Last July, Billboard Insider talked with Safety Professional Jim Poage to get his opinion on staying safe during the COVID19 outbreak. We asked Poage for an update on COVID and it’s impact on out of home.
Has Formetco changed their methods of protecting employees since we talked last?
In some areas, yes. Formetco is utilizing smaller work groups to isolate employees if someone becomes ill. We are using UV-C lights for sanitizing areas. There are cleaning crews that perform touch-point sanitation, and Formetco has implemented a viral control plan that outlines in office mask requirements, pre-work body temperature measurements, distribution of hand sanitizing materials, hand washing requirements and techniques, social distancing, and working from home. I have become a Return-to-Work COVID19 Auditor and offer advice on topics I have learned from the certification class.
Tell us about the return to work class
The class trained me to look for areas of concern when evaluating a business after there has been a COVID exposure. HVAC systems are a problem when there is an improper air balance that causes the COVID virus to be spread through the air ducts. Also, many buildings are using inexpensive mesh filters that do not catch the virus but allows it to be spread through the building. HEPA filters are the best for keeping the air clean in the workplace. We were also trained in reviewing company viral control plans to ensure compliance with OSHA requirements.
What about OSHA and COVID
OSHA has offered suggestions on COVID in the workplace, but have not established a COVID directive or guide. They direct people to refer to other standards for information and talk about the employer requirements to provide a safe and healthful workplace, known as the 5(a)(1) General Duty Clause. Their Control and Prevention page at OSHA.gov is listed as guidelines, and while some of the information is helpful, a lot of it is repeated information from the CDC. The surprising things is the OSHA is citing companies for not having a viral/COVID19 control and not following their information. One of the most common citations that OSHA is issuing for COVID related violations is failure to have a written protection program, and to date OSHA has written over $4,000,000 in COVID related citations. Recently, I had to deal with some issues at the Washington state OSHA agency concerning fall protection equipment. The first thing the inspector asked me for was the Formetco COVID Protection program. When I asked the relevance to fall protection equipment they told me they just wanted to make sure we had one.
That is a lot of money and a lot of citations. Will the changes with the new government administration have an effect?
In the January 2021 issue of Safety and Heath magazine the editor states that “the new administration’s plan is generally expected to begin with OSHA issuing an emergency temporary standard on infectious diseases, requiring employers to take certain measures to protect workers from on-the-job exposure to coronavirus.” It has been made clear that the incoming leadership has felt there was a deficiency in the way COVID was addressed, and in my opinion they are going to be very aggressive in establishing criteria for employers that may be difficult to comply with.
That makes it critical for all employers to have a written COVID19 plan.
Yes Many of the OSHA citations for failure to protect employees from the disease could have been avoided if the employer had just had a written plan.
[wpforms id=”9787″]
Paid Advertisement
