COVID 19 Prevention Plan - Additional Consideration #1

Multiple COVID-19 Infections and COVID-19 Outbreaks

[This addendum will need to be added to your CPP if three or more employee COVID-19 cases within an exposed group visited the workplace during their high-risk exposure period at any time during a 10-day period. Reference section 3205.1 for details.]

This addendum will stay in effect until there are no new COVID-19 cases detected in the exposed group for a10-day period.

COVID-19 testing

Following a "major outbreak," USF is required to make available COVID-19 testing to all employees in the exposed group at least twice a week.  Employees in the exposed group shall now be tested or shall be excluded and follow the return-to-work requirements of the ETS.
We provide COVID-19 testing at no cost to all employees, during paid time, in our exposed group except for:

  • Employees who were not present during the relevant 10-day period.
  • COVID-19 cases who did not develop symptoms after returning to work pursuant to our return-to- work criteria, no testing is required for 90 days after the initial onset of symptoms or, for COVID-19 cases who never developed symptoms, 90 days after the first positive test.

COVID-19 testing consists of the following:

  • All employees in our exposed group are immediately tested and then again one week later. Negative COVID-19 test results of employees with COVID-19 exposure will not impact the duration of any quarantine, isolation, or exclusion period required by, or orders issued by, the local health department.
  • After the first two COVID-19 tests, we continue to provide COVID-19 testing once a week of employees in the exposed group who remain at the workplace, or more frequently if recommended by the local health department, until there are no new COVID-19 cases detected in our workplace for a 10-day period.
  • We provide additional testing when deemed necessary by Cal/OSHA.

We continue to comply with the applicable elements of our CPP, as well as the following:

  • Employees in the exposed group wear face coverings when indoors, or when outdoors and less than six feet apart (unless one of the face-covering exceptions indicated in our CPP apply).
  • We give notice to employees in the exposed group of their right to request a respirator for voluntary use.
  • We evaluate whether to implement physical distancing of at least six feet between persons, or where six feet of physical distancing is not feasible, the need for use of cleanable solid partitions of sufficient size to reduce COVID-19 transmission.

COVID-19 investigation, review, and hazard correction

We immediately perform a review of potentially relevant COVID-19 policies, procedures, and controls and implement changes as needed to prevent further spread of COVID-19.

The investigation and review is documented and includes:

  • Investigation of new or unabated COVID-19 hazards including:
    • Our leave policies and practices and whether employees are discouraged from remaining home when sick.
    • Our COVID-19 testing policies.
    • Insufficient outdoor air.
    • Insufficient air filtration.
    • Lack of physical distancing.
  • Updating the review:
    • Every thirty days that the outbreak continues.
    • In response to new information or to new or previously unrecognized COVID-19 hazards.
    • When otherwise necessary.
  • Implementing changes to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 based on the investigation and review. We consider:
    • Moving indoor tasks outdoors or having them performed remotely.
    • Increasing outdoor air supply when work is done indoors.
    • Improving air filtration.
    • Increasing physical distancing as much as feasible.
    • Requiring respiratory protection in compliance with section 5144.
    • [Describe other applicable controls].

Buildings or structures with mechanical ventilation

We will filter recirculated air with Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) 13 or higher efficiency filters, if compatible with the ventilation system. If MERV-13 or higher filters are not compatible, we will use filters with the highest compatible filtering efficiency. We will also evaluate whether portable or mounted High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filtration units or other air cleaning systems would reduce the risk of transmission and,if so, implement their use to the degree feasible.