COVID-19 SAFETY PLAN

COVID-19 SAFETY PLAN

Prime Health COVID 19 Safety Plan

This plan defines the ongoing COVID – 19 pandemics, the regulations, and the steps taken at Prime Health Ltd. to assure the safety of staff.

Prime Health Ltd. operates a modern facility that is certified GMP compliant by Health Canada for the manufacturing and packaging of Natural Health products.

This plan describes the precautions at the place in the facility to ensure a safe working environment at work and returning to safe operations. As per the regulation’s employers are not required to submit plans to WorkSafeBC for approval but in accordance with the order of the provincial health officer, this plan must be posted at Prime Health Ltd. worksite.

COVID-19 Pandemic

The Virus that causes COVID-19 spreads in several ways.

  • Spreads when a person coughs or sneezes
  • Spreads if you touch a contaminated surface and then touch your face

The symptoms of the virus include, but not limited to, follows:

  • Fever, chills
  • New or Worsening cough
  • Shortness of breath
  • Sore throat
  • New Muscle aches or headaches

Risk:

The Risk of person to person to person increases the closer you come to other people, spend more time near them, and the more people you come near.

The risk of surface transmission increases when many people contact the same surface and when those contacts happen over short periods of time.

 

  1. ASSESSING THE RISK OF COVID-19 AT PRIME HEALTH LTD.

As per the suggestions from the workers, supervisors, and the Joint Health and Safety committee at Prime Health Ltd. to assess the areas of risk.

The areas of high risk include.

  • Most often touched surfaces- Doors knobs, light switches, Door Handles
  • Break rooms
  • Production lines
  • Meeting rooms
  • Tools, machines, and equipment that workers share
  • Packaging lines where workers are close to one another
  1. MEASURES TO REDUCE THE RISKS

Administrative controls at the facility in place to ensure the safety of Workers and Staff:

  1. All existing or new employees at Prime Health Ltd. are required to make sure they are healthy and not sick when walk-in for work.
  2. Daily temperature monitoring in place for all employees and is required to sanitize their hands when walking in. Also required to follow the below measures when necessary:
  • Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds: when arriving at work, Before and after going on break, after using the washroom
  • Avoid touching eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
  • Maintain at least 1 meter (3 feet) distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.
  • Practice respiratory hygiene by covering your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze.
  1. Since most of the administrative staff members require to need physically present at the facility it is ensured that the desk has adequate distancing to make sure safe distancing protocols are followed.
  2. Additionally, all administration staff members provided with disinfectants and are required to do disinfect their desks and shared tables before and after use.
  3. All the Production staff is frequently monitored for proper health and GMP by the Quality control team.
  4. All Production employees are required to wear Gloves, Apron, Face Mask, and PPE while working in a production environment.
  1. Disinfectants are placed in Break rooms and on employee desk
  2. All Doorknobs, light switches, and Door handles to be sanitized on regular basis.
  3. Employees to go on lunch breaks in small groups to follow physical distancing and disinfect tables before and after use with disinfectants, wash and sanitize hands before and after eating food
  4. Additional tables and chairs arranged in the break rooms to support physical distancing.
  5. Anyone found to be sick will be dealt with according the safety policy stated in point number “ Safety Policies at Prime Health Ltd.” and will also involve members from the Health and Safety committee.
  6. The workers involved in cleaning are provided with adequate PPE, training, and cleaning materials.
  7. All contractors and visitors are required to enter by appointment only with a record of the date of entry and exit, need to get a temperature check and instructed by the reception to throughout follow the social distancing, frequently use hand sanitizer, or frequently wash hands.

 

  1. SAFETY POLICIES AT PRIME HEALTH LTD.

As per the policy, all workers, staff members, and visitors showing symptoms of COVID-19 are prohibited from the workplace. This includes the following:

  • Anyone who has had symptoms of COVID-19 in the last 10 days. Symptoms include fever, chills, new or worsening cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, and new muscle aches or headache.
  • Anyone directed by Public Health to self-isolate.
  • Anyone who has arrived from outside Canada must self-isolate for 14 days and monitor for symptoms.
  • Visitors are only supposed to enter if found in good health and required to enter the name, contact details, wear safety masks, and required to sanitize hands.
  • First aid attendants to follow OFAA protocol during the COVID-19 pandemic and will be provided with a copy of the same.

Workers who start to feel ill at work, are required to follow the below steps:

  • Sick workers to report to first aid, even with mild symptoms
  • Any worker found sick would be asked to wash and sanitize their hands, also isolated as well as requested to go straight home.

Such workers would be requested to consult the BC COVID-19 Self-Assessment Tool or Call 811 for guidance related to testing and self-isolation

  • If the worker is severely ill will be reported to the emergency by calling 911
  • Any surfaces that the ill worker has encounter shall be cleaned and disinfected.
  1. COMMUNICATION PLANS AND TRAINING:
  • All employees know and are made aware of COVID-19 as well as signs and symptoms of COVID, hand washing requirements, and controls in place to keep the workplace safe which has been reinforced with frequent reminders in crew safety talk.
  • All workers are required to sign a policy for reporting to the supervisor and staying home when sick.
  • Signage for maximum occupancy limit and handwashing are posted at needed places at the facility.
  • Signage at the Main entrance indicating who is restricted from entering the premises, including Visitors and Workers with symptoms.
  • Supervisors and the QC team monitoring workers as well as the workplace to ensure policies and procedures are being followed.

 

  1. MONITORING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE MEASURES
  • All the employees will be monitored by the supervisor and administrative staff to make sure that all the stated measures, procedures, as well as policies, are followed at all times.
  • Workers who not found to abide by the policies will be issued written notices and will be sent home as well as retrained with the policy which will be placed in the employee record.
  • Any issues to be resolved will involve the health and safety committee’s representative.

 

  1. SAFE RESUMPTION OF WORK TASK
  • For the safe resumption of work, it is necessary that all employees understand, follow, and adhere to the policies in place.
  • Quality control and Supervisors will ensure that safe work procedure are followed.
    • All workers will be provided with adequate PPE, training, cleaning materials, soap, disinfectants.
  • Signages in place for effective handwashing, maximum occupancy, and following safe physical distancing protocols.