Workers at Birken House Bakery are the owner and spouse, plus one additional employee. The primary goal of this plan is to protect our employee, in addition to our customers.

Site Management

Goal: Modify the working environment and business operations to minimize the potential for COVID-19 to spread in the workplace.

Engineering Controls

• Patio door to be used for access and egress from the bakery. Hand washing at the adjacent hand wash sink is mandatory when entering and before leaving the building.
• Internal doors to be kept open whenever possible to minimize the need to touch door handles.
• Employee(s) will be provided with a sealable bin for their personal belongings.
• Employee(s) lunch etc. to be placed in plastic bag for storage in fridges etc. Employee(s) to bring their own cutlery etc. as necessary.

Administrative Controls

• No visitors permitted in the bakery, except for essential personnel required to run the business.
• Employee(s) should declare they are symptom-free when arriving for the day. If they have any symptoms, even mild symptoms, they must go home.
• Communal food / sharing of meals to be avoided.
• Employee(s) will be provided with a clean, non-medical mask and apron each day, and are required to place these into the washing machine at the end of the day.

Offsite (Market) Operations

• All products to be bagged/ boxed/packaged prior to departure for the market.
• Workers to wash/sanitize their hands and market tables after unloading/setup and prior to unpacking products.
• While at the market, one person will exclusively handle cash and other forms of payment.
• Workers should limit direct handling of credit/debit cards where possible and allow customers to scan/tap them.

 

Physical Distancing

Goal: To minimize in-person social interactions and increase the space between people to eliminate potential transmission of the virus.

Engineering Controls

• Each worker will be designated their own worktable for general tasks within the bakery.
• Each worker will have their own small scale.
• Wash your hands before using the bulk scale, mixer or accessing flour storage bins.
• Breaks/lunch to be taken at your own worktable or outside (weather permitting).
• Where possible, workers should work more than 2 metres (6 feet) apart

Offsite (Market) Operations

• It is acknowledged that social distancing may be challenging during setup, take down and while vending at the market. Workers will be provided with non-medical masks for use while travelling to and from the market together, during setup and takedown, and while serving the public if social distancing cannot easily be maintained.

Personal Hygiene & Personal Protective Equipment

Goal: Have all employees practice diligent personal hygiene, and use personal protective equipment where necessary to minimize their risk of becoming infected with COVID-19 in the workplace.

Engineering Controls

• Washroom will have liquid soap, paper towels and warm running water at all times.
• Hand sanitizer, gloves and clean, non-medical masks will be available at entrance/exit.

Administrative Controls

• Workers must wash their hands at the start of their shift, before eating or drinking, after touching shared items (bulk scale, mixer, flour bins), after using the washroom and before leaving the worksite.
• Workers must follow cough and sneeze etiquette.
• Workers must avoid touching their face without first cleaning their hands.
• Workers are required to wear non-medical masks while packing finished baked goods.

Offsite (Market) Operations

• Workers are required to wear non-medical masks while travelling to and from the market together, during setup and takedown, and while serving the public if social distancing cannot easily be maintained.

Sanitation

Goal: Increase cleaning and disinfection of common touch points to prevent COVID-19 from spreading through contaminated surfaces.

Engineering Controls

• Plastic lined waste containers provided to dispose of used tissues, wipes, gloves, and other cleaning materials.
• Sanitizer provided so employees can sanitize their own workstations as necessary.

Administrative Controls

• Cleaning and disinfection of high-touch areas (e.g. cooler, freezer and regular door handles, faucets, bathrooms, hand-held tools, switches, control panels, scale, mixer etc.) to happen at the end of every day.
• Dirty surfaces to be cleaned with soap and water before disinfecting with quaternary ammonium.

Personal Protective Equipment

• Gloves and masks to be available for cleaner.

Offsite (Market) Operations

• Market tables to be sanitized every 15 minutes or if a customer has placed a bag, cellphone etc. on it.
• Contactless payment (square) to be cleaned if it has been necessary to insert a card.
• Hand sanitizer to be available beside contactless payment for customer use.

Return to Work Policies

Goal: To maintain a healthy workforce by ensuring that sick employees remain home for at least 10 days from the onset of symptoms and do not return to work until safe to do so.

Administrative Controls

• If, while at work, an employee starts experiencing symptoms of respiratory illness consistent with COVID-19, even if symptoms are mild, the employee will be asked to don a mask and to leave work immediately, go straight home, and have them contact their family physician/primary care provider or 8-1-1 for further guidance.
• Objects and surfaces (e.g. tools, tables) touched by sick employees to be disinfected before being used by others.
• Employees who are sick with any symptoms of respiratory illness consistent with cold, influenza or COVID-19, even if symptoms are mild, they must not work, remain at home, and contact Health Link BC at 8-1-1.
• A thermometer will be available on site. Anyone with a temperature over 37.5°C may have a fever and should consult with their family physician/primary health care provider.