Policies and Protocols for Safe Campus-Based Work

EFFECTIVE MAY 4, 2020: In compliance with the most recent orders from the State of Ohio regarding the reopening of general business environments, the following policies and protocols are in effect regarding any campus-based work at OWU.

Employees

• All employees who are able to continue working from an off-campus location should continue to do so until further notice.
• Any employee who requests to work on campus because of the nature of their work must receive approval from their senior administrator (vice president or provost) prior to returning to campus. The vice president/provost must notify the Public Safety Office that the employee has been given permission to work on campus at least two working days before the employee returns to work, which will allow for sufficient time to arrange any changes in cleaning protocols.
• Employees who are working in an enclosed private office do not need to wear a facial covering while working in their private office unless another individual enters the office while they are present. However, all employees must wear a facial covering that covers one’s nose, mouth, and chin while traveling through any campus buildings, including entering and exiting the building and using the restroom.
• Employees who are working in a shared office space must wear a facial covering that covers one’s nose, mouth, and chin the entire time while in their workspace. Additionally, this facial covering must be worn while traveling through any campus buildings, including entering and exiting the building and using the restroom.  Employees are asked to provide their own facial covering.  Those who need a facial covering provided by the university should contact the Public Safety Office.
• Any employee who has a medical or industry standard concern about wearing a facial covering should discuss this concern first with their Vice President or Provost before returning to work on campus.
• All employees must maintain at least 6 feet of distance between them and others on campus. Employees should avoid congregating in general while on campus, and should not be in groups larger than 10 people.
• All employees are asked to minimize touching any common surfaces within campus buildings, and should practice proper hygiene recommendations such as frequent washing of hands with soap and water for 20 seconds, sneezing or coughing into one’s sleeve or elbow rather than into one’s hands, and avoiding touching one’s face after having touched common surfaces before washing hands. Employees working on campus should wipe-down the surfaces they touch in their workspaces at least once a day with disinfection wipes (OWU can provide these for employees).
• All employees working on campus must perform a daily symptom assessment at home before coming to campus, which includes the following:
  • Taking your temperature with a thermometer and monitoring for fever (100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher).
  • Assessing for any coughing or trouble breathing.

• Based on CDC recommendations, any employees who becomes symptomatic of coronavirus must remain at home until at least 3 days (72 hours) have passed since recovery defined as resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and improvement in respiratory symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath), and at least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared.

Cleaning

• All common spaces near office locations where employees are working must be cleaned and disinfected every workday by ABM, including door handles, handrails, elevator buttons, copier buttons, bathroom fixtures, and water fountains.
• Surfaces in employees’ workspaces should be cleaned and disinfected 2-3 times a week by the employee(s) using those personal workspaces, including desk and tabletops, door handles, and computer keyboards and mice.
• Provide to each employee working on campus a container of disinfection wipes, or disinfection spray cleaner with paper towels, that they should use to disinfect surfaces in their offices.
• If any employees working on campus develop symptoms of coronavirus, the building must be immediately closed to all employees except those charged with cleaning, and a thorough deep disinfection of the employees workspace and all common areas of building used by the employee must be conducted as quickly as possible, and before the building is reopened to employees.

Communication

• Signage must be placed on exterior building doors, on common bathroom doors, and in common lobbies in buildings where employees are working with general safety practices they should be following.
  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
  • Avoid close contact by maintaining at least 6 feet of distance.
  • Cover your mouth, nose, and chin with a face covering when traveling through the building and when around others.
  • Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or use the inside of your elbow, and wash hands immediately.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily.

These policies and protocols remain in place until further notice.  As directives from state authorities change and conditions become more favorable for campus work environments, we will revise these policies and protocols and issue updates to employees.