COVID-19 Safety Plan

Purpose of COVID-19 safety plan

This COVID-19 safety plan template has been created by Chateau Riverside Boutique Hotel Ltd. to outline the policies and procedures that have been put in place to protect Chateau Riverside Boutique Hotel Ltd. employees, guests and others entering the business from the potential transmission of COVID-19. This plan follows the WorkSafeBC six step process for developing a COVID-19 safety plan and aligns with current Provincial Health Officer (PHO) orders and WorkSafeBC requirements. 

Responsibilities

Chateau Riverside Boutique Hotel Ltd. ownership and management are responsible for the development of this plan including ensuring that adequate resources are made available to implement and sustain the plan. 

All Chateau Riverside Boutique Hotel Ltd. and contractors will follow this safety plan as a condition of employment. All guests must follow this safety plan as a condition of visiting our property. 

Chateau Riverside Boutique Hotel Ltd. is responsible for implementing this safety plan throughout the workplace.

Employees are responsible for participating in the development, implementation, and ongoing sustainment of the COVID-19 safety plan. If employees have any concerns regarding this plan, they are to bring them to the attention of General Manager. 

STEP 1 – Identify the risks 

COVID-19 is an illness (disease) caused by a coronavirus. This particular coronavirus is a new virus that was first recognized in December 2019, originating in Wuhan, China. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses, some of which infect animals and others that can infect humans. The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on March 11, 2020.

Symptoms of the disease range from mild to severe and can be fatal. Symptoms can appear up to 14 days after initial exposure and include:

• Fever, Chills, Cough, Shortness of breath, Sore throat and painful swallowing, Stuff or runny nose, Loss of sense of smell, Headache, Muscle aches, Fatigue, Loss of appetite.

The virus that causes COVID-19 spreads from person to person in several ways, including through droplets when a person speaks, coughs or sneezes, or from touching a contaminated surface before touching the face. The risk of transmission increases the closer you come to other people, the more people you encounter and the length of time you spend with other people. Therefore, it is critical to control these interactions in the workplace, to help reduce the transmission of COVID-19. 

The following areas have been identified as areas where employees and/or guests may gather: 

• Office, Hallway, Parking Lot 

The following tasks bring our employees close to one another or to guests:

• Reception Desk, House Keeping Duties 

The following tools, machinery and equipment have been identified as items that employees and/or guests share:

• Pen, POS Keypads, Kitchen Utensils, Cleaning Equipment, Keys 

The following items have been identified as high touch items:

• Doorknobs, Light Switches, Faucets, POS Keypads, Computers, Telephone

STEP 2 – Control the risks

The overarching aim is to reduce the risk of the virus spreading through droplets in the air and from touching a contaminated surface and then touching the face. Therefore, any controls that are adopted within the workplace should always reflect that. Different controls will offer varying levels of protection and the preferred option is always the control that offers the highest level of protection. This approach to controlling risks is referred to as the “hierarchy of controls”. This process involves assessing the risk (likelihood of harm or injury) associated with different hazards (something with the potential to cause harm or injury).

In some cases, it may be necessary to combine different levels of protection to control one particular risk. An example of this, in relation to managing the risk of COVID-19 transmission, is to install barriers to separate people (engineering control) and to wear a mask (personal protective equipment).

Types of risk controls

Elimination or Substitution are the highest, most effective levels of control and involve removing the risk of exposure to a given hazard entirely or substituting a hazard for something that is less harmful. 

We have implemented the following controls to limit the number of people in our workplace and to ensure physical distancing. 

• Do not access guests’ room(s) until their check out.
• Occupancy rate for the office is 2 people. (A person of the group comes into the office to check in.)
• Keeping 2m (6 ft’) social distance
• Using hand sanitizer 

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) 

We have put the following PPE controls in place:

• Masks are mandatory for everyone in many public indoor settings.
• Use a hand sanitizer to clean hands after using pens and POS keypad. 

STEP 3 – Develop Policies and Procedures

Cleaning and Disinfection 

The cleaning and disinfection of surfaces, especially high-contact surfaces, such as dining tables, coffee tables, remote controls, door knots, etc.

Cleaning and disinfection are often referred to as a “two-stage” process. Cleaning removes visible surface dirt and debris, whereas disinfection destroys bacteria and viruses. We use Mr. Clean disinfectant which kills 99.9% bacteria and viruses. The solution must be sprayed on to the surfaces and leaves 10 minutes for kill time. 

We have put additional protocols in place in addition to our already stringent cleaning practices, including regular sanitizing of high-touch public areas as well as deeper cleaning of guest rooms after departure. Hand sanitizers are in the office and your rooms.

Cleaning supplies are stored in a basket in the storage room.

Hand washing 

Regular hand washing is an important step in controlling the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace.  Chateau Riverside Boutique Hotel employees must wash their hands when they arrive at the workplace, before and after breaks, after coughing, sneezing, or touching the face, after using the washroom and before leaving work. Soap and water are preferred but hand sanitizer with a 70% alcohol base can be used when soap and water is unavailable, or as an additional control.

Daily Health Screening 

All Chateau Riverside Boutique Hotel employees must complete a daily health declaration before entering the workplace.  Employees must review the below information every day, before entering the workplace. 

1. Have you travelled outside Canada within the last 14 days?
2. Have you been identified by Public Health as a close contact of someone with COVID-19?
3. Have you been told to isolate by Public Health?
4. Are you displaying any of the following new or worsening symptoms?
   

• Fever or chills, Cough, Loss of sense of smell or taste, Difficulty breathing, Sore throat, Loss of appetite, Extreme fatigue or tiredness, Headache, Body aches, Nausea or vomiting, Diarrhea.

Anyone answering yes to questions 1-3 must follow the advice of Public Health and not attend the workplace.  Anyone displaying any of the symptoms listed above must not attend the workplace and should call HealthLinkBC at 811 for further direction from Public Health.   

Information on the visitors is on the check-in sheet. It will be kept on file.

Any worker that receives a positive COVID-19 test result will not be allowed to return to the workplace until they have a negative COVID-19 test result or a note from the doctor stating they are no longer infectious.   

STEP 4 – Ensuring Ongoing Training and Monitoring    

This safety plan will be reviewed and revised, as required, to reflect any:

• Changes to job scope which may affect the plan, 
• New areas of concern or the identification of something that is not working,
• Health and safety concerns raised through a worker representative or joint health and safety committee,
• Changes to Provincial Health Officer orders or other government and industry requirements that affect the plan.

I have received, read, and understand the Chateau Riverside Boutique Hotel COVID-19 safety plan. I will follow all aspects of the plan, including the daily health declaration. If I have any concerns regarding the plan or suggestions for improving it, I will raise them with the General Manager.