Stay Home to Stay Alert

Changing Mindset : STAY HOME TO STAY ALERT

How does it sound?

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Well it’s been 2 & half months we were in the home with all Safety awareness & Safety News amidst the #COVID19 outbreak in the world.

That time was given with a strict advisory to #StayHome with a precautionary mission to protect each citizen & their family, their neighborhood, Society, Cities & the Nation.

As the Vaccine isn’t made yet for this Virus, So sooner we have to modify our mindset.

Now when we say Modification of Mindset, it means;

• Fear to Dare
• Risk to De Risk

When we remind of our brothers who are on National borders by risking their selves from enemy’s bullets or any covert terror attacks so why we security professionals can’t be moving ahead and paved the new ways to start the nations, which is run by its People, Plant , Process & overall by their productivity.

Security has been always been known as pioneer and plays a pivotal role in Business Continuity and Crisis management of any organization.

So, Let’s take a step ahead, Reach Your Station, Call the Stakeholders and have some actions

Action Plan

So how we can go ahead and Support our nation & Organizations to resume their services.

For the sustainability, Productivity and Resiliency of the organization, all the stakeholders have to come together on a table meeting with their clear agendas;

1. Operations – To define what’s essential processes and what’s not
2. HR – Based on COVID19 Guidelines- Manpower Management , Rotation Plan, Work from Home Procedures, Analyze Age Group and their Deployment, who need to be onsite and who at home, Attendance System and others….
3. Safety – Alignment of COVID19 Safety Guidelines into our existing Safety guidelines, Aligning new Safety Boards/Posters/Campaign at workplace,
4. Facility & Maintenance – Their Readiness & Planning on enforcing COVID19 safety Guidelines along with their daily existing work plans. 
5. Security –Alignment of COVID19 Safety Guidelines into our existing Security Process at workplace, Manpower Management, Screening Process, Material Movement process, Emergency Services, Visitor/Vendor Management Process & so many…
6. Finance – How to incorporate COVID19 Safety Expenses (Manpower, Supplies or other costs).

Every Department must be having their own planning & discussion points which have to be taken up and also to enforce by the organization leadership to carry out the Business Continuity & Crisis Management into organization's long term plan.

What are the major prerequisites that are essential before starting up;

RISK ASSESSMENT

• Risk Assessment of each operating sites and finally for whole the Whole Organization is inevitable based on recent COVID19 Outbreaks
• All Stakeholders have to participate in the updating of RISK ASSESSMENT of the organization.
• This Risk Assessment activities to be done at physically on Sites/Office by all stakeholders before and after the above discussed meeting.

OBJECTIVE;

A.     Identify Analyze, Review & Determine Critical Areas of workplace or Critical Operational Geographies based on gravity of COVID19 transmission data.

B.     Identify Analyze, Review & Determine What’s Essential / What’s Not

C.     Identify Analyze, Review & Determine Manpower Management, Rotation Planning, Sitting Plans based on Social distancing & Local Government guidelines on % of total strengths allowed

D.     Identify Analyze, Review & Determine Supplies of PPEs based on new manpower planning

E.      Identify Analyze, Review & Determine New Transportation System for Employees

F.      Identify Analyze, Review & Determine Security Policies- Inclusion of COVID19 in NDAs, Security officers Training, Screening Process- Eg. Finger Based Entry to Retina based Entry system, Visitor Management System, Emergency Evacuation Plans, Assembly Areas Marking, New Vigilance areas to align; employee wearing PPEs, Consumption Tracker of Sanitizers at entrances/Exits

G.    Identify Analyze, Review & Determine what type /Where to do Social Distancing marking ; Restroom, Que management in Cafeteria

H.     Identify Analyze, Review & Carry out adaptations to the layout of the workplace and the organization of work that will reduce COVID-19 transmission before resuming work fully and before all workers return to the workplace.

I.       Consider resuming work in stages to allow adaptations to be carried out. Be sure to inform workers about the changes and provide them with new procedures and training, if necessary, before they resume work.

Post Risk Assessment, finally we have determined the following Risk Management activities;

• RISK ACCEPTANCE of the Sites or Organization
• RISK AVOIDANCE of the Sites or Organization
• RISK TRANSFER from the Sites or Organization

And Finally we have to make RISK MITIGATION PLANS of the Sites or Organization

RISK MITIGATION PLANs;

Creation of COVID19 Response Team

a.      This Additional department is kind of prerequisite and should be established at each site and at each organization.

b.     This team should be comprised of existing employee with hiring/contracting of few health specialists.

c.      One Centralized Team to be sitting at headquarter/any place to review the data/exceptions coming from each sites and then share reports, advisory and guidelines in response…

d.     As organization would be focused on productivity, this team will be focused on COVID19 consulting, responses, information & mitigation plan.

e.     A Covid19 Response Team can be seen in following categories

1.      Screening team –

¨      Security officers at Sites/offices check temperatures, so their data need to be analyze every day.

¨      Local Address of employee to be considered on daily basis at entrance as government changes the Color zones of particular area based on transmission level/ new cases. HR team to share the data at entrance and review along with COVID19 response team

¨       Few Site Members to check if any employee showing any COVID19 symptoms.

¨      These all observations should be sent by Screening team to Central COVID19 Response Team.

2.      Response & Rescue team

¨      Few members to work upon logistics Planning of New cases identified at workplaces or at their home.

¨      They should have proper liaison with Local hospitals, Ambulance service to assist employee reaching in Government’s COVID19 Centre.

¨      They should be working upon Procurement & logistics of PPEs at workplace.

¨      They should collaborate with Facility, Maintenance & Security team for proper placement of PPEs & Sanitizers on prominent places at sites.

3.      Training & Information Team

¨      Train regularly team on new guidance released by organization or company.

¨      Share the latest status of local geography transmission level, Market Status, Travelling status/advisory, Local Hotel/Guest House status on regular basis.

Safe & Hygiene Workplace every day;

b.     As the life of COVID19 is how long on air/surface, is not determined, however organization and site facility team to make sure workplaces are clean and hygiene all the time.

c.      Surfaces (e.g. desks and tables) and objects (e.g. telephones, keyboards) need to be wiped with disinfectant regularly, because contamination on surfaces touched by employees and customers is one of the main ways that COVID-19 spreads.

d.     Put sanitizing hand rub dispensers in prominent places around the workplace. Make sure these dispensers are regularly refilled

e.     Display posters promoting hand-washing – ask your local public health authority for these or look on www.WHO.int.

f.       Make sure that staff, contractors and customers have access to places where they can wash their hands with soap and water

g.     Security Team to align here with CCTV Logs with new observation exceptions like; Employee not wearing mask, Not Moving in/out without applying sanitizers.

h.     CCTV System with new Artificial Intelligence services are going to work all the way for safety vigilance at Site.

i.        For the Safety Mock Drill or Real time Evacuation Plan in case of natural calamaties, New SOP guidelines to be made where Structure of Evacuation Doors and Assembly Area with Social distancing Marking to be updated.

Promote good respiratory hygiene in the workplace

1. Display posters promoting respiratory hygiene.
2. Combine this with other communication measures such as offering guidance from occupational health and safety officers, briefing at meetings and information on the intranet etc.
3. Follow the Guidelines of using Air-conditions at the workplace, Execute and update
4. Maintain the efficient VANTILATION SYSTEM at Work Area. A place with bad ventilation is going to be high threat for the employees.
5. Ensure that face masks or paper tissues are available at your workplaces, for those who develop a runny nose or cough at work, along with closed bins for hygienically disposing of them, because good respiratory hygiene prevents the spread of COVID-19

Prioritization of SOCIAL DISTANCING ;

1. Update the Sitting arrangement of employee at the workplace – if earlier 1 Row with 10 folks then we can make it up by 1 row with 4 … Depends on Sq. feet of workplace and new manpower strength but majorly taking consideration of gaps between employees.
2. Segregation of workstation, install dividers if possible at workstation. 
3. Social Distance marking at Restroom, Cafeteria, Entrance, Parking, where we have Queue Management applies.

Safety Awareness Program

1. As per the Existing Plan, Organization have Safety, Security, Health and IT Security Awareness Campaigns through Mailers or In house Posters/Guidelines displays.
2. A Safety Awareness message to be mailed in interval of every 20 minutes at each employee’s mailbox or at computer screen(While opening or post unlocking) to prompt them for few necessary actions ;

“Hey Folks!! We’re happy to have your services for last 20 Minutes today, Common let’s wash your hand and help in spreading Safety around you”

Same Kind of Message at Shift End;

“Dear employees!! As your shift ends, we hope you’ve taken up all hygiene steps: wearing mask, applying Sanitizers, before you meet your dear ones at home”

               This is going to be alerting both who’re maintaining hygiene or those who forgot during the day.

COVID19 Advisory Information System;

1.  Inform each employees with Updating of new Containment zones, new Color Coding Zones, Risky Areas every day for assisting them planning for their business trips or even Work from office. (Remember it would be more effective if COVID 19 RESPONSE Team’s Training & information team is regularly informing the COVID19 Response team.)
2. New Guidelines by Government or WHO.
3. A Case Study to be shared if any employee was found Positive and Share the Case Study what’s wrong happened with him or what is learning from that case study.
4. BEST PRACTICES to be shared with each sites/employees. These Best practices could be from any sites/Offices or even from different organization.
5. Share GOOD ERGONOMICS TIPS for those who works from home.
6. Share Factual Data from Approved organization like WHO to your employee and Promote them to get updated from organization mailers or these organizations. Remember INFODEMIC is another disease in these days.

Promote Mental Health Awareness & Activities for Both Offline and On Site Manpower;

a.      The absence of a substantial number of workers, even if only temporary, may cause a strain on continuing activities. While the available workers should be flexible, it is important that they do not find themselves in a situation that will endanger their health or safety. Keep any additional workload as low as possible and ensure that it does not last too long.

b.      Line managers to ensure that individual workers are not overburdened. Respect the rules and agreements on working hours and rest periods and allow the workers the right to disconnect when off work.

c.      When adapting work to cope with a reduced workforce, for example by putting in place new methods and procedures and changing roles and responsibilities, consider whether staffs need additional training and support, and make sure that all workers are competent to carry out the task they are required to perform.

d.     Cross-train workers to perform essential functions so the workplace can operate even if key workers are absent.

e.     If relying on interim staff, it is important to inform them about workplace risks and provide them with training if necessary.

Serving Government or Local Body Compliance ;

1. Update the employees on Government/ local body compliance to follow; Mass gathering, No PPEs, Movement from Restricted Area to office and others
2. Updating the Compliance board with latest Covid19 Guidelines
3. Fulfilled the Workplace location and Stock Room with adequate Supplies( PPEs & Sanitizers)

PLAN-B initiatives;

1. Consider whether a face-to-face meeting or event is needed. Could it be replaced by a teleconference or online event? 
2. Consider whether new using guidelines for Finger/Hand based geometry access control system attendance system at entrance is needed. Could it be replaced by a Retina based ACS or Attendance system.
3. Organize Brainstorming session for defining Alternative and safe practice and inclue R&R initiatives for the best Ideas

These have to be well thought out efforts to ensure that while we open up our offices, we take every step possible to minimize the impact on employees and ensure their well being and safety.

So Finally I am ending my Article with 2 motivating Quotes;

“Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, shift your energy to what you can create.”

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“Life is about accepting the challenges along the way, choosing to keep moving forward, and savoring the journey.”

Article by ;

Abhijeet Kumar Sinha CPP