Embedded Files
Risk assessment
Risk assessment
What hazards are we vulnerable to?
We aim to put in place controls that reduce the likelihood of the COVID-19 disease from spreading through our activities and actions.
The objective of making the changes described in this document is to address the following very specific hazards and threats:
Linked here
Who are we trying to shield?
Through our control measures, we aim to reduce undue exposure, concern or other harm to the following:
The Communities we serve and those who host us (including their secondary contacts);
Our volunteers and staff on the ground and their secondary & tertiary contacts;
Our local volunteers and staff on the ground and their secondary & tertiary contacts (highlighted separately as they may have another context to consider);
Anyone who has increased vulnerability to COVID-19, as per the CDC guidance on vulnerable individuals;
Our donors and partners
The organization, non-program staff, Management and Board of Directors;
The public.
Challenges
Challenges
Conflicting perceptions
Different people have differing views around all aspects of the COVID-19 crisis. Some will see it as no worse than the seasonal flu and be vocal in not accepting restrictions. Others will be at the opposite end, maybe having lost a loved one to the virus and be extremely fearful of the whole situation. The majority will probably swing somewhere in between these extremes, not necessarily remaining static.
This will be a challenge for our staff on the ground to manage. The organisation can support them by creating controls which are reasonable, well thought-out and crucially - extremely well communicated.
Managing Stigma
Fear and anxiety can lead to social stigma, for example, toward people who live in certain parts of the world, people who have traveled internationally, people who were in quarantine, or healthcare professionals.
Stigma is discrimination against an identifiable group of people, a place, or a nation. Stigma is associated with a lack of knowledge about how COVID-19 spreads, a need to blame someone, fears about disease and death, and gossip that spreads rumors and myths.
Stigma hurts everyone by creating more fear or anger toward ordinary people instead of focusing on the disease that is causing the problem.
People can fight stigma by providing social support in situations where you notice this is occurring. Stigma affects the emotional or mental health of stigmatized groups and the communities they live in. Stopping stigma is important to making communities and community members resilient. See resources on mental health and coping during COVID-19. Everyone can help stop stigma related to COVID-19 by knowing the facts and sharing them with others in your community.
Other Challenges
The unknown.
The virus is novel (new) and the scientific and medical experts continue to learn more each day. We should expect that a new discovery could quickly invalidate some of our controls.
Nonlinear impacts
With so many factors driving decisions, issues and solutions may quickly evolve and anticipated logical progression may not occur.
Other drivers (political, economical, societal)
Opinions will be driven by many criteria, some of which may clash with each other.
Asymptomatic patients
Recent research shows that anywhere between 48% - 80% of infected persons may experience no, or very mild, symptoms. These people appear healthy, but continue to spread the disease.
Whilst the virus can impact anyone, it appears that the majority of the serious cases are linked to existing vulnerability.
Incubation period
According to the CDC. There are reports of pre-symptomatic infections (detection of virus prior to development of symptoms) with SARS-CoV-2, but their role in transmission is not yet known. Based on existing literature, the incubation period (the time from exposure to development of symptoms) of SARS-CoV-2 (& other coronaviruses) ranges from 2–14 days.
Cumulative virus load
Recent research shows that Healthcare workers, who are exposed to SARS-COV-2 repeatedly may build a higher viral load. Therefore, it is suggested that multiple exposures can have a cumulative effect. This means, being exposed to a lot of people who have no to mild symptoms can culminate in an infectious dose. We must watch for the safety of our staff and vendors who are most likely to be exposed to multiple individuals
“Tunnel vision”
It's vital that, through our careful planning in response to COVID-19, we do not create new hazards and threats, nor ignore pre-existing risks. COVID-19 is another factor to consider, not the only one.
Managing Vulnerability within our program
Managing Vulnerability within our program
Advisory: Those at a higher risk of severe illness due to COVID-19 should not join our Programs at this time.
All Hands and Hearts will have in place reasonable controls. But, it is not possible to entirely remove the risk of exposure and infection in our environment. No one is entirely safe from COVID-19, however the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), among other experts, state that the impact of COVID-19 is far more likely to have serious ramifications (including death) for people with certain vulnerabilities.
We should, as far as reasonable, take precautions to reduce the likelihood of someone who is vulnerable to the disease from joining our programs.
*Appendix: Managing vulnerability within our Programs
Managing Volunteer Vulnerability
The reasonable control will be: clearly describing the risks and asking the volunteers to make an informed personal choice on whether to join us.
Staying true to our mission, we will not prevent or attempt to control who chooses to join our Program, but we will clearly highlight the known risks and advise that those who are vulnerable are safer choosing to remain at home.
We are unable to make additional compromises to support a person who is vulnerable to COVID-19 and strongly advise they do not join our Program.
This message should be delivered early on in the volunteer journey and reaffirmed in the Program-specific Safety Briefing document.
Managing Staff Vulnerability
The reasonable control will be: clearly describing the risks and asking the staff to make an informed personal choice on whether to join us.
This was informed by the fact that many of our staff come from the volunteer pool - therefore having differing approaches could be challenging. Secondly, there has been no need to take such action for any other illness in the past.
This message should be delivered in a series of places, starting on the job description.
Creating the Communication plan
Creating the Communication plan
The Safety, VAAR and Marketing teams began collaborating in the creation of external facing comms, planned w/c 15 June.
The plan will be structured to understand what information is needed by when in order to provide volunteers with enough information on their time frame.
In order to achieve this in a timely fashion, the initial set of communications will be built using the return to work guidelines. As the Operations Team are also following these same guidelines, it is hoped we can describe the mechanisms in a general way. Then a buy dd the way that mechanism is implemented at the particular location, as Operations finalize their plans. It is important we question what level of information is needed, at a minimum, on the runway to and throughout the booking process.
Communicating with Volunteers
Communicating with Volunteers
We have a page dedicated to our COVID-19 approach on the website and will have a per program presentation that we can refer to and link out in all volunteer comms (see A Practical Guide).
Internal communications
Communication, understanding and empathy is the approach, discipline is a last resort and shows that the approach is not functioning correctly.
Handling bad behavior
Tone
Training
Discipline
Program Signage linked here.
Shielding from Covid-19: A Practical Guide
Shielding from Covid-19: A Practical Guide
A practical guide should be created for each program. This document will describe to a new person the controls in place on the Program (base & work), why they are required to comply and explain their part in the implementation.
Volunteer Booking
Volunteer Booking
Under the new DM12 initiative, volunteers will apply for the 3 month cohort and VaAR will use a scoring matrix to assess applicants. The number of volunteers will reflect the occupancy of the base. They will arrive together as a cohort and must complete pre-arrival health checks including a negative PCR test. For additional details on the booking process for DM12, reach out to VaAR.
Health and Safety Officers
Health and Safety Officers
Combined with the Field Medical Support when that role is required.
Manual
Health and Safety Officer manual - print out Minimum Standards relevant guidelines and guidance from CDC & relevant authorities for reference.
Mental Health
Mental Health
tbc - MHWC
Page updated
Report abuse