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Site Management Sanitizing / Safety Process – Covid19

On-site best practices

The health and safety of CBCI clients, employees, subcontractors, and manufacturing partners is a top concern amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, all parties must place an increased focus on health and safety to keep job sites open.

All measures taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19 should be done in compliance with requirements under the Occupational Health and Safety Act and associated regulations and public health directives issued by the Chief Medical Officer of Health.

In addition, below are a set of resources and best practices to help CBCI employees and its subcontractors prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Protecting employees, clients and subcontractors

Coronaviruses are spread through close contact, including at work. CBCI will require all its employees and subcontractors to follow the following steps to help prevent the spread of germs:

  • Wear protective mask
  • Wear protective gloves
  • Carry hand sanitizer on them
  • Washing hands often with soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
  • Sneezing and coughing into ones’ sleeve.
  • When using a tissue, discard immediately and wash hands afterward.
  • Avoid touching eyes, nose, or mouth.
  • Avoid contact with people who are sick.
  • Stay home if you are sick.
  • Avoid high-touch areas, where possible, or ensure you clean your hands after.
  • Do not touch your face with gloved hands. Take care when removing gloves. Ensure you wash your hands after removing them.
  • Wash your clothes as soon as you get home.
  • If you are ill, present flu-like symptoms or fever: notify your supervisor immediately, complete the self-assessment and follow the instructions you get.

Reporting illness

The symptoms of COVID-19 are like many other illnesses, including the cold and flu. At this time, it is recommended that any worker who has any symptoms related to cold, flu or COVID-19 should be sent home.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

CBCI employees and subcontractors are required to wear their gloves while working and protective masks when they are not able to respect social distancing measures of 2 meters between themselves. CBCI will be provided PPE gear to all its employees and subcontractors prior to accessing any client work site.

Ministry of Labour reporting requirements

IMPORTANT: If CBCI’s management is advised that an employee or subcontractor has tested positive for COVID-19 due to exposure at the workplace, the employer is required to notify:

  • the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development in writing within four days
  • the workplace joint health and safety committee or a health and safety representative
  • a trade union (if applicable)

Sharing of information

It is important that all parties in a workplace communicate their roles and responsibilities. CBCI will need to ensure health and safety policies are updated and posted for all employees to see. Using industry resources will improve on-site understanding.

Posting of policies

CBCI will be posting and communicating COVID-19 policies to all employees and all its subcontractors.

These policies should cover how the site will operate, including, but not limited to:

  • the sanitization of sites
  • how employees and contractors report illnesses
  • how to ensure physical distancing
  • how work will be scheduled

Physical distancing (two metres)

As advised by the various public health officials, and outlined throughout government communications, physical distancing is required to control the spread of COVID-19.

In order to ensure physical distancing on site, CBCI project managers and site supervisors will consider:

  • staggering start times
  • staggering breaks
  • staggering lunches
  • restricting the number of people on-site and where they are assigned to work
  • controlling site movement (by limiting the potential for workers to gather, including personnel in material hoists and site trailers)
  • limiting the number of people who use elevators and hoists at one time
  • holding meetings in an outside or large space to enable physical distancing
  • limiting unnecessary on-site contact between workers, and between workers and outside service providers, and encourage physical distancing in these areas (for example, by removing coffee trucks from site)

On-site sanitation

Coronaviruses are spread person to person through close contact, including at work. While CBCI has an obligation to maintain clean worksites, that obligation is under sharper focus during an outbreak like the current COVID-19 pandemic.

CBCI project management and site supervisors need to focus on:

  • access to soap and water (ways to properly clean hands) or alcohol-based hand sanitizer
  • washroom facilities
  • sanitizing commonly touched surfaces or areas (hoists, site trailers, door handles, equipment, residential units)
  • avoiding the sharing of hand tools and power tools. If sharing is necessary, enable sanitization of shared equipment.
  • posting signage on hygiene in the workplace language so everyone can understand how to do their part.