As it moves to reopen the City on a Hill building for normal operations, tentatively aiming for June 15, the City on a Hill board has adopted the following Workplace Re-entry & Safety Policy in accordance with government regulations for safe workplace operations.
City on a Hill (COAH) Workplace Re-entry & Safety Policy
City on a Hill (COAH) Workplace Re-entry & Safety Policy has been developed to comply with governmental entity regulations to ensure a safe working environment for staff/volunteers. We are committed to upholding the highest level of safety protocols in our daily operations.
PLEASE NOTE: Each individual ministry is responsible for creating and following their own workplace reentry policy. Please submit each individual policy to Gary at gary@coahm.org . This policy will have to be approved before reopening your ministry. You can find additional information on creating this document on the CDC website:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/community/workplace-decision-tree.pdf
OPENING DATE – tentatively aiming for June 15
PREPARE PHASE
- Leadership Team: Meet daily as needed for readiness/assessment
- Manager, Communication Lead, Staff/Volunteer/Guest Tracker – Gary Ellens
- Manager – keep up to date with CDC/Health Dept/Medical Professionals recommendations
- Communication Lead – to communicate with all involved with COAH (Board/Staff/Volunteers/Guests) Gary Ellens
- Staff/Volunteer/Guest Tracker – document name, date, time, details of visit, and other significant info as determined. – Gary Ellens
- Each individual ministry will be responsible for tracking their staff/volunteers/guests.
- Sanitation, PPE supply lead, Volunteer Tracker – Gary Ellens
- Sanitation Lead
- Develop plan to perform a deep cleaning of facility prior to staff/volunteers returning
- Responsible to see protocols for daily sanitation are followed
- Determine cleaning techniques
- Types of cleaners
- Surfaces to disinfect
- Individual offices to be sanitized, after initial cleaning, by the staff who inhabit that particular area on a daily basis. A list of protocols will be communicated to them by the Manager
- Designate proper disposal collection area
- PPE Supply Lead: Responsible to have at least 10 days’ worth of PPE at all times – Gary Ellens
- Controls
- Government controls – follow as designated
- COAH controls
- Limit entry and exit points – each individual ministry partner will ensure that all of their staff/volunteers/guests enter the building by the entrance closest to that ministry
- Screening:
- Staff/Volunteers: Temperature taken at home prior to coming to COAH. Staff to report their temperature upon arrival to be recorded at. If 100.4 or above, employee will remain home.
- Volunteers: Temperature checks prior to entering the building
- Guests: To follow City on a Hill’s regulation for building entry
- Prior appointments preferred
- If no appointment:
- Call for entry
- Screening questionnaire and/or temp. check
- All sinks will have soap and water and single use paper products available.
- Respect 6 feet social distancing and refrain from touching your face at all times
- 1 person per desk with no face-to-face for lunch or any other activity. When others come to your office, they must remain at the door and not sit across from you.
Facility cleaning
- Perform spray disinfectant frequently throughout the workday as needed on common surface areas.
- High traffic/common areas: Restrooms, office areas, meeting rooms, items that are touched commonly like door/drawer knobs, light switches, etc.
- Following each workday, sanitation procedures will be performed on the volunteer/staff occupied spaces
- PPE Supplies
- Thermal scanning
- Volunteer/staff temperatures to be checked before entry allowed into the workplace.
- Anyone who presents with a 100.4 or higher temperature will be considered a health risk and will be sent home. They will be asked to call Holland Hospital to inquire about further screening; the free screening hotline is (616) 394-2080.
- Masks
- Non-medical cloth/surgical face coverings will be required while at City on a Hill. This means while not in your office/ministry and are in the hallways, common areas and restrooms, you are to be wearing a mask covering your nose and mouth at all times.
- Disposable face masks will be provided for each staff/volunteer (if they do not have access to a cloth mask) per workday and are to be worn over the nose and mouth at all times (except for eating/drinking and when you are in your office alone).
- Other face covering options may be brought from home, if preferred; acceptable alternatives to our masks would be a clean cloth mask or bandana that covers the nose and mouth area.
- Hand Sanitizer:
- Available at designated areas: Entrance/Exit, offices/work rooms.
- Hand Washing:
- Encourage frequent hand washing for 20 seconds with soap and running water.
- Disinfectant Spray:
- Spray disinfectant and paper towels will be placed in each work room to disinfect common tools
Suggested individual Ministry Workspace Reconfiguration
- Adjust ministry area layout to allow for at least 6’ for social distancing in common and conference areas. (re-examine as necessary)
- No face to face seating: 1 person per table/desk for work and eating
- Coordinate lunch schedule to manage social distancing or staff to eat in offices
- Place protective barriers/screens where necessary for social distancing recommendations
- COVID19 signs placed in targeted areas for distancing/hand washing/wipe down areas
- Meetings with people other than ministry staff should not be conducted in the building if at all possible.
RESTORE PHASE
- Communicate and distribute the plan to staff/volunteers and be available to them to discuss and answer questions.
- Limit movement within the City on a Hill facility as much as possible
- Please consider limiting face to face appointments. Consider online or over the phone appointments. If a client/visitor must enter the building, you are responsible for screening this individual (temperature and symptoms) and for ensuring this individual is wearing a mask at all times while not in your ministry.
- Report ANY positive COVID 19 cases that have been at COAH to Gary Ellens right away so that it can be determined if this individual had possible contact with other ministry partners/clients/volunteers.
Staff/Volunteers
- If feeling ill for any reason staff/volunteers are encouraged and asked to remain home.
- Daily log will be kept reporting all staff/volunteers present each day of operations.
- Temperature checks required before entry.
- Non-medical cloth face coverings are to be worn over the nose and mouth at all times (except while eating/drinking but will have 6’ distancing at such times).
- All sinks will have soap, water and single use paper towels available; staff/volunteers will be encouraged to wash hands frequently.
- Hand sanitizer will be available at designated stations.
- Disinfectant spray and single use paper towels will be available in each space.
- Staff/Volunteers will be asked to respect 6 feet social distancing.
- Volunteers/Guests will be discouraged from using staff phones, desks, offices, or other work tools and equipment, when possible. If unavoidable, they must follow sanitation guidelines before and after use.
- Disposable face masks will be provided for each staff/volunteer per workday (if no access to cloth masks) and are to be worn over the nose and mouth at all times (except for eating/drinking).
- Other face covering options may be brought from home, if preferred; acceptable alternatives to our masks would be a clean cloth mask or bandana that covers the nose and mouth area.
- Lunch:
- Lunch will be eaten in individual offices
- Each individual will provide their own utensils, salt/pepper shakers, etc.
Staff/Volunteer COVID19 Monitoring
- If any COAH personnel is found to have a 100.4 or higher temperature when screened and/or develops an elevated temperature (fever) while at COAH, they will be considered a health risk, and the following procedures followed:
- The Staff member/Volunteer will be immediately isolated and sent home.
- The individual will be asked to call Holland Hospital screening hotline; (616) 394-2080.
- If elevated temperature (fever) develops while within COAH, tracking of their fellow COAH volunteer/staff contacts on that day will be documented.
- These contacts will be warned of potential exposure.
- If any person from COAH tests positive for COVID19:
- Ottawa County Public Health Dept will be contacted and they will:
- Give isolation order
- Identify contacts
- Monitor symptoms
- OCHD will determine release from isolation
- Report ANY positive COVID 19 cases that have been at COAH to Gary Ellens right away so that it can be determined if this individual had possible contact with other tenants/clients/volunteers.
RESTORE (Other COAH Services)
- Whenever possible our goal is to minimize staff/volunteer/guest exposure. When possible, business will be done via phone, internet, or video conferencing.
- Client meetings
- By appointment only
- A screening questionnaire will be required before admitted to the meeting.
- Limited to client only unless other arrangements are made in advance.
- Cloth face covering required. If they aren’t wearing one upon arrival, one will be provided.
- Sanitation of work/table services prior to and after each meeting will take place.
Everyone’s personal level of comfort surrounding COVID19 varies, therefore:
If a volunteer is uncomfortable about the timing of returning to COAH when reopened, they will be encouraged to stay home longer and may return at a later date by contacting their director/manager. If any volunteer is unable to comply with the COAH Workplace Re-entry & Safety Policy, the volunteer may speak with the director/manager about their concerns. They will then be encouraged to remain at home until they are comfortable complying with this policy and/or the policy requirements have been amended.
If an employee is uncomfortable returning to COAH once re-opened and/or will be unable to comply with the COAH Workplace Re-entry and Safety Policy, the staff member may speak with the Executive Director about their concerns. If unable to comply with this policy the employee will be encouraged to remain home. The Executive Director will determine if the employee’s job can be done efficiently from their home on a temporary basis. If the Executive Director determines that the employee’s job responsibilities cannot be accomplished efficiently and thoroughly while working from home, the employee may request a temporary leave with the option to renew on a weekly basis. Leave will include pay if, and only if, the leave falls within the Payroll Protection Plan time frame for funds to be used. If the leave extends beyond the Payroll Protection Plan time frame, the employee may request a temporary leave without pay. If the Executive Director determines that the job in question needs to be done on-site before the employee agrees to return, it may be determined by the Executive Director that the current staff member’s position will need to be terminated and a new employee hire is needed to assume the responsibilities of the position. In all matters regarding employment, the Executive Director has been entrusted with the final authority.
All staff & volunteers of COAH will be given a copy of this policy and will be required to sign a Workplace Re-entry & Safety Policy Agreement which states that they have read, been instructed in, and will abide by the practices and procedures listed in this policy prior to returning to the workplace. For the safety of all, this policy will be enforced as written until governmental mandates are lifted and COAH approves an updated policy.