When news was initially released that Wuhan, China was impacted by the coronavirus, EI immediately launched a series of weekly educational blogs in mid-January highlighting pragmatic occupational health and industrial hygiene practices which minimize the possibility of coronavirus transmission in the workplace The blog series has covered the following:
- Business Contingency Plans to include coronavirus pandemic planning
- Respiratory Protection – N95’s vs. Surgical Masks
- Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) monitoring/corrective measures to minimize airborne COVID-19
- Cleaning & Disinfection – Cleaning, disinfection and verification protocol. Optimal EPA List N disinfectants and the importance of their proper application
- Employee Medical Screening – Detailed guidance for identifying potential carriers of COVID-19
- Reopening Business – Guidelines for minimizing occupational COVID-19 transmission as social distancing is relaxed
The background information in EI’s blog series builds an excellent foundation for a comprehensive plan to minimize occupational transmission of COVID-19 when reopening businesses.
by Larry Rockefeller, CIH, CSP
Director, Industrial Hygiene Services
The “new normal,” as social distancing guidelines are relaxed, will be focused on practical methods to prevent pathogen transmission and aimed at protecting public health. As the demand for our hands-on classroom certification and educational training in occupational health, safety, industrial hygiene and environmental compliance rapidly “returns to normal,” EI has developed a plan to provide a safe classroom environment for our students. Our training protocol review was based on published guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and practical, “boots on the ground” experience, which our professionals have garnered while supporting EI’s industrial, healthcare and institutional client base, both prior to and during the COVID-19 crisis.
EI Policies and Procedures to
Ensure a Safe Classroom Environment:
- Prior to the scheduled class start, trainers will be administering medical screenings to each student before entering the training classroom. The medical screening will comprise of a standardized questionnaire and body temperature measurement using a non-contact thermometer.
- Face coverings, provided by EI, will now be required within the building. Also, gloves will be provided to each student, if requested. All trainers will also be required to wear a face covering.
- Each classroom will be capped at a maximum number of students, so that each student will be positioned at least 6 feet from one another (and the trainer). Each trainer will briefly discuss distancing measures at the beginning of class, in order to maintain proper distancing throughout the class’s scheduled time. Additionally, course breaks will be staggered to maintain proper distancing.
- At the conclusion of each class, all frequently touched, non-porous surfaces (e.g. tables, chairs, doorknobs) within the training room will be disinfected using an EPA approved COVID-19 disinfection product. This product will be used according to manufacturer’s guidelines to ensure proper disinfection.
How Can We Help?
At EI, we aim to provide the safest possible classroom training facility during this pandemic. If there are any questions or concerns please contact our Training Manager, Ms. Deborah Walker at (919) 459-5276 or dwalker@ei1.com.