COVID-19 PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE PLAN

Ludemas  (“Company”) takes the health and safety of our employees seriously. With the spread of COVID-19 and the need for certain employees to continue in-person work, either because they are critical infrastructure workers or they are needed to conduct minimum basic operations for the Company, the Company is committed to reducing the risk of exposure to COVID-19 at the Company’s workplace(s) and to providing a healthy and safe workplace for our employees.

This Plan is based on information and guidance from the CDC and OSHA at the time of its development, and is subject to change based on further information provided by the CDC, OSHA, and other public officials. The Company may also amend this Plan based on operational needs.

 

The Company has identified the following potential sources to spread COVID-19 in the workplace:

• The general public
• Customers/clients/patients/residents
• Co-workers
• Vendors/visitors

 

Our employees fall into one or more the following categories:

 

• Lower exposure risk (the work performed does not required direct contact with people known or suspected to be infected with COVID-19 or frequent close contact with the public).

 

• Medium exposure risk (the work performed requires frequent and/or close contact with people who may be infected with COVID-19 but who are not known COVID-19 patients, or contact with the general public in areas where there is ongoing community transmission).

 

COVID-19 WORKPLACE COORDINATOR

 

The Company has designated the following individual as its COVID-19 Workplace Coordinator: Allison Ludema. The Coordinator is responsible for staying abreast of federal, state and local guidance and incorporating those recommendations into the Company’s workplace.  The Coordinator is also responsible for reviewing human resources policies and practices to make sure that they are consistent with this Plan and existing federal, state and local requirements.

 

The Coordinator can be reached at the following:

Phone numbers: 616.452.2961

Email address: support@ludemas.com

 

RESPONSIBILITIES OF SUPERVISORS AND MANAGERS

 

All managers and supervisors must be familiar with this Plan and be ready to answer questions from employees. Managers and supervisors must set a good example by following this Plan at all times. This involves practicing good personal hygiene and jobsite safety practices to prevent the spread of the virus. Managers and supervisors must encourage this same behavior from all employees.

 

RESPONSIBILITIES OF EMPLOYEES

 

The Company is asking every one of our employees to help with our prevention efforts while at work. In order to minimize the impact of COVID-19 at our worksite(s), everyone must play their part. As set forth below, the Company has instituted various housekeeping, social distancing, and other best practices at our workplace(s) to minimize exposure to COVID-19 and prevent its spread in the workplace. All employees must follow these best practices at all times for them to be effective.  Beyond these best practices, the Company requires employees to report immediately to their managers or supervisors if they are experiencing signs or symptoms of COVID-19, as described below.  If employees have a specific question about this Plan or COVID-19, they should ask their manager or supervisor.

 

OSHA and the CDC have provided the following control and preventative guidance for all workers, regardless of exposure risk:

 

• Frequently wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. When soap and running water are unavailable, use an alcohol-based hand rub with at least 60% alcohol.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
• Follow appropriate respiratory etiquette, which includes covering for coughs and sneezes.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• While there is community spread of COVID-19, maintain appropriate social distance of six feet to the greatest extent possible.

 

In addition, employees must familiarize themselves with the symptoms and exposure risks of COVID-19.  The primary symptoms of COVID-19 include the following:

 

• Dry cough;
• Fever (either feeling feverish or a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher);
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

 

Individuals with COVID-19 may also have early symptoms such as chills, body aches, sore throat, headache, diarrhea, nausea/vomiting, and runny nose.

 

If employees develop a fever and symptoms of respiratory illness, such as an atypical cough or shortness of breath, they must not to report to work, notify their supervisor immediately, and consult their healthcare provider. Likewise, if employees come into close contact with someone showing these symptoms, they must notify their supervisor immediately and consult their healthcare provider.  The Company will also work to identify any employees who have close contact with individuals with COVID-19 symptoms.

 

“Close contact” is not brief or incidental contact with a person with COVID-19 symptoms.  Instead, the CDC defines “close contact” as either:

 

• Being within approximately six feet of a COVID-19 infected person or a person with any COVID-19 symptom(s) for a “prolonged period of time;” or
• Having direct contact with infectious secretions of a COVID-19 infected person or a person with any COVID-19 symptom(s) (e.g., being coughed on).

 

There is no precise definition of “prolonged period of time.” CDC estimates range from 10 to 30 minutes.  To protect employees, the Company uses the lower end of this range and considers a prolonged period to be 10 to 15 minutes of exposure.

 

WORKSITE PREVENTATIVE MEASURES

 

Minimizing exposure from co-workers.  The Company will take the following steps to minimize exposure from co-workers to COVID-19:

 

• Educate employees on protective behaviors that reduce the spread of COVID-19 and provide employees with the necessary tools for these protective behaviors, including:
  • Posting CDC information, including recommendations on risk factors at home and in the community
  • Providing tissues and no-touch disposal receptacles to minimize exposure to infectious secretions
  • Inform employees of the importance of good hand hygiene. Regularly washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds is one of the most effective ways for employees to minimize exposure to COVID-19.  If soap and water are not readily available, employees should use alcohol-based hand sanitizer that is at least 60% alcohol. If hands are visibly dirty, soap and water should be chosen over hand sanitizer.
  • Encourage good hand hygiene by ensuring that adequate supplies of soap and hand sanitizer are maintained and placing hand sanitizers in multiple locations.
  • Discourage handshaking and instead encourage the use of other noncontact methods of greeting
  • Avoid other employees’ phones, desks, offices, other work tools and equipment, and other commonly touched surfaces when possible. If necessary, clean and disinfect them before and after use
  • Avoid sharing food utensils and food with other employees
  • Encourage and require social distancing to the greatest extent possible while in the workplace
  • Encourage employees to minimize ride-sharing. While in vehicles, employees must ensure adequate ventilation
  • Consider use of masks, gloves and other PPE
    • Develop plan for medium, high and very high risk employees

 

• Develop protocol for social distancing practices
  • Evaluate areas where employees work within 6 feet of each other and determine options to increase distance apart.
  • Limit in-person meetings
  • Restrict the number of workers present on-site to no more than necessary
  • Consider staggered shifts, break times, etc.
  • Consider new shifts
  • Promote remote work as much as possible
  • Deliver products through curb-side pick-up or delivery

 

• Restrict employees from the workplace if they display symptoms of COVID-19
  • Consider temporarily implementing health assessments and/or questionnaires prior to entry into the workplace
  • Immediately separate any employee with symptoms from other individuals and send him/her home

 

• Actively encourage sick employees to stay home
  • Apply available paid time off options and flexible attendance requirements
  • Follow state and federal guidance for return to work
  • Implement protocol for return to work after symptoms of COVID-19

 

• Actively encourage employees to stay home if they have been in close contact with a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19
  • Apply available paid time off options and flexible attendance requirements
  • Follow state and federal guidance for return to work
  • Implement protocol for return to work after potential exposure to COVID-19

 

• Develop protocol to follow if an employee has a confirmed case of COVID-19
  • Communication plan with co-workers
  • Work with local health department
  • Evaluate OSHA reporting/recordkeeping requirements
  • Implement protocol for return to work, including workplace contact tracing and CDC-recommended cleaning and disinfecting in all affected areas

 

• Perform increased routine environmental cleaning and disinfection
  • Instruct employees to sanitize the work areas upon arrival, throughout the workday, and immediately before departure
  • Routinely clean and disinfect all frequently touched surfaces in the workplace, such as workstations, keyboards, telephones, handrails, and doorknobs.
  • Provide disposable wipes so that commonly used surfaces (for example, doorknobs, keyboards, remote controls, desks, other work tools and equipment) can be wiped down by employees before each use.
  • Maintain Safety Data Sheets of all disinfectants used on site

 

• Eliminate/restrict work-related travel if possible and limit employees’ exposure to employee who traveled until the Company can confirm traveling employee does not have COVID-19 symptoms

 

• Consider improving the engineering controls using the building ventilation system
  • Increase ventilation rates
  • Increase the percentage of outdoor air that circulates into the system

 

• Evaluate options for employees at a higher risk for serious illness due to COVID-19

 

• Plan to monitor and respond to absenteeism
  • Implement plans to continue your essential business functions in case you experience higher than usual absenteeism
  • Cross-train employees to perform essential functions so the workplace can operate even if key employees are absent

 

• Remind employees about the Company’s employee assistance program (EAP) resources and community resources as needed.

 

• Talk with companies that provide contract or temporary employees about the importance of sick employees staying home and encourage them to develop non-punitive leave policies.

 

 

 

Minimizing exposure from customers

 

• Evaluate what business practices are needed to maintain critical operations (e.g., identify alternative suppliers, prioritize existing customers, or temporarily suspend some of your operations if needed).

 

• Develop protocol for social distancing practices

 

• • Mark 6 foot distance in areas where customers might gather/wait

 

• • Limit number of customers allowed into workplace

 

• • Minimize face to face contact (e.g., drive-through windows)

 

• Post information on reducing the spread of COVID-19

 

• Evaluate options for assessing symptoms of COVID-19 and removing individuals from the workplace with symptoms

 

• Consider physical barriers between employees and customers

 

• Consider making gloves and masks available to customers/clients

 

 

Minimizing exposure from the visitors/vendors

 

• Talk with business partners about the Company’s Plan

 

• If needed, identify alternate supply chains for critical goods and services. Some goods and services may be in higher demand or unavailable.

 

• If possible limit, the number of visitors to the worksite, including the trailer or office.

 

• Develop protocol for health screening/questionnaire for visitors/vendors

Minimizing exposure from the general public

• Be prepared to change business practices if needed to maintain critical operations (e.g., identify alternative suppliers, prioritize existing customers, or temporarily suspend some of your operations if needed).