COVID-19 Safety Plan

Fernie Alpine Springs Inc. COVID - 19 Safety Plan

Risks Within the Workplace 

Areas where people gather include:

  • Office / Breakroom
  • Front of Brewing Facility where product is sold
  • At the brewery tasting room / kombucha bar, where public is welcome
  • Production room
  • Fermentation room

Job tasks and processes where workers are close to one another or
members of the public:

  • Sales directly to the public at the Fernie Mountain Market
  • Sales directly to the public at Brewing Facility
  • 2 staff work together on brewing day. They will come in contact with each other at various points throughout the day while brewing and transferring the tea and starter
  • Multiple people are present on the day of bottling. This will be done in the kettle and conditioning room
  • Staff are in direct contact with the public through sales at the Fernie Mountain Market
  • Staff are in direct contact with the public through sales at the Brewing Facility
  • There are contractors that are coming and going as required throughout the Brewing Facility
  • There may be multiple staff present in the area with the mechanical room and washroom
  • Staff are in direct contact with the public as deliveries are made throughout the community

Tools, machinery and equipment that workers share while working:

  • Clamps, gaskets and hoses
  • Scissors and knives
  • Wrenches
  • Pump
  • Flow Meter
  • Gloves when mixing chemicals
  • Weigh scales
  • pH measuring equipment including meter, glasses and bottles
  • Tape, pens, markers
  • Beakers and eyedropper


Surfaces that people touch often include:

  • Door knobs for main entrance, entrance to brewing area, entrance to fermentation room, entrance for mechanical room and washroom, mechanical room, washroom, entrance for walk in fridge, exit of walk in fridge
  • Handles on sink of bathroom, 3 basin sink, mezzanine sink
  • Containers for chemicals, both unmixed and diluted
  • All countertops and table surfaces
  • Drawer handles
  • Mini fridge in mezzanine
  • Chairs, stools
  • Keg fridges and taps
  • Computer keyboard and mouse
  • Knobs and valves on brewing, fermentation and storage equipment
  • All light switches
  • Debit and credit machine

Protocols to Reduce the Risks

Elimination of Risks

Who can be at the workplace:

  • Only scheduled staff for the day are allowed in the workplace. Limited staff are scheduled during the day. Only on bottling day will there be more than 3 staff on at a time
  • Any contractors by appointment
  • Any other members of the public coming for scheduled meetings
  • Any members of the public that come to Fernie Alpine Springs to make purchases in accordance with the social distancing regulations 

Illness that arises at the workplace
Anyone showing signs of illness in the workplace must inform their supervisor immediately and will be sent home. They will follow the guidance by the Public Health (8-1-1) and will not be allowed to return to work until they receive the clearance from the Public Health that it is okay to return to work.

Keeping workers safe during changing conditions:

  • Employees are limited in the workplace with a maximum of 6 at any given time
  • Employees must maintain a 6’ distance from each other at all times unless it is absolutely necessary for the job
  • Surfaces that are touched frequently will be cleaned often
  • Signs are in place around the facility as reminders


Limitation and Prohibited Visitors:

  • Visitors to the brewing facility that are not coming to purchase must have an appointment
  • Members of the public must respect social distancing and hygienic guidelines. Staff will monitor and enforce guidelines as required
  • Any workers that are working alone are required to follow all safety protocols for the workplace

Reducing the Number of Customers:

  • Any customers coming to the facility must follow the social distance markers outlined. Staff will enforce distancing measures when required
  • Customers may come into the facility to purchase in groups of 3 only. This will ensure that there are no more than 6 customers at a time in the front between the first group to leave and the second coming in. If there is one group of 6 people that would like to come in we will ask them to separate
  • On days when the weather is nice, the front garage doors will be open and we have social distance markings for customers to follow, but when the garage doors are closed there are markings to indicate the flow of traffic in and out of the facility

Engineering

Barriers in the Workplace

  • As there are minimal staff working every day there will be no barriers in place as proper social distancing can be maintained
  • When sales are made in the front, our staff will be serving with masks at the keg fridges to maintain distance from the public

Administrative


Rules and Guidelines for How Workers Should Conduct Themselves:

  • Employees will properly social distance at all times
  • Employees must wash hands upon arrival
  • Employees will sanitize high contact surfaces throughout the day and once more at the end of the day
  • Employees must practice good hygiene throughout the day. Wash hands properly and often. Avoid touching their faces and always cough or sneeze into the elbow or a tissue
  • There will be alcohol-based hand sanitizer at entrances and exits with posters reminding of the importance of hand washing/sanitizing following contact with common touch surfaces for use by both employees and members of the public
  • Employees will wash hands thoroughly before using shared gloves and other tools
  • Employees will sanitize keg spouts and handles, as well as the Square payment system between each customer
  • Employees will wash and sanitize their hands after every cash transaction, but card is the preferred method of payment
  • Employees will ensure customers maintain social distancing and hygienic guidelines at all times
  • Employees will be properly trained on these rules and guidelines and any additional measures will be communicated with proper training to be provided

Policies

  • Anyone who has had symptoms of COVID-19 within the last 10 days or anyone that has been directed by Public Health must self isolate at home
  • Anyone who has arrived from outside of Canada must self isolate for 14 days and monitor for symptoms
  • Visitors are prohibited in the workplace unless by appointment
  • Any employee attending to the first aid of another employee must wash their hands, use disposable gloves and put on a mask. If the first aid requires emergency care, an ambulance will be called
  • There may be times when an employee is working alone. We have a working alone policy in place for those times
  • All employees are trained to address the risk of violence that may arise as customers and members of the public adapt to restrictions in the workplace
  • Employees that are sick must report it to their supervisor. They will be asked to wash and sanitize their hands. They will be provided with a mask and will be sent home even if the symptoms are mild
  • If the employee is severely ill, 911 will be called
  • After the employee has left, all surfaces that the worker may have been in contact with will be cleaned and sanitized


Communication Plans and Training

  • All employees will be thoroughly trained in workplace policies and procedures
  • All employees have received the policies for staying home when sick
  • We have posted signage at the workplace, including occupancy limits, indicating who is restricted from entering the premises. This includes visitors and workers with symptoms
  • Supervisors have been trained on monitoring workers and the workplace to ensure policies and procedures are followed


Monitoring and Adapting Changes

  • We are closely monitoring risks and will immediately make changes to our policies and procedures as necessary
  • All employees know who to go to with health and safety concerns
  • When resolving safety issues, we will involve all employees as we are a small workplace 

Assess and Address Risks from Resuming Operations

  • We have a thorough training plan for new staff and staff taking on new roles or responsibilities
  • We have a training plan around changes to the business

Personal Protective Equipments (PPE)

Using Masks

  • Employees will be required to use cloth masks when serving the public
  • Employees must always wash hands thoroughly prior to and after touching the mask
  • Each employee will be given their own masks to wear and must never share them
  • Employees will be trained on proper use of the masks
  • Employees will be trained on proper storage for the masks
  • Employees will be trained on proper cleaning for the masks

Effective Cleaning and Hygiene Practices
Cleaning and Disinfecting Surfaces

  • We have identified the surfaces and objects that workers are likely to touch and these will be regularly cleaned and disinfected with bleach
  • We have identified any tools and equipment that employees are likely to share. These will be regularly cleaned and sanitized and employees will wash hands before sharing. Any pieces small pieces such as gaskets, clamps and caps will be kept in a sanitizing solution between uses
  • We will keep on hand a jug of bleach at all times, spray bottles and many microfibre cloths. This will ensure that there is always enough on hand for sanitizing high contact surface throughout the facility and a dedicated sanitizing mixture to use between customers
  • High contact surfaces in the facility will be cleaned at least once throughout the day and again in the evening. The high contact areas in the front where customers pass through will be cleaned 3 times daily. Once at opening, once throughout the day and again at the end of the day
  • All staff will be properly trained so any employee will be able to do the cleaning
  • Staff are required to wear their mask and disposable gloves will be provided for mixing all cleaning solutions. The only cleaning solutions where proper PPE gloves are required are the cleaning and sanitizing solution used for the tanks (fermenters, kettle, conditioning tanks)

Hand Washing

  • We have a dedicated touch free hand washing station with foot faucet operation for all employees to use at the beginning and end of their shift. We also have extra hand washing stations in the washroom, and office / break room. All of them are visible and easily accessible
  • Workers must wash their hands at the beginning and end of their shift and as needed. This includes after using the washroom, before sharing tools, after interacting with customers and heading back to the brewing facility, after sneezing or coughing into their elbow, before and after going for their break, and before touching anything used in the brewing process
  • Cleaning and sanitizing protocols for all common areas and surfaces will be done at the beginning and end of each day. High contact areas will be cleaned an extra 2 times a day and lower contact surface will be cleaned at least once throughout the day
  • All employees have adequate training and materials
  • We have removed unnecessary tools and equipment to simplify the cleaning process