Safety Considerations When Performing Essential Services - COVID-19

Aztech Geothermal Safety Guidelines When Performing Essential Services

RE: New York State on PAUSE / COVID-19

Updated: April 8, 2020

At Aztech Geothermal we are regularly updating our internal protocol in the event we need to provide essential services during the New York State on PAUSE to mitigate the health risks to our employees and our customers. Aside from the general guidelines from terrific sources like the CDC COVID-19 website we wanted something practical for our company.

Aztech Geothermal recommends you regularly check the Empire State Development Executive Order 202.6 guidance for what services and customer categories are considered “essential”.  As of the date above, the definition of what is considered “essential” has become increasingly narrow. Also NYSERDA’s Response to COVID-19 is very specific in saying that,”…all program activity requiring in-person presence at a project site that is not defined as either essential or emergency-related shall pause until April 29…”

  1. Ask 3 Questions in Advance Before Mobilizing to a Site
    • Has anyone at the home/business recently returned from international travel according to the CDC or from the NYC metropolitan area?
    • Has anyone been sick recently or is quarantined?
    • Is anyone over 65 years old or have a compromised immune system? Basically, is anyone “at risk” according to CDC guidelines?
      • If “Yes” to any of the questions above, then no one should go to the job site, except for essential / emergency repair service.
  1. Always Keep a 6+ Foot Distance from Other People
    • Make arrangements to enter the building without interacting with occupants.
    • Require every person on the premises to maintain a personal distance of six feet or more at all times.
    • Require anyone who is or may be ill to remain in a separate room apart from the area where your employee will be working.
    • When possible only send one person to a job site.
      • If not possible, send additional people in separate vehicles.
    • For essential construction, ask builders and other trades to ensure they do not work in the same area or stagger shifts to reduce the number of people on a jobsite.
    • Instruct your employees to leave a jobsite if customers or other trades make it difficult to maintain a safe distance.
  1. Additional Precautionary Measures for Essential Contractors
    • Engage in frequent hand washing and use of hand sanitizer.
    • Wipe/sanitize areas before and after work.
    • Wear disposable latex or nitrile gloves to prevent contact with possible contaminated surfaces. Sanitize the gloves before you take them off.
    • Consider wearing a mask* or bandanna covering the nose & mouth when working in occupied spaces or closer proximity to another.
    • Wear safety glasses – will also assist in not touching your eyes.
    • Avoid touching mouth, nose and eyes.
    • And of course, do not send sick people to job sites.

*Masks appropriate for medical use should be reserved for essential healthcare workers during this period.  “While homemade masks are not as effective as surgical masks or N95 masks, they are absolutely helpful in this time with the major shortage going on,” says Shawn Nasseri, MD. “They help keep the area clean and clear, so it is better than wearing nothing.”

Hang In There!!  Aztech Geothermal is interested in your feedback on this topic if you have other ideas you feel would further mitigate risks to contractors providing essential services.