Appendix I - Protocol on Disinfecting Tech Shop

RECOGNIZE HAZARDS AND ASSESS RISKS

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) typically spreads through coughing and sneezing, personal contact with an infected person, or touching an infected surface and then the mouth, nose, or eyes.

Each person touching a piece of equipment or a tool is a potential carrier. They may have picked up the virus from somewhere else, or may have early onset of the virus themselves and are not aware.

CONTROLS

Proper hand washing helps prevent the transfer of the COVID-19 virus from surface to surface, and from the infected surface or material to the hands and then to other parts of the body–particularly the eyes, nose, and mouth. Hands that are visibly soiled or dirty should be washed with soap and water first. Sanitizing is less effective on soiled or dirty hands. Always cleanse your hands before touching your face or eating, or getting into a mode of transportation to go home, regardless of other precautions taken.

Cleansing the hand tools and equipment that staff members and students will be touching will add another layer of protection. This is particularly important when tools and equipment are shared. The classroom teacher should take the lead and work with students to encourage consistent hygiene practices. The following are options to consider for minimizing exposure from using shared hand tools and equipment.

• Communicate protocols for proper hygiene expected to be practiced to ensure all students are aware of expectations. (e.g. Hand washing, hand sanitizing, cough etiquette, physical distancing)

• Identify commonly shared hand tools and equipment in some fashion, and store these in a separate toolbox or cabinet.

• Provide cleansing instructions at the toolboxes or cabinet where hand tools are stored, and have washing supplies available.

• Recommend daily cleansing of unshared tools and regular cleansing of shared tools immediately after use throughout the day, and at the start of the day before use. This can be done by the student, ensuring enough time is given before and after class.

• Recommend use of gloves if the student or staff have breaks in their skin. Please remember gloves should not be worn where there is a danger of it being caught in moving pieces (e.g. pinch points). Hand washing and sanitizing is preferred over the wearing of gloves.

• Personal clothing worn at school should also be treated as a potential source of exposure. Please share this information to the students so they can change as soon as they get home and launder their clothes. Staff members should do the same. Ideally, wash suspected clothing separately.

Regular tool cleansing when there is no suspected case of COVID-19 can be accomplished using a soap and water solution, or a commercially available disinfecting hand towel wipe, or by a disinfecting wash. Refer to the below recommendations on how to clean and disinfect tools and equipment. Read the manufacturer’s instructions to prevent possible damage to the equipment and any required personal protective equipment (PPE) for the student. Consider escalating the cleansing protocol in both the frequency and the disinfecting method when more students are expected to touch the tool.

When a student or staff member has been discovered to have symptoms of COVID-19, the tools and equipment that the student or staff recently used should be isolated from further use, cleaned, and disinfected.

How to isolate tools and equipment

• Identify tools and equipment that the student or staff member was recently using.

• Isolate these tools and equipment for cleansing and disinfecting.

• Use PPE such as gloves and face shield to move the tools and equipment, and dispose or wash the PPE after use. The tool and piece of equipment can either be cleaned and disinfected if it needs to be used in the next 72 hours or left alone for a minimum of 72 hours to ensure the virus is gone. As more is learned about the COVID-19 virus, new disinfection guidelines may become available that can specify how long the virus can live on surfaces, and if it is appropriate to set equipment aside for a period as a disinfectant procedure.

In addition to isolating and cleansing tools and equipment, inform all students and staff members of the protocols, and which tools and equipment are in isolation (if applicable).

How to clean and disinfect tools and equipment

Ensure that all students who have a duty to clean have received appropriate training and any required supplies and personal protective equipment if needed. To ensure students are competent to perform disinfecting protocols, add this procedure to the safety passport.

1. Wash hands.

2. If the tool was touched by someone other than the one cleaning and disinfecting, the individual should wear PPE such as gloves for the hands and face shield and mask to protect the eyes, face, and mouth.

3. Make sure all power is off and disconnected on power tools and equipment. Read the manufacturer’s directions for cleaning to avoid possible damage from liquids and chemicals.

4. Brush all dry solid materials / dirt off the surface to be cleaned.

5. Wipe the surface with soap and water to remove all visible debris and stains, and some of the germs before disinfecting.

6. Follow labeled instructions and safety data sheets on all containers of the disinfecting product you use. A new area of the cloth should be used for each surface (fold your cloth in half, and then in half again – in your head, imagine that you now have four cleaning surfaces with that one cloth, and use “one cloth” per surface to be cleaned) and replace the cloth afterward. Reusable cloth can be cleaned in normal laundry with liquid detergent.

7. The Board will provide Enviro Care Neutral Disinfectant until the supply chain is no longer available. To disinfect, the recommendation is to allow the surface to remain wet for 10 min and let air dry.

8. Remove disposable PPE and discard.

9. Wash your hands after removing all PPE.

How to clean and disinfect reusable PPE

1. Goggles, Safety Glasses, Face Shields, Welding helmets, Hard hats etc.. (e.g. anything that has a hard non-porous surface) - Clean, disinfect and reuse

   1. Wipe the inside and outside with a clean cloth with mild detergent.

   2. Wipe the inside and outside with an EPA-approved disinfectant effective against COVID-19

   3. Air dry.

   4. Remove gloves (if worn) and wash hands.

2. Cleaning respirators (if they are used in the shops, please follow these instructions)

3. PPE that cannot be cleaned and disinfected or laundered after each use ( e.g welding chaps, jackets and gloves, beanies and coveralls)

Sharing PPE (personal protection equipment) has been a common practice in our schools, especially when it comes to more costly items, like fabric/leather welding equipment and coveralls. As concerns continue to grow over the spread of coronavirus, so do our daily inquiries about sanitizing PPE.

According to the CDC’s recommendations, thoroughly washing with soap and warm water is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19. While washing is effective, this suggestion may not be practical, leaving many people wondering if they can use disinfecting sprays or wipes to clean their fabric/leather equipment PPE. It is not recommended. Many disinfecting products are intended for hard surfaces and require a certain level of saturation and wait time that cannot be achieved with porous surfaces like fabrics.

With washing being the only viable sanitization option, it is important now more than ever to stop the sharing of PPE that cannot be sanitized after use in order to keep students safe and healthy.

We are also discouraging the use of coveralls because of the launder issue. If a student decides he/she would like a pair of coveralls then one pair will be assigned to the student until the end of the program of class or until it can be laundered and redistributed to another student.

EVALUATE

• Verify that the controls are being followed consistently and as planned. Monitor behaviour and practices.

• Continuously monitor the necessary supplies and equipment needed to meet your control measures. Ensure sufficient supplies are readily available, adequate, and accessible. Please ask your Principal for more supply if you run out.

• Review your process and identify any opportunities for improvements. The Supervisor for Health and Safety will make revisions if new information becomes available that requires a change in process.

• Monitor your health for symptoms such as cough, fever, or difficulty breathing.

Please Note: Not all disinfectants are good for porous surfaces. Surfaces that have pores (fabric, leather, etc.) have micro holes for viruses and if the chemical can’t touch the virus, it won't be killed. Keep in mind though, that if the chemical can’t get to the virus to kill it the likelihood that a person will be able to contact the virus is also diminished. Wherever possible, remove high-touch porous surfaces from the areas as porous materials require a steam cleaning system to kill contaminants and this will likely not be feasible for daily use.

Resources

This procedure was adapted from the ISHA Guidance on tool sharing (Hand Tools) Constructor/Employer Procedure during COVID-19