and all contact points to be cleaned between use (supplies to be nearby)
Virtual meetings/training/interviews to be conducted where viable
Visitors at residences are reduced to essential only (family members and contractors)
Non-essential travel/community contact has been eliminated from programming
Shopping and purchasing to de done by dedicated persons per worksite
Second level protection (engineering controls): If you can’t always maintain physical distancing, install barriers such as plexiglass to separate people.
Plexiglass barriers were installed in SCACL vehicles in May 2020
Any new vehicles will have barriers installed
Supported persons must sit behind barriers and wear a mask if able. Employees must wear a mask while driving.
Mustering for Supported Employment occurs outside as much as is possible
Recreation activities occur outside as much as is possible
Indoor programming is at separate tables
Third level protection (administrative controls): Establish rules and guidelines, such as cleaning protocols, telling workers to not share tools, or implementing one-way doors or walkways.
SCACL has determined designated entry and exit ways in 105
SCACL has cleaning schedules and twice-daily contact point cleaning, professional cleaning twice per week of public buildings, and cleaning protocols for after each use of kitchen, bathrooms and vehicles.
Employees are not to share meals, or re-usable PPE (such as goggles, face shields)
Physical distancing is marked on floors in multi-use rooms in 104 and 105
Hands-free sanitizing stations are in every entryway in public buildings and sanitizer
Cleaning is done by employees and by professional cleaners.
Fourth level protection (PPE): If the first three levels of protection aren’t enough to control the risk, use masks. Ensure masks are selected and cared for appropriately and that workers are using masks correctly.
Masks are to be worn by employees as required by the public mandate, when unable to physically distance more than two meters from others, when on public transit or in SCACL vehicles, when providing personal care, when preparing food, when giving medication, when walking, entering or exiting through any SCACL facility, and otherwise when stated to do so by a safety or community protocol. (Note some health/community facilities require masks worn to be both paper and new, so best to always have some of those on your person). We highly recommend employees wear a mask for their entire shift.
Gloves are to be worn for all personal care, medication preparation/administration, food preparation/serving, cleaning and any other care tasks. Gloves are to be changed between tasks. i.e. cleaning and then food prep.
Gowns, eye googles and face shields will be available in case a supported person is ill or self- isolating and a further level of PPE is required. Non disposable PPE will not be shared, but labeled and re-used by one staff.
An emergency kit of PPE will be stored at each facility.
The main inventory of PPE is stored at 104. Ordering is done by QAD, Program Coordinators and Maintenance Coordinator. Cleaning supplies are stored in each facility.
SCACL purchased 3-layer logo-printed cloth masks that can be used by staff.
Training/Communications
New staff will be trained in the use of PPE and in safety protocols by Program Coordinators. Any new protocol or PPE will have the cleaning and care required to be part of the training provided.
Supported Individuals will be trained/supported to wear masks when able to do so, to use good hand hygiene and to follow public health orders. PPE will be provided to them as needed.
SCACL will communicate updates by email to employees. If urgent they will contact by telephone. Updates will also be sent to stakeholders by email/telephone as needed.
Note: Data sources are:
Vancouver Coastal Health
Canadian Centre for Disease Control
Worksafe BC
