During COVID-19 should we be cancelling visits and rescheduling them as a way to protect our staff from potential exposure?
With so much discussion about protecting our products in other forums and protecting our staff members from other staff members that may have come in we have begun to question visits to our facilities and if we (in the US) have reached a point where we should be cancelling visits and rescheduling them as a way to protect our staff from potential exposure, particularly from individuals whose job it is to travel the US to conduct site audits and may also have recent attended large conferences of like individuals that travel for a living. Any thoughts?
As of last Thursday our company has halted all visitors to our facility. The only exception are key contract or service personnel that are required to continue operations. We won't bring in candidates for interviews, but are rather doing video interviews. I don't agree with this aspect, but must follow suit.
We have also taken steps to eliminate direct interaction of transportation drivers from our personnel on receiving and shipping. Something to consider since these persons visit multiple sites all over the area or region.
As of last Thursday our company has halted all visitors to our facility. The only exception are key contract or service personnel that are required to continue operations. We won't bring in candidates for interviews, but are rather doing video interviews. I don't agree with this aspect, but must follow suit.
We have also taken steps to eliminate direct interaction of transportation drivers from our personnel on receiving and shipping. Something to consider since these persons visit multiple sites all over the area or region.
Thanks for the feedback!!!!! Was just on the phone with our CEO discussing meeting tomorrow morning to discuss changes/plans and as we were talking he said - "and what about delivery drivers." I was able to say - "I just saw a post from another company that..."
You believe CV is completely fake? Or aspects of the media coverage?
Why would your facility make any changes if it is fake? Was this your procedure last year for colds, flu, etc.?
Curious...
We've been forced to start cancelling some of our supplier audits as we can't physically get to the suppliers due to travel restrictions and similar. I've written a concession to extend existing approvals so that we're covered for future "why did you miss this audit window?" questions, and if a customer asked to audit I'd be telling them to do the same. The existing customers booked for March/April have already contacted us to cancel, which I'm not sorry about as it's easier than telling them they're not welcome at present...
Given that your customers will being having similar discussions at present, it might be worth reaching out to them to ask if they can postpone? It will hopefully be perceived as sensible and reasonable at present!
we have a planned deviation for all the SOPs(4 identified so far and more might be added) that may be impacted. two of them are self audits/internal audits and pest control.
non-essential visitors and contractors have been asked to postpone visits.
Essential contractors will not be visiting the offices but I agree with Ryan M...drivers will be the trickiest to control
We were in the middle of our annual FSSC audit and a directive came down from our CEO to restrict ALL travel between our sites. It was decided that we would finish the audit at our main facility and postpone the audits at our other two facilities. There is a letter out from FSSC22000 position in relation to the Novel Coronavirus dated February 2020. It states the extension procedure, Please note that in your emergency preparedness procedure you are required to include the impact of the Corona Virus on the supply chain of the organization and the potential impact on resources.
So now, FSSC is in the BS as well by requiring an impact statement for CV.
So now, FSSC is in the BS as well by requiring an impact statement for CV.
I dont think this is a very professional response. Since all of our jobs are in the "risk managmeent" area, calling a virus "BS" is about as unprofessional as you can get.
If nothing else, business contingency plans must be worked in case of supplier shortages that cause disruption.
No, that is not what I said - I said "So, now FSSC is in the BS as well by requiring an impact statement for CV."
I did not call the "virus" BS - it is by far much worse than that.
As of last Thursday our company has halted all visitors to our facility. The only exception are key contract or service personnel that are required to continue operations. We won't bring in candidates for interviews, but are rather doing video interviews. I don't agree with this aspect, but must follow suit.
We have also taken steps to eliminate direct interaction of transportation drivers from our personnel on receiving and shipping. Something to consider since these persons visit multiple sites all over the area or region.
We are like you. We aren't allowing any outside visitors except required to continue operations. With our security - transport drivers are already behind a plastic mirror. Daily we have an employee whose only job is to sanitize common used surfaces including offices. No meetings allowed unless under 6 people (love that I don't have to go to meetings for a while).
I have a public health background so I'm all about doing many items (especially with little cost) and not having an issue rather than doing too little and playing catch-up.
The added bonus - it does help keep the flu away.
You believe CV is completely fake? Or aspects of the media coverage?
Why would your facility make any changes if it is fake? Was this your procedure last year for colds, flu, etc.?
Curious...
We were not in the US last year.
Our SF/SF audits have been tentatively rescheduled. Told by our CB that they would be getting back to us about alternatives, fees, or how interuptions in site audits as they relate to maintaining certifications. Happy we just completed our SQF audit at another facility (we have a total of 4) last month before all of this. Now we work to update our food, feed, and workplace safety plans and practices where we now know there are gaps. Keep sharing the feedback and insights. I appreciate hearing from others even if it is to only confirm I am not the only one dealing with these same/similar challenges.
P.S. Truck Drivers continue to be our greatest risk after we have cancelled other meetings and site visits.
Even though we ourselves beleive that CV is fake, it is cold and flu season thus we have banned visitors from entering our office and the UPS, DHL, Fedex and USPS drivers have an area on the property to drop items off. For essential visits such as plumber, electrician, etc we will check their forehead for with a temp scanner and require they leave their 5G phone in their service vehicle.
Glen,
I have greatly respected and appreciated your assistance and input on various threads over the past couple of years. So I ask this question with the greatest respect. Are you willing to explain your justification for feeling that "CV is fake." I understand that you may still have taken additional steps to mitigate the risks because you could justify them with other risks, however, I am curious about the "CV is fake" comment if you are willing to share. Respectfully...
Hi all,
We normally visit supplier/growers this month and early April. All planned visits have been changed from in person to video conferencing per suppliers/growers request.
This may be the new normal moving forward regardless...
Best,
EK
Glen,
I have greatly respected and appreciated your assistance and input on various threads over the past couple of years. So I ask this question with the greatest respect. Are you willing to explain your justification for feeling that "CV is fake." I understand that you may still have taken additional steps to mitigate the risks because you could justify them with other risks, however, I am curious about the "CV is fake" comment if you are willing to share. Respectfully...
Longshot - thank you for your kind words.
When this CV thing first came out, I took it very seriously and without really thinking it through I went ahead and got a hold of a couple of our clients and said let's do a public service posting for other companies in the food industry on how to make our businesses fortesses, as in protect our businesses, protect our fellow owners and employees and of course protect our customers, etc. in the process.
I posted it on our website and the floodgate opened with people from companies all over the earth reviewing it.
At the same time, I am at my base curious about things, I was an inspector for years in restaurants, food stores, hotels, packaging, logistics - always about food and lodging, etc.
So, my curious side came out a bit and then my auditor/inspector brain kicked in - I started findings fissures - in our consulting business we are referred and hired many times because we find the fissures that lead to the cracks like my little Jack Russel dog that goes down a ground hog hole and keeps at it until he gets it by the tail and pulls it out.
Then when I saw that a bunch of people were kept on a cruise ship and that cruise ship just happened to be the one ship in their fleet that was outfitted with certain types of electronics and they were experiencing interesting symptoms that to me and the information I had looked more like frequency exposure than a flu, etc. dry cough, shortness of breath, etc with sudden onset.
Then looking back to Wuhan and remembering the films of people falling over on street corners, walking down the street, etc.
A secret lab in Wuhan? That tosses out some gloves with germs on them, that get used by a fish market? huh.
Or could it have been caused by electronics - a certain mhz harmonics operating at a certain unlicensed frequency - interesting enough, this impulse level can cause shortness of breath, respiratory issues, dry cough and even death.
Interestingly enough CHF, which I had in the past can cause almost exactly the same thing.
The fissures were becoming cracks and cracks kept on getting larger.
We took down the service letter we did for people, took it off the site the other night when we finally realized why this CV-19 thing is being pushed by virtually every government, agencies, and all the big businesses and it is sickening.
There are many videos on the subject and I've looked at a lot of them over the past couple of months - this one, even though a bit jerky sums it up very well.
You might not like the author, you might not like the prayers he might say during the video - but he, like me is a truther - I only want one thing, I need the truth and this film gives a heaping amount of truth.
And it is not just this one film that did it for me, it has been research, it has been input from so many others and not following the stream, but always seeing what the alternate might reveal to arrive where I want to be and once again that is truth, that is the destination no matter how much it hurts on so many levels.
Be sure to look at the rest of his work as well.
And by the way, how did the walls at Jericho come down?
I should have posted a different video, however if you'd like it feel free to send me a note and I'll send the link to you.
I am aware that Coronoavirus is a very emotive topic, but can we please stay 'on topic'. wherever possible.
The original question was.
During COVID-19 should we be cancelling visits and rescheduling them as a way to protect our staff from potential exposure?
We have to remember that discussions are not just for those posting in the topic, but probably more so for those who come here looking for answers to their questions.
If we want to have a "What is the root cause of Coronavirus (facts and conspiracy theories)?" then no problem, but start it in the "Community General Chat" sub-forum.
Thank you.
Simon
Understood Simon.
My error! I started the thread and a comment perked my curiosity and desire to learn and understand, thus I asked for additional comment that was not related to the subject. I take full responsibility
Thank you for redirecting our posts to the subject of the original post/question.
Is checking employee temperatures and/or visitor temperatures legal in the U.S.?
Is checking employee temperatures and/or visitor temperatures legal in the U.S.?
I do not know if it is legal.
However, for our entry to our business it is a requirement by policy - people don't have to let us scan them and if they say no, that's fine - they don't get in.
Still have not had anyone say no and it might be because we still get our coffee delivered from Costa Rica.
With so much discussion about protecting our products in other forums and protecting our staff members from other staff members that may have come in we have begun to question visits to our facilities and if we (in the US) have reached a point where we should be cancelling visits and rescheduling them as a way to protect our staff from potential exposure, particularly from individuals whose job it is to travel the US to conduct site audits and may also have recent attended large conferences of like individuals that travel for a living. Any thoughts?
We have restricted the access to our employees and only essentials services. Laundry service, deliveries, pest control service ,etc. No more visitors allowed and unnecessary travel or meeting cancelled or they are done over the phone / facetime.
For our upcoming audits we are still evaluating what are our options and we are waiting to see what our CB is planning and discuss with them to find the best solution for both.
I would suggest to limit any unnecessary visitor.
We rescheduled a visit of our major client, they were very comprehensive as they are also cancelling all unnecessary visit and promoting work from home and social distancing.
I think everyone understand the situation and are very comprehensive.
I should have posted a different video, however if you'd like it feel free to send me a note and I'll send the link to you.
Hey, send me that video
We have restricted the access to our employees and only essentials services. Laundry service, deliveries, pest control service ,etc. No more visitors allowed and unnecessary travel or meeting cancelled or they are done over the phone / facetime.
For our upcoming audits we are still evaluating what are our options and we are waiting to see what our CB is planning and discuss with them to find the best solution for both.
I would suggest to limit any unnecessary visitor.
We rescheduled a visit of our major client, they were very comprehensive as they are also cancelling all unnecessary visit and promoting work from home and social distancing.
I think everyone understand the situation and are very comprehensive.
At times like these I like to think of the foundation of HACCP, and what it took exactly for a coordinated effort to make possible a global, science-based system to ensure not only, it turns out, food safety for astronauts sixty years ago but also for all of us since then.
I think these preventive measures above are good. Following the lead of science is what I think should be minimally recommended, but I would hope most if not all of us are already doing that at our workplaces, if not elsewhere.