Manufacturing Safety Alliance of BC
Communicable Disease Prevention

Communicable disease prevention resources (for COVID-19, flu, and other illness)

Effective January 7, 2022, employers are once again required to reactivate their COVID-19 Safety Plans. See COVID-19 Resources for more information and tools.

In Step 3 and beyond of the BC Restart Plan, except where mandated by Public Health, B.C. businesses were no longer required to have a COVID-19 Safety Plan. In place of the formal COVID-19 plan, employers needed a communicable disease prevention plan in place. This changed on January 7 with the new Public Health order for workplaces.

Below, you will find resources, tools, and training for small employers to help prevent the spread of disease in the workplace.

Basic Training
Course
Available by e-Learning
This training program provides basic information and important resources as provided by global authorities such as The World Health Organization (WHO) regarding the COVID-19 virus.
Course
Available by e-Learning
This training program provides basic information and important resources as provided by global authorities such as The World Health Organization (WHO) regarding the COVID-19 virus.
Videos & Webinars
Communicable Disease Prevention Resources and Tools
Masks are recommended in indoor public spaces for everyone aged 12 and over until you are fully vaccinated approximately two weeks after your second dose. Please do your part to keep each other safe. Print and post this poster in your workplace.
As we start to put the pandemic behind us, some of us will be taking it slower than others. Be respectful and kind as you consider others’ situations and personal choices. Print and post this post for your workplace.
Our circumstances are all unique. But the things we can do to keep each other safe and support each other are the same. Print and post this poster in your workplace.
Soap or Alcohol-based hand rub: Which is best?
Print this 8.5 X 11 poster and post on the entry door to your worksite. Editable pdf allows personalization by including your company name and or contact information at the bottom
Stop the spread of COVID-19 – The ABC’s of Hand Washing.
Remember to wash your hands before entering this area.
Poster
Information on how to conduct user seal checks for reusable half-face respirators with filter
This template is a guide to ensure that you have considered the communicable disease prevention measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, flu, colds, and other viruses in your workplace. Although you are no longer required to maintain a formal, written plan (unless directed by Public Health), by completing this checklist, you can be confident […]
If employees work from home, it is the employer’s responsibility to ensure their health and safety.
This checklist is to guide processors and inspectors in evaluating COVID-19 control programs in processing facilities. Refer to the Guidance on reducing the risk of COVID-19 to workers in processing facilities for details.
The goal of this self-assessment checklist is to help you to set up your office optimally for your self-productivity. This checklist is for reference only and does not replace an ergonomics workstation assessment carried out by a professional ergonomist.
A handy, printable checklist for inspection of your respirators.
As our knowledge of the COVID-19 virus grows, we need to review our COVID-19 Safety Plan to ensure that it remains effective and relevant to protect our workplaces and communities. Use this checklist as a guide to help strengthen your plan.
All employees must wash their hands with soap and water (or alcohol-based sanitizer) regularly. At a minimum, employees must wash their hands in the following scenarios.
This template is presented in coordination with an April 7, 2020 webinar on Exposure Control Plans. It is intended to support the development of a site-specific biological exposure control plan.
This guide will provide information to employees about the symptoms of COVID-19, reporting symptoms at work, and determining return-to-work readiness.
To limit the transmission of viral diseases, such as COVID-19, cleaning protocols should be used to clean and disinfect common contact surfaces within the workplace.
If a worker is working alone or in an isolated area, they should be monitored regularly. Depending on the risk level of their location, it can be hourly, every few hours, or at start and end of task.
This sample policy provides you with the basics to create a mandatory mask policy. [Excerpt] In response to the Public Health Office orders, a mandatory mask policy is now in effect at [Company Name]. A mask will now be required in the workplace, where physical distancing is not possible.
Tools and templates to safeguard your workplace against COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) and navigate workplace health and safety in the new normal.
A guide to setting up your home office ergonomically.
A sample of an acknowledgement letter for supervisors.
Patient privacy is protected under the provincial Health Act, so we are not able to share a list of who attended each clinic.
WorkSafeBC recognizes the importance of worker safety as businesses look to resume operations following COVID-19 related work stoppages or interruptions. The following materials provide employers with information and resources to assist them in ensuring the risk of exposure to the virus that causes COVID-19 is minimized at their workplace.
This website from WorkSafeBC provides answers to frequently asked questions from British Columbian workers and employers focusing on how to maintain a healthy and safe workplace during the COVID-19 outbreak. Questions and answers are grouped under various topic headings.
Download this poster bundle for: Hand sanitizing station Hand washing station No visitors Occupancy Limit Stop if you have symptoms Physical distancing Feeling symptoms?
Employers are required to develop a COVID-19 Safety Plan that outlines the policies, guidelines, and procedures they have put in place to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. This fillable PDF will guide you through a six-step process to help you create your plan. Download and save for your workplace.
A training matrix is used to keep track of who has been trained.
Prevention, Enforcement, and Labour Law
Poster tips for stretches that can be done at any workstation throughout during periodic wellness breaks to counter stiffness from static work and potentially limit risk of sprains or strains in more active jobs.
Employees should always consider alternatives to travel e.g. teleconferences, video conferences, etc. When travel is deemed necessary, whether it be work-related or for personal reasons, employees are expected to follow procedures to limit the spread of any viral diseases in the workplace.
NIOSH approved disposable respirators for food processing and manufacturing
This resource bundle includes: Particulate filter types poster Respiratory inspection checklist User seal checks for disposable respirators User seal checks for half-face reusable respirators with cartridges User seal checks for half-face reusable respirators with filters
A risk assessment should be completed to determine the controls required for protecting workers against hazards in the workplace. This also applies to COVID-19.
This bundle includes: Customizable templates Checklists Printable signs and posters
We encourage everyone who can do so to get the vaccine, as it will help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and save lives by preventing disease, especially for people most likely to have severe illness or die. If enough people get vaccinated, it makes it difficult for the disease to spread. We hope that as […]
Most people experience mild side effects, such as a sore arm, that would not typically interrupt work. We have vaccinated all the staff at a variety of workplaces and have not seen a situation where a large percentage needed time off to recover from vaccination.
The following items should be added to your workplace inspection checklist to ensure that controls for COVID-19 stay effective.
WorkSafeBC’s steps to help you develop a plan to ensure you are minimizing the risk of COVID-19 appropriately, and that your business can operate safely.
News & Blog Articles
Who does this impact? WorkSafeBC has announced that in 2024, as part of their Planned Inspections Initiative, they will be focusing inspections on the following manufacturing classification units (CUs). Historically, workers in these CUs are at higher risk for serious injury....
COVID-19 Vaccines As of today, the newest COVID-19 vaccine has arrived in B.C. and priority populations are receiving invitations to book their vaccine appointments now. The new COVID-19 vaccines target the current subvariant and are approved for people six months...
With the province shifting to a sustainable, long-term strategic approach to managing COVID-19, the Public Health Officer today announced the relaxation of many restrictions, effective February 16 at 11:59 p.m. Notable for manufacturers and food processors: Indoor and outdoor events...
The Provincial Health Officer has extended all current COVID-19 restrictions, except for gyms and fitness facilities – which can open on January 20, 2022, with strict COVID-19 Safety Plans in place. The COVID-19 Safety Plan order remains in place for...
As the Omicron wave continues in British Columbia, many employers report unprecedented worker shortages with employees calling in sick. Some authorities have estimated that workplaces could see up to a 30% reduction in their typical workforce. Almost every employer has...
On January 7, 2022, Dr. Henry announced a new order requiring all British Columbia businesses to re-implement the protocols defined in their COVID-19 Safety Plans. Use the COVID-19 Safety Plan checklist to review and strengthen your plan – including links...
The provincial health office announced this week that they will continue to expand point of care testing support for businesses. If you wish to access rapid antigen tests to establish an onsite rapid COVID-19 workplace screening program for employees with...
24 Sep 2021—WorkSafeBC has shared with its partners that they will be following the lead of public health and mandating vaccination for most of the organization’s own employees in the coming weeks. As context for companies evaluating their own vaccine...