Posts Tagged: Brian Oatman

4th of July safety and COVID-19 protocols

As we head off into a long holiday weekend and many of us are taking extended summer vacations, I wanted to wish everyone a safe 4^th of July and share a reminder of COVID-19 protocols.

Stay safe over the holiday weekend - If you are making fireworks part of your July 4^th celebration, please keep to the “Safe and Sane” versions. To prevent fires and injuries, remember to keep everyone, especially youngsters, a safe distance from fireworks, read the instructions, and have a bucket of water and a hose handy to keep you and your family safe! For more firework safety information, see https://www.readyforwildfire.org/more/fireworks-safety/

Take steps to prevent heat illness. Know the signs and symptoms of heat illness. If you are out in the heat, drink plenty of water, take rest breaks in the shade, and watch your friends and family for signs of heat stress. Our safety note on Heat Illness Awareness is intended for the workplace, but the information is applicable at home as well.

The rate of COVID-19 cases remains high in most parts of the state. According to the CDC COVID Data Tracker, in California, 38 counties are experiencing a high rate of cases, 18 have a moderate rate, and only two counties have a low rate of infections. We are seeing this COVID-19 surge continue within ANR, with June having the second highest number of cases in a month since the pandemic began. In areas with high COVID-19 transmission, CDC and CDPH recommend wearing a mask when indoors.

Please remember that we all need to continue to monitor ourselves for symptoms and take precautions if we learn we have been exposed to someone who has COVID-19. Employees who have symptoms, are exposed to someone who has COVID, or test positive need to report this to their supervisor and use the COVID-19 Screening Report survey to report their conditions. Follow the guidance of the survey if you are advised to stay home from work. If necessary, ANR's COVID-19 response team will follow up with you to provide more information about quarantine, leave, and your return to work. Even if you have been away from work for a few days, it is important to report your COVID-19 case, so we can determine if additional notification or other measures are required and manage your return to work. 

Have a happy and healthy July 4^th holiday!

Brian Oatman 
Director, Risk & Safety Services

State implements regional stay at home order

Because of your due diligence in maintaining safe practices, UC ANR COVID-19 infection rates remain below community rates. Many are weary from the additional effort required to keep loved ones and colleagues safe, and our work is not done. By working together, we can continue to protect those around us, and ourselves. Let's focus on getting through this last push before everyone has had the opportunity for vaccination.

Last week, the Governor and State Public Health Director issued a new Regional Stay At Home Order, requiring additional restrictions and limitations on public activity for portions of the state that are experiencing an impact to hospital ICU capacity. The order mandates that certain businesses may no longer serve customers, restricts the capacity of all retail establishments, and prohibits gatherings with people outside of your household. Over the weekend, two regions – Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley – passed the threshold of reduced ICU capacity that activated the Regional Order. Additionally, five Bay Area Counties issued local health orders that essentially adopted the requirements of the Regional Order immediately. Other counties have issued similar orders or increased stay-at-home restrictions, in advance of being required to do so by the state order.

What does this new order mean for UC ANR? First, stay informed about what is happening in your region and in your county concerning COVID-19 and public health orders. When your location is subject to the Regional Order, or similar local orders, the following adjustments must be made:

1. Research activities and agricultural operations may continue (with existing protective safety protocols), as these are considered critical infrastructure. If you are exploring engaging in new research projects, adopt strict safety standards and be prepared to scale back or cease if further orders may require. If you have questions about what work activities are critical, consult your director or manager.

2. Work remotely as much as possible. Reassess any in-office work; employees should only be coming to the office in the following limited cases:

• Essential business functions needed to support remote work.
• Situations where an employee cannot perform their duties or work effectively remotely.
• Short duration visits to pick up or drop off materials needed for work.

3. Any non-mandatory or non-critical in-person gatherings, meetings, or activities that bring together members of different households must be suspended. This means that 4-H meetings, Master Gardener activities, Master Food Preservers events, or other volunteer programs or workshops may only continue remotely/online.

This is a critical time in the fight against COVID-19. These additional restrictions are needed to “bend the curve” yet again, to bring down the rate of infection in the community and reduce the strain on our healthcare system.

Throughout the summer and early fall, UC ANR has had a very low rate of COVID-19 infections among our employees. However, as the rate of COVID-19 cases is currently surging statewide, UC ANR is also seeing an increase in cases among our employees, similar to the communities where we are located. Please continue your diligence to stay safe at home and at work to keep UC ANR working to serve our clientele.

Brian Oatman 
Director, Risk & Safety Services

Guidance for managing poor air quality conditions

As wildfires continue to burn in the north and south portions of the state, many of us are also affected by poor air quality. For the past several days, throughout much of Northern California, air quality measurements have ranged from “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” to “Very Unhealthy” as measured by the Air Quality Index (AQI).

Based on public health and air quality management information, we have developed the following recommendations:

• Monitor your local air quality predictions and real-time data. Most county or regional Air Quality Management Districts post this information on their website. You can find your local Air Quality Management District here: https://www.arb.ca.gov/capcoa/dismap.htm.
• As much as possible, avoid strenuous work or other activities outside when the AQI is in the Unhealthy range or above. Most buildings have air filtration and the effects of the poor outdoor air quality are reduced inside.
• Since individual employees can have different sensitivity to poor air quality, supervisors should allow employees to take a sick day, or modify their work activities, if needed to reduce exposure.
• If you cannot postpone outdoor work, consider using a respirator that will filter the particulate pollution that is in the air, such as an N95. However, be aware that when a particulate respirator is working effectively, it can slightly restrict air flow and make breathing more difficult. People with chronic respiratory, cardiac or other medical conditions that make normal breathing difficult should check with their doctor before using an N95 or any respirator.
  • If you are using a respirator, read the instructions on proper use, so you know what it will protect against, and how to wear it properly. The respirator must fit tight in order to be effective. For more information about how to properly wear a respirator, see http://www.sparetheair.com/assets/FaceMasks-FiltersInfo.pdf
  • Normally, the use of a respirator at work is to prevent exposure to workplace breathing hazards and a medical evaluation and a fit test are required. However, due to these extreme environmental conditions, voluntary use of a respirator may be appropriate, as long as the employee is provided the following information about respirator use:
    http://safety.ucanr.edu/Programs/Respiratory_Protection_Program/Voluntary_Use_Provisions/
  • For more details about use of respirators, see NIOSH: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/respirators/
• If your office needs to close due to fire-related conditions, the County Director, REC Director, or other leader should contact Brian Oatman (baoatman@ucanr.edu or 530-304-2054) to inform ANR administration of the closure.

The UC ANR Fire in California website has additional tips and information:https://ucanr.edu/sites/fire/Current/Health/Air_Quality/

You can also consult the UCANR Environmental Health & Safety website at: http://safety.ucanr.edu.

Brian Oatman
Director, Risk & Safety Services

 

View or leave comments for ANR Leadership at http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRUpdate/Comments.

This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.

Status of UCCE offices in fire-affected counties

Dear Colleagues,

I know we're all concerned about the devastating fires burning around California. I reached out to all of the ANR locations that I knew or thought may be affected by the active fires in California. The greatest impact is in Sonoma and Napa counties and at Sierra Foothill REC. We have heard that all employees are safe – a couple of people remain evacuated and are not yet able to return home to assess any damage. Below is a summary of what we know about some of the ANR locations.

ANR location status – as of 11 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 10:

Sonoma UCCE – Office was closed Monday, open on Tuesday. All employees are safe and none have suffered loss. Many have friends or family who lost homes in the fires. They are mobilizing to help in support and recovery (food bank, MG phone tree, reach out to 4-H families, helping with evacuated animals at fairgrounds). UCCE in Sonoma has partnered with CropMobster to help get the word out on fire resources. Anyone can post needs or offer help of any kind at https://sfbay.cropmobster.com/bay-area-fire-resources.

Napa UCCE – Office was closed Monday, partially open on Tuesday, expect to be fully open on Wednesday. All employees are safe. One county staff evacuated, waiting to return to home. One advisor assisting family member who lost a home.

Marin UCCE – Office is open with reduced staff – due to evacuations, road closures, etc. All staff are safe.

Mendocino UCCE – Office is open. All staff are safe, none evacuated, some have family members affected by fires in area.

Lake UCCE – Office is open. All staff are okay, none are evacuated.

Butte UCCE – Office was closed on Monday as a precaution, open on Tuesday. No employees directly affected by fires.

Sutter/Yuba UCCE – Office is open. All staff are safe, none subject to evacuation.

Hopland REC – REC is open as normal, not threatened by current fires (approx. 20 miles away).

Sierra Foothill REC – REC is under a mandatory evacuation order and closed since Monday. There is no immediate threat to the center however due to shifts in the weather and active fire, the evacuation orders may be in place at for some time. Currently the center has no power with no expected time of it coming back on line. Operationally the center has a skeleton staff handling bare necessities such as livestock care. All staff still on site are safe and can evacuate if needed at a moment's notice. Some staff have been evacuated from their homes in the area and have not been able to return yet. 

Orange UCCE/South Coast REC – REC and CE office are open, the location is not threatened by fire. All staff are safe, but an emeritus advisor and family of some staff members are under evacuation orders. 

In many counties, staff know of 4-H or Master Gardener families who have lost homes or suffered damage.

Here are some additional links to resources:

UC fire prevention or recovery resources: http://safety.ucanr.edu/Programs/emergency/EmrgResources/

Nationwide Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) resources from various state Cooperative Extension programs: https://eden.lsu.edu/educate/resources (Search for “wildfire”).

 

Brian Oatman
Director, Risk & Safety Services

UC Agriculture & Natural Resources
(530) 750-1264

http://safety.ucanr.edu

 

 

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