Expect proposal reviewers to look at your health and safety policy like never before. If there are two sacred cows in our society, it’s human health & safety and the economy. COVID-19 attacked both. No organization wants to be exposed as the weak link in any further outbreak.
All Request for Proposals and similar bid proposals will be judged by the measures you take to A) safeguard the health of their employees and customers and B) continue service. Going forward any issuer will want to see the evidence, in your proposal responses and/or post-bid presentation. So updating risk management in your Health & Safety Policy is not optional, it’s a must.
Start by covering the basics to show you’re on it. Details can be flushed out over time especially if you’re working on new business models or retooled supply chains. The Proposal Method is here to help if you need help writing your policy.
FUNDAMENTALS IN YOUR UPDATED HEALTH & SAFETY POLICY
Provisions – locations, availability
- Hand soap
- Scent-free hand sanitizers
- Disinfectant (e.g., cleaning workstation, phone, electronic equipment)
- Personal Protective Equipment
Employee Practices
- Hand-washing – when?
- Self-monitor for symptoms such as fever, cough, and difficulty breathing
- If they experience symptoms at work what do they do then?
- Report if family member has contracted a virus
- Report if a visitor is ill
- Greeting etiquette
- Respiratory etiquette
Company Policies & Practices
- Workplace Health Safety (separate Health safety from Hazard safety)
- Monitoring employees for symptoms
- Response if an employee reports experiencing symptoms
- Response if an employee reports and immediate family member has contracted a virus
- Response if an employee reports a visitor is ill
- Maintaining privacy
- Employee awareness of company policy and practices
- Visitor awareness of company policy and practices
- Signage, self-disclosure requirements
- Deny access to anyone with symptoms? Recommendations (civic duty)
- Facility cleaning – frequency, standards
- Identifying employees at risk of more severe outcomes
- Compromised immune systems
- Underlying medical conditions
- Elderly
- Indoor distancing
- Office
- operations
- Outdoor distancing
- Policies specific to your business (e.g., food handling)
Health Crisis Plan (Risk Management)
- Maintaining physical health
- Maintaining psychological health
- Communications Plan
- Pre-crisis preparedness (e.g., test run)
- Business continuity
Government Health & Safety Policies
- How you stay up to date on government H&S policies, announcements
- Which government health & safety policies apply to your business
- Which sections are most relevant to your business
- How you comply
REFERENCE MATERIAL
Health Canada, General Occupational Health Advisory: COVID-19 (adapt for your business)
Information for Government of Canada employees: Coronavirus disease (COVID 19) (benchmark for health safety practices)
Workplace Safety (outline to model a Workplace Health Safety plan)
Guide to Writing an OHS Policy Statement
Reports and Publications – Environmental and Workplace Health