May/June 2020 - 24

OPERATIONS
COVID-19 WORKER SAFETY
COVID-19 guidance for food processing facilities
IN THE WAKE of
By Jon Kimble
Safe Food Alliance
the current COVID-19
virus outbreak and
response measures
being implemented
globally, Safe Food
Alliance felt it was
important to support
the food industry. We
hope we can provide
appropriate and practical guidance for
you to consider when implementing
practices in your facility to help protect
our food and ensure business continuity.
First think about risk
Any food safety professional knows
that before implementing controls,
you need to understand the risk. If you
identify where contamination can come
from, you can make sound decisions
about where to invest your resources.
Regarding this current situation, the
only likely source of the virus is people,
so we're focused on a few things:
* Visitors who may be ill or may be
carrying the virus.
* Employees who come to work after
exposure, particularly when ill.
* People sneezing and coughing and
then spreading the virus with their
hands.
Emphasize what you already
have in place
You already have some essential
programs in place. Make sure your
customers know that, even before
the outbreak of this new virus, your
company had preventive measures in
place to ensure your products are as
safe as possible.
Preventive measures
* Food defense and security measures
to prohibit unauthorized visitors and
to ensure visitors and employees only
enter through approved site entry
points
* Genera l employee
hygiene/
cleanliness rules, including regular
hand washing and wearing clean
clothing, along with protective
24 MAY/JUNE 2 0 2 0
clothing such as smocks (if used at
your company)
* Numerous handwashing stations so
employees can wash regularly and
whenever needed
* Regular attendee training on proper
handwashing procedures
* Prohibiting employees and visitors
from entering the facility if ill and
exhibiting specific symptoms
* General sanitation procedures for
cleaning and sanitation of equipment
and common areas
* Zoning controls for exposed product
areas (if you have them) such as
restricted access and dedicated
employees, limited traffic between
areas, special hygiene measures like
foot baths, etc.
Describe what you're doing now
Every company and facility is
different, and response plans will vary.
Below are a few ideas you might consider
implementing to help reinforce your
programs in light of this new, emerging
risk. Your company most likely will not
choose to perform all of these ideas but
should give you helpful suggestions.
People
* Anyone exposed to someone who
tested positive for the virus, must
not enter the site until 14 days have
passed.
* Anyone who has been on a cruise in
the past 14 days cannot enter the site.
* If employees develop a cough, body
aches, fever or respiratory issues,
they are required to stay home.
Consider whether you should need
a doctor's note before returning to
work, or whether it may be best to
have them stay home and avoid the
risk of exposure to other people.
* Canceling any non-essential travel
(or any travel at all).
Hygiene
* Reinforcing good hygiene practices
that are already in place.
* Educating employees about the risks
of the virus, and how it can spread,
i.e., touching the face, sneezing,
coughing and hand contact.
* Emphasizing the importance of
controlling sneezes, or your company
could even have employees wear face
coverings (masks may be useful, or
even a tight-mesh beard net can limit
spittle from spreading).
* Encouraging more frequent hand
washing and making additional hand
sanitizer stations available.
* Using disposable gloves where
appropriate.
Plant Management
* Supervisors conduct visual screening
of employees at the beginning of each
shift for any signs of illness.
* Implementing " personal space "
guidelines based on health department
recommendations, and guidance to
avoid any direct personal contact.
* Limiting the number of employees
taking breaks at one time.
* Prohibiting visitors except through
special exception from management,
or implementing temporary policies
for visitors.
* Tighter rules for drivers delivering
loads to the site (having them stay
in the cab, etc.).
* Increased security vigilance on-site,
perhaps even reviewing your existing
programs (internal audit) to ensure
the company has identified any areas
that you may want to fortify.
Sanitation
* Implementing frequent cleaning and
sanitizing of common areas.
The common goal
If your customers are asking you for
information about preventive activities,
pay attention to the language of your
correspondence. The goal is to foster
trust and confidence on the part of
your customers by helping them
understand that you are taking the
situation seriously and that you're
proactive in ensuring products are as
safe as possible.
See COVID-19, page 25
May/June 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May/June 2020
