Winterberry Gardens employees keep their distance in late March 2020 at a greenhouse in Southington, Conn.
From temps to portable toilets, CT sets ‘safe workplace’ rules
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Days after Gov. Ned Lamont promised supermarket managers will receive a not-so-friendly “talking to” for any repeat violations of new retail rules in Connecticut to limit transmission of coronavirus, the state is expanding the directive to all manner of workplaces with specific parameters governing worker proximity and health.
Under earlier executive orders, Lamont has ordered some types of workplaces closed indefinitely such as restaurant dining rooms, malls and salons, while giving most other business owners and managers the leeway to determine if they consider themselves as “essential” operations requiring employees to report to work.
Lamont has repeatedly emphasized the view that manufacturing and construction be permitted to continue with safeguards to reduce the odds of coronavirus transmission. With multiple employees of the Groton submarine maker Electric Boat testing positive for coronavirus, however, the governor issued on Tuesday a “Safe Workplaces” directive on the heels of “Safe Stores” rules last week for retailers.
Lamont acted after the city of Norwalk took the lead last week in stiffening supermarket parameters after a spike in coronavirus cases, with Mayor Harry Rilling having ordered city police to warn any violators.
“If you’re still running as an ‘essential business’ you need to be aware of these rules,” said Dan Schwartz, a partner in the Hartford office of Shipman & Goodwin focused on employment law, speaking Wednesday on a conference call with multiple chambers of commerce in Fairfield County. “Penalties and inspections can be done — particularly if your employees are reporting you to the Department of Labor.”
The newest rules cover everything from general precautions such as employees taking temperatures before reporting to work and staying home if getting a reading above 100.4 degrees; to specifics like requiring construction contractors to clean portable toilets every two days. The new Connecticut rules are on the state Department of Economic and Community Development’s website at portal.ct.gov/decd.
Speaking Tuesday afternoon, Lamont said existing “social distancing” measures could appear to be “paying fruits” in his words with a slight flattening the past five days of the rate at which Connecticut residents are being hospitalized with coronavirus. He said many businesses are erring on the side of caution, but that more need to do so to spur a downward spiral in coronavirus diagnoses.
“That means, ‘Hey dude — keep your distance,’” Lamont said. “I want to hear that wherever I go.”
Lamont said he has been conferring with counterparts Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York and Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey about coordinating the easing of any restrictions as businesses are allowed to resume more normal operations in time, while keeping some protective measures in place for workers, customers and other visitors.
Until further notice in Connecticut, businesses must prohibit entry to their facilities by any visitors whose presence is not essential, allowing admission only after interviewing visitors about their health and recent travel history.
Workplaces must have hand sanitizer dispensers stationed at all points of entry, and the new Connecticut rules advise more frequent ventilation of indoor areas with fresh air from outside. The requirements extend to doors, receptacle lids and other “touch points” that can be left open to avoid the transmission of coronavirus, or otherwise sanitized regularly.
Managers must enforce distances of at least six feet between individuals, while eliminating in-person meetings and setting up zones that limit employees from entering any sections of a facility where their presence is not required.
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Lamont is asking companies that can accommodate multiple shifts to spread workers across those windows to reduce the number of people present at any single point; to staff shifts with the same employees where possible; stagger breaks; clean equipment at the end of each shift; and create longer intervals between shifts to have those units avoid interacting with each other.
“Most of it is things everybody is already doing, but now it’s going to be clear,” Lamont said Tuesday. “It’s enforceable and if you don’t do it we’re going to tell you so,”
Includes prior reporting by Ken Dixon and Brian Lockhart.