Member Alerts

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Workplace Safety Practices:

IMPORTANT: The workplace safety practices and other references linked below should be referenced as the current source of information related to Foth’s COVID-19 safety practices.

NOTE: Items with an * need Foth network access.

Workplace Safety Practices* (PDF)
Workplace Safety Practices Training (video)
Frequently Asked Questions* (Word doc)
Face Covering Variance Request Form* (Word doc)
Visitor Wellness Survey* (PDF)
Member Wellness Survey (Survey Monkey)

Field Safety:

Job Hazard Analysis COVID-19 (for field work)* (Word doc)

Foth Business Travel Advisory

Reviewed 4/9/2021

The COVID-19 outbreak in the United States is a rapidly evolving situation. The status of the outbreak varies by location and state and local authorities are updating their guidance frequently. The White House’s Opening Up America Again plan means some parts of the country may have different guidance than other areas. Check with the state or local authorities where you are, along your route, and at your planned destination to learn about local circumstances and any restrictions that may be in place.

If you have business travel planned, please contact your RCM for further discussion.

Below are the most recent COVID-19 member alert messages:

Friday, April 9, 2021

Adjustments to our Workplace Safety Practices

Hello Foth members,

Based on recently revised CDC guidance, we have adjusted our Workplace Safety Practices as follows:

Cleaning Protocol

The CDC has recently revised its COVID-19 cleaning recommendations related to COVID-19 due to new research showing that transmission via surface contact is low. As a result, we will no longer require enhanced cleaning throughout the day, and signage related to cleaning specific areas after use (e.g., railings, conference rooms, microwaves, printers) will be removed. Cleaning materials will remain available for those who wish to clean before and/or after use. Cleaning and sanitizing, in accordance with CDC guidance, will continue in instances where individuals testing positive or suspected to have COVID-19 are known to have been in a space.

Travel Protocol

As a result of revised CDC guidance, members who, preceding travel, tested positive for COVID-19 and have fully recovered in the last 3 months, OR who have been fully vaccinated (> 2 weeks after regimen), do not need to quarantine upon return from an international and/or cruise trip, as long as they do not develop new symptoms.

Illness Protocol

Members who have been in close contact with an individual who tested positive or is being tested due to COVID-19 symptoms, do not need to report the illness/quarantine if they have fully recovered in the last 3 months, or have been fully vaccinated (> 2 weeks after regimen), as long as they do not develop new symptoms.

Wellness Surveys

Surveys will continue to be required of all visitors upon entrance to a Foth local office and by all members each day they are working somewhere other than their home. However, based on the revised CDC guidance, sometime next week our surveys will be revised. Early on in the survey, a question will be added as to recovery and/or vaccination status. Those answering “yes” to having fully recovered from COVID-19 in the last 3 months OR having been fully vaccinated (>2 weeks after regimen), AND not experiencing any new symptoms, will receive a “fast pass” to bypass the remaining survey questions and enter the workplace.

Workplace Safety Practices

Please remember that face coverings, social distancing, and other practices outlined in our Workplace Safety Practices document must be sustained, regardless of illness recovery and/or fully vaccinated status.

Thanks for your attentiveness to this and previous Member Alerts, and for your on-going commitment to health and safety.

Travis McGrath

Friday, April 2, 2021

Office Availability, Symptom Attentiveness, Vaccine, and Eventual Reopening

Hello Foth members,

Please take a few minutes to review the updates that follow:

CALIFORNIA AND MINNESOTA OFFICE AVAILABILITY

Easing local health orders now allow our Novato, CA office to be made available. As of April 15, easing state health orders will allow our Minnesota (Minneapolis/St. Paul, Duluth, and Ely) offices to be made available. Members affiliated with any of those local offices who would like to be working in those offices on a regular basis should contact their Resource Center Manager to be added to our Wave 1 group of members. Members seeking only occasional access to those offices should continue to request access from their RCM as needed.

WHEN IN DOUBT, PLEASE STAY OUT!

Consistent with CDC guidance, our current survey and workplace safety practices outline common, potential COVID-19 symptoms which include fever, cough, shortness of breath, sudden loss of taste or smell, or other cold- and flu-related symptoms such as muscle pain, body aches, chills, respiratory illness, headache, sore throat, congestion, runny nose, nausea, or diarrhea. As some of our members have experienced first-hand, what was thought to be seasonal allergies turned out to be symptoms of COVID-19. If you are experiencing any symptoms, even if you believe them to be simply a cold or allergies, please stay away from the workplace and notify your RCM.

COVID-19 VACCINE

As availability and eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine expands, US members can visit the CDC site for information on their respective state’s plan and access to their state’s health department site. All members are encouraged to contact their primary care provider with any vaccine-related questions.

As communicated previously, it’s important to remember that even once vaccines are available to everyone, not everyone will get vaccinated. Accordingly, it’s essential to continue to follow Foth’s Workplace Safety Practices regarding mask wearing, social distancing, and other health and safety practices, even after receiving your vaccination or if you have previously recovered from the virus. And even if there is no local or state mandate requiring the use of face coverings or social distancing, Foth still requires these practices in the workplace. Please also note that Foth will continue to monitor updates to CDC recommendations. Any resulting updates made to our practices will be communicated to members. In the meantime, please continue to follow Foth’s Workplace Safety Practices, regardless of any reported updates to CDC recommendations.

REOPENING UPDATE

Our reopening team is coordinating with our Business Unit and Operations Leaders to determine the timing for our full return to the workplace. Please watch for more information over the next month or two as our plans take shape, and know that in preparing for additional member reentry, at least 30 days’ notice will be provided.

Thanks for your continued attentiveness to this and previous Member Alerts.

Be well, and have a great weekend!

Travis McGrath

Friday, March 12, 2021

Video Share: About the COVID-19 Vaccines

The following video was provided to Foth by USI, our benefits consultant, as a resource for learning about the COVID-19 vaccines. For more information on the vaccines, please contact your primary care provider.

https://flimp.me/HubDeliverableCovidVaccineAbout