COVID 19 SAFETY PROCEDURES AND INSTRUCTIONS
In all cases requiring emergency medical treatment, immediately call, or have a co-worker call, to request emergency medical assistance.
Emergency phone numbers
Property Managers:
Human Resources: 0725634956
Help Line Numbers
Ministry of Health Covid 19-0800 721316:0732-353535:0729-471414
Aga Khan University Hospital-0709-931700
Kenya WHO contact-254-20-620300
Minet Covid 19 helpline-0719-044988:0730-674988:020-4974988
Safaricom USSD short code- 20208#
Your Safety Responsibilities
You also have some important responsibilities concerning safety. These are:
The responsibility of reporting all injuries/illnesses and signs of illnesses to your supervisor, no matter how small.
The responsibility of always following the safety rules for every task you perform,
The responsibility of reporting any hazards you see, including a colleague working without a mask.
The responsibility of helping your co-workers to recognize unsafe actions or conditions they cause.
The responsibility of asking about the safety rules of which you are unsure.
Employee Safety Rules
It is impossible to list or include all safety rules for all the possible tasks you may have to do. But the following rules have been prepared to help you avoid hazards, which may cause injury/illness while performing your tasks. You should study and follow the rules provided in this booklet, and to ask the HR office for additional rules when asked to do a task you are not familiar with, and this booklet does not cover. Failure to follow safety rules and /or safe practices will result in disciplinary action.
GENERAL SAFETY RULES:
Read and follow the safety notices and other information that is posted.
Observe and follow all safety instructions, signs, and operation procedures.
Help your fellow employees when they ask for assistance or when needed for their safety.
Clean up your surroundings, clean your desk before and after your shift. Ensure you take over a clean disinfected desk and you hand over a clean desk to your colleague.
Report all unsafe conditions, hazards, or equipment immediately. Make sure other people are warned of the problem so that they may avoid it.
Wear personal protective equipment as required to reduce exposure.
COVID-19 PREVENTIVE MEASURES
For all employees, regardless of specific exposure risks, it is always a good practice to exercise the following:
Hand washing
Proper hand washing requires the use of soap and warm water and vigorous washing under a stream of running water for at least 30 seconds. Scrubbing hands with soap will suspend easily removable microorganisms, allowing them to be washed off. Running water is necessary to carry away dirt and debris. Rinse your hands under running water and dry them thoroughly with paper towels or a blow dryer. When hand washing facilities are not available, use a waterless antiseptic cleanser, following the manufacturer’s directions for use. An alcohol-based hand rub with at least 60% alcohol can also be used.
Surfaces should be cleaned thoroughly.
Disinfecting Hard Surfaces and Caring for Equipment hard surfaces have been found to be a means of curbing the transmition of COVID 19, it is good hygiene policy to clean any hard surfaces thoroughly. To do this, disinfect the surface to remove any virus on the equipment used. Mops should be soaked in this solution after use and rinsed thoroughly. The solution should be promptly disposed of down a drainpipe. Remove gloves and discard them in appropriate receptacles, and wash hands as described above.
Social Distancing
Signage
We shall put a large sign at the entrance(s) to the premises that says “STOP! We are taking the spread of Covid-19 very seriously. Please observe social distancing practices while in this facility”.
We shall put a second sign will be posted that lists:
Basic hygiene rules and expectations for anyone in the facility (workers/customers/contractors)
Sanitization practices that we are following (i.e. disinfecting restrooms, doorknobs/light switches and how often
Who to contact with questions or concerns.
Your Responsibilities
Employees are expected to practice social distancing at work and outside of work:
Limit physical contact with others,
Increase personal space to at least 1.5 metres, and
Avoid any outings that aren’t essential.
If employees have symptoms of acute respiratory illness (fever, cough, shortness of breath), they must stay at home and not come to work until (72 hours) have passed since resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications, and improvement in respiratory symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath); and at least 7 days have passed since symptoms first appeared.
Employees must notify their supervisors and stay home if they are sick in any way, since compromised immune systems will have more trouble fighting off Covid-19.
Employees should consult medical professionals with any questions about their personal health
If an employee is well but a family member at home exhibits symptoms of Covid-19, they should notify their supervisor and ask to work from home or take leave per guidelines for controlling the spread Coronavirus COVID19.
Put masks throughout at work place
Face masks are meant to stop the wearer from spreading respiratory droplets. Workers who refuse to wear face masks during the pandemic can face disciplinary action with scant legal options available for them to challenge coronavirus prevention policy. This safety precaution is a term of employment that, if broken, can justify a severe disciplinary action except in limited circumstances, such as medical or religious reasons that prevent a worker from wearing a face mask.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
Practice good respiratory etiquette, including covering coughs and sneezes.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Stay home if sick or suspect your family member is exposed.
Recognize personal risk factors. According to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), certain people, including older adults and those with underlying conditions such as heart or lung disease or diabetes, are at higher risk for developing more serious complications from COVID-19.
COVID 19 MANAGEMENT MEASURES
Isolation of exposed employees to COVID-19 procedure
If someone becomes unwell in the workplace and there is reason to suspect they may have come into contact with COVID-19,
The person should be removed to an area which is at least 2 metres away from other people.
If possible, find a room or area where they can be isolated behind a closed door, such as a staff office.
If possible open a window for ventilation.
The individual who is unwell should use their mobile phone to call the designated public health service number.
If it is an emergency (if they are seriously ill or injured or their life is at risk) then you should call help lines provided above and explain the situation and relevant information, such as their current symptoms.
Whilst waiting for advice from the designated public health or emergency service, the affected person should remain at least two metres from other people.
They should avoid touching people, surfaces and objects and should cover their mouth and nose with a disposable tissue when they cough or sneeze and put the tissue in a bag or pocket then throw the tissue in the bin.
If they do not have any tissues available, they should cough and sneeze into the crook of their elbow.
If they need to go to the bathroom whilst waiting for medical assistance, they should use a separate bathroom if available.
Consider identifying persons who have conditions that put them at higher risk of serious illness (older people (>60 years) and those with chronic conditions (including hypertension, lung or heart problems, diabetes, or who are undergoing cancer treatment or some other immunosuppression) and pregnant workers) and advising them to take additional precautions, such as staying at home.
Suspected COVID-19 Individual at workplace
For contacts of a suspected case in the workplace, we shall follow the guidance given by our national authorities.
The management team of the office or workplace will be contacted by the designated public health services to discuss the case, to identify people who have been in contact with them and to advise on any actions or precautions that should be taken.
A risk assessment of each situation will be undertaken by the designated public health services with the lead responsible person in the workplace.
Public services will provide advice on how to manage staff and members of the public, based on their assessment of the risk.
The designated public health services will also be in contact with the affected person directly to advise on isolation and identifying other contacts to whom they will give appropriate advice.
If a worker is confirmed to have COVID-19, employers should inform fellow workers of their possible exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace but maintain confidentiality.
Workers exposed to a co-worker with confirmed COVID-19 should be given instructions on what to do according to your company policies and the national authorities´ guidance.
Workers who are well but who have a sick family member at home with COVID-19 should notify their employer and refer to national health services guidance as to how to assess their potential exposure and the measures to take.
Employee in contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19
If a confirmed case is identified in your workplace, the designated public health services will provide advice to:
Any worker that has been in close face-to-face or touching contact
Anyone who has spent any length of time with the worker while he or she was symptomatic
Anyone who has cleaned up any bodily fluids
Close friendship groups or workgroups
Any worker living in the same household as a confirmed case
Contacts are not considered cases and if they are feeling well, they are very unlikely to have spread the infection to others:
Those who have had close contact will be asked to self-isolate at home for 14 days from the last time they had contact with the confirmed case. They will be actively followed up by the designated public health services
If they develop new symptoms, or their existing symptoms worsen within the 14-day observation period, they should call the designated public health services for reassessment
If they are unwell at any time within their 14-day observation period and they test positive for COVID-19 they will become a confirmed case and will be treated for the infection.
If testing is not available, but the symptoms are consistent with COVID-19, they may nonetheless be considered as a confirmed case.
Staff who have not had close contact with the original confirmed case do not need to take any precautions other than monitoring their health for symptoms and can continue to attend work.
A confirmed case of COVID-19 in the workplace will cause anxiety among co-workers and some may become stressed. Clear communication is important, directing workers to reliable sources of information about COVID-19. Managers should be supportive and understanding and as far as possible flexible on work arrangements.
Cleaning offices and public spaces where there are suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19
Coronavirus symptoms are similar to a flu-like illness and include dry cough, sore throat, fever, tiredness or shortness of breath. Once symptomatic, all surfaces that the person has come into contact with must be cleaned including:
All surfaces and objects which are visibly contaminated with body fluids
All potentially contaminated high-contact areas such as toilets, door handles, telephones
Public areas where a symptomatic individual has passed through and spent minimal time in (such as corridors) but which are not visibly contaminated with body fluids do not need to be specially cleaned and disinfected.
If a person becomes ill in a shared space, these should be cleaned using disposable cloths and the usual detergents, according to current recommended workplace legislation and practice. Precautionary measures should be taken to protect cleaners.
All waste that has been in contact with the individual, including used tissues, and masks if used, should be put in a plastic rubbish bag and tied when full. The plastic bag should then be placed in a second bin bag and tied. It should be put in a safe place and marked for storage until the result is available. If the individual tests negative, this can be put in the normal waste. Should the individual test positive, you will be instructed what to do with the waste by public health authorities.