95° + temperatures have hit in the Central Valley.  We are updating Heat Illness Prevention Programs to incorporate Covid-19 precautions. In this blog we are focusing on two specific areas: water and shade.

First, I’d like to address water as everyone needs to be consuming adequate fluids, especially when the weather is hot. It’s important to follow personal hygiene and sanitization practices for commonly touched surfaces.  Igloo jugs to fill single use cups will need to be monitored and sanitized appropriately.  Even the single use water bottles will need to be handled with proper personal hygiene caution. As always, make sure you are providing sufficient quantities of cooled fresh water at 1 quart per person per hour in the workplace.

Preventative recovery rest breaks is the next area to be addressed.  Shaded rest areas must be provided.  For every two hours worked employees must be provided with a preventative rest period of at least 10 minutes. Employers must take additional measures to be sure that employees can take a break in a shaded area while obeying social distancing of 6 feet.

Employees should be trained to keep 6 feet of social distance during breaks and transportation to prevent infection.

In California, Cal/OSHA will continue to enforce regulations associated with COVID-19 and hazards associated with the workplace including heat illness and other applicable hazards. Please review your Heat Illness Prevention programs with a review of your specific COVID-19 procedures. 

Please contact us if we can help you in adjusting your plans accordingly.

Essential Industries with an employee who tests positive for COVID-19

1. Isolate sick worker from other employees.
2. Inform other employees while protecting privacy under HIPAA laws.
3. Perform a contact tracing of the employee at your workplace for the previous 14 days including contractors and suppliers who may have been in close contact* with the infected worker.
4. Sanitize surfaces which the worker may have touched including tools and transportation.
5. Monitor employees who were potentially exposed. Ask daily about symptoms and potential exposures. Train employees to inform you if any symptoms appear while working and isolate any employee who has symptoms. Consider monitoring temperatures of employees.
6. If contact tracing indicates the employee was exposed while working then recording (worker comp) and reporting to Cal/OSHA if the illness leads to a fatality, in-patient hospitalization or disfigurement.
7. Review your companies code of safe practice for COVID-19 and review your infectious disease management plan and update as needed.

** Data is limited to define of close contact. Factors to consider when defining close contact include proximity (within 6 feet), the duration of exposure (e.g., longer exposure time likely increases exposure risk), whether the individual has symptoms (e.g., coughing likely increases exposure risk) and whether the individual was wearing a facemask (which can efficiently block respiratory secretions from contaminating others and the environment).

Sources: Cal/OSHA, CDC, OSHA, CA DHS and HHS

The CDC and Cal/OSHA regulations have been changing as the pandemic is progressing.  The Code of Safe Practice attached for COVID-19 reflects the most recent changes we are aware of.  In particular the return to work and quarantine guidelines have changed recently.  Please review and update your IIPP with this Code of Safe Practice.  If you have questions or need assistance in updating your programs please contact us.

IIPP CSP COVID-19 English 4.22.2020

IIPP CSP COVID-19 Spanish 4.22.2020

We have a lot of great trainers here at CSTC. We wanted to do some interviews so you could get to know them better.
Our second interview we thought was fitting to meet the Ben Laverty IV, son of the founder of CSTC Ben Laverty III.

Ben Laverty IV talks about Wellness, and how that can help employees and employers, in regards to safety and productivity and efficiency in everything you do. Learn how CSTC is trying to focus on their employees wellness, and some of the less known benefits of wellness.

In this Video ( with transcription ), Ben Laverty IV from California Safety Training Corporation ( CSTC ) talks about the recent changes to OSHA 300 Log reporting, and the upcoming deadlines, including fines, and how to use your OSHA 300 logs to help your business.

Living in Bakersfield, Heat Illness is a serious problem, with high temperatures 8+ months out of the year. In this video, Ben IV Laverty discusses Heat Illness very casually, with some stories, insights, and frequently asked questions from employers and employees.

In this video, Ben IV Laverty discusses the electronic reporting of OSHA 300 Logs for California, that is a requirement starting July 1st 2018.