Worker safety requirements

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania issued an order effective April 19 requiring safety measures in all businesses permitted to maintain in-person, physical operations except for health care providers. These measures included standards for cleaning and disinfecting high-touch areas, establishing protocols for businesses exposed to a probable or confirmed case of COVID-19, limiting the numbers of employees and students/visitors on campus, ensuring that employees have access to soap and sanitizer, and requiring that all employees wear a mask while on campus. Many of the measures had been implemented previously, including the social distancing of employees and routine cleaning and disinfection of campus facilities. 

The College is providing masks for essential employees working on campus and will be contacting supervisors with an updated process for mask distribution to essential employees. For employees making infrequent visits to campus, a mask must be worn when you are on campus for any reason (mail pickup, etc.). Masks worn in grocery stores and other public locations are appropriate.

Protocol for Routine Cleaning and Disinfection

  1. Each weekend starting on January 18, 2020, Facilities Operations disinfected the common areas, bathrooms, and “high-touch points” in all campus buildings with Vital Oxide (using an electrostatic sprayer). This occurred every weekend through March 15. Since March 15, the disinfecting procedures were moved to weekdays.
  2. Bathrooms and common areas are cleaned and disinfected with 15L, a 3M product.
  3. Access to all campus buildings has been restricted. Only essential vendors/contractors are allowed on campus.
  4. Signs have been installed in all bathrooms reminding everyone to wash their hands.
  5. As per the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s recent order, a face mask will be provided for all employees working on campus as essential staff. The campus has been able to keep up with requests for PPE for essential campus staff.
  6. Essential employees are practicing the six-foot distancing and minimal contact with everyone in their daily jobs. The rotation of custodial staff has helped reduce the number of employees on campus each day.
  7. The Environmental Health and Safety Department has been reaching out to Facilities and Public Safety staff (officers and dispatchers) proactively about any concerns and providing guidance on what the latest CDC/OSHA recommendations are. It will continue to use the OSHA guidance, the College’s Incident Action Plan, and recommendations from the College’s COVID-19 Response Team to ensure that the appropriate steps to protect essential workers are taken.

Protocol for Execution Upon Discovery of Probable or Confirmed Case of COVID-19 at Lafayette

An employee who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 should notify his/her supervisor immediately and email the director of health services at Bailey Health Center at goldstej@lafayette.edu 

  1. Close off the area visited by a person who is positive for COVID-19.
  2. Cleaning staff entering the area should use PPE including gloves, gown, and mask.
  3. Clean and disinfect the area (up to 10,000 square ft.) using a Halo fog machine. Wait one hour after use before using the space again. For areas greater than 10,000 square feet, facilities staff should clean and disinfect the space with attention to high-touch areas.
  4. Contact tracing: Identify employees who were in close contact with a confirmed or probable case. Current CDC guidance in the workplace defines close contact as within six feet for at least 10 minutes.
  5. Notify employees who were close contacts.
  6. Close contacts should remain at home for a period of 14 days and practice social distancing within the household. Contacts should self-monitor for symptoms and contact a healthcare provider if symptoms develop.
  7. Screening: Employees should take their temperature before starting work. Employees with a fever greater than 100.3 or symptoms including a cough, body aches, severe fatigue, chest pain, or shortness of breath should stay home and notify a health care provider.