UPDATE (5/11/2020): Last week, Governor Wolf issued updated guidance that details procedures businesses must follow to conduct in-person operations in counties slated to move to the yellow phase of reopening (Allegheny County is scheduled to move to the yellow phase on May 15). This guidance is available here.

Guidance for Preparing to Reopen In-person Workforce Development Services

After the Governor’s stay at home order is lifted and Allegheny County non-life sustaining businesses are permitted to reopen, Partner4Work wants to ensure its funded programs are equipped and prepared to do so safely. The guidelines here, derived from public health sources including the CDC, Pennsylvania Department of Health, and Allegheny County Health Department, should be taken into account as your organization creates a plan of action for returning to in-person services once the stay-at-home order in Allegheny County is lifted. In all cases, your organization should adhere to the current policies and guidelines issued by state and local government regarding the pandemic response. Your organization or program should not open to the public or to staff without following the most recent guidance from public health officials and without a COVID-19 safety plan in place.

Support for Creating a COVID-19 Response Plan

Governor Wolf’s office released a “Process to Reopen Pennsylvania” on April 25, 2020. The plan released by the Governor includes standards the Commonwealth will adhere to in returning to pre-pandemic levels of activity. Reopening of businesses and activities will occur in a phased approach. Guidance for employers, individuals, and providers will be released by the Commonwealth. Partner4Work has outlined existing guidance below and will update this document as more is released. 

Partner4Work encourages your organizational leadership to use this guidance to develop a ‘COVID-19 Response Plan’ that describes the way your workforce development program will plan for reopening to the public. If your organization has a full organization-wide response plan (which we encourage), you should not duplicate work; however, please ensure that all necessities outlined by the Commonwealth are addressed and that your organizational response plan is applicable to the workforce development program(s) funded by Partner4Work. 

Necessities for Reopening Public Operations:

1. Providing Adequate Protective Equipment and other Preventative Measures

Guidance on Infection Prevention Measures

• Workplace safety requirements from the Commonwealth are available here. Frequently asked questions about these requirements are available here. All Partner4Work funded programs must currently follow these procedures when staff and/or participants are present on site. 
• Display Commonwealth-created “COVID-19 Safety Procedures for Businesses” flyer (forthcoming) clearly in worksites.
• Provide all staff and visitors with a central location with which to wash their hands and promote frequent hand washing by staff, clients, and all work site visitors. If water and soap are not easily accessible at your location, then you must make hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol readily available.
• Post handwashing and general health and safety signs in bathrooms and other common areas.  Consider utilizing these print resources from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on handwashing and other safety measures.
• Encourage respiratory etiquette including covering coughs and sneezes.
• Encourage staff to refrain from sharing office supplies and equipment like phones, desks, and offices (when possible).
• Consider installing plexiglass barriers if appropriate to protect staff, clients, and other individuals at your site. If installed, these barriers should be cleaned regularly.
• Ensure Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is readily available and that all staff are trained in proper usage of PPE. 
  
  • Understand the guidance from the Pennsylvania Department of Health on the usage of PPE and cloth face masks.
  • Utilize the Business-2-Business Interchange Directory for procurement of PPE and other necessary equipment.
  • Find information on the proper usage of PPE in the workplace on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) website. 
  • Regularly clean and disinfect common surfaces, using disinfectants and cleaning chemicals that are approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to be effective against emerging viral pathogens when possible. Utilize CDC resources for guidance on best practices for disinfecting surfaces.

2. Having a Plan for Swift Action for Containment or Mitigation

Create Contingency Plans Based on State Guidance on Reopening

• Create strategies and plans to reopen your organization or programs based on each of the red, yellow, and green phases found in Governor Wolf’s Process to Reopen Pennsylvania.
• Develop a process for implementation and communication of site closures if you need to shut down access to your facility suddenly due to possible exposure or guidance from elected officials. Partner4Work should be informed in the event you close a site connected to one of the programs we fund. 

Policies and Procedures for Prompt Identification and Isolation of Sick People

• Follow CDC guidance for businesses and employers in responding to COVID-19.
• Follow requirements in the Department of Health order for potential contact with a person with COVID-19.
• Ensure staff are aware of the symptoms of COVID-19. Ensure that staff stay home if they are feeling sick.
• Encourage symptomatic clients to stay home or access workforce services remotely.
• Be aware of the location of the closest COVID-19 Diagnostic Testing Facility and have this information readily available for staff and clients. Information on testing locations in Allegheny County is available here.
• Create and implement policies to identify and isolate individuals. If a symptomatic client comes to your facility seeking workforce services or if a staff member develops symptoms while at work, inform your Pandemic Safety Officer immediately and take the following precautions:
  
  • Ask the symptomatic individual to leave the facility.
  • Provide the individual with information on the closest COVID-19 Diagnostic Testing Facility.
  • Disinfect any area in which the symptomatic individual was present. See Sec A. (3) a. of the PA Department of Health order for specific instructions.
• If you suspect a staff member, client, or visitor to your workforce development program or organization has COVID-19, inform Partner4Work after taking the steps above. 

3. Social Distancing and Limitations on Large Gatherings

Guidance on Social Distancing

• Partner4Work encourages programs to maintain or increase the availability of client services provided virtually, whether over the phone, through online learning platforms, or via teleconference.
• When possible and practical, provide options for remote work for employees of your organization and explore options for staggered work schedules.
• As of 4/25/20, gatherings of 25 people will be prohibited in the Commonwealth while in the yellow phase. Partner4Work requires that providers follow the most recent available guidance from the Commonwealth regarding gatherings as well as maximum occupancy of facilities.
• Limit the number of people at staff meetings or host these meetings virtually when possible.
  Before reopening to the public, programs should consider placing markers on the floor to direct the flow of foot traffic for clients to allow for appropriate social distancing.
• Explore the possibility of using crowd management technology like Waitwhile (if feasible and necessary) to control individuals waiting in line in a common area.

4. Institute Specific Protections for Vulnerable Populations:

Policies Regarding Workplace Flexibility and Protections

• Partner4Work encourages provider organizations to develop healthy workplace policies for all staff:
  
  • Actively encourage sick employees to stay home.
  • Work to ensure that your organization’s sick leave policies are flexible and in adherence with public health guidance.
  • Maintain flexible policies that allow for staff to take time off to care for sick family members.
  • Create accommodations for staff at high risk of infection:
    
    • Ensure staff are aware of the risk factors that make individuals more susceptible to COVID-19 complications. Additional guidelines for identification of high-risk individuals can be found on the CDC website. 
    • Arrange remote workplace opportunities for staff at high risk of infection if possible.
    • Reassign duties for high-risk staff to minimize their contact with clients and visitors if possible. 
       

Accommodations for Clients and Participants at High Risk of COVID-19 Complications

• Partner4Work encourages provider organizations to make reasonable accommodations for clients that are at high risk of complications due to COVID-19:
  
  • Communicate to clients the remote workforce services offered by your organization. 
  • Provide PPE to any client that requests this equipment while receiving in-person workforce services. If the mask order is still in place for businesses, provide masks to every client who enters the business.
  • Make resources regarding safety precautions for high-risk individuals from the CDC available to all clients.

Implementation Strategy for COVID-19 Response Plan

• Identify the staff member who will serve as your organization's ‘Pandemic Safety Officer’ who will lead the development and implementation of a COVID-19 response plan.
• Identify your lead point of contact for Partner4Work COVID-19 Response questions. 
• Consider opening your worksite to employees a week before opening to the public in order to orient staff to new safety and cleaning procedures and to make any physical alterations to your workplace layout to ensure that social distancing recommendations can be followed. 
• Host a first-day back training for all staff to review the COVID-19 Response Plan before resuming in-person workplace activities.
• Provide a copy of the COVID-19 Response Plan to employees so they can refer back to the document when necessary.