HACCP-Based Occupational Health and Safety System for the New Normal

The #Covid-19 has ushered the world to a new normal. And the ushering was done in a manner that left us without much of a choice. At least as of this writing. Or until a vaccine has been developed that could provide people with real protection from #SARSCOV2 coronavirus. After a lockdown of more than two months, Metro Manila is slowly opening up. This despite the clear indications that the IATF, the government body called Inter Agency Task Force, has failed to #flatten the curve. Business must open. People must come back to work. The sad thing is, many workers have no longer work to return to. Many businesses have either temporarily shutdown or have permanently closed shop. For those businesses who must open, they are facing the daunting challenge of how to keep their organizations safe from the pandemic by preventing their employees from contracting Covid-19. The Department of Labor and Employment (#DOLE) and the Department of Trade and Industry (#DTI) have released guidelines on how business organizations can protect their employees from Covid-19. This #HACCP-based safety system is not meant to sideline or replace these government guidelines. Rather this safety system is designed to enhance our organization's ability to create a science-based layers of protection that could protect everyone from contracting Covid-19.

What is HACCP?

HACCP stands for hazard analysis and critical control points. It is a basic global standards used by food processing companies to ensure safety of their products. It was originally developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to ensure the health and safety of astronauts in space. What makes HACCP relevant to the current pandemic crisis?

The relevance of HACCP lies in its proven efficacy in the creation of control measures that companies can use to protect their people and business from the risk posed by Covid-19. What are the key principles of HACCP?

HACCP has seven key principles that organizations can follow or modify accordingly depending on their needs. These are:

1. Analyze the hazard

2. Determine critical control points

3. Set limits to critical control points

4. Establish monitoring procedures for critical control points

5. Establish corrective action

6. Establish verification procedures

7. Establish a record system

HACCP Principle Number 1: Analyze the hazard

In the language of occupational safety and health a hazard is anything that has the potential to cause harm. For the purpose of this article, it identifies and defines this hazard as the hazard of employee or personnel or supplier contracting the dreaded Covid-19 disease, which is caused by SARS Cov-2 virus. Being caused by a virus, the hazard poses extra-ordinary challenge to the organization. In order to effectively deal with this hazard we should seek for accurate and valid information about Covid-19 and the virus that causes it.

Characteristics of Covid-19 virus.

1. It is highly infectious

2. It spreads through contact of saliva or droplets from the mouth and nose when the infected person speaks, sneezes or breath.

3. It can remain potent in closed environment for as long as 48 hours, depending on the materials it attaches to.

4. It can be destroyed using disinfecting agents or alcohol with 70% formulation.

5. It can also be destroyed by washing hands with soap for 20 seconds in running water.

6. It is mutating fast and as of April 20 scientists have discovered 30 new strains of the virus

7. Cats have been found to be susceptible for SARS Cov-2 infection.

8. Vaccines remain the best way to stop the virus from spreading.

9. There is no available cure yet for Covid-19.

10. Confined spaces are the best place for the virus to be spread

HACCP Principle Number 2: Determine the Critical Control Points

Critical control points may be defined as those points or nodes in the movement of people and materials where the probability of cross contamination or infection could take place. 1. Shuttle bus service (this includes the bus doors, handles, seats, etc.)

2. Entry/exit points of the building (these include doors in rest rooms or canteen)

3. Touch points such as door knobs, trolley handles, etc.

4. Laptops, computer mouse, etc.

5. Use of ballpen, paper, etc.

6. Distribution and disposal of PPEs,

7. Roaming and roving personnel

8. Cross flows and backflows in processes involving movement of materials and people.

HACCP Principle Number 3: Set Limits to Critical Control Points

1. Thermal scan results should be set, say any body temperature reading above 37.4 degrees centigrade means the person may be considered as infected.

2. In the shuttle buses, there should only be one rider per row.

3. A two-meter distance should be set for lines in riding buses, entering the building, and other congregating or queuing processes involving people.

4. 20 seconds hand washing with soap in running water must be standard for those who go to rest rooms.

5. People should be limited to their areas of work and must never be allowed to enter or visit more than two other areas.

6. All personnel should be subject to thermal scanning four times a day, before they board the shuttle service, before they enter the building, during meal time, and before leaving the building.

7. Service crews should disinfect identified touch points every 30 minutes or 1 hour.

HACCP Principle Number 4: Establish monitoring procedures for critical control points.

1. Even if the people are already seated in the shuttle service, a random thermal scanning should be conducted.

2. The same randomized thermal scanning may be done to people while they are at work.

3. Monitoring of these regular and random control measures should be done constantly.

4. Movement of people inside the building should be tracked and recorded through proper identification to ensure that in the event of infection it is easier to determine probable exposed personnel and areas of work that must be subject to decontamination or disinfection.

5. Reporting violations of social distancing (2 meters) and wearing of PPEs (facemasks and gloves, etc.) should be done rigorously.

6. Audits shall be part of the monitoring.

HACCP Principle Number 5: Establish Corrective Action

Any violations of the established limits to control points and control measures should have a corrective action. For instance, if an employee removed his/her facemask inside the manufacturing area Zone A, the whole Zone A would be subject to decontamination or disinfection procedure and all personnel shall be sent home for a 2-week quarantine. Corrective action should be on hand to address incidents of failure in the control points processes.

This may sound very stringent and so it is up to the management to set the proper corrective actions.The point is to emphasize that Covid-19 is a serious problem and it needs serious and stringent actions.

HACCP Principle Number 6: Establish Verification Procedures

Verification procedures should ensure that all processes follow the defined and designed flows and activities. This includes a way to validate the readings of equipment used to monitor compliance to the control measures, including thermal scanning devices, purity of alcohol being used as disinfectants, the quality of the PPEs used, etc.

HACCP Principle Number 7: Establish a Record System

All the components of this HACCP-based control measures should be properly recorded for analyses and reviews. This is also important for audit and evaluation of the processes for continual improvement as well as in instituting corrective actions.

A good recording system will also help build information on probable Covid-19 virus exposed personnel and contaminated work areas if a Covid-19 incident happens. This will help the company execute corrective actions quickly such as sending of relevant personnel to 2 weeks quarantine as well as decontamination or disinfection of the contaminated work areas.

Communication, Information, and Education

The company should be able to communicate the goals and objectives of this HACCP-based control measures for the new normal.

All relevant information based on the growing body of knowledge about the pandemic should be studied and shared to all stakeholders so that everyone will have accurate knowledge.

Educating our people involves creating an atmosphere where honesty on the part of the stakeholders are present, accurate information is communicated, and relevant knowledge is shared so that everyone is empowered to win the fight against Covid-19. Let us remember that our strength is only as good as our weakest stakeholder. #SafetyFirst #OccupationalSafetyAndHeath #HACCPtoFightCovid #BusinessContinuityPlan