Haven; Home, Safe works closely with our valued contractors to maintain properties for the amenity and safety of residents, including people with disability and the elderly.
Contractors play a vital role in protecting people from coronavirus because you attend several locations each day, and may come in contact with tenants at higher risk because they are elderly, unwell or experience disability.
Each maintenance contractor must adopt infection control measures to protect yourself and help prevent and limit the spread of the coronavirus in our community.
Please find the necessary contractor documents from DHHS below.
Please find the necessary contractor documents from DHHS below.
A contractor MUST NOT attend any property if you answer YES to the following:
If you answer ‘YES’ to any of the above you must not accept a job or attend a site, and you must contact Haven; Home, Safe immediately for further instructions.
If the answer is NO, you should attend wearing Personal Protective Equipment as required including a mask, eye shield and gloves.
Before commencing works upon arrival and each day upon returning to the property, at a tenanted property, the contractor is to phone ahead and ask the tenant the questions below in regard to COVID-19.
“In response to COVID-19 (also known as the coronavirus), I will need to ask you the following questions before proceeding with the upgrade works”.
If the tenant answer is YES to either of the above, you should not attend the job AND advise Haven; Home, Safe immediately. HHS maintenance staff will work in consultation with the contractor to reschedule works.
If the answer is NO, you should attend wearing Personal Protective Equipment as required including a mask, safety goggles or eye shield, disposable gloves, and disposable coverall if dealing with waste or surfaces contaminated with blood or body fluids.
If the tenant answers ‘NO’ to all of the above, the tenant is to be advised all occupants and visitors at the property must wear a face covering and maintain a minimum separation of 1.5m from the contractor staff at all times.
The tenant is to be advised the contractor will provide them with face masks if they do not have any face coverings available.
The tenant is to be advised works will not be completed unless face coverings are worn by all persons at the property and those persons must observe social distancing at all times.
On arrival at and each day upon returning to the property, the contractor must also check daily that thier staff and any subcontractor working at the property answer ‘NO’ to all of the above questions. Before commencing work each day, the upgrade contractor must confirm with the tenant they have checked that their staff and subcontractors answer ‘NO’ to the above questions.
When working at public housing properties, upgrade contractors are at all times to:
The expectations of tenants, occupants and their visitors while the contractor undertakes the work are:
If tenants, occupants and their visitors do not adhere to the above requirements, the contractor is to request they comply. If they do not then comply, the contactor is to leave the site immediately and report this behaviour to Active and Haven; Home, Safe.
Contractors are to remove their tools and equipment from site at the end of each day, and dispose of all waste appropriately. Tools and equipment are also to the cleaned and disinfected daily (for example with 70% alcohol wipes or a bleach-based disinfectant). Materials required for the upgrade may be left on site provided they are safely placed/stored.
Active and Haven; Home, Safe owned and managed often contain shared or common areas that are not part of the private space occupied by tenants.
Contractors that typically perform work in estate common areas are:
When working in common areas, contractors are at all times to:
The expectations of tenants, occupants and their visitors while the contractor undertakes work are:
If tenants, occupants and their visitors do not adhere to the above requirements, the contractor is to request they comply. If they do not then comply, the contractor is to leave the site immediately and report this behaviour to Haven; Home, Safe.
Before commencing installation or removal of a movable unit at a property, the contractor is to ask the tenant (or the owner or occupant for a private property) the questions below in regard to COVID-19. Each day upon returning to the property, the contractor is also to ask the questions.
In response to COVID-19 (also known as the Coronavirus), I will need to ask you the following questions before
proceeding with the upgrade works.
If the tenant, occupant or owner answers ‘YES’ to any of the above, they are to be advised the works must be placed on hold, and the contractor must contact Haven; Home, Safe immediately.
If the tenant, occupant or owner answers ‘NO’ to all of the above, the tenant is to be advised all occupants and visitors at the property must wear a face covering and maintain a minimum separation of 1.5m from the contactor staff at all times. They are to be advised the contractor will provide them with face masks if they do not have any face coverings available. They are to be advised the works will not be completed unless face coverings are worn by all persons at the property and those persons must observe social distancing at all times.
The contractor must also check daily that their staff and any subcontractor working at the property answer ‘NO’ to all of the above questions. Before commencing work each day, the contractor must confirm with the tenant, occupant or owner they have checked that their staff and subcontractors answer ‘NO’ to the above questions.
When working at Active and Haven; Home, Safe owned and managed properties, contractors are at all times to:
The expectations of tenants, occupants and their visitors while the contractor undertakes the work are:
If tenants, occupants, owners or their visitors do not adhere to the above requirements, the contractor is to request the they comply. If they do not then comply, the contactor is to leave the site immediately and report this behaviour to Active and Haven; Home, Safe.
Contractors are to remove their tools and equipment from site at the end of each day. Tools and equipment are also to the cleaned and disinfected daily (for example with 70% alcohol wipes or a bleach-based disinfectant).
Materials required may be left on site provided they are safely placed/stored.
It is essential that all staff are trained in the correct use of PPE – putting it on (donning) and removing (doffing), before it is used to ensure cross contamination does not occur. This includes use of face masks, gloves, protective eye wear, gowns or coveralls.
Face masks must be worn by contractors at all public housing and department sites. Face masks must be worn indoors and outdoors at all times. Face masks must be disposable surgical masks (P2 or N95 respirator/masks are
not required).
Procedure for putting on a mask
Procedure for taking off a mask
When using a mask:
Protective eye wear must be used by contractors at all times at public housing properties. Protective eye wear can
either be safety goggles or face shields. Your own glasses are not sufficient. If goggles will not fit over your own glasses, then a face shield is to be worn.
You must always be physically distancing from others (at least 1.5 metres), even when wearing a face mask. Do not engage in personal greetings, for example hugging, handshakes. Wearing a face mask provides an additional physical barrier to coronavirus (COVID-19), however face masks are not a substitute for physical distancing.
It is important not to be complacent with physical distancing and other infection control practices when wearing a face mask.
You are reminded that the health and safety of everyone on this site is a shared responsibility by all staff and contractors. Physical distancing is one of the key ways to control the risk of transmission of the COVID-19 virus.
It is your legal obligation to take care of your own health and safety, and the health and safety of others by maintaining at least 1.5m distance from others. Ignoring the physical distancing rule puts you at risk of individual liability under OHS laws and more importantly puts your own health, your family, your fellow colleagues, their families and the community at risk.
If you are at the workplace and observed not to be physically distancing in circumstances where you are able to, you may be asked to leave the site immediately and in certain circumstances may not be permitted to return to work at the site.
Effective hand hygiene (washing and sanitising your hands properly) is essential in preventing COVID-19 infection.
Hands should be washed with soap and water if they are visibly soiled (dirty), otherwise you can use an alcohol-based hand rub (hand sanitiser). Hand sanitisers are to contain a minimum alcohol content of 70%.
Gloves are NOT a substitute for hand hygiene. Proper hand hygiene is more protective than wearing gloves for COVID-19.
Only wear disposal gloves when the duty you are performing will likely require handling of items contaminated with blood or body fluids. Perform hand hygiene with an alcohol-based hand rub before putting gloves on and after taking them off. When the task that the gloves were required for is complete, gloves are to be removed immediately and placed in the bin.
If the duty does not require handling of items that may be contaminated with blood or body fluids, gloves do not need to be worn – instead practice effective hand hygiene.
Hand hygiene should be performed often, including at the following times:
Alcohol-based hand rub should NEVER be applied to gloves.
Avoid touching your face. If you must touch your face, perform hand hygiene before and after doing so.
Ensure you use respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette at all times. This means coughing or sneezing into your inner elbow or a tissue. Put used tissues immediately into a bin and perform hand hygiene.
Always avoid touching your face.
Do not attend for work if you feel unwell or have any of the following COVID-19 symptoms:
If you are at work and start to experience the above symptoms or feel unwell, advise your manager, leave immediately and return to your home. Seek testing for COVID-19 as soon as possible – see below.
Contractors are to be tested for COVID-19 as soon as possible if they are:
Contractors are to self isolate at home until receiving the test results.
If the test results are negative, and you are feeling well enough to work, you may return to work at our properties. If the test results are positive, you are to follow the advice provided by medical professionals. You may only return to work once you have received written confirmation from a medical professional that you are no longer a risk of transmitting COVID-19 and are fit to return to work. The written confirmation is to be provided to Active and Haven; Home, Safe, and you may only return to work on receipt of written confirmation from us.
If you do not meet the criteria for Mandatory COVID-19 testing (outlined in the section above), it is still recommended that contractors working in Active and Haven; Home, Safe properties undertake regular voluntary COVID-19 testing.
In doing so, you are not required to self isolate while you wait for the test results, and can continue working at public housing properties while you await the test results.
Occupational violence and aggression (OVA) is never acceptable. OVA is when a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in a situation related to their work. This includes yelling, swearing, calling names, spitting, grabbing, hitting, punching, threats of violence, threats with weapons, indecent and sexual assault. If any of this behaviour happens to you while at a department site, and/or you feel unsafe at any time, withdraw and contact Active and Haven; Home, Safe immediately and/or the police on 000.
When you finish work, do hand hygiene protocols and go straight home. When you arrive home maintain physical distance to household members until you have done the following;
Self-monitor for any COVID-19 symptoms and if they appear, get tested and isolate until results are received.
Reference: COVID-19 Contractor Protocol – All public housing in Victoria 5 August 2020
For information and the advice about Coronavirus (Covid-19) go to the Department of Health and Human Services website www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus
Phone your doctor or the Coronavirus hotline – 1800 675 398 – if you need medical attention.
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Haven; Home, Safe acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land on which our organisation operates. We recognise their continuing connection to land, water and community and pay respect to indigenous elders past, present and emerging.
We are not The Haven Foundation which provides accommodation and daily living support for socially and financially disadvantaged individuals living with mental illness.
Copyright 2020 © Loddon Mallee Housing services trading as Haven; Home, Safe ABN 28 081 883 623
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