Taking employees' temperatures, providing face masks and other protective equipment, as well as access to hand sanitizer and disinfected workspaces are among the guidelines published by the Government of Mexico.
The Government of Mexico published the technical guidelines for health safety in the workplace early Monday morning, so that micro, small, medium, and large companies can resume activities without compromising the health of their employees.
The guidelines will be effective from their publication this Monday until the health emergency is declared over, the Government indicated in the document detailing these rules.
As part of these guidelines, companies are provided with lists of health safety measures that they must comply with.
"The checklists of measures summarize the Health Safety Protocol prepared by companies and industries for a safe return to work," the document reads.
"Likewise, the lists are a tool that helps workplaces evaluate the progress of their return actions, as well as to correctly implement and evaluate the measures adopted before and during the restart of activities."
It detailed that these are designed so that micro, small, medium, and large companies can easily identify the measures applicable to them.
Below are the actions that organizations must comply with to resume their activities.
In work entry and exit areas
Micro, small, medium, and large companies
-Have access protocols with a sanitary filter that includes taking employees' body temperature during entry and exit from the company.
If not possible, determine body temperature upon leaving the facilities before employees finish their shift.
-Have guidelines for controlling visitors, suppliers, and contractors regarding hygiene, social distancing, and mandatory use of face masks, which must be followed upon entry, during stay, and upon exit from the premises.
All work areas
Medium and large companies
-They must facilitate telework for people who, due to their health conditions, age, pregnancy, or lactation, require it.
-Work meetings should preferably be held by phone or video conference; otherwise, social distancing, respiratory hygiene, and cleaning and disinfection of the place, tables, chairs, and common-use objects must be ensured before and after each meeting.
-They will limit the holding of social events.
-They must have daily cleaning and disinfection protocols for areas, surfaces, and common contact and use objects, which includes washing with soap and water, and disinfecting with a 0.5% sodium hypochlorite solution or another certified solution to eliminate SARS-CoV-2.
-Have supervision or verification mechanisms for compliance with social distancing guidelines (technological, visual, documentary, etc.) that workers must follow.
-Supervise that soap and water solutions are not mixed with any other chemical product.
- Supervise that the sodium hypochlorite solution is prepared daily and is not mixed with any other chemical substance; if reactive strips are available for determining the concentration of sodium hypochlorite in ppm, the solution may be stored as long as its concentration is ensured not to decrease by more than 10 percent.
-Ensure that 70 percent alcohol gel dispensers have the necessary quantities per work shift.
-Check that disposable paper towel dispensers always have that material.
-Have a sufficient number of containers (trash cans) at various points for discarding used or damaged face masks.
-Promote and communicate good respiratory hygiene in the workplace, such as covering the mouth and nose with a bent elbow or a tissue when coughing or sneezing.
-Recommend that employees prioritize mobility options (commuting from home to work and vice versa) that guarantee interpersonal distance, promoting the mandatory use of face masks and eye or face protection during the journey.
- Avoid wearing jewelry, ties, beards, and mustaches as they are reservoirs of viruses and other microorganisms (fomites).
-That employees do not share cell phones, kitchen utensils, PPE, stationery, pens, etc.
-Establish guidelines for workers to maintain social distance with their colleagues of at least 1.5 meters, and in places where it is not feasible, the mandatory use of face masks and eye or face protection will be required.
Medium and large
-If telework is not possible, implement staggered entry times, modified shifts, flexible schedules, or other actions that prevent large concentrations of workers in the facilities at certain times and workspaces.
-In cafeterias or dining rooms, cashiers, kitchen staff, and waiters must have their hair tied back and wear face masks.
-If physical barriers are not available, staggered schedules will be implemented in dining rooms, lockers, changing rooms, cafeterias, etc., to avoid overcrowding of workers.
-If the company provides transportation for its workers, measures are considered to minimize the risk of exposure, such as: cleaning and disinfecting the unit before workers board, determining body temperature before boarding the bus (if any worker with a temperature equal to or greater than 37.5 °C is identified, they will not be allowed to board, they will be asked to return home, their data will be recorded to be communicated to the human resources and medical service area of the company, who will later contact them to provide health care instructions), hand sanitizer is provided to workers when boarding the transport, and the mandatory use of face masks and eye or face protection is referred to during the journey.
-The code of ethics will establish non-discrimination guidelines for people who have had COVID-19 or have lived with a family member who has or has had it.
-Local or international travel will be restricted; if travel is necessary, preventive measures must be followed before, during, and after the trip.
-Promote and communicate through (written, digital, or printed) messages frequent hand washing, respiratory hygiene, social distancing, etc.
Personal protective equipment
Micro, small, medium, and large companies
-The worker is provided with personal protective equipment according to the type of exposure risk factor they are exposed to during their workday.
-During the time the worker is not exposed to chemical contaminants in the work environment, they are provided with face masks and eye and face protection, or a safe distance of at least 1.5 meters between workers will be maintained.
-All workers will be provided with face masks and eye or face protection, as permitted by the job. In areas where, due to their size and equipment distribution, this is complex, minimum distances of at least 1.5 meters between workers are maintained.
-For workers who have contact with the public, they are provided with face masks and eye or face protection (the face or eye protector can be omitted if physical barriers are in place and a distance of 1.5 meters is maintained between the worker and the client).
-All workers have access to water, soap, disposable paper towels, as well as 70 percent alcohol or hand sanitizer gel.
Medium and large
-The eye or face protection provided to the worker will allow wide visibility, preferably with lateral and upper protection, and will be anti-fog.
Training
Micro, small, medium, and large companies
-They must have a training program for management personnel on actions to prevent and avoid chains of COVID-19 contagion; material from CLIMSS https://climss.imss.gob.mx/ can be used.
-Training will be conducted in person, ensuring social distancing between workers, with the use of hand sanitizer upon entry and mandatory use of face masks throughout the training process.
Medium and large
-The training and information dissemination program must include: healthy habits, lifestyle, family, support for the control of chronic-degenerative diseases to avoid COVID-19 complications, hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene, clothing hygiene, social distancing, not greeting with kisses, hugs, or handshakes, etc.
-If technological resources are available, remote training will be prioritized.
Health Promotion
Micro, small, medium, and large companies
-Have a physical and mental health program for workers, referring to COVID-19 care, which includes: a protocol for managing suspected, contact, confirmed workers and their reincorporation into work; as well as promotion, prevention, attention, and follow-up of health statuses in workers that may generate complications due to COVID-19.
-As well as an instrument to identify symptoms in workers and the people they have had contact with at work and in the community.
-Have tools that allow identifying workers with risk factors for COVID-19; companies can use the tool at http://www.imss.gob.mx/covid-19/calculadora-complicaciones.
-Have guidelines to identify psychosocial risk factors, such as workplace violence, mental load, organizational environment, etc.
-Provide facilities for workers to seek medical attention outside the company.
-Have a guide for action in case a worker shows symptoms of COVID-19, in order to protect them, as well as other workers and their families, which will include: guidelines for managing suspected, contact, confirmed workers and their reincorporation into work.
Medium and large
-Conduct periodic medical examinations that allow for the prevention, attention, and control of health problems or provide facilities for workers to seek medical attention outside the company.
-Have an action guide in case a worker shows symptoms of COVID-19, in order to protect them, as well as other workers and their families, including: guidelines for managing suspected, contact, confirmed workers and their reincorporation into work.
-Promote and communicate good respiratory hygiene in the workplace, such as covering the mouth and nose with a bent elbow or a tissue when coughing or sneezing.
Planning and Management
Micro, small, medium, and large companies
-Have a committee or person responsible for the implementation, monitoring, and supervision of measures for the New Normal within the framework of COVID-19.
-The workplace is among the essential sectors listed in article one, fraction II, of the "Agreement establishing extraordinary actions to address the health emergency generated by the SARS-CoV2 virus," dated March 31, 2020, and the "Agreement establishing a strategy for the reopening of social, educational, and economic activities, as well as a regional traffic light system to weekly evaluate the epidemiological risk related to the reopening of activities in each federal entity, and establishing extraordinary actions," dated May 14, 2020.
-Have identified the health alert criterion (red, orange, yellow, or green) for the locality where the center is located.
-Define the actions to be implemented in the workplace, considering the areas and/or departments the workplace has (offices, warehouses, customer service areas, and common areas) and identify personnel in a vulnerable situation or at higher risk of contagion.
-Have a list of emergency telephone numbers that includes contact instances in case of health emergencies.
Large companies
-The Business Continuity Plan (BCP) has considered the risk of health contingencies.
-The workplace risk map includes areas, job positions, and/or activities with biological risks.
-The occupational safety and health diagnosis considers biological agents capable of modifying environmental conditions at work that, due to their properties, concentration, level, and time of exposure or action, can alter workers' health, as well as the sources that generate them.
-The company must have an occupational safety and health program or a list of preventive and corrective actions for occupational safety and health for health contingencies.
-The Specific Civil Protection Program includes actions against health risks.
-The workplace must be part of a Mutual Aid Group that provides support in case of health risks.
-The company's planning must consider health contingencies as a threat when using SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) or any other context analysis tool.
