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Covid-19 Volunteer Protocol

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR OPERATING DURING COVID

Effective June 15, 2020

WRAP is committed to providing a safe and healthy workplace for our employee, volunteers, build teams, Board, and clients during this time of threat of the Coronavirus. The health and safety of our clients, partners and volunteers are of the utmost concern. WRAP will regularly refer to the CDC’s website for information and updates on COVID-19.

RECOGNIZING SIGNS and SYMPTOMS of COVID-19:

COVID-19 (Coronavirus)

  1. Most notable signs of infection with COVID-19 include fever, cough and shortness of breath.
  2. Some people who get COVID-19 may experience only mild illness. However, the virus can also cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure or even death.
  3. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) believes that symptoms of COVID-19 may appear in as few as 2 days or as long as 14 days after exposure.
  4. Some people can have the virus and present no symptoms. They are still contagious.

Watch for symptoms

People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:

  1. Cough
  2. Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
  3. Fever
  4. Chills
  5. Muscle pain
  6. Sore throat
  7. New loss of taste or smell
    This list is not all possible symptoms. Other less common symptoms have been reported, including gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.

A Code of Safe Practices should be established and enforce that at a minimum include: RECCOMENDATIONS FROM THE CDC
The coronavirus is spread through respiratory vapor, such as when someone sneezes or coughs into the air around you. Influenza viruses and common cold viruses are also spread this way.
The things you should do to protect yourself from the coronavirus is to practice good personal hygiene.

  1. If you are sick or have been exposed to anyone sick with COVID-19 stay home.
  2. Wash your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds or use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol
  3. Sneeze and cough into tissues or the crook of your elbow. If you get mucus or spit on your skin, clean it off right away.
  4. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.
  5. Avoid close contact with people who are sick, especially people exhibiting respiratory symptoms and fever.
  6. Thoroughly clean surfaces, such as tools, surfaces, and doorknobs, with a disinfectant.
  7. Maintain 6’ from other volunteers.
  8. Do not carpool unless it is with family members.
  9. Do not shake hands.
  10. Do not share phones and suspend group equipment such as water coolers and meals.
  11. Clean personal tools prior to use as well as group tools.
  12. Contact your health care provider prior to returning to work.

DO NOT attempt to volunteer if you have:

  1. Experienced symptoms that could be related to COVID-19 in the last 14 days
  2. Been around anyone who has COVID-19 in the last 14 days
  3. Traveled to any foreign country in the last 14 days
  4. Been on a cruise or been in an airport in the last 14 days
  5. Been to an event where more than 50 people were in attendance in the last 14 days

DO NOT consider volunteering if you live with or are in frequent contact with people in the higher-risk categories for the virus. People of all ages can be infected by the new coronavirus. Older people (over the age of 65), and people with pre-existing medical conditions (such as chronic lung disease, asthma, liver disease, kidney disease, who are immunocompromised; including cancer treatment, smoking, bone marrow or organ transplantation, immune deficiencies, diabetes, heart disease, COPD, etc.) appear to be more vulnerable to becoming severely ill with the virus.

DO NOT take part if you are uncomfortable with the level of risk.

Universal Masking Precautions (GOVERNOR’S PROCLAMATION)

The reason for masking is to prevent YOU from passing on anything you are carrying to someone else.

  1. For the safety of others, wear your mask on the project site when you are not able to maintain a six-foot distance.
  2. Wear your own cloth mask or a mask provided to you by WRAP.
  3. Do not pull it off your nose. It has to cover your nose and mouth at all times.
  4. Clean your hands before putting your mask on.
  5. Clean your hands before taking it off and use the elastic/straps to take the mask off.
  6. When wearing the mask, don’t touch the front of the mask.
  7. If you need to take it off to eat or drink, make sure to put it in a Ziploc bag.
  8. Masks dry out skin. Make sure to use a moisturizer in the morning and before going to bed to avoid dry skin.

FOR BOARD MEMBERS

Board members will not have face-to-face meetings as the Board consists of 13 (meeting) members. With the new Proclamation, if we can have 13 people in a room and maintain 6’ distance between everyone, we can meet face to face. The Board prefers to meet by Zoom.

WRAP COORDINATOR

  1. Will log volunteer hours, take and record body temperatures; and complete health assessments.
  2. Have each WRAP volunteer sign the Waiver of Liability.
  3. Will take pictures before, during, and after the build.
  4. Will provide to the worksite first-aid kit, hand sanitizer that meets recommended percentage of alcohol, thermometer, bottled water, emergency snacks, Sani-wipes, masks.
  5. Provide a minimum of one gallon of bulk or commercially packaged water bottles for use in emergency wound cleaning, eye wash, or other emergency or medical purposes. (not for general drinking).
  6. Provide a small supply of emergency “snacks” in the event someone requires a quick energy/sugar infusion for health purposes.
  7. Provide lunch foods. (with precautions taken to prevent multiple persons handling food items).
  8. On days with multiple projects, the WRAP Coordinator will determine and coordinate which volunteers will be invited to which sites at what times. For single projects days, the Designers do this.
  9. WRAP Coordinator will make sure that all build team members are included in builds throughout the season.

FOR DESIGNERS

03-20-20 WRAP suspended the build, removal, and repair work of wooden and aluminum ramps, as well as wide-step construction and handrail installation. The following guidelines for designing ramps were implemented at that time.

No Client Contact Designs

Designers can make client site visits with the following constraints:

  1. The designer would not enter the home,
  2. No-one from the home would be outside when the designer is there,
  3. The designer would communicate by phone with the client or the homeowner during the site visit. This initial site visit would be scheduled with the client just as these visits have been scheduled previously.
  4. If this proposal (with possible changes or additions) is considered acceptable, then designers can complete a major part of the pre-build work.

Building Permits

  1. The CR Building Department, the Marion Building Department and the Linn County Building Department are not open to go in face-to-face to get building permits or ask questions.
  2. They will answer questions on the phone.
  3. Building permit requests need to be mailed in or submitted online. It will take 3-8 days to get a permit back to you.
  4. the CR building department accepts permit request via drop off box at the city building and inspects with minimal or no contact.

For Project Day

  1. Issue hand tools to volunteers without personal tools and instruct the volunteer on (not) sharing
  2. Establish if a couple of people could come back on the second day to put on the precut handrails and any other detail items.
  3. Establish volunteers to do pre-work like putting down any concrete blocks.
  4. In the event of potential severe weather, and at the Project Designer’s discretion, work should be halted preemptively, and volunteers sent home if it appears that a volunteer group sheltering in place may be necessary.

CONSTRUCTION DAY GUIDELINES

Given the 2020 COVID-19 virus conditions, the following procedures and guidance shall be adopted by WRAP and its volunteers effective June 15, 2020.

Prevention Plan for Construction Sites

  1. Hand sanitizer stations are provided.
  2. Have one person assigned to large tools like table saws, miter saws, etc.
  3. Sanitizing wipes
    a. Recommended to damp-wipe tools with alcohol based cleaner whenever handing over a tool for someone else to use.
    b. At shift end, all tools (hand tools, power tools, etc.) will be cleaned with sanitizing wipes before being put away or returned to owner, volunteers are expected to assist with this.
  4. We are open to flexible work hours (e.g., staggered shifts), to increase the physical distance among everyone on the project site.

CLIENT GUIDELINES

  1. Clients should remain in their home the entirety of the build.
  2. If the client needs to be addressed for any reason, they should follow social distancing and wear a mask.
  3. Client should complete a health screening the day of the build for the safety of the volunteers working at their location. Any positive screening would require the build to be rescheduled.

WRAP LABOR TEAMS

  1. Volunteers must meet the “VOLUNTEER HEALTH ASSESSMENT” requirements.
  2. Only specified volunteers, as determined by Designer, are allowed on sites.
  3. Minimum work team includes:
     Project Designer = 1
     Cutter = 1
     Router = 1
     Volunteers to build landings and install deck boards = 2
     Volunteers for posts and stringers = 4
     Person to interface with the cutter and do skill saw cuts and other tasks = 1
     If none of the volunteers have a pickup, we may want to ask someone to come at the tail end to haul scrap.
  4. Projects may take more than one day to complete.
  5. Generally, allow 6-foot distance between volunteers. Volunteers are not to work in proximity with each other. Physical distancing needs to be maintained between volunteers as much as possible.
  6. Tool operators will be expected to clean their own power cords, set up tools, break down tools and clean equipment at shift end.
  7. Warehouse work will need to follow social distancing and masking guidelines.

COMMUNITY BUILD TEAMS

  1. Build teams will not be invited to participate in projects. This will be evaluated by the WRAP Board throughout the build season.
  2. When build teams are present, a team rep will log the individual name, company affiliation, check in/out times, take and record body temperatures; and complete health assessments.
  3. Request that the build team volunteers respect social distancing guidelines as much as possible.

VOLUNTEERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO BRING

  1. Their own personal tools when possible. Note: Volunteers will be responsible for cleaning tools by wiping with sanitizer wipes at beginning and end of shifts.
  2. Personal Protective Equipment such as personal cloth masks, gloves, glasses. Face masks must meet CDC and State guidelines.
  3. Drinking water.
  4. Sunscreen, insect repellant, etc.

SUGGESTED GUIDELINES FOR VOLUNTEERS RETURNING HOME FROM A PROJECT SITE

  1. Take off your shoes before entering your house.
  2. Undress as soon as you walk into the house.
  3. Immediately wash your clothes at the highest temperature setting possible.
  4. Disinfect any items you brought with you: cell phone, water bottle, etc.
  5. Disinfect your steering wheel, keys, door handles in your car and home.
  6. Take a shower.

Ways To Give