Risk Assessment

We have assessed the risks of COVID-19 at the PPP office based on information from WorkSafe BC and the Government of BC.  We are a small organization with lower risks than many; even so, we are treating this pandemic with utmost seriousness.  We are committed to safeguarding the health and safety of our staff, board, and volunteers, as well as our partners and visitors, as we carry out our work.

Transmission of COVID-19

“The virus that causes COVID-19 spreads in several ways.  It can spread in droplets when a person coughs or sneezes.  It can also spread if you touch a contaminated surface and then touch your face.  The risk of person-to-person transmission increases the closer you come to other people, the more time you spend near them, and the more people you come near.  The risk of surface transmission increases when many people contact the same surface and when those contacts happen over short periods of time.” (WorkSafe BC)

Assessment of risks at the PPP office:

Frequent touchpoints:

• Door handles/surfaces – exterior building door, exterior office door, and interior office doors
• Elevator buttons (and riding in close proximity to other people)
• Stair handles
• Light switches
• Office phones
• Shared computers and technology including the TV, printer, desktop computers, laptops
• Table/desk surfaces and chairs
• Kitchen counters, faucet, and fridge handle/surfaces
• Washrooms shared with other offices – doors, surfaces, toilets, taps, proximity to other people

Person-to-person contact:

• Meetings with staff, board, and volunteers
• Meetings with organizational partners
• Shared use kitchen and meeting room

Protocols to Reduce Risk

Cleaning & Hygiene:

• Building management has extra cleaners sanitizing surfaces, railings, elevators, washrooms, and office external door handles throughout the day, but we must also sanitize our office doors and necessary surfaces/equipment in the office
• Sanitize office door surfaces and handles at least twice a day (at opening and closing)
• Maintain open doors when in office to reduce touchpoints
• Use stairs and avoid using the handle if safe.  If using the elevator, ride alone if possible
• Wash hands upon arrival in the office and throughout day
• Provide ample cleaning materials for sanitizing office & washing hands
• Clean frequently used surfaces (door surfaces/handles, tables, equipment in use, kitchen tap, fridge handle/surface) at least twice a day and less frequently used surfaces at least once a day
• Designate one person per office phone
• Designate one person per computer or laptop if possible
• Supply each staff member/volunteer with individual office supplies wherever possible
• Designate one person to use printer per day and send documents to that person electronically
• Wipe down surfaces & equipment before and after use – If the surface has dirt or debris, clean it with soap and water before disinfecting
• Consider bring your own utensils and dishes if eating in office
• Wash your own dishes after use and sanitize any kitchen surfaces and equipment you use
• Consider using single use washrooms or entering shared washrooms only when vacant
• Wash hands after returning to office from shared washrooms

Social Distancing:

• Limit the number of staff and volunteers in the workplace, adjusting schedules to ensure no more than 3 in office at a time from June 1, opening up to 5 or more in July depending on current government / WorkSafe safety directives
• Remain 5 square metres away from others while in office
• Relocate workstations to be at a greater distance from each other
• Allow people in office to wear masks if they want and provide training on usage and limitations
• Post occupancy limits for office as a whole (3 until early July reassessment) and each room (1 each in offices/entrance vestibule, 2 in meeting room, 1 in kitchen)
• Prohibit visitors in the office until reassessment in early July
• Continue to schedule meetings online rather than in-person as much as possible
• Assess partners’ precautions and provide our protocols to them before meeting in person
• Avoid any travel for meetings between communities that is not essential until end of June, check back to see if travel is allowed within BC from July to September
• Supply 1-2 masks in case anyone in office begins exhibiting symptoms

Training & Signage:

• Train and post signage directing workers, volunteers, and visitors on how to conduct themselves to maintain safety and to approach Executive Director or Operations Coordinator with any concerns
• Send the following materials to staff, board, and volunteers:
  • Office Policy
  • Illness Policy
  • Transmission of COVID-19
  • Cleaning & Hygiene Protocols
  • Social Distancing Protocols
  • Mask Usage
• Post the following signage in office:
  • Cleaning & Hygiene Protocols
  • Social Distancing Protocols
  • Handwashing
  • Room Occupancy Limits
  • Office Occupancy Limit
  • Office Policy

Policies

Office Policy

Visitors to the office are prohibited until reassessment early July.

Staff and volunteers are permitted in office to a maximum of 3 at a time until reassessment early July.

People who are prohibited from entering the office:

• Anyone who has had any of the COVID-19 symptoms in the lasts 10 days is prohibited from the workplace.  Symptoms include fever, chills, new or worsening cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, and new muscle aches or headache.
• Anyone directed by Public health to self-isolate.
• Anyone who has arrived from outside Canada or had contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case must self-isolate for 14 days and monitor for symptoms.

Illness Policy

• If a staff member, volunteer, or visitor to the office begins to feel severely ill, call 911.
• If a staff member, volunteer, or visitor starts exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 in the office, they should put on a mask (provided in Ziploc on front desk), wash their hands, and go directly home.  Once home, they should consult the COVID-19 Self-Assessment Tool online, call 811 for further guidance, and self-isolate for 10 days.  All surfaces they came into contact with should be immediately cleaned and disinfected.

Training Policy

• Staff, board, & volunteers will be provided Office Policy, Illness Policy, Cleaning & Hygiene Protocols, and Social Distancing Protocols in advance of attending the office
• Signage will be posted detailing effective hygiene practices, occupancy limits, and mask usage, occupancy limits, and Office Policy, and Illness Policy
• Executive Director and Operations Coordinator will monitor the workplace to ensure policies and protocols are being followed

Supplied Items

• Microban spray cleaner and paper towels (these are on the government’s list of hard-surface disinfectants)
• Hand soap for the kitchen sink
• Hand sanitizer for each room (however, washing hands with soap and water will be encouraged as it is more effective)
• 1-2 masks in case of staff/volunteers/students/visitors developing symptoms at the office

This plan will be updated in response to changes in the situation with COVID-19 and new recommendations from the Government of BC and WorkSafe BC.

Talofa Lava Friends,

We are living through strange times. In countries like Canada and the U.S., many of us have never known hardships like hunger, political instability, or war. We are used to great freedoms: going out to restaurants, gathering with friends at will, and having goods and services at our fingertips. Due to COVID-19 this has all changed in a blink. Our world has suddenly become constricted, unstable, and even terrifying. We don’t know how it will end.

But new opportunities arise in a time of crisis, and we can forge a better world! One less individualistic and centred on the self, and more caring of this planet and our neighbours.

At Pacific Peoples’ Partnership, we believe in resilience, hope, and solidarity. Today, amidst a nationwide quarantine, our little organization turns 45! We have decided to celebrate by bringing you stories of resilience. Stories of what we have accomplished together over 45 years, of strong, resilient people, and of thriving Indigenous-led projects across the Pacific. We are also marking our anniversary by inviting you to join us in an important new initiative.

The peoples of Oceania are threatened by the same global pandemic that we all face in North America. The geographical isolation of these small island nations has slowed the arrival of COVID-19, but cases have now appeared in Fiji, the Marianas, and Papua New Guinea. At the same time, a Category 5 cyclone has struck the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Fiji, forcing people into crowded storm shelters. With rudimentary medical systems, shortages of trained staff, and little protective equipment, the Pacific islands could use our solidarity right now.  It is for this reason we are launching our Pacific COVID Resilience Fund.

As we celebrate our 45th, we invite you to show support for our brothers and sisters in these small, precious countries, so rich in history and culture, in art, music and dance, and in love. As with our response to last year’s measles crisis in Samoa, we will be working with long-standing NGO partners in the region to ensure your contribution goes towards resilience at the community level through initiatives led by locally known and trusted organizations.

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For every dollar you donate, we have commitments from our major partner The Full Circle Fund of RSF Social Finance to match your donation up to $30,000 CAD!

This means that if you give $20, it becomes $40, and if you give $100, it becomes $200! Anything you can spare helps.

In this way, even isolated at home, we can reach out together across the great Pacific that connects us to ensure a better world for tomorrow.

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In gratitude and solidarity, Fa’afetai lava! / Thank you very much ~ Samoan
Your friends at Pacific Peoples’ Partnership