The AARC COVID-19 SAFE Workplace© Program is designed to collaborate with public and private organizations.  Our goal is to improve your processes and protocols, including COVID-19 risk-reduction procedures, to more effectively expand, reopen and/or maintain your workspaces and office operations, and implement safe practices to sustain recovery.

Image from CDC.gov

AARC is concerned about how COVID-19 is affecting you, our valued clients. Using the customized SAFE Workplace© Program for your organization will limit liability while protecting your employees. The Program will also offer assurance that your organization is complying with COVID-19 federal, state, and local standards and guidance.

Below you will find important approaches and strategies to consider.

For more information, please contact:

Dr. Stephen Baruch, MPH, MPA, D. Env. – sbaruch@aarcgroup.com

Andrew Petty, CIH, CSP, CHMM – apetty@aarcgroup.com

Akash Kansal, MSE – akansal@aarcgroup.co

Image from CDC.gov

OUR APPROACH

AARC will coordinate with your staff to prepare procedures based on the AARC COVID-19 SAFE Workplace© Program. This Program is designed to improve private and public processes and protocols.  This includes best practice COVID-19 risk-reduction procedures, which effectively maintain operations and sustain recovery. The AARC approach is based on implementing the federal and State Prevention Program Standards, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommendations, American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) guidance, and State and local public health and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards. The Program’s Plan will also incorporate Workplace Cleaning Requirements, as well as elements of Cal/OSHA’s Aerosol Transmissible Diseases Standard and recognized best practices.

COVID-19 SAFE Workplace© Program Scope of Work includes:

  • Communicating with the client’s Human Resources, Environmental, Safety and Health (ESH), and facilities contacts to identify current COVID-19 workplace protection measures and coordinate site visit scheduling.
  • Conducting a Site Visit of client facilities to assess current measures and controls implemented for COVID-19 prevention for employees and visitors. Conducting interviews with Human Resources, Operations, and Safety and Environmental managers to review current policies and procedures for COVID-19 management, work-from-home arrangements, employee relations related to confirmed illnesses, quarantines, recovery practices and return to work.
  • Preparing a Gap Analysis of your organization’s current COVID-19 prevention measures and in California the Injury and Illness Prevention Programs and comparing them with the OSHA Prevention Program Standard, CDC, State Department of Public Health and industry best practices on protection for employees and workspaces/offices. The Gap Analysis will identify which elements of existing prevention measures must be supplemented to achieve compliance with applicable standards and improve the workplace safety environment.
  • Preparing a client-customized COVID-19 SAFE Workplace© Program or expanded Illness and Injury Prevention Program including recommendations on integrating the COVID-19 standards into the existing programs.
  • Developing customized expansion/reentry plans, social distancing, face covering and mask use, sanitation and disinfection measures, employee training and communication including vaccine requirements, COVID-19 testing availability, exposed and confirmed case management, procedures for exposed and ill employees and return to work criteria. *
  • Supporting off-site or on-site implementation of the COVID-19 Prevention Program.
  • Communicating updates to regulations, local codes and consensus standards designed to improve employee and workplace safety.
  • Developing a sustainable health protection culture including training COVID-19 risk reduction procedures and communication guidance.

*AARC will always recommend services that are considered appropriate by government agencies or consensus standards. AARC will only recommend valid disinfection and cleaning methods that are accepted by the CDC, EPA, OSHA and the AIHA.

DENVER, CO – MARCH 12: Healthcare workers from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment check in with people waiting to be tested for COVID-19 at the state’s first drive-up testing center on March 12, 2020 in Denver, Colorado. The testing center is free and available to anyone who has a note from a doctor confirming they meet the criteria to be tested for the virus. (Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images)

STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS:

AARCs team of Public Health and ESH professionals includes PhDs, Biologists, Chemical Engineers, CIHs, CSPs, and CHMMs with decades of experience.

Dr. Stephen B. Baruch, MPH, MPA, D.Env.

More than 20 years of developing and implementing Business Continuity Plans, MBCI, CBCP — Enhanced public and private organizational capabilities for more effective recovery from disasters and emergencies.

– Developed and implemented COVID-19 Pandemic Plans that covered response, recovery, and reopening.

– Prioritized recovery of mission-critical functions.

– Aligned plans with ISO 22301 requirements.

– Achieved comprehensive situational awareness required for effective response and recovery.

– Improved Crisis Communication Plans.

– Conducted broad range of exercises.

– Developed Emergency Operations Center procedures.

– Established processes for post-disaster damage assessment and reimbursement.

  • Env, Environmental Science and Engineering, UCLA.
  • MS, Public Health, Yale University.
  • MS, Public Administration, University of Southern California.
  • BA, Brooklyn College.
Andrew Petty, CIH, CSP, CHMM

More than 28 years of experience in environmental protection and occupational safety and health management with governmental and private industry firms.

– Extensive experience in pandemic and infectious disease workplace controls and program development relating to SARS, H1N1 virus and COVID-19 outbreaks, including remote working arrangements, infected worker quarantine and medical care, human resources management of ill employees and return-to-work protocols.

– Developed COVID-19 workplace disinfection protocols and cleaning methods for nationwide use by an EPA-contracted environmental remediation firm.

  • MS, Biology, Wright State University.
  • Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH).
  • Certified Safety Professional (CSP).
  • Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM).
Akash Kansal, MSE

Four years of EHS experience conducting inspections, audits, and exposure assessments.

– Experienced in Industrial Hygiene exposure assessments, serving clients from pharmaceutical manufacturing, oil and gas industry, and power management companies.

– Conducted extensive qualitative and quantitative industrial hygiene risk assessments.

– Assisted facilities in California with COVID-19 issues.

  • MS, Chemical Engineering, University of Southern California.

DISCLAIMER:  The COVID-19 pandemic is an ongoing, dynamic, and rapidly evolving situation.  AARC provides services based on AARC’s interpretation of federal, state, and local guidelines and governmental requirements available at the time AARC provides its services. The guidelines and requirements may vary and change over time.  Nothing in this brochure, the material AARC provides, or the services AARC renders is intended as legal advice; nor is it intended as a guarantee of legal compliance or as a guarantee against exposure to, contracting, or transmitting COVID-19.  The services AARC provides are intended to reduce the risks associated with COVID-19, not eliminate the risks.  Risk elimination is impossible.  In no event is AARC liable for any damages of any kind arising out of or in connection with the use of AARC’s COVID-19 Safe Workplace Plan, including without limitation, damages resulting from the claims of third parties who were exposed to or contracted COVID-19.