COVID-19 Update: Changes to office and work spaces
This year, not sharing is caring
We are making more changes to reduce touchpoints on campus. This helps control the exposure and transmission of COVID-19 and creates a safer environment for everyone.
Removing Communal Kitchen Appliances
Communal kitchen and cooking appliances will be removed from students’ areas, office areas, break rooms, meeting rooms, cafeteria areas and other shared spaces by August 17, 2020. This includes all microwaves, toaster ovens, kettles, barbecues and coffee machines. Refrigerators will remain available and regular touchpoint cleaning will be required.
New approach:
- Consider bringing hot lunch food in a thermos
- Only kettles may be kept at an employee’s own area for their personal-use only
- To avoid fire hazards, toaster ovens, microwaves and hot plates are not permitted in an employee’s own area.
Employees: If you prefer to keep your appliances in your own area, please unplug, clean, remove and store the appliances in your own area by end of the day on Friday, August 14.
Shared appliances will be kept in a designated storage room. Due to the number of appliances being removed and stored, facilities cannot guarantee that the exact appliance taken from your area will be returned to you when the time comes. Every effort will be made to return a similar appliance.
No shared food in offices, classrooms or meetings
To reduce the chances of virus transmission, students and employees are asked not to share food and beverages. This includes no shared snacks, meals, beverage dispensers (i.e., coffee carafes), utensils, dishes and mugs/cups.
No shared office supplies
All faculties, departments and areas are to remove commonly shared items and materials:
- office supplies (staplers, hole punches, paper cutters, scissors, tape dispensers, etc.)
- printed materials (posters and display units, brochures and pamphlets, handouts, business cards)
Where possible, also reduce your use of cello tape and masking tape.
If employees prefer to remove these items in your own area, please do so by end of the day on Friday, August 14, 2020. Facilities will start removing printed materials from display on the week of August 17, 2020.
Cleaning Kits and PPE Waste
Cleaning Kits
Cleaning kits will be placed in each classroom, office and meeting area. This kit supplements the daily area and touchpoint cleaning done by custodial services.
Kits include:
- Hand sanitizer
- Gloves
- Disinfectant spray
- Paper towel
- A copy of the safe work practice for the space
- A copy of the reordering process for the kit in that space
New approach:
- When you are finished using a space, please wipe-down the surfaces that you used
- In dedicated spaces, a departmental representative will be designated to check and reorder supplies
- In common areas, kits will be checked and restocked by custodial services and facilities
- Kit supplies are reordered through the CapU Bookstore, https://books.capilanou.ca/. Select “Shop” and then “Personal Protective Equipment”.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Waste
Waste bins will be placed in each classroom and in common areas for the proper disposal of used PPE and used paper towels.
Submitted by: Communications