Change the way you work to minimize the risk of COVID-19 spread between workers. Adjust the way you work to protect employees Many employers are reducing risk by enabling administrative workers to work from home. Staggering start times, shifts and breaks, and forming “work pods” or teams that work together exclusively also help limit the potential exposure if an employee does become ill. Physical distancing To support and enforce physical distancing in the plant, manufacturers are using multiple strategies. Floor markers, barriers, and directional arrows help visually reinforce the required distance between workers and manage traffic flow. Restricting occupancy in lunch and break rooms, locker rooms, and other common areas also make it easier for workers to maintain distance. Similarly, employers are limiting the risk by holding meetings outside or by video when possible and limiting or prohibiting outside visitors. Redesign your workplace to prevent the spread Where it is possible to reconfigure the production floor or limit occupancy in tight areas, some manufacturers have been able to support physical distancing. Many, however, lack the space or resources to retrofit all their production areas. Where physical distancing is not possible, physical barriers have become an important line of defence. Acrylic panels separating workstations, often used in combination with masks or face shields, provide a physical barrier against virus-containing droplets. If it is not practicable to eliminate work that causes workers to be within two metres of each other, keep the encroachment on physical distancing as brief as possible, through planning the work task and providing instructions to workers—or place physical barriers between workers. Consult your Joint Health and Safety Committee or Worker Representative to identify risks and effective controls for your workplace.

“At the plant level, one of our biggest challenges is managing communication—mainly driven by people’s anxiety. What we try to do is really explain why we do things first.”

—Craig Ogilvie, Conagra Foods Canada, in a May webinar on COVID-19 Best Practices