Contractor COVID-19 Prevention and Control Plan Guidelines .pdf

Updated: 4/13/2020 Page 1

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Prevention and Control Plan Guidelines for

Contractors Performing Construction and/or Maintenance Related Activities in Smithsonian Institution Facilities

I. Overview and Responsibilities

This document outlines measures which the Smithsonian highly recommends should be taken by all

Smithsonian contractors performing construction and/or maintenance related activities in Smithsonian facilities to protect worker health and to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (SARS CoV-2) that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). For contractors that have a site-specific safety plan

(SSSP), a project-specific COVID-19 Prevention and Control Plan should be developed. Contractors on projects with a previously approved SSSP, should develop a COVID-19 Prevention and Control Plan as an addendum to their previously approved SSSP.

Smithsonian Contracting Officer’s Technical Representatives (COTRs) are responsible for disseminating these guidelines to contractors and should ensure that prevention and control measures are appropriately implemented to meet project-specific conditions.

To support implementation and maintenance of the most stringent prevention and control measures possible, all Smithsonian contractors with a SSSP should designate a site-specific COVID-19 officer who will perform a daily audit of onsite controls and personnel behavior. These individuals should be familiar with all prevention and control measures that are employed onsite and shall have the authority to take prompt corrective measures. At least one site-specific COVID-19 officer should be onsite whenever work is occurring, therefore multiple individuals may need to be designated.

The COTR and/or the Office of Protection Services (OPS), per specific site requirements, will ensure that all individuals who are working in a Smithsonian facility or property are tracked on an access log. These logs shall be maintained for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic for the purpose of contact investigations.

II. Training and Worker Education

All contractors should develop and provide up-to-date education and training on COVID-19 risk factors and protective behaviors to onsite personnel. Please note that in-person training/education should follow social distancing guidelines. Training should be presented in a manner and language that the employee is able to understand. Training/education should include, but is not limited to:

• Site-Specific Safety Briefings – include COVID-19 information, controls, and prevention:

o Overview of the disease, symptoms, and methods of transmission.

o Control methods based upon site-specific conditions.

o Procedures for reporting symptoms or a confirmed positive test of COVID-19.

o Training resources examples available from the National Institute of Environmental

Health Sciences (NIEHS) Worker Training Program (WTP).

• Stand Downs/Toolbox Talks – conduct regular training for all workers on the controls and prevention measures which are project and task-specific.

o Examples toolbox talks in English and Spanish from the CPWR Center for Construction

Research and Training.

https://tools.niehs.nih.gov/wetp/covid19worker/ https://tools.niehs.nih.gov/wetp/covid19worker/ https://www.cpwr.com/sites/default/files/publications/TT-COVID-19.pdf https://www.cpwr.com/sites/default/files/publications/spanish/TT-SP-COVID-19.pdf

Updated: 4/13/2020 Page 2

• Posting informational signage throughout worksites o Area-specific signage should be considered for restrooms, handwashing stations, and break/eating spaces.

o Example signage from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

III. Prevention and Control Methods

Contractors should employ all available prevention and control measures, following the hierarchy of controls, utilizing the most effective controls whenever possible.

Source: NIOSH

Prevention and control measures include, but are not limited to:

A. Social Distancing – Every effort should be made to limit the number of individuals onsite.

Contractors should eliminate, reduce, or alter operations which place workers in close contact to maintain at least a six-foot distance between individuals. Examples of social distancing controls include, but are not limited to:

• Modify work schedules by staggering shifts, or offering alternate days of work or extra shifts to reduce the number of workers on a site at one time.

• Institute telework and flexible work schedules for employees with remote-work capabilities.

• Replace face-to-face meeting with virtual communications.

• Reconfigure offices, work areas, and communal spaces to maintain social distance requirements.

• Stagger break and lunch times to reduce the number of individuals in one area.

• Stagger site safety orientations and toolbox talks to maintain social distance requirements.

• Restrict site visitors to essential personnel only. Cease group tours and non-essential walkthroughs.

• Identify choke points where workers are forced to stand together, such as hallways, hoists, and elevators. Consider implementing one-way travel in narrow corridors.

• Minimize interactions when picking up or delivering equipment or materials. Organize the placement of materials to minimize movement on the work site.

• Encourage workers who are defined as high-risk, per CDC guidelines, to stay at home. These include older adults and people with serious underlying medical conditions.

• Require sick employees to stay at home. Individuals with a fever and/or symptoms of acute respiratory illness should not report back to work until they are free of fever and any other symptoms for at least 72 hours.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/communication/factsheets.html https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-at-higher-risk.html

Updated: 4/13/2020 Page 3

• Ask workers to self-identify symptoms of illness. For COVID-19, symptoms include fever, coughing, and shortness of breath.

B. Routine Cleaning and Hygiene Practices – all contractors should employ routine cleaning and provide workers with access to appropriate hygiene facilities.

• Routinely clean frequently touched surfaces, restrooms facilities, and shared tools/equipment onsite. Consult the CDC cleaning and disinfection guidelines.

• Provide workers with handwashing stations and encourage frequent handwashing, particularly before breaks/eating. If water isn’t available onsite, provide an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with greater than 60% ethanol or 70% isopropanol. Soap and water should be used if hands are visibly dirty.

• Promote good hygiene and respiratory etiquette through posting of signage and during regular training. This includes avoiding touch your nose, mouth, and eyes, avoiding handshaking and other close contact, and covering your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.

C. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – proper usage of PPE can help reduce the spread of the virus and should be employed based upon a site-specific hazard analysis. Certain categories of PPE that may be employed specific to COVID-19.

• Use of disposable or reusable gloves may help prevent surface transmission. Reusable gloves should be of a nature that allows for regular cleaning and disinfection between uses. Gloves should be of the appropriate type to protect against other known hazards associated with work tasks.

• Respiratory protection. OSHA has issued interim enforcement guidance regarding the use N95 filter facepiece respirators (FFRs). Employers whose employees are required to use or are permitted voluntary use of respiratory protection must continue to manage their respiratory protection programs (RPPs) in accordance with the OSHA respiratory protection standard

(1910.134) and should pay close attention to shortages of N95 FFRs. Employers should reassess operations to identify changes they can make to decrease the need for N95 FFRs. If respiratory protection must be used, employers may consider use of alternative classes of respirators that provide equal or greater protection.

D. Cloth Face Coverings

• The CDC recommends the use of cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain and to slow the spread of the virus by persons who are infected, but are asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic. The cloth face covering is recommended to protect the community, not the actual wearer. Cloth face covers are not to be considered respiratory protection and should not be used in place of social distancing and hygiene measures. The CDC advises not using surgical masks or N95 FFRs in place of cloth face coverings as these critical supplies are needed by healthcare workers and frontline responders.

IV. Detection and Reporting Guidelines If a contractor is notified by an employee that they have received a confirmed positive test for COVID-19

(by lab test or diagnosed by health care professional), they must immediately notify their COTR and provide a list of Smithsonian Employees the contractor has been in close contact with. During normal https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/organizations/cleaning-disinfection.html https://www.osha.gov/memos/2020-04-03/enforcement-guidance-respiratory-protection-and-n95-shortage-due-coronavirus https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cloth-face-cover.html

Updated: 4/13/2020 Page 4 business hours the COTR shall E-mail si-coronavirusinfo@si.edu, with the subject POSITIVE TEST.

The COTR should include a description of what is being reported to the inbox, and a phone number they can be reached at, and a COVID-19 team member will respond within an hour.

After hours or on the weekends addition to e-mailing the COTR should call the 24-hour Smithsonian

Communications Center at 202-633-9300 so the SI Public Health Officer can be notified.

If the infected individual is onsite, they should immediately be isolated from other staff and sent home.

mailto:si-coronavirusinfo@si.edu