Vicom COVID-19 Protocols and Procedures in Working with our Customers

 

October 29, 2020

 

The health and safety of Vicom’s employees and customers is our primary concern as we provide solutions and professional services to support our customers’ business operations. Our goal is to provide the safest environment possible for our employees and customers by following best-practice guidance from State and Federal authorities. Vicom is taking extra precautions to protect our employees and our customers as outlined below:

 

1. We are asking our employees and customers to carefully consider whether on-site presence is required to perform our services. If our professional services can be performed remotely, we will make every effort to do so and avoid unnecessary on-site visits.

2. If it is jointly deemed necessary for Vicom resources to physically visit customer locations, Vicom employees will abide by our customers’ policies and procedures for on-site visits.

3. With or without specific guidance from our customers, Vicom employees will adhere to the following guidelines until further notice:

   • Face coverings will be worn when in direct contact with customers.

   • Face coverings or other PPE will not be shared among Vicom employees or between Vicom employees and customers.

   • Social distancing of at least 6 feet will be observed at all times.

   • Phone calls or other collaborative technologies are preferred to face-to-face meetings and should be used whenever possible, even while on-site at customer locations.

   • In-person meetings should be limited to the smallest number of participants possible but no more than 10 participants under any circumstances.

   • In-person meetings should only be scheduled in well-ventilated rooms that allow for at least 6 feet of space between participants.

   • Personal hygiene, including avoiding unnecessary touching of surfaces, coughing or sneezing into tissues or bended elbows, and washing hands several times daily with soap for at least 20 seconds (especially before eating) is expected of all Vicom employees.

4. In the event that there is a difference between the Vicom guidelines above and customer guidelines, Vicom employees are required to follow whichever guidelines are more conservative.

5. If any unforeseen situation arises at a customer location that causes one of our employees to feel unsafe, they will contact the associated Project Manager and their direct manager immediately for guidance and avoid putting themselves or our customers at risk.

6. Employees should report any illness or suspected illness to their managers immediately. Any employee who is ill will not be sent to a customer location or report to a Vicom office. The employee will be strongly advised to seek medical attention if exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 such as cough, shortness of breath, fever, chills, or a new loss of sense of taste or smell. Employees exhibiting symptoms of or diagnosed to have COVID-19 must meet one of the following requirements before returning to a Vicom office or a customer location:

   • A test using paired nasopharyngeal and throat swabs rendering negative results

     • - OR -

   • Employee has been declared as COVID-19 free by a local health authority or attending hospital facility as defined by established protocol

     • - OR -

   • At least 14 days have passed since recovery, defined as resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and improvement in respiratory symptoms (e.g. cough, shortness of breath).

7. As Vicom’s internal triage progresses, the status of any Vicom employee with a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19 who has been reporting to a customer facility will be immediately communicated to our customers as information becomes available.

8. Vicom employees are being required to report to their managers on all travel (including personal travel), and employees who have recently travelled internationally will work remotely and not be sent to customer locations or report to a Vicom office for a minimum of 14 days from their date of return to the US. New York State guidance will be followed regarding employees who have travelled domestically.

9. Any employee who has known contact with a person with a confirmed COVID-19 case should immediately report this information to their supervisor. Employees will be directed to work remotely and will not be sent to customer locations or report to a Vicom office for a minimum of 14 days from the date of notification and monitor for symptoms.

10. While Vicom employees reporting to customer locations are typically not the same pool of employees who work in Vicom offices, there is certainly overlap. What follows is our Contingency plan for a confirmed COVID-19 case in a Vicom employee.

    • Vicom is following guidance given by the New York State Department of Health. If a Vicom employee tests positive for COVID-19, Vicom will follow the following guidelines:

      • When an employee attended work at a Vicom facility prior to being confirmed as a COVID-19 case, New York State Department of Health requires an initial 24-hour office closure in order to begin an investigation to determine the contacts that the individual may have had within the work environment. That investigation will inform the plan determined by the local department of health as to any further required closure, or other necessary precautions to take for specific rooms, or for specific individuals.

      • During that initial 24-hour office closure the business shall immediately take steps to clean and disinfect the building(s) where the employee had contact prior to testing positive for COVID-19. That disinfection must be in accordance with NYS DOH guidelines and must be complete before accepting returning employees. During this time all employees able to work remotely will be required to do so.

      • Once the initial office closure and disinfection have been completed, only essential employees will return to the office and the remainder of employees will continue to work remotely until further notice. This will keep the number of people in the office and the associated risk as low as possible while still allowing the business to operate.

 

Vicom is also following CDC and New York State guidance for businesses at our facilities, including actively mandating employees who are sick to stay home, performing additional environmental cleaning, limiting business travel to essential travel, encouraging personal hygiene, and encouraging the use of conference calls or other collaborative technologies in lieu of group meetings when feasible.