MSU Extension Nursery

Keeping our garden centers thriving starts by keeping our coworkers and customers healthy and safe. In agriculture, we know that pests and disease can spread quickly through our crops and animal herds, so we take steps to protect them. In the same way, we take steps to protect each other in the event of an infectious human disease. Pandemics and epidemics do not happen very often, but when they do, it's helpful to be prepared and know how to minimize their effect on our workforce and our communities. The impact of COVID-19 on our society and the strategies we use to stop the spread has changed the way that people work around the world. This training provides guidance for anyone working in greenhouses, garden centers, in close contact with others, or sharing common workspaces, tools, and equipment. We'll start with the big picture, including some of the steps that employers can take to protect their staff, and then focus on things that everyone can do to support those efforts in the workplace. It takes teamwork to prevent the spread of an infectious disease and we all need to do our part to protect ourselves, our families, and our communities. Infectious diseases are disorders caused by organisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites and these can be transmitted to humans in variety of ways. Today, we’re going to focus on respiratory illnesses that can be passed from person to person through the air. SARS, MERS, COVID-19, Swine flu, Avian flu, Spanish flu, and tuberculosis are all famous examples of respiratory diseases where infection through airborne particles is an important mode of transmission. While there are distinct differences between most of these diseases, they have several important things in common: 1: They spread rapidly from person to person, between people who are in close contact with one another, through respiratory droplets and mists that come out the mouth and nose, when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks. Many diseases can be spread in this way by people who do not know they are infected. 2: They can be transmitted by touching a surface or object that has been contaminated with the disease and then touching your eyes, mouth, or nose. 3: The severity of symptoms can vary widely: from very mild or no symptoms at all, to severe respiratory distress, and occasionally, even death. Preventing the spread of disease in the workplace is all about understanding the risk of exposure. One way to assess risk is to visualize it like a pyramid. In this occupational risk pyramid, there are 4 levels ranging from lower risk to very high risk. By understanding how people do their jobs or perform their tasks, we can assess their risk of exposure and place occupations and individual tasks into one of these categories. Occupations such as front-line health care, nursing home care, and emergency response usually fall into the high risk or very-high risk categories, while most agricultural jobs and tasks fall into the medium and low risk categories. It is customary for employers to perform this kind of risk assessment based on guidance from authorities focused on community and worker health. After we assess the risk of exposure, we focus on minimizing or eliminating those risks. While greenhouse and garden center employers are responsible for implementing the appropriate controls, employees are responsible for observing safety measures to the best of their ability. Based on recommendations from the CDC and health authorities around the world, the strategy for minimizing the spread of an infectious disease that may be transmitted through the air and on surfaces is to reduce exposure by doing the following: Maintain a distance of at least 6 feet from other people whenever possible. The more space the better. This reduces the risk of coming into contact with respiratory droplets. Wear face coverings correctly. Face masks and cloth face coverings that surround both the nose and mouth may reduce the amount of disease particles that a person sends into the air by providing a surface that prevents some of the droplets and mists from becoming airborne. Wash your hands frequently. Hand sanitizers are an acceptable substitute if soap and clean water are unavailable. People naturally emit respiratory droplets whenever they talk, breathe, cough, or sneeze. These droplets can be very tiny and travel a considerable distance, so the best way to avoid them is to put some space between you and other people. Employers and managers may be able to create extra distance between people in a number of different ways. Modifying work shifts, break times, and crew size can help reduce the number of people present in one location at any given time. It may be possible to change the work flow or the manner in which specific tasks are performed as a way to give workers more space. Other workplace modifications may include break room rearrangement, visual reminders such as posters and mats, and additional time clock stations. Garden centers differ from their greenhouse production counterparts in that they're open to the public. Working with the public can be fun and engaging, but also requires a few extra considerations. Owners and managers can reduce risk by limiting capacity, modifying the flow of customers, providing low and no contact shopping options such as online ordering, curb-side pickup, and delivery service. It's important to note that every greenhouse and garden center is different and may not have the ability to enact every possible option. Employers and their staff should work together to determine which actions are appropriate for their specific garden center and how to implement them. Once implemented, garden center staff should receive training on spatial distance measures enacted at their specific operation. Face coverings can become very important in situations where adequate spatial distance between people is not always possible. Wearing a face covering that covers both the mouth and nose may reduce the number of disease particles that a person sends out into the air and may prevent people who don't realize that they're infected from transmitting the disease to others. Three common types of masks that you may encounter are N95 respirators, surgical masks, and cloth face coverings. N95 respirators seal tightly against the face and are designed to protect the wearer by filtering 95% of particles out of the air. It is important to note, that for the purposes of preventing the airborne transmission of disease particles to other people, N95 respirators without valves must be used. It's also important to note that if an N95 respirator is required to be used in the workplace to perform work, employers must follow their established respiratory protection program that includes a medical evaluation and fit testing. Surgical masks do not seal tightly against the face and are not designed to filter out small particles. These types of masks offer protection by providing a surface to intercept large respiratory droplets. While they may provide modest protection for the wearer, the primary benefit of using them is to protect other people from respiratory droplets expelled by the person wearing the mask. Cloth face coverings come in a variety of shapes and sizes and offer protection by providing a surface to intercept large respiratory droplets. Just like surgical masks, they may provide some protection for the wearer, but the primary benefit of using them is to protect other people from respiratory droplets expelled by the person wearing the face covering. Face coverings and masks should surround the nose and mouth, fit snug over the bridge of the nose, and be easily secured with ear loops, ties, or similar devices. Cloth face coverings should consist of multiple layers of fabric. Single layer coverings, such as neck gaiters, are not recommended unless paired with another mask. Because you may be wearing them for extended periods, it’s important to make sure that they feel comfortable, while still providing the necessary protection. The very nature of garden center work means that we may get dirty and sweaty throughout the course of the day. If a face covering becomes wet, excessively dirty, or contaminated, replace it with a clean one. Masks and face coverings should not be shared with coworkers unless they've been appropriately laundered between use. Try not to touch them while you're working to avoid the possibility of transferring disease particles from your hands to your mask. It also helps to be mindful about how we put on and take off our masks. Health professionals recommend grabbing it from behind by the ear loops or untying it from behind. Avoid grabbing the mask by the front to prevent the possibility of transferring disease particles from your hands to your mask. Practice proper hand hygiene before and after you put on or take off your mask to keep it as clean as possible. And above all, it's important to remember that face coverings are not the same as respirators. If you are carrying out a task that requires PPE, especially in the case of pesticide label-required protection, cloth face coverings and surgical masks are not an acceptable substitute. They will not protect you in the same way that a respirator will. Health experts consider good hand hygiene to be an important component of a disease prevention program. Washing your hands with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer frequently frequently can reduce the risk of infection. It is particularly important to have clean hands when you eat or drink, touch your face, or adjust your mask. When you need to cough or sneeze, cover your nose and mouth with a tissue and then throw it in the trash. If a tissue isn't available, sneeze or cough into your elbow. Most importantly, wash your hands immediately after coughing, sneezing, or blowing your nose. Always before eating, and always after using the restroom. Be sure to use soap and water and scrub for 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, you can use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Make sure to rub the sanitizer over all the surfaces of your hand until dry. This should also take approximately 20 seconds. Although they'll do in a pinch, hand sanitizers are not the same as soap and water and may not get rid of every germ. Dirty greasy hands may reduce its effectiveness. Finally, hand sanitizers may not remove potentially harmful chemicals from your hands. Whenever possible, use soap and water. While we’re on the subject, let’s talk quickly about the difference between cleaning and disinfecting. Cleaning refers to the removal of dirt and other contaminants including germs. Disinfecting is the use of chemicals to kill germs on surfaces Disinfectants may not be able to remove dirt or other impurities from surfaces, which is why it’s important to clean a surface before using a disinfectant. The use of some cleaning and disinfecting products may require training from your employer. Select products that have been approved for use by the Environmental Protection Agency and be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions to avoid injuring yourself and others. Now that we've covered the basics, let's take a look at some common situations in garden centers and see how we can apply what we've learned. Maintaining spatial distance from other people may be challenging in the workplace, especially in high-volume retail environments. Garden centers are full of little alcoves and nooks for displaying merchandise. Narrow walkways are fairly common. Customers will browse slowly and the checkout process can take a bit of time. These are all potential areas that can slow the flow of customers through the retail area. Take note of these situations and talk with your team. There may be a simple solution to help relieve customer bottlenecks that arise from time to time. Cleaning and sanitizing surfaces is an important step in breaking the chain of infection, but constantly cleaning the work site from top to bottom is not a practical approach. Our time is better spent focusing on frequent cleaning of high-touch areas in shared spaces. These can include break areas, restrooms, shared tools and equipment, locker rooms, and time clocks. In areas that are open to the public, it's especially important to clean and sanitize. Again, the focus here should be on frequent cleaning of high-touch surfaces such as: registers, door handles, countertops, and public restrooms. In the midst of your daily duties you will be interacting with customers: answering questions, guiding them to specific sections, and helping them find the perfect plant Humans are social creatures and it's completely natural to move closer to someone when you're having a conversation. It is in these moments that face coverings become particularly important for staff and customers. Do your best to keep space between yourself and others. This also brings us to an uncomfortable topic: working with customers who do not follow safety protocols. Bridget Behe is a professor of horticultural marketing at Michigan State University. It’s important this season that if a retailer is going to require people, both employees and customers to wear a mask that they set the tone by wearing their mask all the time. I know they get hot and sweaty, and having some replenishment supplies is very helpful, but management sets the tone for employees and for customers. Another thing that we can do to help set a high bar and show customers that we expect them to wear a mask in the retail space is to post information online. A lot of people have social media, they’re posting on Facebook they may have webpages. Those kinds of requirements should be on the webpage and on social media rotating among the other messages. Before they even get inside there should be signage on the front door, and customers may also see employees wearing masks. It might be helpful to have a supply of extra masks near the door and have an employee distributing those. Handing those out. I think it’s important too for management to talk with their staff before customer interactions happen. How are we going to remind customers? Maybe we tap our nose a couple of times if the mask appears to be a bit of a chinstrap. But giving customers two or three warnings might be the best first step. Management also needs to decide how they’re going to handle the customer who isn’t going to be compliant. Are they going to have the manager come over and interact with a customer? Or is that going to be the staffs responsibility? You know, sometimes people get angry for reasons that we can’t control and we know that people don’t make good decisions when they’re angry. So how staff and management interact with that belligerent customer is really important. Not just to that individual, but to the other shoppers who might be in and around that area. In a very calm manner, we need to ask them either wear the mask or perhaps it’s time for you to end your shopping trip today. Everyone in the garden center is responsible for contributing to a culture of illness prevention. Although there may be unforeseen situations that arise from time to time, remember the three safety measures that every greenhouse employee can use to prevent the spread of an infectious disease in the workplace: 1: Establish a minimum distance of 6 feet from other people whenever possible. 2: Wear face coverings correctly. 3: Wash hands frequently. People have the right to return home from work safe and sound, but we can only make this happen if we work as a team and protect each other. Following these simple steps will help keep you, your family, and your coworkers healthy and safe. The protocols discussed here are general-use recommendations. As with spatial distance measures, you should also receive training on prevention protocols developed specifically for your operation based on guidance from local, state, and federal health authorities. This may include a revised employee sick policy and a daily health screening process. In the event of an epidemic or pandemic, notify your employer of a suspected or confirmed diagnosis or if you are experiencing any symptoms of the disease. They will provide you with instructions. If you experience severe symptoms or find them distressing, call a medical provider immediately. For those in the state of Michigan, MIOSHA (the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration) wants you to know that all workers have a right to raise a safety or health concern with their employer or MIOSHA and file a complaint with MIOSHA. It is against the law for employers to retaliate against an employee for complaining about safety in the workplace or refusing to do an allegedly imminently dangerous job or task. The content of this video is based on guidelines developed by the Center for Disease Control for preventing the spread of illness at agricultural operations. All of this information and more can be found at their website: cdc.gov. If you have additional questions, consult your community health department or ask your local extension agent.