This document details the COVIDSafe Plan of workshops conducted by Engineers Without Borders University of Melbourne Chapter. It has been authored by Maxwell Jones (Vice President 2021) and Zoe Lin (School Outreach Manager 2021). It was last updated on 17/03/2021.
The following is a list of requirements each school must satisfy before hosting our workshops. Further details are supplied in the Implementation Details section.
Advise the coordinator of the room capacity as per the current DHHS guidelines. Note this must be able to facilitate between 2 and 5 volunteers.
Advise the coordinator of the schools mask requirements.
Clean the room as per the current DHHS guidelines before the volunteers arrive and after the final workshop is conducted. Note this shouldn’t be in addition to the schools current cleaning standards but needs to be mentioned.
Advise the coordinator of the schools contact tracing requirements.
Advise the coordinator of any other additional COVIDSafe measures the school has.
This section will provide specific details of each COVIDSafe measure that has been put in place.
Training
As part of their training, all volunteers will be briefed on their COVIDSafe obligations before, during and after each workshop.
Physical Distancing
As per the current DHHS guidelines, a density limit of two people per square metre is in effect for indoor venues, when an electronic record of attendance is kept.
To ensure we do not exceed this limit, schools will be made aware ahead of time that they need a classroom suitable for 2 to 5 volunteers per workshop. The tracking of attendance is outlined in the section titled Contact Tracing.
To further minimize risk, 1.5m distance will be kept between volunteers and students where possible. This will be implemented for each type of volunteer as follows:
Lead Volunteer / Presenter(s): Presentations will be made from the front of the class, with students seated a minimum distance of 1.5m away from volunteers.
Shopkeeper: Students will maintain 1.5m from the shop and read their shopping list. The shopkeeper will then pick up the materials and place them to one side, where the student can then collect them.
Support Volunteer(s): When helping the students, they should maintain 1.5m from each group. Do not touch the students’ prototypes unless collecting them to be tested.
Face Masks
As per the current DHHS guidelines, face masks are no longer required in schools. That being said, volunteers are still required to carry a face mask with them at all times.
If schools would prefer volunteers wear face masks or keeping a 1.5m distance becomes impractical, it will be mandated for our volunteers. Volunteers are also able to wear a face mask if they would prefer to. Spare face masks will be available to each volunteer team for these scenarios.
Hygiene and Sanitation
Each volunteer team will be provided with hand sanitizer and schools must also make toilets available to volunteers, so they have the option to clean their hands with soap and water.
Before each workshop:
Schools must ensure that spaces volunteers are using have been cleaned as per DHHS regulations.
Volunteers must sanitize or wash their hands.
During each workshop:
Prevent sharing of materials between student groups.
After each workshop:
Clean workshop kits with disinfectant wipes and/or detergent. If materials cannot be cleaned, dispose and resupply.
High-touch surfaces such as tables and chairs will be cleaned in between workshops if volunteers stay in the same classroom to deliver more workshops.
If no more workshops are being conducted, the school will assume responsibility for cleaning.
Contact Tracing and Health
The exact volunteers will be known before the workshop, due to existing requirements such as validating their WWCC. Regardless, a digital attendance registration form will be filled out by each volunteer on the day of the workshop. This will ask for their full name, email address, phone number and health status. Volunteers will also be required to sign in with the schools’ contact tracing system.
Volunteers will be briefed ahead of time that in the case that they are experiencing or displaying any flu-like symptoms, they should seek a Covid Test immediately and isolate themselves until they obtain a negative result. If a volunteer becomes unwell during a workshop, they should inform the lead volunteer, before proceeding to leave the school grounds immediately. We will maintain contact with this person until they confirm they have received a negative test result.
Should a volunteer test positive, the DHHS as well as the relevant school(s) will be immediately notified and contact tracing information shared.
Signage
An additional slide will be added at the beginning of the workshop presentation, reminding students and volunteers to abide by COVIDSafe rules.