Work Location

1. All work which can be done remotely should still be performed remotely. Remote work includes working from home, or from a location other than a WSU campus or WSU work location.
2. All MME personnel must have approval from their supervisor before coming to work at a WSU campus and/or WSU work location.
3. Employees may be requested to return to work by their supervisor as job duties necessitate. This may include rotations, staffing teams, shift work, alternating day/s hours, or other means to maintain social distancing and complete the necessary work at the work location.
   1. There is no pressure or penalty for employees unable to be physically present due to quarantine, high-risk/vulnerable populations, or isolation needs (e.g., childcare concerns), or any other personal needs/concerns.
   2. Employees who have been instructed to return to their work location and have concerns about doing so, due to a medical condition that places them in a higher risk group, those who are pregnant, or those who wish to seek ADA Reasonable Accommodations related to returning to the work location should visit the HRS Disability Services website or contact the HRS main line at (509) 335-4521.
4. All MME personnel approved, or seeking approval, to return to a WSU work location will complete the Voiland College Return to WSU Work Location survey. This form ensures current information, process, and procedures have been shared with each employee, and confirms the employee agrees to follow these processes, when returning to a WSU work location.
5. Research activities being resumed at a WSU work location require the approval of MME Director Indranath Dutta before research activities can commence.

Sick Employee

1. If an employee is feeling sick, they need to stay home, and contact a healthcare provider. Make advance arrangements for non-emergency in-person health care visits.
   

Employees who begin experiencing COVID-19 symptoms while at work must:

1. Contact their supervisor remotely, by phone or electronic mail.
2. Leave work while maintaining 6 feet of distance between themselves and others.
3. Contact their healthcare provider; they should not show up in person without advanced contact.
   

Coworkers &/or supervisors that believe an employee is obviously sick at work must:

1. In the event a WSU employee comes to work and becomes obviously sick report the matter to the employee’s supervisor.
2. The employee’s supervisor should report the matter to HRS immediately. In consultation with HRS, the supervisor may have a conversation with the employee to determine whether they are sick. If the employee is sick, they should be separated from other employees immediately and directed to self-isolate at home and to call their health care provider for assistance. If the employee may meet the criteria the state DOH has identified for suspected COVID-19 cases, consult with HRS if Whitman County Public Health department should be notified.
   

Note: In the event an employee begins experiencing symptoms at work the supervisor coordinates disinfecting procedures.  This includes disinfecting potentially affected common areas and/or isolating affected private offices/areas.

Employee Attestation

1. All WSU employees will be required to attest they are not experiencing COVID-19 symptoms prior to returning to a WSU work location. This attestation will be required each day the employee is reporting to a WSU work location. Starting on June 29, a COVID-19 Employee Attestation tile will be added to all faculty and staff members’ my.wsu.edu employee homepage. All employees reporting to a WSU work location are to log in to myWSU and complete the attestation form. Instructions on completing the attestation form and FAQs are available on the HRS Employee COVID-19 Attestation page.
2. Until further notice, all non-employees returning to campus (i.e. self-funded students, visiting scholars, graduate fellows, volunteers, etc.) are required to send an email to their supervisor/host attesting they are not experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and have not been in contact with anybody who is experiences symptoms or tested positive.

Training

1. Before returning to work on campus, all WSU employees must complete two training courses available through Human Resource Services’ Learning and Organizational Development website. The courses are Disinfecting the Workplace and WSU COVID-19 Safe Return to Work.
2. After successfully completing each course (with a score of 80% or better) employees must provide the certificate of completion to arianna.georgallis@wsu.edu.
3. Before returning to work on campus employees must read and understand this document, the MME Distancing and Disinfection Plan.
4. Employees working in laboratories must review all standard operating procedures (SOPs) for equipment and chemicals, as well as corresponding job hazard assessment (JHAs) before performing a job function/task. For more information on performing a hazards assessment, please visit the EH&S Personal Protective Equipment webpage.

Hygiene

1. Hand washing is one of the most effective means of combatting Covid 19. Wash hands often with soap for a minimum 20 seconds. Use hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are unavailable.
2. Avoid touching your face with unwashed or unsanitized hands.
3. Cover a cough or sneeze with a tissue or crook of elbow. Immediately dispose of tissue and wash your hands.
4. Hand sanitizer is provided at no cost through WSU University Stores.  Please put in a request through Quartzy as you would any other purchase and it will be ordered for you. Pickup of the hand sanitizer will be the same as any other order. Please schedule package pickups by emailing mpalles@wsu.edu. (FDA approved hand sanitizer is made at WSU by EH&S.  It will be available for free through Fall semester 2020.  Please do not order more than needed for immediate use.)

Maintain Social/Physical Distancing

1. Maintain 6 feet distance between people, allow only infrequent intermittent passing within 6 feet. Avoid lingering in hallways or other common areas. Take breaks and lunch outside, away from the building/campus or in your personal office. Clear plexiglass guards have been installed to protect personnel where short periods of close distance interactions are most likely to occur, specifically at MME reception counters.
2. Face coverings must be worn by all employees working at any WSU work location when in the presence of others and in public settings. If you are in need of a facial covering contact Kathryn Mazidi at kathryn.mazidi@wsu.edu.
3. Employees should not hold, or prop open exterior doors for any other person.
4. Building occupants are expected to follow signage on traffic flow through building entrances, exits, elevator usage and similar common use areas.
5. If using break rooms maintain 6’ social distancing and avoid using communal items such as refrigerators, coffee pots, dishes, microwaves, etc. Using individual lunchboxes with their own ice packs and/or insulated thermos are strongly encouraged. Do not wash dishes at work: take dishes home to wash. Signage will be posted in the respective locations to alert employees to these changes.
6. Avoid using conference rooms, participating in meetings in person, using electronic meeting formats whenever possible. If you must meet in person, use a space that can accommodate a safe distance of 6 feet or meet outside.
7. Do not meet or linger in other’s office.
8. Work with your office door closed to limit person-to-person interaction.
9. Stagger departmental pickups and drop-offs to avoid congestion. To schedule a package pickup, please email mpalles@wsu.edu ahead of time to avoid close contact between individuals.
10. Install physical barriers such as sneeze guards and floor markings in shared spaces and advising areas that might form a line or require a queue.
11. Examples of implementing social distancing in the office.
12. Only use elevators if necessary or moving loads. If personnel must use an elevator, make sure to observe the new Covid 19 elevator occupancy signs and follow the number of persons allowable in the cab together. Cover coughs and sneezes and consider limiting conversation. Most elevators in Sloan, Dana, EME, ETRL, Carpenter, Paccar, and Wegner allow only 1 or 2 individuals at a time.
13. Maintain spatial awareness. If in an area outside of your normal workspace, pay attention to distancing, particularly at entry points, lines, public bathrooms,
14. Buildings are currently locked.  Students who have completed the trainings and have approval from their supervisor/mentor will be given building access. Please email kathryn.mazidi@wsu.edu to gain building access.
15. Limit the sharing of equipment whenever possible to reduce the need for disinfection.
16. Plan work in the laboratory in such a way that will allow for 6’ social distancing. It may be necessary to establish shifts to meet the needs of all users.

Disinfection

1. Alpha HP, a 70% alcohol solution, and FDA approved hand sanitizer are available at no cost, including delivery, for all WSU personnel at all WSU campus locations. Please put in requests for these items via Quartzy as you would any other purchase and it will be ordered for you. Pickup of the disinfectants will be the same as any other order. Please schedule package pickups by emailing mpalles@wsu.edu. Follow instructions on the EH&S website for disinfectant applications.
   Note: Disinfectants must have a 5-minute contact time for Alpha HP and 20 seconds contact time for 70% ethanol to be effective.
2. Please recycle all empty disinfectant containers. Disinfectant recycle stations will be located next to hallway recycling areas, with signage indicating disinfectant bottle recycling only. Used containers will be sanitized, refilled, and provided to units placing orders for disinfectant (without charge) through WSU University Stores.
3. All MME employees are responsible to disinfect all shared surfaces such as reception counters, workroom tables, conference tables, chairs, door handles, as well as shared items such as tools, staplers, pens/pencils, workroom supplies, etc. before and after use. For non-electronic equipment, use Alpha HP, available in spray bottles in all laboratories, copy rooms and conference rooms. Signage will be posted at the respective locations to remind employees to follow the disinfecting procedures.
4. All MME employees are responsible to disinfect shared electronics such as the copy machine, conference room equipment, lab touchpads and control equipment, computer keyboards, mice, and AV equipment, etc. before and after use with a 70% alcohol solution. Signage will be posted at the respective locations to remind employees to follow the disinfecting procedures.
5. MME will provide disinfectants to their communal departmental/unit spaces such as workrooms, conference rooms, break rooms, shared officing areas, etc. to include Alpha HP, 70% alcohol, and hand sanitizer. Areas need to be cleaned before and after each use by the occupants using the space. Signage will be posted at the respective locations to remind employees to follow the disinfecting procedures.
6. All common space areas, including Sloan 245, Sloan 243, Sloan 210, and Sloan 203 will be disinfected each morning, afternoon, and end of the day by the office staff. This does not replace the need for each individual to clean before and after using these spaces.
7. MME Principle Investigators (PIs) will provide and restock their laboratories with disinfectants in a designated area within the laboratory, as appropriate for each lab. Please put in a request through Quartzy as you would any other purchase and it will be ordered for you. Pickup of the disinfectant hand sanitizer will be the same as any other order. Please schedule package pickups by emailing mpalles@wsu.edu.
8. Disinfectants will be located and restocked in each WSU General University Classroom (GUC), as well as Departmental Teaching Classrooms and Laboratories that have courses offered in the Fall semester 2020, by WSU Facilities Operations.
9. Faculty and students using a GUC or Departmental Teaching Classroom/Laboratory will be responsible for cleaning their area (table, bench, seat) before and after each use.
10. Daily cleaning of GUCs will be provided by WSU Facilities Services. Daily cleaning of Departmental Teaching Classrooms and Labs will be coordinated with the department and WSU Facilities Operations on a case-by-case basis.
11. During your work shift, try to schedule all travel on campus in one department vehicle. When you first use the vehicle and when you are done for the day disinfect common touch surfaces in the vehicle, such as the steering wheel, gear shift, and door handles with Alpha HP.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

1. Maintaining 6 feet distance between people protects against mucous membrane exposure to SARS CoV2, the virus causing COVID-19. As reference visit the EH&S PPE webpage.
2. When working in the laboratory, practice workplace hazard assessment to identify task-specific PPE.
3. When using disinfectants, use the PPE identified on the product Safety Data Sheet, for example:

   Product	Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
   Alpha HP (diluted/ready to use product)	No PPE required
   70% alcohol (30% water)	Avoid eye contact, safety glasses
   You may prepare your own bleach disinfectant making 1 to 10 dilution household bleach ~0.5% sodium hypochlorite	Safety glasses, nitrile, or rubber gloves

4. Respirators are not recommended during social distancing measures because maintaining 6 feet between people supports respiratory protection. Cloth facemasks are not PPE and cannot replace social distancing. They primarily protect others from getting sick due to exposure to infected individuals without any known symptoms of COVID-19.
5. All laboratories must be equipped with safety glasses, protective gloves and other necessary PPE based on the information provided in SOPs and SDSs for chemicals and equipment used in the laboratory. Purchase of the PPE is a responsibility of the laboratory PI and should be placed through Quartzy.

Reference for Disinfecting Shared Equipment

Equipment	Disinfection Controls
Copiers/scanners	Disinfect copier and scanner controls or other touched surfaces e.g. paper loading tray handles, bypass tray before and after use. Disinfectant is 70% ethanol.
Shared/borrowed/ equipment, teaching equipment, conference room equipment, laptops and computers, computers connected to the equipment, shared equipment	Disinfect computer keyboard, mouse, touch control surface, device on/off button, clicker, document camera touchpoints (on/off, head adjustment, base adjustment), whiteboard markers, before and after use. Disinfectant is 70% ethanol. Provide hand sanitizer for all attendants.
Dangerous Waste bins, bottles, and containers	Do not disinfect collection bins, wear nitrile gloves, do not touch face and wash or sanitize hands after removing gloves.
Load carts and gas cylinder trucks	Disinfect load cart and gas cylinder truck’s handles with Alpha HP before and after use. If the cart remains in your possession, disinfect at the beginning and end of your shift.
Shared carboys with distilled and deionized water	Disinfect with Alpha HP all touched surfaces before and after use. If there are no other people present at the laboratory, disinfect at the beginning and end of work.
Shared scientific, test and sampling equipment in the laboratories and in the field (includes but not limited to stir and hot plates, ovens, SATEC and Tinius-Olson machines, mixing bins and containers, buckets, tools, refrigerators and walk-in coolers, analytical balances, etc.)	May be limited to a single assigned user per faculty advisor’s discretion. If sharing use must occur, disinfect all pieces that need to be touched for your experiment before and after use. Use Alpha HP disinfectant on doors, handles and other general surfaces. Disinfects all dials and buttons on the equipment with provided 70% ethanol solution.
Shared use spaces, conference rooms, reception counters, workrooms, mailrooms, waiting areas, collaboration areas, break rooms	Disinfect door handles, tabletop surfaces, door handles, drawer pulls, shared touch points (pens, staplers, tape dispensers, etc.) using Alpha HP, before and after use. Sanitize desk and chair’s armrests with Alpha HP before and after use. Provide hand sanitizer for all attendants. Remember that capacity of each area is significantly diminished due to social distancing measures. Disinfect all used and shared equipment with provided 70% ethanol solution.
Oven mitts and other shared reusable hand PPE	Wear nitrile or other disposable gloves before wearing reusable hand protection.
Safety glasses	Every laboratory user must have their own pair of safety glasses. They need to be purchased by the laboratory PI.
Microscopes	Strongly recommend limited use. If shared use must occur, disinfect eyepieces, coarse and fine focus, illuminator on switch, objective lens rotator and exterior surface (not lenses), stage and arm. If applicable also disinfect injection syringe, thermal switch, etc. Disinfectant is 70% ethanol.
Other non-disposable sampling and monitoring equipment	Disinfect electronic equipment with 70% ethanol and non-electronic equipment with Alpha HP before and after use.
Storage/lockers	Strongly recommend limited use. If lockers are necessary, avoid shared use. Disinfect door, door handle, and interior using Alpha HP.
Safety glasses	Safety glasses are required in every Voiland College laboratory. Bring your pair every time you are working in the laboratory. You can disinfect you pair with Alpha HP disinfectant if necessary.
Splash goggles	This is shared PPE. Please disinfect all outside and inside surfaces with 70% ethanol solution before and after each use.
Face shields	This is shared PPE. Please disinfect with 70% ethanol solution before and after use.
Respirators	Must be assigned to a single user. No sharing is to occur. Disinfect with a 1:10 solution of household bleach. This solution needs to be prepared by the users of the laboratory. Disinfect respirators before and after use.
Lab coats	Do not share lab coats to prevent the possible spread of COVID-19. Every laboratory user who uses a lab coat as necessary PPE must have their own. This PPE must be purchased by the faculty advisor and provided to the student. It may need to be necessary to attach a name tag to each lab coat in use.
Chemical resistant aprons	This is shared PPE. Please wear nitrile or other kinds of disposable gloves before putting on an apron as a part of your PPE gear for lab work.
Chemical and reagent bottles, squirt bottles and glassware in the laboratory	Please always wear nitrile or other kinds of disposable gloves before touching chemical and reagent as well as any other type of glassware to prevent the spread of COVID-19. If any glassware or bottles were accidentally touched without gloves, disinfect them with Alpha AP solution.
Use of shared sinks and faucets in the kitchen and laboratories	Avoid use. If use is necessary, disinfect handles or knobs before and after use with Alpha AP solution.
Use of shared appliances such as kettles, coffee makers, microwave ovens, toasters, refrigerators, etc.	Avoid use.
Vehicles	Disinfect common touch surfaces e.g. keys, steering wheel, door handles, seat adjustment, window adjustment, gear shift, signals before and after use. Alpha HP is a preferred disinfectant. If you have the vehicle checked out for the day, disinfect before use and at end of day.

Notes:

• Limit shared equipment to the extent feasible to reduce the need for disinfection.
• All shared equipment shall be disinfected before and after each use unless otherwise noted and use is controlled/limited to specific individuals. Signage will be posted to remind individuals of these cleaning procedures.
• If disinfectant appears to be running low in any of the common areas, please contact kathryn.mazidi@wsu.edu.
• Individuals are responsible for restocking their own disinfectants by putting in a request through Quartzy.
• This list is not all-inclusive. Additional shared equipment may be identified and shall be disinfected before and after each use.
• Alpha HP requires a 5-minute dwell time for disinfection and 70% Ethanol requires 20-30 seconds. Reference the EH&S Disinfection webpage for additional information.
• Wash hands with soap and water or sanitize after disinfecting.

Reference Information for Consideration

In addition to this document, the following links provide valuable sources for important details and updates.  Please review them at your convenience.

• Voiland College Safety Committees
• WSU HRS Return to Work Guide
• WSU HRS Daily Attestation
• WSU HRS Covid-19 Leave and Work FAQs
• WSU Office of Research Staged Return To On-Site Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities
• WSU EH&S Distancing & Disinfection
• WSU EH&S Personal Protective Equipment
• State of Washington’s Safe Start Washington
• Center for Disease Control
• Washington State Department of Health
• Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Washington State Local Health Departments and Districts