Holland Engineering, Inc. (HEI) continues to closely monitor the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic and we are adhering to recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), as well as state and local recommendations. This Safe Workplace Plan has been created to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. It remains our priority to ensure the health and safety of our employees, clients, and our community.

COVID-19 & Symptoms

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. It has spread from China to many other countries around the world, including the United States. Infection with this virus can cause illness ranging from mild to severe and, in some cases, can be fatal. Symptoms typically include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Additional symptoms could include nausea, diarrhea, loss of taste or smell. According to the CDC, symptoms of COVID-19 may appear in as few as 2 days or as long as 14 days after exposure. We are continuing to monitor the CDC list of symptoms and may update our health assessment accordingly.

How COVID-19 Spreads

Infected people can spread SARS-CoV-2 to other people. This occurs between people who are close in contact with one another (within 6 feet) and through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly inhaled into the lungs. It may also be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has SARS-CoV-2 on it and then touching their own mouth, nose or eyes, but this is not thought to be the primary way the virus spreads.

People are thought to be most contagious when they are most symptomatic (i.e. experiencing fever, cough, and/or shortness of breath). Some spread might be possible before people show symptoms. There have been reports of this type of asymptomatic transmission with this new coronavirus, but this is also not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.

The CDC website provides the latest information about COVID-19 transmission: https://www.cdc.gov/.

Risk of Exposure

As defined by OSHA, HEI employees fall in a low to medium risk category.

Low Risk Exposure
Part of HEI’s daily operations fall within a low risk exposure to COVID-19. This includes positions where employees work independently, and/or do not have regular contact with the public or other coworkers while performing their jobs.

Medium Risk Exposure
Other parts of HEI’s daily operations fall within a medium risk exposure. OSHA defines those with a medium risk exposure as those that require frequent and/or close contact with (i.e. within 6 feet of) people who may be infected with SARS-CoV-2, but who are not known or suspected COVID-19 patients. In this category workers will likely have contact with the general public, clients and other coworkers while performing their jobs.

Employee Training and Awareness
Employees will receive training on (1) workplace infection-control practices; (2) the proper use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE); (3) steps they should take to notify the Company of any symptoms of COVID-19 or a suspected or confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19; and (4) how to report unsafe working conditions. Such training will be delivered via the below methods.

• This COVID-19 Safe Workplace Plan
• COVID-19 Training Video – Click Here
• HEI’s SharePoint site
• HEI Email
• Via Supervisors/Managers/other training methods

Implementation of Preparedness & Response Plan

Due to the risk exposures identified above, the following protocols will take place.

Daily Health Screening
All employees entering an HEI office will complete a daily health assessment before their work begins. This will be done by using their smart phone and scanning a QR code posted on designated door entries (3 entrances in our Holland office & 2 in our Southfield office). This QR code will take them directly to an online questionnaire. Employees will also have the option to complete a written version of the questionnaire, attached as Appendix A. Employees that do not pass the screening will not be allowed to enter the building. Social distancing requirements must be maintained when outside the building completing this process.

HEI will make and maintain a record of all daily employee screening and will maintain a central log for symptomatic employees or employees who are confirmed to have COVID-19. All such records will be held strictly confidential and disclosed only to the extent required or allowed by law.

Those entering a client project/worksite must complete a similar health assessment. The requirements of this will be dictated by the client’s procedures, and when communicated to HEI, will be attached as an addendum to this Plan. If the client has no requirements/procedures in place for daily health assessments, field employees will be asked to assess their own health by completing HEI’s questionnaire (attached as Appendix A) and taking their own temperature before leaving home/office. Then this personal assessment will be part of the daily Job Safety Analysis {JSA} discussion before work starts.

All clients/visitors to our office locations will be required to complete a daily health assessment upon entry if they plan to remain in our building for an extended period of time. Suppliers, vendors, repair companies, etc. will also be required to complete the questionnaire upon entry. HEI encourages staff to replace in person meetings at this time with Microsoft Teams, conference calls, etc. Staff are to make sure that any clients or visitors coming to our offices are doing so for an essential reason. See the “protective gear” section below on the mask requirement for clients & visitors.

Social Distancing
The CDC has identified social distancing as a key tool to prevent the spread of the virus. Social distancing is defined as being no less than six feet apart from another person. The following social distancing measures will be put into effect:

• Workers shall stay six feet apart from another person whenever feasible.
• Workers shall only meet in person when absolutely necessary. In-person meetings should be replaced with other communication vehicles such as Microsoft Teams meetings, other video conferencing, email, telephone or conference calls.
• Where a minimum distance of six feet cannot be maintained, a cloth or surgical mask must be worn. Field crew members/employees visiting client sites must adhere to the specific client requirements.
• Employees must adhere to social distancing and maintain proper hygiene during break/lunch time.
• Eliminate hand-shaking and other contact greetings at this time.

A countertop plastic shield has been placed in front of the receptionist’s desk in our Holland office. This will enforce social distancing for the front office staff when clients enter the building. A tape line has been placed on the floor to mark where a visitor is to stand. This also will allow for the proper distance to be kept between visitors and the front office staff.

As stated in Michigan’s Executive Order {EO} 2020-97, HEI is to continue promoting remote work as much as possible. If staff need to be in either office for essential work, staggered work schedules will be implemented within each department. Group Managers will be assigned the task of rotating staff schedules to implement the most social distancing and spacing as possible.

Office Prevention

• Employees must wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. This should be done upon arriving to the office; before and after meals; and as often as possible throughout the workday. There are designated handwashing areas present in each office location.
• If soap and water are not available for proper handwashing, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol content. Several alcohol-based sanitizer dispensers are placed inside our office locations. Company provided bottles of hand sanitizer will be distributed for use in our offices, company vehicles and on project sites.
• Avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when sick.
• Cover coughs or sneezes with tissues or cough into the elbow area, then discard the tissues in the trash and follow up with handwashing.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces regularly.

The ventilation of our building has been increased to circulate more air. Increased ventilation of air will help prevent the spread of any bacteria. Furnace filters will be changed regularly, and fans are running full-time so that air is constantly being circulated through the workday.

To help facilitate these good hygiene practices, the attached signage (Appendix B & C) will be posted in the workplace and circulated regularly to staff.

Jobsite Prevention
As part of HEI’s daily JSA discussion, each crew chief/field leader will ask each crew member to state their health for that day. This ensures employees are feeling well prior to the start of daily work activities. A {contact free} temporal thermometer can be made available onsite should an employee feel they need to take their own temperature. Field employees will take part in any client required, onsite daily health screening as well.

Do not share tools. Do not share personal protection equipment (PPE). Sanitize reusable PPE per manufacturer’s recommendation before and after each use. Ensure used, disposable PPE is disposed of properly. In addition, any waste related to HEI’s work being performed must be removed daily and disposed of properly. Disinfect reusable supplies and equipment at the start and end of each workday. Sanitize surfaces, such as doorknobs/handles, keyboards, work areas, interior vehicle surfaces, etc. Do not use a common water cooler. Workers are to bring their own bottles/coolers. Disinfectant products will be made readily available for our crews.

As a best practice, it is recommended to change work clothes prior to arriving home; and to wash clothes in hot water with laundry sanitizer.

If there are choke points or high-risk areas at a job site, HEI and/or the Client will identify such areas and control access and use so that social distancing is maintained.

Cleaning Protocol
The virus can be killed with the proper disinfectant and sanitization. A cleaning protocol has been put into place in both office locations that will incorporate cleaning surfaces with disinfectant spray and/or wipes. Common areas of the office will be cleaned/sanitized daily. Common areas are those that employees touch the most – faucets, door handles, conference room chairs, bathrooms, kitchen appliances, light switches, etc. Each employee will be responsible for cleaning his or her own workspace (including keyboards, computers/monitors & accessories, desk phone, chairs & other desk items) daily.

• Alcohol based wipes will be placed throughout the office {next to common areas} so that employee can sanitize these areas as they come & go when touching surfaces.
• A stock of cleaning supplies will also be placed in a designated area of each office, so employees have continuous access to the supplies (hand sanitizer, wipes & other cleaning products).

Workers using company vehicles should use disinfectant spray/wipes or equivalent on commonly used vehicle surfaces (gear shifter, steering wheel, seats, turn signals, controls, etc.) before and after each work shift. Disinfectant products will be made readily available for our crews.

Items, equipment and supplies used during the workday are not to be shared amongst staff members. If items must be shared, proper disinfecting of the item must take place before and after each use.

Communication Protocol
Clear & effective communication throughout our organization is key during this time; along with consistently considering the safety & needs of our staff and clients. Each office location will have a designated COVID-19 Coordinator. The role of these coordinators will be to communicate, implement, monitor and report on the COVID-19 control strategies included in this plan. HEI’s Coordinators are:

• Rose Bays, Main Coordinator – Holland Office, but will support both locations
• Jeff Heyboer – Holland Office, but will support both locations
• Pete Greifenberg/Desmond Yan – Southfield Office

Rose Bays will be communicating with staff on a regular basis regarding this pandemic and any additions/changes to this Plan. Managers may also be asked to share information directly with their groups. Staff are expected to check email often, so they can stay on top of any important information, company announcements, etc.

If COVID-19 was to interfere with the flow of our projects, our clients can continue to expect clear, effective and timely communication from our company.

Protective Gear
HEI is committed to ensuring the health and safety of all workers. As previously communicated, Executive Order 2020-59 requires masks to be worn in all public places. During the workday, employees will be required to wear masks when interacting within six feet of coworkers, clients and contractors. Employees are to check for specific client protocols/requirements on the type of mask to be worn when on a project site. At minimum the mask is to be cloth and washed daily. Procedural/surgical masks, if worn, are to be disposed of every 2 days. In the event an employee is working in an area of high risk to COVID-19, face mask is to be disposed of immediately after job/task is complete. N95/KN95 masks should be reserved for healthcare workers.

• If you cannot wear a mask due to a medical condition, please contact Rose Bays.
• If you are at least six feet from others, masks do not have to be worn.
• Lone workers, performing activities outdoors with no person or public interaction, do not need to wear a mask. Be sure to have one readily available if necessary.

Masks will be supplied by HEI. Contact Rose Bays or Jesse Dominguez for distribution of masks. In order to prevent the spread of infection among others, masks are never to be shared. Masks are to remain with whomever they were originally distributed to. A member of HEI’s safety committee or the designated project supervisor/crew chief will be responsible for distributing masks and ensuring all protocols of our company and our clients are being followed. Cloth masks distributed will include detailed cleaning instructions.

When workers are working within an ARC flash boundary or potential flash fire hazard, approved FR cloth masks must be used when the procedural/surgical mask does not meet the FR requirements. Approved FR cloth masks can only be worn during that specific task and the procedural/surgical mask is to be worn otherwise. Approved FR cloth mask can only be kept on during travel from one location to another if employee will be working within the ARC flash boundary or potential flash fire hazard at the next work location.

Face to face meetings at this time in our office locations should be avoided and replaced with Microsoft Teams, conference calls and/or other means of technology. If for some reason an in-person meeting is necessary, clients/visitors will be required to wear a mask when they enter. A mask can be provided if necessary. The mask will be required the entire time during their visit if the social distancing requirements cannot be met.

As previously mentioned, specific client requirements will be attached to this plan as Plan Protocol Addendums. These addendums all appear on HEI’s employee COVID-19 SharePoint Site so that staff can access them at any time.

Travel
Employee travel between offices is suspended at this time, and face to face meetings should only take place if necessary/essential. Monitor travel to COVID-19 affected areas (check ahead of time) and if travel is necessary/essential, staff must follow good hygiene practices. Unnecessary travel between job sites is also prohibited.

When working in groups/crews (i.e. more than 1 person together), members are required to travel to and from the job site/project in separate vehicles and are to practice social distancing as much as possible on the job site. During this pandemic HEI will evaluate the necessity of overnight travel on a case-by-case basis.

Employees who have travelled or have recently returned from destinations with a Travel Health Notice issued by the Centers of Disease Control (CDC); and/or have been in close contact with a confirmed or suspected COVID-19 case; and/or are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms (i.e. fever, cough, difficulty breathing) may be subject to a 14-day isolation/quarantine period before returning to work. Close contact is defined as – being within six feet of an infected individual for at least 15 minutes. (This definition of “close contact” is subject to change and will be consistent with current CDC guidance).

Sick Policy
Anyone experiencing COVID-19 related symptoms (i.e. fever, cough, shortness of breath, nausea, diarrhea, loss of smell or taste), or who had prolonged exposure to someone that has tested positive, SHOULD NOT attempt to enter HEI office locations, project sites or report to any work location. Employee should immediately notify their group manager so work can be reassigned to other team members (the employee or group manager also needs to contact Rose Bays). Employees who are ill are not expected to work during this time but rather rest, recover and take care of themselves.

If employees are not able to work due to caring for themselves or another sick family member effected by COVID-19, they may be eligible for benefits under The Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Please contact Rose Bays for more information.

If symptoms of COVID-19 are present, the employee is to schedule a telehealth/virtual care visit with our insurance provider through Spectrum Health. Information on how to set up this visit is shown on HEI’s COVID-19 Employee SharePoint Website. Employees with a confirmed case will be subject to a 14-day isolation period. If a field employee, he/she will be given the option to remain where they are; or if physically well enough may travel home, to recover during their isolation period. A designated crew member can assist in picking up essential items for the sick employee (i.e. groceries, medicine, etc.) if they can safely do so without any personal interaction (this would only be necessary if the sick employee remained at their project lodging destination during the time of isolation).