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Our COVID re-opening safety plan

  • Tuesday, May 26, 2020, 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
  • Wednesday, July 1, 2020, 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM

Name of Business: Cornell Cooperative Extension Steuben County

Industry: Nonprofit

Address: 20 East Morris Street Bath, NY 14810

Contact Information: 607-664-2300

Owner/Manager of Business: Theresa McKinley 607-664-2301

Human Resources Representative: Robert Shirley 607-664-2575

This document serves as the written safety plan outlining how Cornell Cooperative Extension of Steuben County (CCE) will aid in the prevention of the spread of COVID-19 during recovery and re-opening.

The following procedures have been developed to facilitate the transitioning staff back to their primary place of work in response to the Governor’s New York Forward phased approach to re-open New York State. This plan is a living document and will be updated and modified as preparation for future phases of the plan are rolled out and additional requirements are outlined by regulatory agencies.

This plan will be adapted and updated by Associations based on local needs, best practices and changes in phased re-opening requirements. All plans will be developed in coordination with the following:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

https://forward.ny.gov/

https://www.ny.gov/

https://www.health.ny.gov/

This plan addresses the following areas of concern as documented by NYS Linked Here.

This document has been reviewed by the Steuben CCE Board of Directors on June 4, 2020

This document has been uploaded to the NYS Portal TBA on June 5, 2020 by Theresa McKinley, as needed or if required.

The following person(s) have been assigned for primary responsibility to develop, maintain and/or implement the preparedness, response and recovery plan and will serve as the association’s contact person in case of an epidemic.

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GENERAL GUIDELINES

Overview

The following are general guidelines CCE offices will be adhering to for the safety of the Association Staff, Volunteers and Community, per NYS Department of Health, Center for Disease Control, and local Health Departments recommendations.

CCE will continue the use of video or telephone conferencing instead of in-person meetings when possible, including public meetings .

This plan will be updated as changes occur and will be posted for the public on www.putknowledgetowork.org.

  • i.Schedule
  • Phase 1 – Remain as is – essential staff report to the office for a few hours on Wednesday.
  • Phase 2 – Supervisors will start going into the office two days a week and Administrative Assistant will continue coming in on Wednesdays. These days will be staggered so there are only 2-3 people in at a time. Supervisors will work on a schedule of when to go in. Other staff may come in on Wednesday if they need anything and it is pre-approved by Deputy Director or Executive Director.
  • Phase 3 – Supervisors will come in three days a week and employees will start coming in two days a week. Supervisors will work with their staff to ensure not all staff are in at the same time.
  • Phase 4 – Everyone is back to work full time! We will need to follow NYS DOH guidelines for this and decide at that time how long to continue with guidelines below. Potential re-opening of 4-H clubs and in person education.
  • All staff will check in via the provided Qualtrics survey every day to certify wellness.

ii.People

Employees

Physical Distancing: To ensure employees comply with physical distancing requirements, the Association will do the following:

  • •Ensure 6 ft. distance between personnel, unless safety or core function of the work activity requires a shorter distance. Any time personnel are less than 6 ft. apart from one another, personnel must wear acceptable face coverings that completely cover the nose and mouth.
  • •Limit in-person gatherings as much as possible and use tele- or video-conferencing whenever possible. Essential in-person gatherings (e.g. meetings) will be held in open, well-ventilated spaces, or outdoors with appropriate social distancing among participants.

•Tightly confined spaces are defined as a 6x6 foot enclosed area will be occupied by only one individual at a time, unless all occupants are wearing face coverings. If occupied by more than one person, occupancy will be kept under 50% of maximum capacity.

•The Association will manage engagement with customers and visitors by remaining closed to the public until Phase 4.Any public that enter the building will have their temperature by county security and will be given a mask if they do not have one during Phase 4 and after until deemed appropriate to remove this rule.

CCE will adjust the workplace with the following:

•Separating desks and workstations to ensure that there are 6 feet between each station and employee

•Adding partitions to open floor plans

•Staggering shifts and lunch/rest breaks while complying with the NYS Department of Labor standards

•Rotating weeks in the office and working remotely

•Offering flexible workplace arrangements

•Moving workstations to increase separation distance

•Requiring staff to wear face coverings as required by NYS when not at their desk and in common areas of building office and shared workplace including yet not limited to hallways/corridors, conference rooms, break rooms, kitchen, restrooms and entry way

•Requiring meal procedures for no shared foods nor communal meals

•Establishing physical distancing measures of six feet within the workplace by limiting outside guests such as vendors, participants and volunteers in the building and/or physical work locations.No outside guests are allowed into the workplace until Phase 4.

Visitors

CCE will not be open to the public until phase 4.Should anyone need to visit the building before phase 4 – they will be met outside the building.

During phase 4 – all visitors will be required to wear a face mask when entering the building – signage will be posted.Steuben County Security is now stationed at the entrance of the Annex Building.All visitors are required to sign in and get their temperature checked.If a visitor does not have a face mask – one will be provided for them by security.

If a visitor refuses a mask, an employee will meet with them outside of the building with a mask on and will maintain a 6 foot distance.

iii.Places: Building & Program Space

•Face coverings (cloth or disposable) as required by NYS to be worn when social distancing is not possible and gloves as required for food service preparation will be provided by CCE.

•Personal hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol will be provided by CCE.

•PPE is procured by NYS Agriculture and Markets, and Staples and the adequate supply amount is that each employee will be given a pack of face masks, pack of sanitizing wipes and container of hand sanitizer.

•Each employee is responsible for cleaning and maintain their PPE.

Training employees on proper use of PPE and hand washing Linked Here.

•Post signage at doors and around the office to remind employees of social distancing protocols/ expectations.

•Individual program guidelines to be developed and implemented by Program Leaders or adhered to by NYS (see program section below).

Hygiene and Cleaning

•Staff will wipe down their desk, laptop, mouse, phone and other common surfaces twice a day (when get to work in morning and around noon) with disinfectant.

•Staff will use hand sanitizer when leaving desk and upon returning to desk.

  • •Modifying high-touch surfaces (e.g., propping doors open) to avoid employees unnecessarily touching surfaces.
  • •Limit the sharing of objects and discourage touching of shared surfaces; or, when in contact with shared objects or frequently touched areas, wear gloves (trade-appropriate or medical); or, sanitize or wash hands before and after contact.
  • •CCE will provide and maintain hand hygiene stations for personnel, including handwashing with soap, water, and paper towels, or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing 60% or more alcohol for areas where handwashing is not feasible.

Disinfecting the Workplace

•Steuben County Building and Grounds department clean and disinfect the offices every evening.

Cleaning of Equipment

CCE devices (shared or individually issued) (laptops, keyboards, office phones, cell phones, hardware tokens, etc.) can harbor a significant amount of dirt, debris and germs. including the coronavirus. Staff will be required to keep their devices reasonably clean to both extend the life and care of each devices and reduce the spread of COVID-19 and other germs.

•IT personnel will wear gloves and effectively clean and sanitize device(s) after working on them.

•For more information for cleaning of electronic devices see: Linked Here

Communication

  • •Post signage throughout the site to remind personnel to adhere to proper hygiene, social distancing rules, appropriate use of PPE, and cleaning and disinfecting protocols.
  • •The communication plan for employees, visitors, and customers will be posted on the CCE website and communicated to the staff vis staff conferences and email.
  • •If an employee tests positive for COVID-19, they must communicate the results with their Executive Director, who will follow HIPAA guidelines and immediately notify state and county health departments and cooperate with contact tracing efforts, including notification of potential contacts, such as workers or visitors who had close contact with the individual, while maintaining confidentiality required by state and federal law and regulations.

iv.Process

The exposure-response plan addresses the following:

•Isolation, containment and contact tracing procedures will be followed as required and advised by CDC/ NYS and Local Health Department

  • •Stay-at-home requirements for any staff that are exhibiting any health-related symptoms such as :

Cough

Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

Fever

Chills

Muscle pain

Sore throat

New loss of taste or smell

•Implement employee health screening procedures as defined by NY Forward Business Re-opening Safety Plan:

  • Implement mandatory health screening assessment before employees begin work each day and for essential visitors, asking about (1) COVID-19 symptoms in past 14 days, (2) positive COVID-19 test in past 14 days, and/or (3) close contact with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 case in past 14 days. Assessment responses must be reviewed every day and such review must be documented.
  • oQuestionnaire: Qualtrics survey
  • oTemperature check done by county security

The following Exposure communications are being followed by staff: linked here

•Restricting business travel: (determine if self-quarantine is required)

•Until otherwise documented Essential Travel only. Essential travel is defined as travel to farms or agribusinesses for consultation or travel approved by the Executive Director.

•Limiting the number of customers in any area at one time

•No handshake greetings and remain a minimum of 6 feet apart

•Adhere to guidance of events and gathering as outlined by NYS and CDC.

v.Other

Programs:

CCE Program guidance will developed by the attached approved NYS plan,developing considerations for programs structure based on space, grounds andfacilities to maintain compliance with CDC and DOH regulations. See program examples below.

4-H Club Programs: to be developed and implemented by Program Leader or adhered to by NYS

Master Gardener Programs: to be developed and implemented by Program Leader or adhered to by NYS

Forestry: Linked Here

Non-Food Agriculture: Linked Here

Farmers Markets: Linked Here

Nutrition Programs: Follow Guidance from OTDA and EFNEP

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CCE Steuben is working to share resources to ensure our community has the most timely and accurate information possible. We encourage you to refer to these resources for updated information regarding COVID-19. Any inquiries about health and safety should be directed to your local health department or the New York State Department of Health link below.

Recommended resources related to preparedness, mitigation and response include:

New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

New York State Emergency Disaster Education Program

From the entire staff at CCE Steuben, we wish you and your family health and safety during this difficult time. 

Contact

Tess McKinley
Executive Director
tsm223@cornell.edu
607-664-2301

Last updated May 29, 2020