REVISED EMPLOYEE COVID-19 SAFTEY PROTOCOLS

---

To promote the health and safety of every employee during the current COVID-19 pandemic, the City is revising and implementing the below Employee Safety Protocols. Please review these Protocols in conjunction with the City’s COVID-19 FAQs and Face Covering Memorandum. Every employee, manager, and supervisor must understand and adhere to these protocols immediately. This policy is designed to protect the health and safety of the City’s workforce. These protocols are effective July 17, 2020 and are subject to change as new information and circumstances change.

HEALTH CHECKS

Basic Health Checks are instrumental in timely identification of COVID-19 infections.

With timely identification of infection, we all can take appropriate steps to reduce the spread of disease. It is critical that all employees are vigilant and honest in their health assessment. Employees must remain at home if they exhibit any COVID-19 symptoms.

The City has defined three Health Check levels. Your Department and Risk Management will determine the appropriate health check level for employees. These levels, based on CalOSHA guidelines, correspond to risk exposure based on the nature of your work and job responsibilities. At a minimum, all employees should follow the Level I Health Check. The need for a higher level of health check is at the discretion of the Department with input from Risk Management.

https://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3990.pdf

Level I (Low Exposure Risk)

Low exposure jobs are those that do not require contact with people known to be or suspected of being, infected with COVID-19. Low exposure risk jobs include those jobs that require infrequent and limited contact with the public and co-workers, employees who work in a low-population-density work environment, and/or work from home yet occasionally report to a worksite.

All City employees who are reporting to work are directed to perform Health Checks as prescribed by the Center for Disease Control (CDC). These checks should occur at home before reporting to work each day. A basic health self-check includes:

• Taking your temperature to determine whether you have a fever
• Writing down or otherwise recording your temperature in a personal log
• Being alert to other COVID-19 symptoms:
• Persistent Coughing
• Shortness of breath
• Sore throat
• Body or muscle aches
• Loss of taste or smell

Employees who have a temperature of 100.4°F/38°C or higher, persistent cough, sore throat, recent loss of taste or smell or trouble breathing should contact their personal medical provider immediately. Additionally, employees may be eligible for City COVID- 19 testing (please refer to City Testing Guidelines). They should also notify their supervisor that they will not be at work and are seeking medical attention. Employees with COVID-19 symptoms shall not report to work.

Level II (Medium Exposure Risk)

Medium exposure risk jobs include those that require frequent and/or close contact with (i.e., within 6 feet of) people who may be infected with COVID-19 but who are not known or suspected COVID-19 patients. In areas where there is ongoing community transmission, workers in this category may have contact with the general public (e.g., schools, high-population-density work environments, some high-volume retail settings).

Employees subject to Level II Health Checks will be verbally screened by their supervisors prior to beginning work each day. Employees must be honest with their responses and will not be subject to discipline if they respond “yes” to any of the questions, though they may be sent home. Supervisors must ask the below questions and record the employee as “clear” or “not clear” in a log. Supervisors should not record medical information or conditions that an employee volunteers other than what is asked per this Protocol.

If any employee starts to experience any COVID-19 symptoms in the middle of their shift, they must notify their supervisor immediately, will be sent home, and must contact their personal physician immediately.

• Have you checked your temperature within the last 24 hours? YES NO
• Within the last 24 hours have you experienced any of the following:
• A temperature of 100.4°F/38°C or higher? YES NO
• Abnormal or prolonged coughing? YES NO
• Abnormal or prolonged shortness of breath? YES NO
• Sore Throat? YES NO
• Recent Loss of Taste or Smell? YES NO
• Body or Muscle Aches? YES NO
• Close contact with any confirmed cases of COVID-19? YES NO

If employee has not checked their temperature within the last 24 hours, the supervisor must remind them to check their temperature daily. Employees who repeatedly do not or refuse to check their temperature before reporting to work may be sent home or subject to discipline.

• If employee answered “yes” to any of the questions listed above:
  – Direct the employee to contact their personal medical provider for further guidance
  – Notify Risk Management immediately

Again, managers and supervisors need only mark on a list/log whether the employee is “clear” or “not clear” to work. If a manager/supervisor records any personal health information, they must contact Risk Management immediately to ensure proper handling of the document.
If a supervisor does not perform health checks as required by this Protocol or does not follow this Protocol, employees may contact their Department Head or Risk Management to report the non-compliance.

Level III (High Exposure Risk)

High exposure risk jobs include those jobs that require continuous close contact (i.e., within 6 feet of) the public and co-workers, including those that may contract or be exposed to COVID-19 and those working in an enclosed space with others for extended periods. These job environments include working in long-term closed spaces (e.g., firehouse, dispatch center, Emergency Operations Center (EOC), driving in City vehicles with another worker). This may not apply to standard office environments where social distancing can be available. The Department in consultation with Risk Management will determine whether employees fall in the Level III category.

Employees subject to Level III Health Checks will have their temperature checked at the beginning of their shift and will be verbally screened for additional COVID-19 symptoms each workday. Employees must be honest with their responses and will not be subject to discipline if they respond “yes” to any of the questions though they may be sent home. Supervisors must ask the below questions and record the employee as “clear” or “not clear” in a log. Supervisors should not record medical information or conditions that an employee volunteers other than what is asked per this Protocol.

If any employee starts to experience any COVID-19 symptoms in the middle of their shift, they must notify their supervisor immediately, will be sent home, and must contact their personal physician immediately.

• Employee’s Temperature is Taken. If 100.4°F/38°C or higher, employee must go home.
• Within the last 24 hours have you experienced any of the following:
• Abnormal or prolonged coughing? YES NO
• Abnormal or prolonged shortness of breath? YES NO
• Sore Throat? YES NO
• Recent Loss of Taste or Smell? YES NO
• Body or Muscle Aches? YES NO
• Close contact with any confirmed cases of COVID-19? YES NO
• If employee answered “yes” to any of the questions listed above:
  – Direct the employee to contact their personal medical provider for further guidance
  – Notify Risk Management immediately

Again, managers and supervisors need only mark on a list/log whether the employee is “clear” or “not clear” to work. If a manager/supervisor records any personal health information, they must contact Risk Management immediately to ensure proper handling of the document.

If a supervisor does not perform health checks as required by this Protocol or does not follow this Protocol, employees may contact their Department Head or Risk Management to report non-compliance.

MANDATORY CLEANING OF WORKSPACES AND WORK EQUIPMENT

Appropriate cleaning and disinfectant supplies will be available to all employees. Department supervisors will distribute supplies to employees and inspect and monitor that proper cleaning and disinfecting takes place. Should your division run low on cleaning supplies, please contact your supervisor/manager or Risk Management.

Starting immediately, and until further notice, all employees are required to clean and disinfect widely used high-touch surfaces before and after personal use. In this context, high-touch surfaces include doorknobs, phones, remote controls, keyboards, tablets, hand-tools, desk, tables, machine/vehicle hand controls, and other similar surfaces which are used by multiple employees throughout the day.

Widely used high-touch surfaces should be cleaned and treated with a disinfectant spray or wipe. Be sure to follow the instructions on the disinfectant’s label to ensure safe and effective use of the product. Many products recommend keeping the surface wet for several minutes to ensure germs are killed. Many products also recommend precautions such as wearing gloves and making sure you have good ventilation during use of certain products.

Please be advised that if an employee tests positive for COVID-19, the City will (through the use of a third-party vendor) decontaminate the impacted workspace/worksite. The space may be closed to employees until the decontamination is completed.

A complete guide to cleaning and disinfection is available here:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/clean-disinfect/index.html

VEHICLE OCCUPANCY

Automobile interiors present a closed space where multiple individuals ride together in close proximity. Given this situation, it is natural that riders are concerned about increased possibilities of COVID-19 transmission. The City recognizes and understands the risk presented by such vehicle travel, but the City also recognizes that multiple-person vehicle occupancy may be necessary to perform many of the City’s essential government functions. To maintain essential government services, the City of Oakland will continue to allow multiple-person vehicle occupancy when such occupancy is necessary to perform essential government functions. Individual Department Directors will determine when such vehicle use is appropriate. Generally, Departments (other than Police and Fire) will limit vehicle capacity to no more than two occupants.

However, regardless of vehicle use, vehicle passengers must:
• Fully clean and disinfect vehicle interiors before and after use

and
• Conduct at least a Level 1 Health Check within 24 hours of riding with another employee

CLOTH FACE COVERING

According to the Alameda County Public Health Department, all employees must wear a cloth face covering. Please refer to the City’s Cloth Face Covering Memorandum and FAQs for more specific guidance. Additionally, an FAQ is provided by the County here:
https://COVID-19.acgov.org/face-covering-faqs.page
If your Department requires you to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and/or an N95 mask, you shall wear all required PPE while working.

COMPLAINT PROCEDURE FOR EMPLOYEE PROVIDING ESSENTIAL GOVERNMENT SERVICES

Employee safety is of the utmost concern to the City of Oakland. The City will strive to ensure a safe, healthy workplace for all its employees. Departments are accountable for doing all to try and prevent workplace incidents, injuries and illnesses, especially the spread of COVID-19. Supervisors and managers must enforce City safety rules and work to eliminate unsafe conditions.

All employees, especially management, shall lead safety efforts by example and shall adhere to all safety policies, practices and protocols established by the City and Departments. Failure to adhere to safety standards may result in discipline.

Employees who have a good faith belief that the cleanliness of their workplace presents a safety risk outside those normally associated with work, and they are unable to mitigate this issue themselves, must report that issue to their immediate supervisor. The supervisor will meet with the employee, assess the concern, and determine the appropriate and necessary actions to ensure the risk is appropriately mitigated. Until this process is complete, the employee shall not be required to expose themselves to the possible risk. Once the issue is addressed, the employee will continue as normal.

If the employee does not believe that the supervisor resolved the safety issue, they shall elevate the complaint to the Department Director and/or Risk Management. Risk Management may be contacted at 510-238-7165 or emailing RiskMgmt@oaklandca.gov. The City will consider all employee suggestions for achieving a safer, healthier workplace.

Employees may anonymously report safety concerns by calling 510-238-7165 or emailing RiskMgmt@oaklandca.gov. No employee shall be subject to retaliation for reporting a safety issue, cleanliness issue or refusing to work in unreasonably unclean or unsafe conditions.