As businesses adjust to new procedures for preventing COVID-19 in the plant, there is a need to look at the big picture of how to mitigate exposure and assess which tools are best to use at essential businesses for preventing COVID-19 outbreaks. Here are our Top 3 considerations.
- Screening employees for COVID-19
While a useful tool, taking employees temperatures as a means of screening is not a foolproof way to screen employees. Employees may not have an elevated temperature as a symptom. It is important to screen employees by asking them about other symptoms as well. See our checklist for screening employees and visitors before entering the processing facility.
Employers must communicate well with employees about why they are putting policies in place, and what employees should be doing. Employees should know the symptoms to watch out for, who they should notify if they show symptoms, what they should do if they come into contact with someone who has or may have COVID-19, and that they will still be paid if they must leave work due to COVID-19. This decision tree may be helpful for deciding how to handle COVID-19 positives or potential positives. For more information on using temperatures to screen employees, see this FAQ.
As new information comes out related to different methods of screening employees, it is important that leaders of essential businesses as themselves, “what do the results of this test tell us?” Using tests as a screening method for employees should be carefully considered before implementing.
- Back to Basics
Handwashing is one of the most famous Good Manufacturing Practices, and is also one of the most difficult practices to consistently enforce and achieve. The rules of handwashing have always been, “before starting work, after each absence from the work station, and at any other time when the hands may have become soiled or contaminated.” Any time when the hands may have become soiled or contaminated is very frequently, with or without COVID-19. Employees should be washing their hands after touching their face or frequently touched surfaces. This has never been the more important to enforce in facilities. Employers should consider evaluating their facility and looking at where handwashing facilities are. For example, an employee sitting in a control room may be practicing social distancing, but it is not easily achievable for that employee to leave the control room every time the employee touches their face.
Leadership should be verifying proper Good Manufacturing Practices and new social distancing policies are being followed throughout facilities. At a minimum, performing visual observations and following up with any issues is important. Download a spreadsheet for verifying social distancing in the food processing plant.
- Risk Doesn’t Care about The Walls of the Facility- Plant Leadership must Provide Guidance
Crisis management teams struggle with how to mitigate risk of employees acquiring COVID-19 outside of the plant. Employees are getting news from different sources in their personal lives. Personal friends, social media, and news stations are all pouring out information that has varying degrees of facts. Food manufacturers must step in to help employees understand relevant factual information. Meeting with employees to provide them with resources and guidance is key to helping employees understand what measures they should be taking in their personal life, and who to go to if employees have concerns.
It is prudent for plant leadership to evaluate anticipated threats to their specific employee base. For example, if they know many employees use public transportation to get to work, it would be wise to assess if there is a better way to get employees to work and expose them to less risk. If essential employees are in living situations that put them at risk, there may be potential to work with community partners (such as hotels) to temporarily relocate them.
These are unprecedented times for food manufacturers. Leaders need to think outside the box and look at the big picture of what efforts will make the biggest difference for employee health. For questions or guidance, please feel free to reach out to our team at foodsafety@cornell.edu.
