Health and Safety Plan

Appendix E: Health and Safety Plan and COVID-19 Precautions

Introduction

This Site Health and Safety Plan (SHSP) defines applicability and responsibility regarding compliance with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) Health and Safety Program for Hazardous Substance Field Activities.

This SHSP defines site requirements and protocol applicable during all activities. It extends to all CDC/ATSDR employees, CDC/ATSDR contractors, and site visitors invited by CDC/ATSDR.

Site emergency response procedures and any potential fire, explosion, health, or safety hazards of the operation must be communicated to all personnel. Noncompliance with site safety procedures will not be tolerated. Personnel not observing safety procedures could be suspended from participation in site activities.

Development of this plan included consideration of current safety standards and recommendations as defined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH), health effects and standards for known contaminants, and procedures designed to account for potential exposure to unknown substances.

Personnel Training Requirements

All site personnel will be trained in accordance with the requirements contained in the CDC/ATSDR Mandatory Training Requirements. At a minimum, all personnel will be trained to recognize on-site hazards, the provisions of this SHSP, and identification of responsible personnel.

All personnel are required to complete the following training courses:

• Safety Survival Skills Part 1 - General Responsibilities

• Personal Protective Equipment Training

• Human Research Protections Training

• First aid/CPR/Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Training

All site personnel and agents (on-site contractors, fellows, and others appointed or retained to work under the auspices of CDC) who intend to collection information from human subjects must have a Scientific Ethics Verification (SEV) number.

Emergency Procedures

On-site personnel will use the following standard emergency procedures. Notify the site lead of any on-site emergencies. The site lead is responsible for ensuring that appropriate emergency procedures are followed.

Personal Injury

When an injury occurs the site lead will assess its nature. A qualified first aid provider should initiate appropriate first aid and continue appropriate emergency medical services. If necessary, injured personnel will be transported to a local area hospital.

Natural Hazards

The site lead has responsibility for safety of CDC/ATSDR personnel if natural hazards (e.g., thunderstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes, etc.) occur. The site lead will inform personnel of current and impending weather conditions.

Equipment Failure

If any site worker experiences a protective equipment failure or alteration that affects the protection factor, that person shall immediately wash hands as needed and replace the failed equipment.

If any other on-site equipment fails to operate properly, the site lead shall be notified and will then determine the effect of this failure on continuing operations at the site.

COVID-19 Precautions

The environmental sampling Exposure Investigation (EI) includes collecting environmental samples at the homes of PFAS EA participants. Current CDC, state and local COVID-19 recommendation and guidance for each community (Hampden County MA and New Castle County, DE) will be implemented at the time of sampling.

Objectives

• minimize risk of exposure, illness, and spread of disease among staff conducting the environmental sampling for PFAS; and

• minimize risk of exposure, illness, and spread of disease for participants during environmental sampling for PFAS.

Staffing:

Staff travel for the environmental sampling EI activities will be voluntary. Staff will be briefed on their potential role as well as risks prior to travel and will be given the opportunity to opt out of any travel. Staff will be provided with clear information about updated procedures and PPE requirements. All PPE will be provided to staff prior to initiation of activities. Staff will have an opportunity to ask questions about the PPE requirements as well as any risk factors they have. Staff with increased risk factors including age and pre-existing conditions will be encouraged not to travel for field work.

Environmental Sample Collection:

Participants will be informed of screening and protective procedures at the time appointments are scheduled. Staff will confirm that there are no individuals with COVID-19 symptoms in the house before entering. Staff will briefly and sensitively confirm that no individuals on the staff team have symptoms, they are wearing PPE to protect themselves and the household residents, and any other COVID-19 infection control measures they are taking to ensure protection of the household residents. If a resident exhibits symptoms, staff will recommend they consult with their primary care provider and then leave the home. Informed consent will be obtained outside the home without entering. Staff will wear appropriate PPE as directed by OSSAM for entering participant homes. The number of staff entering the home and duration spent inside will be minimized. All equipment preparation and disassembly will be conducted prior to entry or after leaving the home.

Travel

During travel staff will be directed to the considerations at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/travel-in-the-us.html. Staff will also be provided with the guidance below.

Protect yourself and others during your trip:

• Clean your hands often.

  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.

  • If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub your hands together until they feel dry.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.

• Avoid close contact with others.

  • Keep 6 feet of physical distance from others.

  • Avoiding close contact is especially important if you are at higher risk of getting very sick from COVID-19.

• Wear a cloth face covering in public.

• Cover coughs and sneezes.

• Pick up food at drive-throughs, curbside restaurant service, or stores. Do not dine in restaurants if that is prohibited by state or local guidance.

When staying in a hotel:

• Take the same steps you would in other public places—for example, avoid close contact with others, wash your hands often, and wear a cloth face covering.

• When you get to your room, clean and disinfect all high-touch surfaces. This includes tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, remote controls, toilets, and sink faucets.

  • Bring an EPA-registered disinfectant and other personal cleaning supplies, including cloths and disposable gloves.

• Wash any plates, cups, or silverware (other than pre-wrapped plastic) before using.

Screening of Personnel

All personnel (CDC/ATSDR staff and contractors) will be screened for symptoms prior to travel and twice daily while in the field. CDC/ATSDR staff will be enrolled in TIMS and contractors will report any symptoms to their management daily. Screening will include a temperature check as well as questions about the presence of any symptoms associated with COVID-19. Questions on symptoms will include presence of any of the following:

• Cough

• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

• Fever

• Chills

• Muscle pain

• Sore throat

• New loss of taste or smell

If any employee develops symptoms they will be instructed not to come to work, to inform the site lead, and to contact the Occupational Health Clinic (OHC) 404 639 3385 and the CDC/ATSDR site lead. (Contractor staff should inform their supervisor). Site-specific health and safety plans will be developed to include instructions for seeking medical care should any staff develop symptoms while supporting work in the field. If a staff member develops symptoms consistent with COVID-19, we will pause all activities. If the staff member subsequently tests negative, we will consult with CDC and local/state public health before resuming activities.

ATSDR employees will continue to report self-report symptoms in TIMS for 14 days after returning from the field and will follow instructions from the OHC should any symptoms develop.

Protective Measures

Specific environmental sampling EI activities are shown in the table below with recommended PPE, and additional precautions. All PPE for CDC/ATSDR staff will be provided by CDC/ATSDR. Contractor will provide PPE originally required for EAs, CDC/ATSDR will provide additional PPE as needed from the table below.

Activity	Description	PPE	Additional Precautions
Travel	Time spent in ride share/public transportation, in airport, on airplane, time spent in public venues while traveling	Cloth face covering or disposable surgical mask	Frequent hand washing https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/travel-in-the-us.html
Environmental sample collection	Entering participant homes, collection of environmental samples and administration of consent forms and questionnaire (outside)	PPE required by OSSAM – minimal PPE will include surgical masks and gloves	Minimize staff entering home to only necessary personnel, confirmation that no members of the household have symptoms prior to entering, hand washing after each home, disinfection of sample collection materials after each home

Campus Access

We need a few staff (including contractors) to have access to Chamblee Building 102 in order to pack and ship supplies. All supplies are stored in the call center and staff will need to be physically present on campus to get these sent out to participants. Staff will also need to access campus to store and access PPE.