Getting back to work.. protocols and preperation

[budman]

Since my industry is hands on in many ways I thought getting things people are doing now that are on the front lines so to speak or still working now.

I have seen the media stuff on medical workers in the Covid environment proper. I have seen some other workers that are doing things in the food industry and some at the grocery stores, but that is not an office environment.

Went to my first meeting today...

I have a client that is an essential business planning on expanding their clean rooms for their medical manufacturing use.

I had to walk the building to review it and then sit and meet to discuss the internally developed space plan.

All I can say is it was weird. Not being around people for a long time was kind of an interesting experience and most of us will get there once the SIP is relaxed.

I wore gloves and a mask during the walk through. A few folks inside doing maintenance work, but otherwise it was a vacant building. So because I had to open doors and look at things the gloves made sense.

Took a bit over an hour for that and then the sit down 4 person meeting in the adjacent fully occupied building. We were fairly far apart but still is was weird. I had ditched the gloves but was totally conscious about touching stuff. Since the meeting was in an occupied building where the 100 plus people are busy with operations.

Of course I doused my hands with sanitizer on the way out and then again in my car as I realized I had been touching my binder that I was using to take notes with during the walk through.

Get back to the office I spray down my binder, my keys, washed my face, hands and now back to my desk going.. holy crap. This is going to be really strange when things like back up.

Maybe overkill, but hell if I know.. I have never had to do this before.

Figured it would be worth discussing.

 

[cheez]

Heading into the data center on Tuesday. Planning to bring a bag with clorox wipes and to wipe down every surface I have to touch, as well as wear a mask the entire time. I'm there to supervise so hands-on should be minimal for me, but I've asked the team to wear disposable gloves they put on at the loading dock and dispose of once the equipment is done being received.

 

[two wheel tramp]

We received our "Necessary business" signs from the City of SF today. I appreciate them very much. It also lays out the rules for customers re: spacing, etc.

Bud, better safe than sorry with respect to cleaning. My hands are dry AF from hand washing even with routine applications of coconut oil or lotion. It's just how things are right now.

 

[Kornholio]

Since we've been open the whole time, I've just gotten used to how things are anymore. The drivers wear masks when they are outside the trucks but as long as they stay in the truck, they don't have to wear one. We're not allowing vendors on-site unless they had prior arrangements to be there and they're required to be masked and wearing gloves at all times. The fleet is washed inside and out on a regular basis and all the mechanics have multiple cleaning solutions at their disposal to spray things down even further if they feel the need to do so. We're also keeping the gates to the yard closed now as the public didn't seem to like the fact that we kept telling them they had to leave and that our front office was closed so they'd have to call in to discuss billing issues with a CSR over the phone only.

Strange times, but it's become so normal for us now that I don't know that we'll backtrack things much should the government reopen everything.

 

[Butch]

Everything has cooties. This is the new normal that we perhaps had been better aware of in the past.

Interesting times ahead. I hope good hygiene is not a big deal

 

[Kornholio]

I think we won't see the end of masks in public for a long time.

 

[budman]

I would agree.

Perhaps all year at this point.

 

[Kornholio]

I would agree.

Perhaps all year at this point.

I'm thinking far longer, really. Especially if the relapse in December happens as has been suggested.

 

[budman]

Oh. I agree that they will be out there.
I think the whole year could be the health department mandate.

Some folks will join the parade from now on regardless of any mandate. I need to get a good one I can breath in. :x

 

[Kornholio]

I need to get a good one I can breath in. :x

That's been my issue too. For now, I don't wear one at the yard/shop as we're not required to and I honestly don't see the benefit at this point. In public, I have one that I can use but it's incredibly uncomfortable/claustrophobia-inducing.

 

[tuxumino]

mask and glove to go into work, mask if I leave the office, constant hand washing and I've got really good at opening and closing doors with my elbows.

 

[norcalkid]

I worked last weekend, first shifts this month. They now take temp when entering the building and again on the floor you will be working. Masks required for everybody in the building. hand washing is always stressed in the hospital but more so now. More strict visitor policies in place and a dedicated COVID19 floor where non essential people aren't supposed to go (including no visitors).

 

[Smash Allen]

As an essential service we had to adopt the safety protocols a month ago, so it’s starting to feel normal.

Door locked, not open to public. Appointment by phone or video. Mask on unless I’m alone in my office. Big change from seeing five or more clients a day.

We have been able to keep the employees at their usual hours but as the season winds down that may change if businesses remain closed through May.

 

[bojangle]

As I've been working this whole time, we've just had to adapt. Unfortunately, with my line of work, we can reduce, but not avoid, in person contacts with the public. And the one's we can't avoid are generally going to involve up close contacts and going into residences. In those cases, and as we are first responders, we have N95 masks that we are unfortunately reusing. And of course glove and hand sanitizer. We have other masks to use when we don't need N95, and surgical masks to put on arrestees. Cleaning and disinfecting cars and around the building is a regular thing now.

What's upped the odds for me now is that I have been assigned to train a new recruit. So not only do I risk exposure just being in a car with another person all day (we wear surgical or cloth masks there), but we also have to get out there and make stops and contacts much more. A recruit can't learn the job without doing it. I wish I was just on my own right now.

My personal plan in reusing N95 masks is that I have a rotation of 3 going in paper bags. I will use # 1 say on Monday, # 2 on Tuesday, # 3 on Wednesday. I'll go back to # 1 on Thursday. So while I'm taking it on and off as needed during the shift, it is at least 72 hours before I would reuse a mask on a different day. Hopefully if the mask were virus contaminated, it wouldn't be active after 72 hours. I'm also planning to throw them all away and start with 3 fresh ones each month. Maybe sooner, it that's recommended.

And from what I've read, any of you that are using N95 masks (which should be reserved for medical and first responders) do not spray them with Lysol or other disinfectants. The masks function properly, in part, from being treated with an electrostatic charge which helps trap the micron particles. Spraying a disinfectant on an N95 mask has been shown to reduce this electrostatic charge, rendering the mask much less effective. There are some more sophisticated methods for disinfection, but letting them sit in a paper bag appears to be one. And it's an at your own risk thing anyways, because masks are designed to be single use.

As far as how long society will wear them?

I would agree.

Perhaps all year at this point.

I'm thinking far longer, really. Especially if the relapse in December happens as has been suggested.

Yeah. I'm thinking more like two years. I think this will remain until the pandemic is over and possibly widespread vaccination has occurred.

 

[Kornholio]

Yeah. I'm thinking more like two years. I think this will remain until the pandemic is over and possibly widespread vaccination has occurred.

We had a meeting about this today, actually. Our area management came down to discuss operational changes to facilitate how it would work going forward. We're just assuming it's going to at this point.

 

[bikeama]

After riding one of my passions is camping in my Four Wheel Camper. FWC is a small business in Woodland CA. Several years ago the owner sold to a Venture Capital firm. A good firm that kept all the employees and grew the business. Today they had an interview with Truck Camper Magazine. Good read on what they did and what was needed to get a PPP load. Also in the interview is a link to their 6-page return to work plan.

Link to interview.


From the interview:
"Four Wheel Campers committed to keeping our employees paid for the first few weeks. In the meantime we applied for the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

Through our team at Salt Creek Capital and their connections, we had a direct pipeline to figure out the PPP and SBA rules and paperwork. We put our loan application in by 12:10am Friday morning and got into the queue with our regional bank.

We had to redo the loan application seven times to adapt to rapidly changing criteria. Then the SBA made up some of their own rules and interpreted others.

Things changed by the hour and our controller was pulling her hair out trying to figure out what was required. It took our senior management team about 10 days of work to get it completely straightened out. It was non-stop until about a week ago.

The end result is that we were in the queue early and received our PPP funding last Wednesday, April 15th. Through the CARES Act and our own efforts, we have been able to keep our employees paid through the end of May. All of our employees are getting 100-percent of their compensation and have their health care benefits in place."


I feel for really small businesses that do not have the resources to put the PPP application together.

 

[FXCLM5]

I guarantee ppl will still leave the bathrooms without washing their hands, if they didn't learn when they lil kids, they ain't learning as full grown adults or will they?

 

[Abacinator]

I only wash my hands when I shit on them

 

[bojangle]

I only wash my hands when I shit on them

I'm glad to hear you're doing your part, and washing 3 times a day.

 

[Abacinator]

We all have to do our part :x

:laughing