COVID-19 Re-opening Safety Plan

County Department COVID-19 Re-Opening Safety Plan for the Catt. County Clerk's Office at the County Center in Little Valley, NY.

Reference Note

This was started from the County Department Reopening Safety Plan form submission #41 (ID: 2945) County Center on 2020-05-29.

Department Information:

Clerk's Office

Facility / Location Name:

County Center (Little Valley)

Address of Facility:

303 Court Street, First Floor, Little Valley, New York. 14755, United States

Recording Office COVID-19 Plan

The following is from the document "recording office COVID plan.docx"

The County Clerk’s recording office is a very large and spacious room.  Keeping proper social distancing will not be a problem except for one place in the office, but we have a solution for that.  We have cubicles that do not allow for 6 foot spacing. The cubicle walls are only “half-walls’.  We will install Germ Guard shielding along the common walls of the cubicles. They will reach a little higher than 6 feet from the ground.  The front counter will have a Germ Guard shield to separate employees from the public.  It will cover the 3 sides of our front counter.  There is one employee work space that is still problematic. There is no way to allow distancing, and there is no wall of any kind between the work areas. There will be  a 4’x6’ free standing curtain to separate these two employees.  There will be times that employees will need to be closer than 6 feet, and all employees will have face mask and instructions to always wear them when closer than 6 feet from anyone.

This is a large public office, and there are many non-County employees in the room at any given time.  We will do our best to encourage distancing and wearing of masks as needed.  We will ask the public the use hand sanitizer when entering the office.

There is no possibility of remote work of any kind for the Recording Office.

We will post signage and mark the floor to show proper distancing where needed.  The office has many public use computer terminals.  We can easily accommodate proper distancing when the public is using the terminals because the room is so large. 

We will encourage all employees who show signs of illness to not come to work, and we will provide the COVID-19 training from Human Resources to all employees.

We will provide the necessary face masks to all employees and encourage them to use the masks properly and to keep them clean.  We have already purchased a large supply of pens that we plan to give away. If someone in the office uses the pen, they will get to keep it.  We will have appropriate signage for this.  The full size Bic pens cost us less than 5 cents each.  There is a cleaner who comes in to clean and sanitize the frequently touched areas often throughout each day.  Each employee will have their own bottles of hand sanitizer, and we will have hand sanitizer available for the public to use.  I hope to get a no touch unit for this.  We have a bathroom that is stocked with soap and paper towels so hand washing will be very easy and encouraged to be done often.  We also save ½ hour at the end of each day to do proper cleaning of the office

We will get signage from the EOC about proper hygiene, social distancing, and the proper use of PPE.  The cleaning protocols will be well defined, and will be closely adhered to.  We already have in place a procedure to contact and/or get messages to employees.  We have e-mail, phone and/or text message information for everyone.  We also have a break room where we post many messages.

All employees must enter the County building through the main entrance.  The testing pursuant to Directive 11-2020 is done at that time.


People

Physical Distancing

  • Provide COVID-19 training as assigned by Human Resources. Yes
  • Ensure 6 ft. distance between personnel, unless safety or core function of the work activity requires a shorter distance. Any time personnel are less than 6 ft. apart from one another, personnel must wear acceptable face coverings. Yes
  • Tightly confined spaces will be occupied by only one individual at a time, unless all occupants are wearing face coverings. Yes
  • Post social distancing markers using tape or signs that denote 6 ft. of spacing in commonly used and other applicable areas on the site. Yes
  • When distancing is not feasible between work stations or spaces, personnel must wear face coverings. Yes
  • Encourage social distancing through telework and flexible scheduling when feasible. Yes

Describe how you will meet the criteria above

The County Clerk’s recording office is a very large and spacious room. Keeping proper social distancing will not be a problem except for one place in the office, but we have a solution for that. We have cubicles that do not allow for 6 foot spacing. The cubicle walls are only “half-walls’. We will install Germ Guard shielding along the common walls of the cubicles. They will reach a little higher than 6 feet from the ground. The front counter will have a Germ Guard shield to separate employees from the public. It will cover the 3 sides of our front counter. There is one employee work space that is still problematic. There is no way to allow distancing, and there is no wall of any kind between the work areas. There will be a 4’x6’ free standing curtain to separate these two employees. There will be times that employees will need to be closer than 6 feet, and all employees will have face mask and instructions to always wear them when closer than 6 feet from anyone.

Telework / Minimal Contact

Protect personnel at high risk for severe illness through telework, or minimizing contact with the public and other employees when able Yes

Limit In-Person Gatherings

Limit in-person gatherings (e.g. interviews) as much as possible and use tele- or video-conferencing whenever possible. Essential in-person gatherings (e.g. meetings) should be held in open, well-ventilated spaces with appropriate social distancing among participants Yes

Describe how you will meet the criteria above

We will keep any high risk individuals away from the Public as much as possible. We will not permit real Estate C;losings or other gatherings in the Clerk's office.

Remote Work

Identify those employees that can remote work-from-home Yes

What types of positions may do remote work-from-home?

There is no possibility of remote work of any kind for the Recording Office.

Designated Areas

Establish designated areas for pick-ups, deliveries, and the public, limiting contact to the extent possible. Yes

Identify the designated areas within this location

The County Clerk's office will continue to encourage people to use mail and/or a drop box in the lobby. There will be no pick up. We will mail documents back. We will not permit closings to happen in the Clerk's office.

Additional Comments

Provide a detailed summary of how you will implement and comply with the social distancing guidelines listed above for your department.

Refer to the Recording office COVID plan.

Places

Physical Space Modifications

Please provide in detail any physical space modifications that are proposed to achieve social distancing requirements. These modifications can include, but not limited to rearranging offices, adding physical barriers, etc.

Agree to discuss space modifications with Public Works / Building Maintenance. Yes

Describe in detail the modifications that are proposed & possible costs associated, if known

A germ guard shield for the front counter and shields on half wall cubicles that do not allow for social distancing. The cost is $1,950.

Protective Equipment

Employers must provide employees with an acceptable face covering at no-cost to the employee and have an adequate supply of coverings in case of replacement. Yes

Face coverings must be cleaned or replaced after use or when damaged or soiled, may not be shared, and should be properly stored or discarded. Yes

Limit the sharing of objects and discourage touching of shared surfaces; or, when in contact with shared objects or frequently touched areas, wear gloves (trade-appropriate or medical); or, sanitize or wash hands before and after contact. Yes

Detailed Summary Options

Refer to the Recording office COVID plan.

Hygiene and Cleaning

Adhere to hygiene and sanitation requirements from the CDC and NYS Dept. of Health. Yes

Provide and maintain hand hygiene stations for personnel, including handwashing with soap, water, and paper towels, or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing 60% or more alcohol for areas where handwashing is not feasible. Yes

Conduct regular cleaning and disinfection at least after every shift, daily, or more frequently as needed, and frequent cleaning and disinfection of shared objects (e.g. tools, machinery) and surfaces, as well as high transit areas, such as restrooms and common areas, must be completed. Yes

Detailed Summary Options

Refer to the Recording office COVID plan.

Communication

Post signage throughout the site to remind personnel to adhere to proper hygiene, social distancing rules, appropriate use of PPE, and cleaning and disinfecting protocols. Yes

Establish a communication method for employees, visitors, and customers with a consistent means to provide updated information. Yes

If a worker tests positive for COVID-19, department head must immediately notify the County Health Departments and cooperate with contact tracing efforts, including notification of potential contacts, such as workers or visitors who had close contact with the individual, while maintaining confidentiality required by state and federal law and regulations. Yes

Detailed Summary Options

Refer to the Recording office COVID plan.

Process

Screening

All employees shall self-monitor and check his or her temperature every 12 hours whether at work or at home. Yes

All employees shall also undergo a pre-shift temperature screening when reporting to work at the beginning of each shift. Yes

All employees shall report at the beginning of each shift to a central designated point of entry which shall be determined by the County Administrator. Yes

For employees that do not report to a physical building and instead travel from home to places in the community, each shall perform a pre-shift temperature screening before each shift. Leaving the home and reporting to your work site is the equivalent of your attestation that you are without a fever. Yes

Symptom Screening

If you have any of the following symptoms, staff shall not enter the workplace and shall contact his or her supervisor and refer the employee to contact the EOC nurse. Yes

Where is the designated point of entry for this/each location within your department?

The main entrance to the building.

How will you implement the pre-shift temperature screening and symptom screening at each location in accordance with Directive 11-2020?

All employees must enter the County building through the main entrance. The testing pursuant to Directive 11-2020 is done at that time. We encourage anyone not feeling well to not come to work.