COVID-19 safety plan Company details - Algonquin College
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COVID-19 safety plan
Company details
Business name: Algonquin College Revision date: January 4, 2021
Date completed: December, 2020 Developed by: Occupational Health & Safety
Division/group: Risk Management Others consulted: Broad Supporting
Representation
Date distributed: January 11, 2021
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COVID-19 safety plan1. How will you ensure all workers know how and are able to
keep themselves safe from exposure to COVID-19?
Actions:
An employee resource portal has been developed and is linked from the main College
Coronavirus FAQ website. The employee portal provides a wide range of resources and links to
COVID-19 and College workplace recovery materials and support information.
A self-paced, micro-learning training course has been developed that is mandatory for all
employees who are returning to work on campus. This Health and Safety training has been
prepared as an employee orientation to COVID-19 workplace recovery efforts and to prepare
employees for a safe return onto campus. This training provides an understanding of the
College's Occupational Health & Safety Policy (HS 16 COVID-19 Workplace Recovery) and guide-
lines and procedures that have been adopted.
Visit: https://www.algonquincollege.com/coronavirus/
Similarly, a student portal has been developed to provide new and returning students with a
range of COVID-19 information and access to various supports. A mandatory, online training
module has been prepared for students that is similar to the employee health & safety aware-
ness training for COVID-19. The student program is hosted through the same College partner
(YOW) used for other student health & safety offerings that support Work Integrated Learning
opportunities. Student records of training are retained centrally and available for reference in
Algonquin College Student Information System (ACSIS).
The online training, website resources and printed, distributed awareness materials provide
considerable awareness and instruction for all members of the College community.
2. How will you screen for COVID-19?
Actions:
All employees and students are required to self-monitor their health and assess themselves on
a daily basis, prior to coming to campus. The publicly available assessment tool through the
provincial COVID-19 website is referenced to support the practice of self-monitoring. Staff and
students who are ill or exhibiting symptoms are directed to not attend campuses and to follow
public health requirements for self-isolation and further medical consultation.
Also, to supplement the awareness measures around self-assessment, the College has
implemented the use of a mobile self-screening app for COVID-19 within our existing AC mobile
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COVID-19 safety plansafety app. Any persons entering college buildings will need to self-screen on a daily basis. If
you are required to attend campus, you will be asked to demonstrate that you have self-
screened using the app or will need to fil out a paper copy of the self-screening questionnaire at
the designated public entrances for college campuses.
3. How will you control the risk of transmission in your
workplace?
Actions:
Access to campus
The return to campus is prioritized for only programs that require a hands-on delivery for
applied instruction in order to limit on-campus populations. Program delivery plans for new and
returning students have been published to identify the programs that will be delivered re-
motely and those that will be delivered as hybrids, with a portion of on-campus activity. This
strategy limits the total number of students who will be expected to be attending campuses
both in the aggregate and in terms of daily visits. The academic plans are flexible to respond to
changing public health guidelines regarding gathering limits. In addition, support services have
been scaled back to only those required to support the anticipated student volume. Presently,
the Ottawa Campus operates at a volume that is far less than 25% its usual levels, with the daily
traffic expected to be less than 2000 students. Achieving significantly reduced student and em-
ployee populations helps to facilitate physical distancing objectives across all academic, support
and common spaces of the College campuses.
A limited number of public access entrances have been designated at each of the three
campuses. At the Ottawa Campus there are only four designated public entrances that are
monitored 24/7 by Security Services. Security Officers are available at the entrance to provide
information and will advise any members of the public entering the buildings of the mandatory
mask policy. Community members who do not have a mask will be offered a disposable mask at
the entrance.
Cleaning protocols
Increased cleaning and disinfection protocols are being implemented, in accordance with the
College Occupational Health & Safety Guidelines. This includes both increased frequencies and
augmented cleaning regimes, including cleaning procedures for high-touch surfaces. Each of the
learning environments identified for academic activity have been individually assessed and
custom cleaning and disinfection procedures are being applied, where appropriate. Examples of
this may include where there is a need for the use of shared equipment that needs to be
disinfected between uses or where there are particularly high-contact surfaces involved.
Academic environments have been supplied with Cavi Wipes for interim use during academic
activity and are also scheduled for full cleaning on a daily basis.
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COVID-19 safety planThese measures are taken to supplement the practice of frequent hand-washing and avoiding
face touching.
Mandatory Masks
In accordance with Policy HS 16 COVID-19 Mandatory Use of Masks Addendum, all members of
the College Community are required to wear masks, in accordance with City of Ottawa Tempo-
rary Mandatory Mask By-Law (2020-186). The policy also reflects similar requirements made by
orders under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act and issued by the public
health units for Lanark and Renfrew counties, applicable to the Perth and Pembroke campuses,
respectively.
Out of an abundance of caution, the College policy applies a somewhat conservative
interpretation of the “Enclosed Public Space” definition from the by-law and requires that em-
ployees and students wear masks in all spaces where they are not the sole occupant.
Physical Distancing
During the pilot programs and continuing program teach out activity all of the classroom / lab /
shop facilities identified for use were individually assessed by a multi-disciplinary team
including representation from Facilities Planning, Occupational Health & Safety, the Joint
Occupational Health & Safety Committee, associated technical and teaching staff and
Procurement to ensure the spaces are appropriately occupied and adequately equipped to
support physical distancing guidelines of 2m (6ft.). This practice has been applied to all
identified academic spaces in use for the Fall Term, as well. Generally, lab and class sizes have
been reduced to approximately 40% of their normal capacity. This has been modified
marginally in some cases to reflect the specific configuration of the space and the
characteristics of the activity within the space. See Appendix A – Room Usage Fall 2020.
Physical distancing is supported through both general signage and targeted signage campaigns
through the College and will also be used, as appropriate, within the spaces identified for the
pilot program. A full suite of signage and awareness posters have been developed to support
consistent messaging across all campuses.
The assessment of the specific program locations includes a determination of the proper use of
physical barriers to support physical distancing requirements.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
HS 16 Mandatory Use of Masks Addendum distinguishes personal, non-medical masks from
personal protective equipment (PPE) as a source control measure versus a protective measure
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COVID-19 safety planfor the wearer. As part of the assessment and fit-up for spaces that will be in use during the Fall
Term, an understanding of the nature of activities being carried out in each has been
established. Guidance has been provided regarding the need for the use of specific PPE, based
on the intended interaction with clients / students or others.
The College is equipped to provide PPE necessary for higher-risk activities, if required. This
includes the use of N95 respirators, protective eyewear and face shields, disposable gloves,
disposable gowns, where necessary. It is noteworthy that effort has been taken, wherever pos-
sible, to design tasks in a manner that does not require the use of specialized PPE. There are
very few high-risk activities that involve close contact for extended periods or the production of
aerosols and droplets in close proximity. Any close contact requirements are identified for the
appropriate use of PPE such as gloves, gowns and face shields, in accordance with industry best
practices.
4. What will you do if there is a potential case, or suspected
exposure to, COVID-19 at your workplace?
Actions:
Employees and students are required to advise their managers / faculty if they test positive for
COVID-19. In turn, the managers / faculty are required to report this information to the
Occupational Health & Safety team.
The last area(s) visited by the infected person will be shut down and Occupational Health &
Safety will coordinate the appropriate investigation with the manager / faculty representatives.
The investigation will include a focus to determine close contacts of an infected person within
the College community. Identified possible close contacts will be advised accordingly and a
recommendation for testing will be provided.
Other employees / students who are known to have had close contact with an infected person
will be advised accordingly and a recommendation for testing will be provided.
Employee and student attendance information will be gathered to inform contact tracing
requirements and support Ottawa Public Health in contact management. Close liaison with
Ottawa Public Health has been established through a standard operating procedure and single
point of contact to assure effective response and management with respect to reported
positive cases.
Facilities Management will conduct a deep cleaning and disinfection or close the area for a
minimum of 72 hrs. to allow for disinfection, depending on the circumstances of the specific
location(s) involved.
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COVID-19 safety plan5. How will you manage any new risks caused by changes to
the way you operate your business?
Actions:
The College has established various operating committee structures with broad stakeholder
engagement to help respond to changing circumstances or emerging risks. This includes several
meetings per week of the College Executive Team and Leadership Team. Also, a workplace
Recovery Committee has been established to manage operational changes and the need for
changes to protective measures and protocols throughout the College. In addition, the College
Joint Occupational Health & Safety Committees address employee safety matters on a regular
basis and the College Risk Management Committee regularly reviews broad aspects of the
College overall response and mitigation efforts associated with COVID-19.
6. How will you make sure your plan is working?
Actions:
The College has approved a College Policy “HS 16 COVID-19 Workplace Recovery” and
Occupational Health & Safety Guidelines document for ongoing management of COVID-19
matters. Multi-disciplinary committee structures that include representation from
management, labour, the Joint Occupational Health & Safety Committee and the Students’ As-
sociation have been struck and are actively involved in the operationalization of College plans.
Regular reporting surrounding College planning and response measures is being provided to the
Audit & Risk Management Committee of the Board of Governors and the Board of Governors as
a standing item at all public Board meetings.
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