Q&A from the COVID-19 Health and Safety Regulations Webinar May 7, 2020

Question 1: When can Sales Executives be able to start visiting customers at their stores?

If an essential service is rendered by the customer and if the store is currently selling that specific merchandise, you can visit that customer, because you have to service an essential service.

 

Question 2: Is this virus really as deadly as the world claim it is or is it just another media hype.

This is not a straightforward question. Different countries have experienced different death rates and the death rate is different in different age groups. The presence or absence of other illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes, immune disorders, heart disease, kidney disease (to mention just a few) drastically increases the chance of severe disease occurring. The problem is that nobody has any immunity to this virus and we all have to rely on our innate immune system (which is affected by age, diet, environmental factors, pre-existing illness and genetics). Figures emerging from the global epidemic suggest that this virus is about twice as deadly as the seasonal flu virus.

 

Question 3: The Disaster Management Act requires employers to take special measures for employees over 60 and/or with comorbidities 

The risk-based approach to reopen the workplace leaves space to allow workers with medium and high risk to return to work earlier. In some instances, a person may be crucial for the operations of the company. In other instances, the person has to choose between taking the risk or having no food on the table.
The important principle for these persons to return to work, is that they must clearly understand the risk. It must be explained to them. If they are not comfortable to take the risk, or if the employer cannot provide the extras protective measures, they should work from home and they shouldn’t be discriminated against.
If the person is willing to take the shared risk, the employee could sign a consent form indicating that he/she understands the risk and will take precautionary measures to limit the risk of exposure.

Over and above the normal preventative measures, additional measures could include:

• Additional distancing (more than 2 meters) in production line
• Working in a separate room
• Adapted shifts to shorter hours
• Only come to the office when it is really needed
• Change working hours as not to arrive/depart with the crowd at normal peak hours
• Less interaction with other employees or clients
• Additional monitoring of symptoms
• Not to attend meetings
• Not to allow anybody in his/her office, but to talk in the corridor or other open spaces

Have a look at Skynamo’s Daily Clock-In Screening Form built into the app

 

Question 4: The issue of wearing a mask is debatable, there are views that wearing a mask is counterproductive.  

Masks are to protect other from you. They catch the droplets. It is a form of physical distancing. In high exposure situations such as health care, special masks (for example N95) are worn to protect the wearer.
The motto is: I wear a mask to protect you, you wear a mask to protect me.

Please view the following documents for

Face masks against COVID19: An Evidence Review

Facemasks for the public during the COVID19 crisis

 

Question 5: I have read a recent report that Children can get COVID, however they cannot/do not transmit it? Is this true?

Not true. Children do not appear to get as severe illness as adults but there is no evidence that they do not spread the virus in the same way. It is possible that they do not shed as much virus but they do spread it.

 

Question 6: The Disaster Management Act requires employers to take special measures for employees over 60 and/or with comorbidities. What special measures can we put in place? And if we cannot put these special measures in place what do we do with these staff?

See question three. The approach is risk-based and the more comorbidities or the more serious they are, the more likely the employer is to not wish to take the risk of the person being back at work.

 

Question 7: What are the regulations pertaining to pregnant women and returning to work, are they allowed and then only prohibited from returning to work if they show any symptoms of the virus or any other conditions sometimes associated with pregnancy (example pre-eclampsia).  Should they work from home if possible until this lockdown is totally removed?

Pregnancy is mentioned as a condition which may predispose a woman to getting more illness. However, there is no evidence to suggest that a normal pregnancy puts you at higher risk. Pregnant women, without any complications can return to work but it is prudent to ask women in the third trimester to work from home or perhaps take early maternity leave.

 

Question 8: How is that proven? contracting the virus at work?

 You need to show that you had significant contact with an infected person during the course of your working day and that you developed symptoms 2-14 days after that specific contact. Significant contact means at least 15 minutes in fairly close contact (or contact with surfaces close to that person in the working environment). This is going to depend a lot on reporting and the contact tracing that goes with an infection. Unfortunately, this may not be as easy as it sounds. It is really important to keep a good diary of daily activities. More advice may be available from the Compensation Commissioner's website

 

Question 9: A point was raised - "if no funds available for retest" - does the infected person pay for the test and retest, the employer or does government cover the cost or medical aid if the person is lucky enough to have one

If you are a person under investigation (PUI), you can be tested for free in the state system, or your medical aid may pay for the test. Unfortunately, there is often a delay of up to 10 days to get the results in the public sector.
If you are willing to pay (±R850), have a medical aid or if your employer is willing to pay, you can get tested at a private pathology laboratory.
If your case is accepted as a occupational disease (i.e. if you can prove that you contracted the disease at work), the Compensation commissioner will refund you for costs incurred.
The employer is not legally obliged to pay for these tests.
Regarding the rested to determine if you’ve turned negative: At the time of answering this question it is still unclear if the government service will perform the test.

 

Question 10: The Breathalyser won't work in this instance and if they sanitise it, it will pick up the alcohol and go berserk is it necessary for breathalysers during this time?

They can wipe it with non-alcohol wipe. But usually most employers don't let you blow nowadays. The important thing is  to make sure the security guard holding the device is an arm's length away and is using a mask. Don't touch the device and try not to inhale near the device. Another option is to blow through a straw but all the precautions around cleaning the device still apply.

 

Question 11: Regulations state employers are responsible for supply, cleaning and ironing of employees masks - this is a contentious point - many of our employees want to wash and keep their own masks sanitised and clean.  As an employer, what can I do that is practically implementable and satisfactory for the regulations.  The masks we purchased have a nylon polymer that when ironed will melt - i s a tumble dryer acceptable?

 It is the employer’s responsibility to make sure that masks are clean. They can subcontract this to a laundry or to each employee to do it according to standards. If masks cannot be ironed, it can be tumble dried at 60^oC, or hung in the sun to dry.  Employees should receive these instructions in writing and they should agree to it.

 

Question 12: Please could you have a look at your view on aircons. There is no substantiated evidence providing for COVID being transmitted via aircon systems. In fact ASHRAE has stated air conditioning can help control coronavirus spread.

https://www.coolingpost.com/world-news/ashrae-air-conditioning-can-help-control-coronavirus-spread/

This is all about airflow and even an open window can be a problem. However, recirculation of air in a fixed way does increase the risk. Some really great shoe-leather epidemiology demonstrated clearly the effect of a single asymptomatic carrier in a restaurant environment. The infected person (A1) sat at a table and had dinner with 9 friends. Dinner took about 1 to 1.5 hours. During this meal, the asymptomatic carrier released low-levels of virus into the air from their breathing. Airflow (from the restaurant's various airflow vents) was from right to left. Approximately 50% of the people at the infected person's table became sick over the next 7 days. 75% of the people on the adjacent downwind table became infected. And even 2 of the 7 people on the upwind table were infected (believed to happen by turbulent airflow). No one at tables E or F became infected, they were out of the main airflow from the air conditioner on the right to the exhaust fan on the left of the room. (Ref: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/26/7/20-0764_article)

 

Question 13: Some of us have been told to wear gloves when we go into these customer premises, wouldn't these gloves be the ones that will transmit the virus? I can say so because it is very difficult to sanitize them effectively.

 

There is no reason to wear gloves. The virus cannot be transmitted through the skin. Gloves can give a false sense of security. The important thing is not to touch your face, eyes or mask before you’ve washed/sanitised your hands. You still have to do this, even if you are wearing gloves.

 

Question 14: Is there any prediction on when you think we will get to level 3?

No

 

Question 15: These features are excellent. What is the potential for the daily check in / screening at the start and end of the day to be added to Manager/ Back End Users? Our Customer Service Consultants who are office based only use the Manager/Insights Role access on laptops. Are you able to show us an example of a Consent Form for over 60

See Skynamo’s Daily Clock-In Screening Form built into the app

 

Question 16: Can Sales Executives wash their own face masks? 

This is all about airflow and even an open window can be a problem. However, recirculation of air in a fixed way does increase the risk. Some really great shoe-leather epidemiology demonstrated clearly the effect of a single asymptomatic carrier in a restaurant environment. The infected person (A1) sat at a table and had dinner with 9 friends. Dinner took about 1 to 1.5 hours. During this meal, the asymptomatic carrier released low-levels of virus into the air from their breathing. Airflow (from the restaurant's various airflow vents) was from right to left. Approximately 50% of the people at the infected person's table became sick over the next 7 days. 75% of the people on the adjacent downwind table became infected. And even 2 of the 7 people on the upwind table were infected (believed to happen by turbulent airflow). No one at tables E or F became infected, they were out of the main airflow from the air conditioner on the right to the exhaust fan on the left of the room. (Ref: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/26/7/20-0764_article)

 

Question 17: What is the expectation for SA companies to conform to these regulations

It is a legal requirement and failure to comply may result in criminal prosecution

 

Question 18: Hi Frank, people have been running with masks on, does this make sense or is that a waste of time?

 It makes sense if they are running close to others or in groups. When you are exercising you are generating more droplets from your respiratory system and are breathing harder. This may result in droplets spreading further. A mask makes sense in this situation if you are within 2 metres of others.

 

Question 19: If you have a permit for Medical and Hygiene Chemicals, can you visit customers in another province?

You need to gain permission from SAPS to cross provincial boundaries.

 

Question 20: Question regarding immunocompromised individual: she is under 30 years, has Type 2 Diabetes and Ulcerative Colitis. She is office based with her own office and all other sanitization and prevention measures is taken. Should she be advised to only return to work in Level 3 or 2, or would a 2 - 3 day at the office per week option be suitable if she really wishes to return to the office?

See also question three above.

 

Question 21: Myself and my team call on single doctor practises and hospitals. What is the risk factors with this and should they return to duty anytime soon as they do visit our head office with a staff compliment of a 100+ staff.

The doctors and hospitals you visit are likely to have expectations with regard to their own safety and will be treating all visitors as potentially infected. They will most likely ask you to complete a short symptoms questionnaire before entering, check your temperature and will require a mask and hand sensitisation. Hospitals and consulting rooms should have separate areas where patients who are suspected of being infected are seen. You should not be entering these areas (certainly not without full PPE and precautions). Your own offices should similar precautions of temperature and symptom screening, and sanitisation. It would be a good idea if visits to the office are scheduled on days when you are not visiting clients so that you do not carry the exposure of an entire work day to the office.

 

Question 22: Do you have standard type form that an employer can use to ask their employees whether they have any high risk conditions? What are the questions we should ask the employees that would classify them as High risk?

See Skynamo’s Daily Clock-In Screening Form

 

Question 23: If you are over 60 and you are needed at work is it voluntary ? and would the company be at risk in terms of being sued etc..

See also question three above.

 

Question 24: In the automotive industry, staff members may need to move vehicles between departments or in out workshops, so these vehicles would need to be sanitized, as well as the staff members?

 The vehicle should be sanitised before another person uses it. Staff members should apply the normal practices of hand washing and wearing a mask. No additional measures are necessary (or likely to be effective).

 

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