Cryogenics COVID Mitigation Plan - Revised 20200824

Social Distancing

Staff Scheduling / Physical separation

Under normal operation, only one person will work the cryogenics plants at any given time.

Additional personnel will be permitted in the cryogenics plant for training and maintenance purposes in a limited capacity.  When more than one person is int he pant, all people will wear disposable face masks and safety glasses ot face shields at all times and extra care will be taken with hand cashing and disinfecting the plant between personnel touching the same surfaces.

Staff will sign in and sign out of the plant.

Personnel will enter OEH B03 through the basement entrance of OEH rather than through the Hatridge hallway.

User / Customer contact

The student shop will be closed until further notice.  The student shop will be used to transfer materials between the main shop and the cryogenics area.  Staff between the two units will distance themselves by at least ten feet at all times.

Access to the cryogenics areas to non-cryogenics personnel will be prohibited. 

Any dewars to be pickup and returned will be left in prearranged areas to minimize contact with drivers.

All consultations whenever possible will be done remotely

PPE requirements

                Mask use

All staff will wear self-supplied or University-provided barrier or cloth masks at all times, including to and from work and in areas outside the main shop.

Face coverings are worn as a courtesy to mitigate asymptomatic individuals from unknowingly transmitting the virus. They are not PPE and do not negate the need to practice social distancing and other mitigation measures.

Other PPE

Safety glasses, hearing protection, faceshields, and cryogenic gloves continue to be required when operating the plant and filling dewars.

Gloves will be worn during cleaning and disinfecting procedures, but not at other times.

Hygiene / Disinfecting

                Hygiene Practices

All staff will wash hands before and after using shared equipment for at least twenty seconds.  Staff will wash their hands at least once an hour.

Staff will avoid touching their face.

Staff will sneeze or cough into their elbows.

                Cleaning and disinfecting

Since operation is mostly solitary common surfaces will be decontaminated at the end of every shift.

Staff will wear gloves while cleaning machines, but not during normal use.

Dewar rails and valves will be wiped down with appropriate disinfectant before being picked up for delivery and up receipt of empties.

COVID response

The name of any symptomatic or potentially infected individual will be reported immediately to Pete Chambers.

Working spaces or zones occupied by the potentially infected individual will be closed for the time period required by the University of Pittsburgh Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

Infected personnel will self-quarantine as required by the EOC (https://www.emergency.pitt.edu/) and not return to campus until they have been medically cleared.

Individuals who worked directly with the potentially infected person will self-quarantine as required by the EOC.

Portable equipment and supplies (e.g., notebook computers, portable drives) will not be removed until disinfected or deemed safe for removal.

                Staff sign off

All staff are required to acknowledge that they have read this document and abide by its contents.

All staff are required ensure the safety of all members of the team.  

Reporting

Any issues in instituting this plan should be reported up to Pete Chambers.   If a response is not received within two days, issues will be reported to Adam Leibovich.