Adding Coronavirus Protocols to Your Safety Procedures

Continuing onsite safety for essential operations

In addition to safe practices for the pandemic, safe daily practices must also be a priority. Though you may have implemented many temporary changes, some safety measures can never be ignored. Remembering to continue using your sharpest tools and skills is critical to the safety and success of performing critical functions in a time of crisis.

• Follow the steps of the standard operating procedures (SOPs) and job safety analyses (JSA). If a condition requires those steps to change because of the crisis, that change must be reviewed by all personnel.
• All high-risk management standards must be followed. This includes safety procedures for control of hazardous energy, fall protection, respiratory protection, confined space entry, etc.  
• If a job cannot be done safely, STOP and reassess.
• Continue to follow all site-specific safety protocols.

Safety and self-care while working from home

Many people are adjusting to the new normal of working from home. For some, it may be hard to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Continuing to practice self-care and safety is essential to your health, well-being and productivity of your work. During times of crisis, it is important to continue safety best practices: 

• Use proper ergonomics when working on your computer at home.  
• Get up, stretch, and move around frequently so you do not remain in the same position for too long.
• If you’re on a computer for long periods of time, every 20 minutes or so stop and stare at a white or blank wall for 10 to 15 seconds to ease eye strain. 

Reminders of safety best practices

Safety has to be top-of-mind for everyone in your organization every minute of every day. 

In times of crisis, rates of “everyday incidents” go up. On a normal day, you might remember to step over a potential safety hazard, but if you are worried or distracted, you’re vulnerable. Here is a list of our safe practices that make a big difference for our teams, no matter where their day-to-day work takes them.

• Commitment must start at the top — Our CEO, Brian Clarke, starts every meeting with a safety moment and continues to emphasize how important a safety mindset is to protecting ourselves and ensuring essential services continue.
  • "We are succeeding because we entered this critical moment with clear goals and an overall mission to safeguard the continuity of essential services and the health and safety of our employees, customers, and the communities in which we operate." - Brian Clarke, CEO
• Share honestly and share often — Employees must feel comfortable sharing mistakes, close calls, or lessons learned. This kind of transparency allows you to share beneficial information to broader circles in your group. At Veolia, we share these types of details daily through email updates and announcements at meetings at all levels of the organization.
• GOAL ZERO - LEADING SAFETY TOGETHER remains our motto. This means safety extends beyond work hours. Goal Zero is what Veolia requires every employee to adopt as a goal of their own, and it’s an attainable target we are all proud to strive toward.
• Use what we call Mental Safety Assessment (MSA) throughout the day. Take a few seconds before you do something to assess the potential risks and make sure you have protection in place to manage the risk. The purpose of the MSA is to keep your mind on the task at hand.

Whether you’re at the front desk, working from home or working at a facility, hazards are not always obvious. Every member of your organization must remain fully committed. Following these practices consistently can protect you from injury. 

Safety for yourself and others

Best practices for safety extend beyond your own person; they are a challenge for everyone. Some standards and tools we use at Veolia are listed below. Here’s what’s worked for us in case you want some new ideas for your own safety-centric work culture. 

Recommended practices for community safety:

Let this mindset permeate all circumstances. At the drugstore, in the car, onsite, at home, while grocery shopping —- continue to watch out for the safety of others.   

• “See something, say something” is the practice of looking out for each other, actively and vocally. If you see it, you own it. Identifying and correcting unsafe acts and conditions is a basic tenet of our culture. 
• Every employee at Veolia has “stop work authority.” This is an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) principle-based policy that gives workers the authority to stop an action or task if they consider it to be unsafe and dangerous. This policy encourages employees to speak up when they see a potential at-risk situation.       
• Protect others by taking ownership of identified hazards. If you cannot safely correct the hazard, place some form of warning or barrier and notify your supervisor. 

Safety should never be routine

With many changes to our routine lives, there is one thing that will forever remain unchanged — the importance of safe practices and protocol. During this time of heightened uncertainty, Veolia is committed, as always, to supporting our customers and community in practicing safe behaviors. Whether you are continuing daily work as an essential employee or adjusting to your new work- from-home environment, following the recommended safety procedures and protocols is imperative to keeping yourself and others safe.