For employees engaged in curbside and/or delivery services, you may have contact with customers and surfaces, such as money, credit cards and products as you work.
You could also potentially come in contact with droplets as a result of these interactions. COVID-19 can travel in respiratory droplets that are released into the environment by laughing, coughing or sneezing.
Consider where you might minimize those risks within your workplace. Consult public health information to learn the symptoms of COVID-19 infection. Recognize and report these hazards and use appropriate controls. Ensure that you or your co-workers stay home if you or they have symptoms. It’s important to take a look at where you can possibly minimize those risks within your workplace.
SUGGESTED CONTROLS
To better protect yourself from some of these hazards consider the following options:
Minimize or eliminate exposures by having customers pre-pay online or use credit, debit or e-transfer.
Establish a process that minimizes time required to receive the customer and complete any curbside transaction (For example – have the customer call or otherwise notify upon arrival)
Where possible maintain control of loading product into the vehicle. Ask the customer to remain in the vehicle and remotely open the door to limit contact with surfaces. This will aid in maintaining physical distancing and avoid un-necessary person to person interactions.
Following completion of curbside transaction or home delivery, ensure employees sanitize their hands and any surfaces.
Do not permit customers to use their own containers, reusable bags or boxes.
Physical distancing (staying 2 metres away from others) requires fewer persons within an enclosed space or area. Establish clear visuals to show where the designated pickup area is located and the boundaries of the pickup area. Customers should be prohibited from exiting their vehicle while they are in the designated pickup area and stay inside their vehicle.
Establish a procedure for delivery to customer homes that eliminates in-person interactions (For example – drop package off at door and notify customer via call or text message of delivery completion)
Ensure physical distancing guidelines (2 meters) are met for delivery workers (For example – if two workers are required to complete a delivery and they cannot maintain physical distancing while travelling in the same vehicle, consider the use of a second vehicle or consider installing a transparent physical barrier(s) that does not impede field of vision between driver and any passengers).
Fresh air circulation and supply should be made available wherever possible (For example – in loading and unloading areas). Increase airflow by opening doors and windows to reduce contaminant build up.
Increase cleaning frequency – on commonly touched surfaces like material handling equipment (steering wheels, debit machines, carts, dollies, lifts). Cleaning and disinfecting should be performed regularly and after possible exposure. Be sure to follow safe practices regarding cleaning times and cleaning agents.
Have all employees and visitors wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water, or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available, before entering the workplace, after contact with others, or with surfaces others have touched. Be sure to include handwashing before breaks, at shift changes, after making or receiving deliveries etc. Be sure to keep an adequate supply of soap, paper towels, etc.
Provide delivery, curbside and other customer facing staff with hand sanitizer for their use only when receiving deliveries, interacting with the public etc.
If you use a third party delivery service, ensure their training is up-to-date with the latest COVID-19 prevention knowledge as part of your contractor management process.
Keep up to date with best practices. Consider regular times to check in with public health updates and retrain/revise practices as needed.
Screen workers regularly for health issues. If anyone develops symptoms of COVID-19, implement procedures for reporting the illness and keeping the worker away from others. For further guidance on screening procedures, consult the Ministry of Health at:
http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/pro/programs/publichealth/coronavirus/docs/2019_guidance.pdf
If these recommendations are still not enough for your workplace, as a last resort, consider Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). PPE is only effective if people wear it correctly. Ensure PPE training includes the fit, use, care, putting on and taking off, maintenance, cleaning, storing and limitations of the PPE. Some example of PPE that may be suited include:
Gloves – The use of disposable gloves can help limit contact with surfaces, product etc. Be sure you have practices set up for suitable disposal and when gloves should be changed such as torn and or dirty. It’s also important, again, to ensure you consider other hazards that may be present in the workplace before introducing gloves – in some cases, gloves can be an ‘entanglement’ hazard and should not be worn.
Goggles or face shields – can help with barriers and separation too. They should be assigned to people and not shared and can be used regularly if kept clean. Ensure the goggle or face shield use does not result in workers touching their faces more often because of heat or discomfort.
