Standard Operating Procedure Lab Re-Entry for COVID-19 Time Period

General:

The Chemistry and Chemical Biology (CCB) chair has reviewed the risk and determined protocols for re-introduction of students into Research Laboratories as described in this procedure.  The re-entry program will be enforced in this Laboratory by the Laboratory Supervisor/Principal.  Procedures are made in conjunction with normal laboratory safety procedures (e.g., proper lab dress code).

Introduction:

The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic requires a complete re-evaluation of our processes and procedures in order to achieve the ends of 

• maximizing health and welfare for ourselves, our families, our colleagues, and our communities 
• continuing to function as a world-class research laboratory

For most of us, this is not about us as individuals. This is about doing our part to protect the people with vulnerabilities that are around us. It is important to remember that some vulnerabilities are non-obvious. All CCB faculty, staff, and students are to refer to CDC, NMDOH, and the UNM coronavirus site for general information and guidance. It is also important to understand that this is a fluid and dynamic situation and that guidance will be subject to change as more is learned about COVID-19 and how to combat it. It is CCBs intent to error on the side of caution and encouraged all CCB faculty, staff, and students to do the same.

Procedures

General Operation

1. All labs will follow the operating procedures indicated by UNM Safety and Risk Services.
2. All personnel will submit answers to the UNM email covidscreen@unm.edu sent to all employees daily prior to campus entry.
3. During the phased reopening (Phase 1–3), students will participate in determining when they feel safe to return. If a student is concerned, he/she should speak with their advisor, department chair, and/or Terese Anderson. If a student feels pressured to return, complaints should be directed to the department chair.
4. Principal Investigators shall schedule students and postdocs so that there is no more than one student per 250 square feet of workspace.
   1. PIs will provide the department chair with a list of all students working in their respective lab and define at what stage the student should return.
   2. PIs will document and maintain working schedules that identify who is working where and when (at what days and times).
5. Personnel planning on working between the overnight hours of 7pm – 6am must be scheduled with a lab-mate in the same lab (buddy system).
6. Personnel opting to telework should also be reflected in the schedule but reflected as teleworking.
7. Personnel will answer the “Daily Employee Symptom Screening” email prior to coming to campus|
   If a person does not get this email
   • Contact Terese Anderson
   • Fill out the attached checklist and submit to your PI

The schedule will be reviewed and approved in writing by the Department Chair.

All laboratories will maintain a log of all entries and exits of all personnel.

1. This will be accomplished by QR code scanning on a smartphone
2. If a person does not have a smart phone, then they shall send emails to their PI with entry and exit times

All personnel will wear face covering while in the facility.

• If the gloves are removed the person shall properly wash and dry hands with soap and replace gloves.
• There will be no eating in a group in the facility.
• All laboratory personnel will wear lab coats when in the lab.
• All personnel will maintain at least six feet of distance between people when possible
• All meetings (group meetings, committee meetings, etc.) will continue to be held remotely until phase 3.
• All personnel will disinfect according to the procedure defined below.
• Personnel who are ill should stay at home and notify their first-line leader.
• For those with non-COVID-19 symptoms, follow medical provider or appropriate home remedies and return 24 hours after becoming symptom-free.
• For those with COVID-19 symptoms, follow UNM and NMDOH guidance.
• PIs will notify the CCB Chair of any suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases.
• All personnel who are exposed to a suspected or known COVID-19 case will notify their direct supervisor and the Department Chair and not return to campus for 14 days.
• All personnel who have traveled further than 90 miles from the UNM campus will notify their direct supervisor and the Department Chair and not return to campus for 14 days.
• PIs must develop a telephone/text tree and establish a protocol contact all group members. At a minimum, within each research group:

1. Students and postdocs must have their PIs and group manager’s telephone numbers.
2. PI’s and group managers must have their post-docs and every student’s telephone number.

• All students, postdocs, and PIs must have contact information for facility management personnel (Bobby Ortiz and Terese Anderson).
• PIs will maintain an emergency contact list for all group members.
• Any personnel with a pre-existing medical condition as defined on the CDC website (

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/groups-at-higher-risk.html) will need a physician’s approval to return to work in a research lab.

PPE

Chemical splash goggles must meet the requirements of ANSI Z8 7.1 (latest edition) and used by all personnel.

1. Before each use, eye and face protection is to be inspected for damage (e.g., cracks, scratches), cleanliness and proper operation.
2. If deficiencies are noted, the equipment should be cleaned, repaired, or replaced before use.

• All personnel will wear gloves
• The glove shall be nitrile gloves, or when working with chemicals the glove shall be compatible with the chemicals to be used in experiments and in accordance with SDS recommendation
• Upon exit of the lab for restrooms or egress the glove will be disposed of in the laboratory
• If return to the lab (e.g., restroom break) a new glove will be put on
• When gloves are removed, all personnel will wash hands for at least 30 seconds with soap and water and dry completely.
• All personnel will use laboratory coats when in the laboratory
• The coat will remain in the lab when exiting for temporary egress (e.g., lunch break or restroom break)
• The lab coat will be re-donned upon entry into the laboratory
• If the coat is suspected of biological contamination the personnel will contact Terese Anderson for a replacement coat and bag the contaminated coat for cleaning.
• Personnel will not share laboratory coats
• All personnel will wear a face covering while in the building at all times. These can be, but need not be, N95 masks.
• These masks will be placed before entry into the building
• These masks will be removed only after exit of the building
• These masks will be disposed of or cleaned between use or placed in a safe and secure environment between uses.

1. Masks can only be reused if they are washable or the personnel is confident that there has not been an exposure to biological contaminates from other personnel
2. Masks shall not be shared between persons
3. A safe and secure environment is described as a sealable, clean, dry plastic bag labeled with the name of the personnel

Bandanas are not acceptable

Disinfection for Wet Labs and Bio labs

1. All labs will be equipped with paper towels or wet wipes at a station inside laboratories
2. All laboratories will be equipped with at least one EPA approved disinfectant.
3. All laboratories will have trash cans at each door of egress for laboratories for disposal of disinfection material and gloves
4. All laboratories will have gloves at entry doors for donning gloves upon entry
5. Before starting work at a laboratory, the first person to enter will don gloves and use a paper towel/wet wipe to wipe down the entry door handles.
6. Personnel will then use another paper towel/wet wipe to wipe down any work station and surface they intend to work at for the day.
7. Upon exit or finish for the day, personnel will spray an EPA approved disinfectant on surfaces that have been affected by their work. The personnel shall leave this over night our until the next person needs to work in that area.
8. The last person to leave the lab shall also spray the disinfectant solution on the door handles inside and out and leave it until the next day.
9. Personnel shall spray the disinfectant only on compatible surfaces that require contact:
   1. Compatible surfaces are ones that would not be damaged by liquid application (e.g., counters, closed containers, non-electrical bearing surfaces)
   2. Surfaces that are affected adversely by liquid application (e.g., instrumentation, keyboards, computers, electronics, etc.) shall be used exclusively by individuals.
10. When a non-compatible surface must be used by multiple users (i.e., communicable keyboards or electronics) one of the following will be executed:
    1. Covers will be fashioned, when possible.
    2. Gloves will be worn whenever individuals must use this equipment
11. In the event that there is reported positive case, the laboratory will be shut down for no more than 48 hours for a deeper cleaning.

Disinfection of laser, computer and magnet labs

1. All labs will be equipped with paper towels/wet wipes at a station inside the laboratories
2. All laboratories will be equipped with a bottle of water and an EPA approved disinfectant in a spray bottle.
3. All laboratories will have trash cans at each door of egress for laboratories for disposal of disinfection material and gloves
4. All laboratories will have gloves at entry doors for donning gloves upon entry
5. Before starting work at a laboratory, the first person to enter will don gloves and use a paper towel/wet wipe to wipe down the entry door handles.
6. The entry donned gloves will be worn at all times in the lab and disposed of upon exit.
7. Since these instruments cannot be decontaminated only the desk surfaces and door handles will be decontaminated.
8. Upon exit or finish for the day, personnel will spray the disinfectant on surfaces that have been affected by their work to include any surface. The personnel shall leave this overnight or until the next person needs to work in that area.
9. The last person to leave the lab shall also spray the disinfectant solution on the door handles inside and out and leave it until the next day.
10. In the event that there is a reported positive case, the laboratory will be shutdown for one week to allow for the virus to die off. It is possible that a deep cleaning may be required.

Disinfection for Offices

1. All office areas will be equipped with paper towels/wet wipes at a station inside the doors
2. All office areas will be equipped with a bottle of water and an EPA approved disinfectant in a spray bottle.
3. All office areas will have trash cans at each door of egress for office areas for disposal of disinfection material and gloves
4. All office areas will have gloves at entry doors for donning gloves upon entry
5. Before starting work at an office area, the first person to enter will don gloves and use a paper towel/wet wipe to wipe down the entry door handles.
6. Personnel will then use a paper towel/wet wipe to wipe down any work station and surface they intend to work at for the day.
7. Personnel shall spray the disinfectant only on compatible surfaces that require contact:
   1. Compatible surfaces are ones that would not be damaged by liquid application (e.g., counters, closed containers, non-electrical bearing surfaces)
   2. Surfaces that are affected adversely by liquid application (e.g., instrumentation, keyboards, computers, electronics, etc.) shall be used exclusively by individuals.
8. When a non-compatible surface must be used by multiple users (i.e., communicable keyboards or electronics) one of the following will be executed:
   1. Covers will be fashioned, when possible.
   2. Gloves will be worn whenever individuals must use this equipment
9. Upon exit or finish for the day, personnel will spray the disinfectant on surfaces that have been affected by their work to include any surface. The personnel shall leave this overnight or until the next person needs to work in that area.
10. The last person to leave the lab shall also spray the disinfectant solution on the door handles inside and out and leave it until the next day.
11. In the event that there is reported positive case, the office area will be shut down for no more than 48 hours for a deeper cleaning.

Exceptions

If one of the requirements in this document are not possible for whatever reason, personnel are not required to disclose any medical data or reason, but should have a medical note from a physician stating the recommendation for accommodation.
The Employee Occupational Health Services (EOHS) or Student Health and Counseling Center (SHAC) shall review the medical form and work for CCB to achieved reasonable accommodation.
For personnel determined to need N95 the personnel shall:

1. Fill out the required form from the Chemistry Department
2. Make an appointment with EOHS or SHAC for medical evaluation

Contact Terese Anderson for fit testing and training
Any personnel with latex allergies may contact Terese Anderson for special gloves and masks as needed.

 

Screening, Reporting, and Tracing

1. All personnel will submit answers to the UNM email covidscreen@unm.edu sent to all employees daily prior to campus entry.
   1. If, based on the questions, it is determined that the personnel should not come into campus:
      1. contact your supervisor or PI
      2. DO NOT COME TO CAMPUS
   2. If personnel do not receive the email:
      1. Fill out the attached form and submit to your supervisor or PI
      2. Please contact Terese Anderson so that the email may be sent for the next work day
   3. All laboratories will maintain a log of all entries and exits of all personnel.
      1. This will be accomplished by QR code scanning on a smartphone
      2. If a person does not have a smart phone, then they shall send emails to their PI with entry and exit times
   4. If a person is screened and is determined positive, this must be disclosed to the UNM administration (CCB, EOHS or SHAC). The individual may not return to work until symptom free and receive a negative qPCR test result.
   5. If a personnel suspects that they have been exposed they shall notify their supervisor and the department chair. The individual may not return to campus for 14 days.
   6. If a person shows symptoms of the virus, then they should report to medical facility for testing and notify their supervisor and the department chair.
      1. If a person has symptoms and has taken a COVID test, then they MUST self-isolate until the results show that they are clear.
      2. If a person has taken a test them MUST report this to Terese Anderson and their supervisor immediately.
         1. The person will report with whom they have had contact for the past 14 days
         2. The person will report which areas that they have worked in for the past 14 days

• The Department Chair, PI, and Terese Anderson will determine if the offices and labs will be disinfected prior to the results and in accordance with this protocol.

 COVID‐19 Daily Symptom Checklist

This checklist has been developed by Safety & Risk Services (SRS) with the guidance from the State of New Mexico and approval by the Office of the Vice President of Research. This document should be filled out every day before an employee begins work in a lab. This checklist should be filed either physically or electronically with all other lab safety documents.