Due to the requirement to reschedule most of our open enrolment courses this spring, we wish to clearly communicate our cancellation policy for anyone who has been affected by this rescheduling requirement.
If
Arboriculture Canada is unable to deliver an open enrollment course due to provincial
or federal health mandates, site hosts cancelling use of their facilities,
gathering restrictions or being deemed non-essential by governing bodies or
other reasons out of the control of Arboriculture Canada, pre-paid registrants will
receive an email with a new rescheduled date for their course.
The following
guidelines will apply if this occurs:
Pre-paid
registrant is required to contact the Arboriculture Canada office to let us
know if you can attend the newly scheduled dates within 2 weeks from the
notification of the rescheduled course.
If
you cannot attend the newly scheduled date, we will provide you a credit to be
used for a future course for a 2 year time period from the original course
date. No refunds will be given.
If
you do not confirm attendance in the newly scheduled course, and subsequently
notify us of not attending within 2 weeks before the course, no refunds or
credits will be given. This is due to
the necessity of ACTE knowing how many students to plan for in the last 2 weeks
before a course.
If a student
falls ill before a course and is unable to attend, he/she can send another
person in his/her place, and notify the ACTE office in advance if
possible. If a replacement cannot be
found, Arboriculture Canada will provide a credit (with no penalties) for a
future course to be used within 2 years from the date of the program he/she was
unable to attend due to COVID-19 illness or symptoms. Refunds will not be given.
If the cancellation
of a student or course is NOT related to COVID-19 symptoms or health mandates,
the cancellation policy as stated upon registration will remain in effect,
which is no refunds or credits for notification of cancellation after 13 days
before the course.
If an
Arboriculture Canada instructor experiences any symptoms of COVID-19 prior to a
course delivery he/she is required to declare these circumstances and to stay
home. Arboriculture Canada will endeavor
to find a replacement. If this is not
possible, we will reschedule the course. In this case, all prepaid monies will be
transferred to the new course dates. If
a student is not able to attend the new dates, the monies will be transferred
into a credit that can be used within 2 years from the date of the rescheduled
course.
Physical distancing and mask wearing help to mitigate COVID-19 risk at Arboriculture Canada courses.
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The
information in this document will be distributed to every stakeholder involved
in operations of Arboriculture Canada.
This includes every student, customer, site host, instructor, office
worker etc. affiliated with Arboriculture Canada Training programs.
This plan
defines safe operating procedures for Instructors, Assistants, Volunteers, Contractors,
Employees, Students, Customers, Site Hosts and any other affiliates in
planning, delivery and operation of training programs where there is risk of
transmission of the COVID-19 virus. This
document shall be used in addition to the recommendations from provincial and
federal health authorities. The purpose
of this document is to keep workers and the public safe while potentially
exposed to the COVID-19 virus.
The scope of
these protocols reaches geographically across Canada in all provinces where
Arboriculture Canada Training business is conducted, in addition to the office
and equipment storage locations. Arboriculture
Canada directors, instructors, assistants and employees must learn the
provincial requirements prior to program delivery and adhere to them. Additionally, the requirements and procedures
may change over time, and we require all stakeholders to check back to these
websites to check on updates and changes.
This document
states procedures that are common in all geographical areas, but there may be
specific differences between provinces to be aware of. The end of this document provides the web
links to provincial information on workplace protocols that are in place
provincially.
Please note
that this document does not comprehensively define all information pertaining
to the definitions and descriptions of Covid-19 and every symptom, treatment,
preventative measure, risk and health mandates.
This information has been found to be fluid and changing frequently as
more is learned about the spread of Covid-19, and as we do business in every
province of Canada, we request all stakeholders to access the provincial or
federal websites to confirm the most up to date information on these
definitions and descriptions.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Directors
and Office Support Staff
Arboriculture
Canada requires all instructors to attend a Corona Virus online training
session and sign a declaration of understanding to ensure familiarity with
expectations for protecting contractors, employees, customers, students and
affiliates from hazards associated with exposure to the Corona Virus infections
within the workplace. This training will
include the Standard Operating Procedures for Course Delivery that instructors
will be required to follow at every course event.
Arboriculture
Canada will ensure sanitization of the head office in Olds, AB. All individuals who work in this office will
be able to abide by physical distancing due to placement of work areas. In addition, common use surfaces, washroom,
light switches, door knobs, office furniture and equipment will be wiped down
multiple times daily and before and after individual use when more than one
person is working in the office.
Provision will be made for working from home if necessary, and will be
encouraged when possible.
Arboriculture
Canada will provide the following kit for each course, or provide the
instructor with means to attain these items for each course.
Box
of plastic gloves
Alcohol
based hand sanitizer
Alcohol
based hand wipes
Hand
cleansing station for field sites that includes water bag and soap
Students
/ Customers
The students
and customers of Arboriculture Canada, whether individuals, government
organizations or private sector companies are responsible for their own health
and safety for workers while workplace training is taking place. Arboriculture Canada will request COVID-19
policies from our contract customers / site hosts and will share with our
instructors prior to arrival for a training program.
All students
and contract customer representatives will be sent a full equipment/gear and
PPE (Personal protective equipment) list before courses. We will be requesting all students to bring
this gear to the courses.
Every student
and/or contract customer representative will be required to complete and sign a
health self-assessment at the start of a course, or in writing prior to course
delivery. Individuals who are
experiencing illness or possible symptoms of Covid-19 will be asked to not
attend the course.
All students
will be requested to follow the guidelines and protocols in this document. If a student refuses to adhere as requested,
the instructor has the right to request that student to leave the course.
Contract
Instructors, Assistants and Volunteers
Arboriculture
Canada instructors are contractors to Arboriculture Canada, and thereby are
responsible for their own health and safety protocols related to COVID to
protect themselves, including, but not limited to: site preparation, course delivery, vehicle
usage (including rental vehicles), air travel risks, hotel use and clean up
after the course. All contractors must
have COVID health protocols documented and sent to ACTE for our records. Instructors must carry and use his/her own
equipment/gear and PPA pertaining to the course they are teaching, and
additionally must provide and bring his/her own PPE for virus protection (face
covering, hand sanitizer and/or wipes).
All
Individuals involved with Arboriculture Canada training programs
Any individual
has the right to refuse unsafe work and the responsibility to adhere to all
safety precautions and to report unsafe acts that may expose co-workers or the
general public to risks associated with Corona virus infections. Contractors, employees, customers and
affiliates have the responsibility to stay home from work if they are
displaying symptoms associated with a Corona Virus or have been notified that
they have been in contact with someone infected with COVID-19.
Recognize hazards / assess risks
Arboriculture Canada delivers training to our customers with
the use of indoor classroom/meeting spaces as well as outdoor field sites. Our Instructors, contractors and staff will
minimize risks where-ever possible during a training program.
Coronaviruses are spread mainly from person to person through close contact.
For example, in a household, workplace, or health care center. Some human
coronaviruses spread easily between people, while others do not. During the
day, your hands touch many surfaces. Once contaminated, your hands can transfer
the virus to your eyes, nose, or mouth. From there, the virus can enter your
body and make you sick.
Arboriculture Canada uses the National Institute of
Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH) Hierarchy of Controls developed by the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Each course includes a site risk assessment. As part of this process the instructor will
include and cover the practices and expectations for minimizing the risk of
infection from COVID-19 and review the policies in place during the delivery of
the course.
MODEL: Applying the NIOSH Hierarchy of Controls When Dealing
With COVID-19
Arboriculture Canada and its contractors, instructors and
staff will learn the symptoms of COVID-19 infection, recognize and report these
hazards, use appropriate controls, and ensure that they will stay home if they
have symptoms.
Arboriculture Canada and our instructors, contractors and
staff recognize that we will have contact with people, including suppliers,
customers and co-workers, as well as contact with surfaces, such as tools,
equipment, machinery and surfaces within our vehicles and at the sites that we
visit. We could potentially come in contact with droplets from these
interactions. COVID-19 can travel in respiratory droplets that are released
into the environment by laughing, coughing, heavy breathing or sneezing.
Sick or
unwell individuals
Employees, Instructors,
Students, Staff or Affiliates with symptoms such as cough, fever, shortness of
breath, runny nose or sore throat symptoms must refrain from coming to work or
on-site to a training session. Refer to
provincial recommendations (listed at the conclusion of this document) or the
Public Health Agency of Canada for steps to take if you are experiencing these
symptoms. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection.html
Emails will be
sent to students one week in advance of all training programs with a
self-assessment tool. We ask each
individual to print and fill them out within 24 hours in advance of the course
and bring to the course. If you do not
complete this in advance and bring to the course, you will be required to
complete a hard copy at the start of the course.
If any
individual becomes sick while at work or on-site at a training program, they
must go home and follow the recommendations from their provincial health
organization or the Public Health Agency of Canada. There are self-assessment tools available
online on each provincial health website.
Instructors will be trained on how to manage situations at a training
program where symptoms common to COVID-19 may be apparent and have the right to
request an individual to complete a self-assessment and to leave a training
program if they feel there is reason to suspect an individual may be infected.
Impact on Cancellation Policies – Open Enrollment
If
Arboriculture Canada is unable to deliver an open enrollment course due to provincial
or federal health mandates, site hosts cancelling use of their facilities,
gathering restrictions or being deemed non-essential by governing bodies or
other reasons out of the control of Arboriculture Canada, pre-paid registrants will
receive an email with a new rescheduled date for their course.
The following
guidelines will apply if this occurs:
Pre-paid
registrant is required to contact the Arboriculture Canada office to let us
know if you can attend the newly scheduled dates within 2 weeks from the
notification of the rescheduled course.
If
you cannot attend the newly scheduled date, we will provide you a credit to be
used for a future course for a 2 year time period from the original course
date. No refunds will be given.
If
you do not confirm attendance in the newly scheduled course, and subsequently
notify us of not attending within 2 weeks before the course, no refunds or
credits will be given. This is due to
the necessity of ACTE knowing how many students to plan for in the last 2 weeks
before a course.
If a student falls ill before a course and is unable to attend, he/she can send another person in his/her place, and notify the ACTE office in advance if possible. If a replacement cannot be found, Arboriculture Canada will provide a credit (with no penalties) for a future course to be used within 2 years from the date of the program he/she was unable to attend due to COVID-19 illness or symptoms. Full refunds will not be given.
If the cancellation
of a student or course is NOT related to COVID-19 symptoms or health mandates,
the cancellation policy as stated upon registration will remain in effect,
which is no refunds or credits for notification of cancellation after 13 days
before the course.
If an Arboriculture Canada instructor experiences any symptoms of COVID-19 prior to a course delivery he/she is required to declare these circumstances and to stay home. Arboriculture Canada will endeavor to find a replacement. If this is not possible, we will reschedule the course. In this case, all prepaid monies will be transferred to the new course dates. If a student is not able to attend the new dates, the monies will be transferred into a credit that can be used within 2 years from the date of the rescheduled course.
Impact on Cancellation Policies – Contract
Courses
If a worker falls ill prior to a
course, the contract customer will be encouraged to replace the sick person
with another worker. This is the
responsibility of the customer/organization we are providing the training
program for.
Cancellation or rescheduling of
contract programs will not be encouraged if only 1 or 2 individuals are unable
to attend, unless discussed with ACTE Sales Manager and agreed upon. If a number of individuals are ill, we would
encourage rescheduling for the benefit of all.
Cancellations will follow the terms in the contract agreement. Rescheduling due to COVID-19 illness will be
permitted with no penalty, however, it is possible that incurred travel costs
due to rescheduling may be incurred by the contract customer.
If an Arboriculture Canada instructor
experiences any symptoms of COVID-19 prior to a course delivery he/she is
required to declare these circumstances and to stay home. Arboriculture Canada will endeavor to find a
replacement. If this is not possible, we
will reschedule the course for a mutually agreed upon date with the contract
customer.
This will follow the agreed upon Force
Majeure clause in all future contracts.
Methods to mitigate
risks during training programs
For all face
to face training programs, including seminars, workshops, conference events,
training courses and office work, the following health and wellness protocols
must be followed. All working
stakeholders with ACTE (instructors, assistants, volunteers, office personnel
etc.) will be provided with a SOP document and required to sign this to verify
understanding and compliance. This
document is more comprehensive than the following. Please feel free to request a copy of this
document.
All
workers should wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20
seconds or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizers (greater than 60% alcohol
content). Glove use alone is not a
substitute for hand hygiene. Hands should
be cleaned before and after using gloves.
Individuals
should make every effort to cough or sneeze into a bent elbow and promptly
dispose of used tissues in the trash.
Avoid
touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
Increase
frequency of cleaning surfaces and work and personal vehicles. Use an appropriate cleaner for wiping
surfaces frequently.
Avoid
close contact (within 2 meters) with anyone showing symptoms of a respiratory
illness, such as coughing or sneezing.
Consider
alternative forms of greeting someone other than shaking hands, fist bumping or
giving ‘high fives’.
Practice
healthy habits such as eating well, exercising, and getting enough rest to help
support your immune system.
Practice
social distancing of 2 meters or 6 ft at all times. (described in more detail below)
Washrooms
All indoor
classroom training sites will have washrooms available. Attendees are responsible to implement
personal sanitization for his/her own protection during and after using the
washroom, and are requested to ensure they have washed their hands and/or used
the hand sanitizer available. We will
continue to endeavor to use field sites where washrooms and/or port-a-potties
are available and will provide hand sanitizing stations (water and soap).
Physical
Distancing / Classroom and Field Site Requirements
All instructors and students must practice physical
distancing (staying 2 meters away from others) during classroom and field
training.
Classroom / Meeting spaces:
We will request our customers and site hosts to provide a classroom that
allows for physical distancing of all individuals (a minimum of 2 meters
between people).
Field site training will allow for physical distancing to be
maintained.
There will be circumstances during field site hand’s on
learning when an instructor may need to come closer to a student to assist a
student with ensuring that safety controls are in place before he/she ascends
to a height or operates equipment.
(‘elbow to elbow’ tasks) For
example: ensuring a climbing system,
harness, knots etc. are configured properly and set up so that safety is
ensured when a student climbs into an aerial position. The instructor will request permission from
the student to approach, masks/face coverings should be worn if permission is
given. If a student does not give
permission, the instructor retains the right to disallow the student from
operating the equipment or proceeding with climbing or ascending to a
height. The safety of all students continues
to be a priority in the learning environment.
If ‘elbow to elbow’ tasks are required between students, it must be
discussed first with the instructor and between participants.
Arboriculture Canada instructors will be trained in
management of group activities using the following strategies:
Introduce any field hand’s on
learning activities by requesting attendees to wear gloves (work gloves or
plastic disposable gloves) when sharing ropes, gear etc. between
attendees.
Remind attendees not to touch their
face while using gloves, and to discard plastic gloves safely.
Promote safe distancing when
demonstrating techniques for students.
Encourage respect of individuals in protecting themselves from
infection.
Encourage use of hand sanitizing
stations
Wear mask, buff or alternate face
covering when working around others, or at the request of an attendee
For the protection of the public during field training,
Arboriculture Canada instructors place signage or tape around the training area
to ensure that the public does not wander into the space where the training
takes places.
Handling Paper
Arboriculture Canada will minimize the use of paper at
courses by the following methods:
All course workbooks, certificate
packages and course handouts will be emailed to student. Students can either access them digitally
during the course or print their own copy.
Registration processes will be
executed without the sharing of pens and paper.
Gear /
Equipment
We request all attendees of training programs to bring
his/her own PPA – Personal Protective Apparel.
This includes hard hat/helmet, eye and ear protection, gloves, chainsaw
chaps and footwear. If an attendee does
not bring this gear, they will be unable to participate in field activities.
We will also be encouraging and requesting all
attendees/students to bring all the gear and equipment pertaining to the domain
/ course that they are taking to minimize the use of common gear and equipment
being shared between students. (a full
list will be sent to all customers in advance) Tools and equipment should not
be shared between workers if possible.
One worker is to be assigned to each tool for a period of use, which
could be a few minutes to a few hours.
If tools must be shared, tools will be sanitized before and after each
use.
Arboriculture Canada will bring extra gear and equipment to
courses, including chainsaws. We will be
increasing the sanitization of contact points of these items before, during and
after course events. We encourage all
students to bring his/her own hand wipes and hand sanitizers and to wipe down
gear that is borrowed before and after use.
If gear is being shared during a course, we also request attendees to
wear gloves (work gloves or disposable gloves) for added protection.
Introduce any field hand’s on
learning activities by requesting attendees to wear gloves (work gloves or
plastic disposable gloves) when sharing ropes, gear etc. between attendees.
Remind attendees not to touch their
face while using gloves, and to discard plastic gloves safely.
Promote safe distancing when
demonstrating techniques for students.
Encourage respect of individuals in protecting themselves from
infection.
Encourage use of hand sanitizing
stations
Wear mask, buff or alternate face
covering when working around others, or at the request of an attendee.
Arboriculture Canada will have available the following items
for student use if students neglect to bring their own:
Plastic gloves
Hand sanitizing station (water and
soap)
Hand sanitizer / disinfectant spray
bottle
Disinfecting wipes
Disinfecting / Cleaning Tools and Equipment
Regular tool cleansing when there is
no suspected case of COVID-19 can be accomplished using a soap and water
solution, or a commercially available disinfecting hand towel wipe, or by a
disinfecting wash. Refer to the below recommendations on how to clean and
disinfect tools and equipment. Arboriculture
Canada Training and Education instructors will
use manufacturer’s instructions to prevent possible damage to the equipment and
any required personal protective equipment (PPE) for the worker. Consider
escalating the cleansing protocol in both the frequency and the disinfecting
method when more people are expected to touch the tool.
When a participant has been
discovered to have symptoms of COVID-19, the tools and equipment that the
worker recently used will be isolated from further use, cleaned, and
disinfected.
Isolate
tools and equipment
•
Identify tools and equipment that the participant was recently using.
•
Isolate these tools and equipment for cleansing and disinfecting.
•
Use PPE such as gloves and coveralls to move the tools and equipment, and wash
or dispose of the PPE after use.
Cleansing
and disinfecting
•
If tool are contaminated Arboriculture Canada Training and Education
instructors will disinfect them.
As more is learned about the
COVID-19 virus, new disinfection guidelines may become available that can
specify how long the virus can live on surfaces, and if it is appropriate
to set equipment aside for a period as a disinfectant procedure.
How
to clean and disinfect tools and equipment
1.
Protect from the possible transfer of germs to yourself by wearing PPE. Wear
PPE such as waterproof gloves for your hands and face shield and mask to
protect your eyes, face, and mouth. Wear coveralls to protect your clothing.
2.
Make sure all power is off and disconnected on power tools and equipment. Read
the manufacturer’s directions for cleaning to avoid possible damage from
liquids and chemicals.
3.
Clean surface with soap and water to remove all visible debris and stains, and
some of the germs.
4.
Follow labeled instructions and safety data sheets on all containers of cleansing
products you use.
5.
Many disinfecting products are available to buy; however, they may be difficult
to obtain under extreme demand. Typical recommendation is to allow surface to
remain wet for 5-10 minutes. Rinse thoroughly, and air dry.
6.
Remove disposable PPE and discard. Remove coveralls and place in a bag for
washing in a bleach wash as per the bleach manufacturer’s guidance.
7.
Wash your hands after removing all PPE. In addition to isolating and cleansing
tools and equipment, inform all parties of the protocols, and which tools and
equipment are in isolation. Store enough cleaning and disinfesting solutions on
site to deal with expected demand.
Manufacturers have posted tips and best
practices for keeping your equipment clean.
ACTE has created a helpful summary consisting of samples from
manufacturers of arborist tools for cleaning their products.
Transportation
It is the responsibility of students and companies who are
taking the training programs to manage and monitor their own modes of transportation
and the safety factors involved with car pooling to attend the course. All companies and workplaces should have
protocols in place that stipulate guidelines for vehicle travel.
Arboriculture Canada instructors have the right to refuse
vehicle transportation to students and customers if he/she feels it is unsafe
to do so. In all cases if an instructor
is required to share a vehicle with someone who does not live in his/her
household, we encourage him/her to wear face protection. Instructors traveling together in a vehicle
must respect the request for face protection of the other person. Each instructor is required to provide
his/her own face mask and/or buff to protect respiration while in close spaces.
Student /
Instructor Ratio’s
Although Arboriculture Canada has always maintained low student to instructor ratio’s, it is possible that these ratio’s may be even lower in order to both comply with gathering requirements in the provincial health mandates, as well as to mitigate the risk of spreading the virus. We will be adhering to the provincial gathering requirements where the courses are taking place. In some provinces, this means group sizes of 5 or less (including the instructors) and up to 15 or less. This may impact the cost of training over time depending on whether or not (and when) these restrictions are lifted.