SisTersPGH COVID-19 Policy

Due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, we are taking proactive steps to address several organizational concerns. First and foremost, we want to maintain a safe workplace and home and adopt practices protecting the health of employees, customers, tenants, visitors, or others. We also want to ensure the continuity of business operations during this pandemic as we are essential workers.

We ask all employees to cooperate in taking steps to reduce the transmission of communicable diseases in the workplace. Employees are reminded of the following:

  • Take your temperature daily during this time and remain home if you have a fever. Stay home when you are sick. Please report to Executive Director to report fever.

  • Wash your hands frequently with warm, soapy water for at least 20 seconds.

  • Wear your mask at ALL times while at SisTers PGH or Project T.

  • Avoid people who are sick with respiratory symptoms.

  • Clean frequently touched surfaces.

  • It is critical that employees, staff, and volunteers do not report to work while they are experiencing respiratory symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills, or fatigue. Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that employees with temperatures remain at home until at least 24 hours after they are free of fever (100.4 degrees F or 37.8 degrees C using an oral thermometer) or signs of a fever without the use of fever-reducing medications. Many times, with the best of intentions, employees report to work even though they feel ill.

SisTers PGH will provide alcohol-based hand sanitizers throughout the workplace and in common areas. Cleaning sprays and wipes will also be provided to clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces such as telephones and keyboards.

Employees are required to practice social distancing during this time

  • To limit the number of people on a job site or in the office, SisTers PGH is asking all personnel to work from home when possible.

  • Do not host large group meetings. Avoid gatherings of 10+ people; and when meeting, keep a 6-foot distance between people. Perform meetings online or via conference call whenever possible. IT support services are available to employees who need assistance with this technology.

In addition to these practices, job sites will practice the following steps to maintain a safe site:

  • SisTers PGH staff should ask the following questions to all employees and volunteers prior to entering the job site. If they answer “yes” to any, they should be asked to leave the job site immediately. Anyone asked to leave should not return to work until 24-hours after they are free from a fever or signs of a fever without the use of fever-reducing medication.

    • Have you, or anyone in your family, been in contact with a person that has tested positive for COVID-19?

    • Have you, or anyone in your family, been in contact with a person that is in the process of being tested for COVID-19?

    • Have you, or anyone in your family traveled outside of the U.S. within the last two weeks?

    • Have you been medically directed to self-quarantine due to possible exposure to COVID-19?

    • Are you having trouble breathing or have you had flu-like symptoms within the past 48 hours, including fever, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, runny/stuffy nose, body aches, chills, or fatigue?

  • Instruct employees to clean their hands often with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60-95% alcohol or wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Soap and water should be used preferentially if hands are visibly dirty.

  • Provide soap and water and alcohol-based hand rubs in the workplace. Ensure that adequate supplies are maintained. Place hand rubs in multiple locations or in conference rooms to encourage hand hygiene.

  • Do not congregate in lunch areas.

  • Do not share tools.

  • Do not share personal protection equipment (PPE).

  • Sanitize reusable PPE per manufacturer’s recommendation prior to each use.

  • Ensure used PPE is disposed of properly.

  • Utilize disposable gloves where appropriate; instruct workers to wash hands after removing gloves.

  • Disinfect reusable supplies and equipment.

  • Identify specific locations and practices for daily trash such as paper, hand towels, food containers, etc. Instruct workers responsible for trash removal in proper PPE/hand washing practices.

  • Provide routine environmental cleaning (doorknobs, keyboards, counters, and other surfaces).

  • Do not use a common water cooler. Provide individual water bottles or instruct workers to bring their own.

  • Utilize shoe sanitation tubs (non-bleach sanitizer solution) prior to entering/leaving the job site.

  • Instruct workers to change work clothes prior to arriving home, and to wash clothes in hot water with laundry sanitizer.

  • Don’t stack trades if possible. (The stacking of trades describes project conditions where multiple tradespeople are working simultaneously in a single work area. Stacking creates congestion and crew interference and can also negatively affect productivity.)

  • Utilize disposable hand towels and no-touch trash receptacles.

  • Request additional/increased sanitation (disinfecting) of portable toilets.

  • Avoid cleaning techniques, such as using pressurized air or water sprays that may result in the generation of bioaerosols.

Please contact the Executive Director with any questions or concerns.