July 30, 2020 - The following guidance shall be used by all Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF) staff. This document will be updated as needed and as new guidance and direction is given from the State Emergency Operations Center and Governor’s Office.
Note: Please refer to the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) COVID-19 mitigation plan for specific information related to vessel and terminal operations.
Note: Please refer to the DOT&PF Construction COVID-19 mitigation plan for specific information related to construction sites.
To apply these principles, we need to implement agency requirements and consistent statewide guidelines that allow adaptability in a safe and responsible manner. Our goal is to keep our employees and customers safe and healthy while continuing essential public services and mitigating the spread of COVID-19.
Employees should follow all safety and health practices and standards established by the CDC and the state. Employees will contribute to a healthy workplace, including not knowingly exposing co-workers and the public to conditions that would jeopardize their health or the health of others.
This Guide does not take the place of general health and safety requirements issued by DHSS or other authorizing sources. It is to provide guidance to safeguard our workforce and mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
Commissioner’s Office – The Commissioner’s office will disseminate the latest information from the Governor’s Office, Department of Administration and the Unified Command. Headquarters and Regional Directors and Managers should not distribute alternative guidance without prior approval from the Commissioner’s Office.
Division Directors and Managers are responsible for ensuring their respective staff are kept apprised of information that they may not otherwise see in a timely manner; this includes employees who rarely read email or may not have immediate access to updated information.
All staff are reminded that under ADA they may not ask about employee’s diagnosis or symptoms, nor may they ask about family members.
Review the CDC guidelines at:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/workplace-school-and-home-guidance.pdf.
Review OSHA/COVID rules at:
https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/covid-19/standards.html
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, office buildings, shops and maintenance stations are limiting access to business purposes only. If your workplace is locked, make sure there is appropriate signage with phone numbers (monitored) for the public to call for assistance.
Visitor sign-in is required. Visitors must certify the following:
I do not have any of the following symptoms:
There is a requirement for face coverings in state office buildings if social distancing cannot be accomplished. Visitors must arrive with a mask in order to gain entry.
Sample signage: 01-DOTPF-COVID-poster-Exterior-entries-front-desk
Sample visitor log sheet: 03-DOTPF-COVID-visitor-log
Social distancing is the practice of maintaining at least 6 feet from other persons to slow the spread of COVID-19. Review Reopen Alaska Responsibly Phase 3/4 General Guidance at https://covid19.alaska.gov/reopen/.
Elevators, shared meeting facilities, break areas, etc. are limited to the number of staff that may safely enter, allowing for social distancing at all times. Capacity limits should be placed in a visible location outside elevators or entry doors.
Sample signage: 02-DOTPF-COVID-poster-Handwashing
Sample signage: 06-DOTPF-COVID-poster-Elevators
Telework is an option for some types of positions in order to reduce potential spread of the virus in department facilities by reducing the number of personnel and therefore increasing spacing. Telework may also be an option for some employees in the event of illness or mandatory quarantine. Supervisors and employees are responsible for following the DOA Telecommute Policy and their Division Director’s instruction regarding situational or routine telework. This means that those positions that are able to work from home should work from home in accordance with the policy. See latest DOA Telecommute Policy. Supervisors are responsible for ensuring that all telework requirements are followed.
For more resources on manager and supervisor responsibilities, please view the Division of Personnel & Labor Relations website https://doa.alaska.gov/dop/.
Beware of the cleaning products your janitors use. If they use vinegar – don’t use bleach!
The following procedures and best practices shall be implemented immediately and will remain in effect until further notice. These guidelines do not replace specific cleaning requirements developed for conducting field operations or for construction projects. Sanitization is reducing pathogens to a safe level, disinfection is killing everything on the surface. You sanitize hands and disinfect surfaces.
Cleaning Materials
Reference EPA’s List N, Disinfectants for Use against SARS-CoV-2 https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-n-disinfectants-use-against-sars-cov-2-covid-19, and EPA’s Six Steps for Safe & Effective Disinfectant Use https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/six-steps-safe-effective-disinfectant-use.
Office and Work Station
Routine Surface Cleaning
Common Areas
Sample signage: 04-DOTPF-COVID-poster-Conference-rooms
Vehicle/Equipment Cleaning and Disinfecting Procedures
Sample signage: 05-DOTPF-COVID-poster-Vehicles
Department of Health and Social Services issued Health Alert-010 regarding wearing cloth face coverings
http://dhss.alaska.gov/dph/Epi/id/SiteAssets/Pages/HumanCoV/SOA_04032020_HealthAlert010_ClothFaceCoverings.pdf. Wearing face coverings is required in DOT&PF buildings where six feet social distancing cannot be achieved.
Recommendations
The following measures are from Health Alert-010 and are highly recommended:
N95 Reuse and Cleaning Instructions (for respirators used for dust and/or silica exposure):
Staff may not travel if sick - even if illness is known not to be COVID-19 -- or if they have been around someone with COVID-19 in the past 14 days.
Leave requests which include interstate/international travel may only be approved by a supervisor if the employee has 10 work days (75/80 hours) of accrued personal/annual leave in addition to the requested amount to accommodate for an absence from duty in the event of a positive test upon return to Alaska. For mandatory quarantine or quarantine while awaiting test results, an employee whose duties permit will be required to telework. If an employee declines to telework in that instance, they must use their own accrued leave. This is not a qualifying condition for COVID leave. For more information, see the COVID-19 Leave Policy at https://doa.alaska.gov/dop/directorsOffice/covid19/#gsc.tab=0.
Follow the guidance established in the COVID-19 Management Plan http://dot.alaska.gov/2020/docs/COVID-19-Mitigation-Response-Plan.pdf
Develop site or activity-specific plans for individual projects and activities as needed.
Review Reopen Alaska Responsibly Large Gatherings & Community Events Guidance Document at https://covid19.alaska.gov/reopen/
To ensure continuity of operations of essential functions, CDC advises that critical infrastructure workers may be permitted to continue work following potential exposure to COVID-19, provided they remain asymptomatic and additional precautions are implemented to protect them and the community.
A potential exposure means being a household contact or having close contact within 6 feet of an individual with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. The timeframe for having contact with an individual includes the period of time of 48 hours before the individual became symptomatic.
Critical Infrastructure workers who have had an exposure but remain asymptomatic should adhere to the following practices prior to and during their work shift:
If the employee becomes sick during the day, they should be sent home immediately. Surfaces in their workspace should be cleaned and disinfected. Information on persons who had contact with the ill employee during the time the employee had symptoms and 2 days prior to symptoms should be compiled. Others at the facility with close contact within 6 feet of the employee during this time would be considered exposed.
More information can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/critical-workers/implementing-safety-practices.html.
Messages from Commissioner MacKinnon