COVID Safety Protocols

These are the CDC and state of California Covid Safety Protocols that we are complying with:

Cleaning and Disinfecting Protocols 

  • Perform thorough cleaning in high traffic areas, such as break rooms, lunch areas and areas of ingress and egress including stairways, stairwells, escalators, handrails, and elevator controls. Frequently disinfect commonly used surfaces, including shopping carts, baskets, conveyor belts, registers (including self-checkout), scanners, register telephones, hand-held devices, counters, door handles, shelving, ATM PIN pads, customer assistance call buttons, handwashing facilities, etc. 

  • Clean and sanitize shared equipment, including but not limited to, pallet jacks, ladders, supply carts, time clocks, payment portals, and styluses between each use. 

  • Clean touchable surfaces between shifts or between users, whichever is more frequent, including but not limited to working surfaces, tools, and stationary and mobile equipment controls. 

  • Equip customer entrances and exits, checkout stations, customer changing rooms with proper sanitation products, including hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes, and provide personal hand sanitizers to all frontline staff (e.g., cashiers). 

  • Ensure that sanitary facilities stay operational and stocked at all times and provide additional soap, paper towels, and hand sanitizer when needed. 

  • To minimize the risk of Legionnaires’ disease and other diseases associated with water, take steps to ensure that all water systems and features (e.g., drinking fountains, decorative fountains) are safe to use after a prolonged facility shutdown. 

  • Provide resources to promote workers’ personal hygiene. This will include tissues, no-touch trash cans, hand soap, adequate time for hand- washing, alcohol-based hand sanitizers, disinfectants, and disposable towels. 

  • When choosing disinfecting chemicals, employers should use products approved for use against COVID-19 on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-approved list and follow product instructions. Use disinfectants labeled to be effective against 
    emerging viral pathogens, diluted household bleach solutions (5 tablespoons per gallon of water), or alcohol solutions with at least 70% alcohol that are appropriate for the surface. Provide workers training on the chemical hazards, manufacturer’s directions, ventilation requirements, and Cal/OSHA requirements for safe use. Workers using cleaners or disinfectants should wear gloves and other protective equipment as required by the product instructions. Follow the asthma-safer cleaning methods recommended by the California Department of Public Health and ensure proper ventilation. 

 

  • Adjust or modify store hours to provide adequate time for regular, thorough cleaning and product stocking. Stagger stocking so that associates are in different aisles. 

  • Provide time for workers to implement cleaning practices during their shift. Cleaning assignments should be assigned during working hours as part of the workers’ job duties. Procure options for third-party cleaning companies to assist with the increased cleaning demand, as needed. 

  • Install hands-free devices, if possible, including motion sensor lights, contactless payment systems, automatic soap and paper towel dispensers, and timecard systems. 

  • Encourage the use of debit or credit cards by customers, for example, through signage. 

  • Consider installing portable high-efficiency air cleaners, upgrading the building’s air filters to the highest efficiency possible, and making other modifications to increase the quantity of outside air and ventilation in offices and other spaces. 

  • Physical Distancing Guidelines 

    • Retailers should create clearly-marked curbside or outside pickup points that maintain physical distance with visual cues or other measures, and have purchased goods available there or available through home delivery. 

    • Implement measures to ensure physical distancing of at least six feet between workers and customers. This can include use of physical partitions or visual cues (e.g., floor markings, colored tape, or signs to indicate to where workers and/or customers should stand). 

    • Take measures at checkout stations to minimize exposure between cashiers and customers, such as Plexiglas barriers. 

    • Consider offering workers who request modified duties options that minimize their contact with customers and other workers (e.g., managing inventory rather than working as a cashier or managing administrative needs through telework). 

 

 

  • Adjust in-person meetings, if they are necessary, to ensure physical distancing and use smaller individual meetings at facilities to maintain physical distancing guidelines. 

  • Place additional limitations on the number of workers in enclosed areas to ensure at least six feet of separation to limit transmission of the virus. 

  • Stagger worker breaks, in compliance with wage and hour regulations, to maintain physical distancing protocols. 

  • Close break rooms, use barriers, or increase distance between tables/chairs to separate workers and discourage congregating during breaks. Where possible, create outdoor break areas with shade covers and seating that ensures physical distancing. 

  • Close in-store bars, bulk-bin options, and public seating areas and discontinue product sampling. 

  • Dedicate shopping hours for vulnerable populations, including seniors and those medically vulnerable, preferably at a time following a complete cleaning. 

  • Increase pickup and delivery service options for customers to help minimize in-store contact and maintain social distancing, such as online ordering and curbside pick- up. 

  • Provide a single, clearly designated entrance and separate exit to help maintain physical distancing where possible. 

  • Adjust maximum occupancy rules based on the size of the facility to limit the number of people in a store at one time, using no more than 50% maximum occupancy. 

  • Be prepared to queue customers outside while still maintaining physical distance, including through the use of visual cues. 

  • Encourage workers to practice physical distancing during pickup and delivery by talking with the customer through a passenger window, loading items directly into the customer’s trunk without contact, or leaving items at their door. 

  • Make some locations pickup- or delivery-only to minimize worker/customer contact, where possible. 

  • Install transfer-aiding materials, such as shelving and bulletin boards, to reduce person-to-person hand-offs where possible. Wherever possible, use contactless signatures for deliveries. 

  • Expand direct store delivery window hours to spread out deliveries and prevent overcrowding. 

 

Additional requirements must be considered for vulnerable populations. The retail industry must comply with all Cal/OSHA standards and be prepared to adhere to its guidance as well as guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). Additionally, employers must be prepared to alter their operations as those guidelines change. 

 

Required Use of Face Coverings 

On June 18, CDPH issued Guidance on the Use of Face Coverings, which broadly requires the use of face coverings for both members of the public and workers in all public and workplace settings where there is a high risk of exposure. 
 

People in California must wear face coverings when they are engaged in work, whether at the workplace or performing work off-site, when: 

  • Interacting in-person with any member of the public; 

  • Working in any space visited by members of the public, regardless of whether 
    anyone from the public is present at the time; 

  • Working in any space where food is prepared or packaged for sale or distribution to others; 

  • Working in or walking through common areas, such as hallways, stairways, elevators, and parking facilities; 

  • In any room or enclosed area where other people (except for members of the person’s own household or residence) are present when unable to physically distance; 

  • Driving or operating any public transportation or para transit vehicle, taxi, or private car service or ride-sharing vehicle when passengers are present. When no passengers are present, face coverings are strongly recommended. 
    Complete details, including all requirements and exemptions to these rules, can be found in the guidance. Face coverings are strongly encouraged in other circumstances, and employers can implement additional face covering requirements in fulfilling their obligation to provide workers with a safe and healthful workplace. Employers must provide face coverings to workers or reimburse workers for the reasonable cost of obtaining them. 
    Employers should develop an accommodation policy for any worker who meets one of the exemptions from wearing a face covering. If a worker who would otherwise be required to wear a face covering because of frequent contact with others cannot wear one due to a medical condition, they should be provided with a non-restrictive alternative, such as a face shield with a drape attached to the bottom edge, if feasible, and if the medical condition permits it. 
    Businesses that are open to the public should be cognizant of the exemptions to wearing face coverings in the CDPH Face Covering Guidance and may not exclude any member of the public for not wearing a face covering if that person is complying with the guidance. Businesses will need to develop policies for handling these exemptions among customers, clients, visitors, and worker