As your business ramps up after lockdown, investing in a COVID-19 health and safety policy now can protect your employees and pay dividends for at least the next few months. Following this guide can protect your coworkers and help prevent another lockdown due to an outbreak – it’s mutually beneficial.

Here, we’ll help you translate the CDC and OSHA COVID-19 guidelines into a plan of action that works for your specific situation, whether you’re looking to assess your current policy or create a new one from scratch.

Implementation Tip – Who Writes The Guidelines?

As the supervisor or boss, you are responsible for the safety and health of your employees in the workplace.

• your experience is valuable in creating guidelines that are tailored to your workplace and your needs

       AND

• your credibility is necessary to create a policy everyone can agree on and follow.

If you are unable to write the COVID-19 workplace guidelines yourself, make sure that you are heavily involved in the process and involve individuals who are qualified and experienced in health, safety, and human resources.

It's time to talk about respiratory protection

When it comes to your health, have you ever thought, "I wish someone would've warned me about this a long time ago?" Don't let this happen to your employees. 

Most respiratory protection isn't mandated, and employees may not know enough to protect themselves.  It's the responsibility of a business to educate their employees, so they can take responsibility for their health and make informed decisions that will protect their health now and in the future. If you as an employer fail to educate in the first place, employees will pay a health price long term.

That’s why the topic of non-mandated respiratory protection is so important. In particular, the voluntary use of a disposable particulate dusk mask, also referred to as filtering face piece, mechanical filter or particulate respirator.   

Do you dread the dust from harvest? Do you end up feeling stuffed up, with a runny nose, a cough, and generally crappy? 

When employees are not mandated to wear respiratory protection, do they know enough to protect themselves?  It’s one thing to make decisions for yourself when you have a good knowledge base. It's another thing to be unaware. Have you ever been in a position where you thought to yourself, “I wish someone would’ve told me about this a long time ago?” 

That’s where this blog comes into play concerning non-mandated respiratory protection. In particular, the voluntary use of a disposable particulate dusk mask, also referred to as filtering facepiece, mechanical filter or particulate respirator. 

As a HR director, you want your employees to be armed with good information about respiratory protection, so they can make good decisions regarding their health.  When you educate and train employees they can be fully responsible for their actions.  When employees are unaware of health hazards and they lose their health, they’ll feel they’ve been done WRONG!

Let’s look at 6 key pieces of information that are vital for you as the HR director to educate and train on, so you are responsible for doing your employees RIGHT!

You can find the above selection guide on the AgriSafe Network website.

Are you dreading breathing in dust this harvest season?  The way it makes you feel crappy, stuffed up, having a runny nose, a cough and affecting your overall health?  It’s certainly understandable.

Ah, the great outdoors—crisp, clean air and the refreshing smell of morning dew! Yes, this is just one of the reasons many of us really love farming. On the other hand, does farming generate hazards for our respiratory systems?  Not only is the answer a resounding “yes,” but some of the most treacherous respiratory dangers are actually unique to farming.

A farm—like any other industrial workplace—has its fair share of respiratory hazards that place employees at risk. Some agriculture safety hazards, primarily when transferring or mixing chemicals, involve exposure to dangerous gases, while others, such as grain bins, feed mills, livestock areas or confined spaces with poor ventilation, represent hazards that can naturally cause serious breathing difficulties.

Ah, the great outdoors—crisp, clean air and the refreshing smell of morning dew! Yes, this is just one of the reasons many of us really love farming. On the other hand, does farming generate  hazards for our respiratory systems? Not only is the answer a resounding “yes,” but some of the most treacherous respiratory dangers are actually unique to farming.

Manure pits have become an increasingly necessary part of many agriculture and livestock operations. But manure storage comes with its own set of risks and hazards, like build-up of toxic gases, drowning, and engulfment. Every year numerous death and injury reports are recorded involving manure pits. Even more tragically, many of these reports involve multiple fatalities of family members and friends trying to rescue one or more victims.