COVID-19 Response Plan

The Disaster Management Team (“DMT”) is a group of SAS executives that oversees decisions related to business continuation as it relates to COVID-19.

The DMT is responsible for the following during this unprecedented time:

• Actively monitoring the development of the virus outbreak and working to disseminate messages to employees and customers with clear instructions when measures need to be activated.
• Educating employees on the latest available information.
• Assessing and instituting remote workforce options where possible.
• Briefing employees on the need for infection control measures and the preventive procedures that have been set in place by SAS.
• Ensure HR has updated contact information of all employees, i.e. home address/home telephone number/mobile phone number, as well as ensuring all employees have updated contact information for the point of contact for the DMT.
• Employees are to contact the point of contact for the DMT and Human Resources if they suspect they have been exposed, know they have been exposed, have confirmation from a healthcare provider or are admitted to a hospital with suspected COVID-19 infections.
• Ensuring that employees who have traveled to affected areas (as defined by the CDC as Warning Level 2 & 3) are advised to self-quarantine for the recommended number of days.
• Ensuring that the workplace has adequate supplies of tissue paper/hand towels, and disinfectants.
• Briefing employees on personal hygiene measures, including:
  • Wash hands frequently;
  • Sneezing and coughing should be done into tissue paper which should be carefully disposed of;
  • Avoid sharing of cups, cutlery, etc.;
  • Avoid physical contact such as handshakes, hugging, high fives, or any other forms of physical contact.
• Putting up notices in washrooms on proper handwashing techniques.
• Ensuring common areas (e.g. pantries, washrooms, meeting rooms, etc.) are disinfected daily and liaising with cleaning crews about regarding the additional measures that should be taken on a daily basis.

Critical business functions are defined as functions that must continue to operate at a basic level in order to maintain the business or provide critical services to our customers. Without these functions, the business will not be able to continue working.

SAS deems the following employees to be essential: operations management, account managers, branch administrators and managers, customer service representatives, all technicians, installers, programmers, project managers and corporate executives. Essential employees will respond to prioritized activities which include emergency service cases under annual maintenance contracts and major project implementation agreed with customers. The process will be carried out as follows:

• Cross-training workers and establishing covering arrangements to minimize disruption.
• Continuously educating employees on infection control and good personal hygiene.
• Closely following COVID-19-related developments, as well as relevant travel and health advisories and government agency websites. In accordance with the latest developments, we are:
  • Encouraging employees to take precautionary steps based on advisories issued by government agencies;
  • Requiring employees to check the list of affected areas on the government agencies’, including, but not limited to, www.cdc.gov, websites before making any non-work-related travel plans;
  • Asking employees to adopt the following precautions at all times when travelling:
    • Avoid crowded places and close contact with people;
    • Observe good personal hygiene;
    • Practice frequent handwashing with soap for at least 20 seconds (e.g. before handling food or eating, after going to the toilet, or when hands are dirtied by respiratory secretions after coughing or sneezing);
    • Cover your mouth with a tissue paper when coughing or sneezing, and dispose the soiled tissue paper in the rubbish bin immediately; and
    • Seek medical attention promptly if you are feeling unwell.
  • Cleaning and disinfecting all company premises to reduce the risk of infection.
  • Instituting remote workforce options where possible.

Field Employees

The following guidelines are in place from OSHA regarding COVID-19:

• Perform a hazard assessment of the site or facility at which employees are working, such as a phone call or email.
• Evaluate the risk of exposure.
• Select, implement, and ensure employees use controls to prevent exposure at customer sites.

Administrative Controls for Office Employees

Additional administrative controls for COVID-19 may include:

• Establishing alternating days or extra shifts that reduce the total number of employees at any given time, allowing them to maintain distance from one another while maintaining a full onsite work week.
• Providing workers with up-to-date education and training on COVID-19 risk factors and protective behaviors (e.g., cough etiquette and care of PPE).
• Training workers who need to use protecting clothing and equipment how to put it on, use/wear it, and take it off correctly, including in the context of their current and potential duties.

Policy last updated on March 20, 2020