COVID-19 and Public Restrooms

Cities should consider the following when determining to keep public restrooms open. When public restrooms remain open, they encourage park use. With increased park use, social distancing may be more difficult to achieve.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources came out with a COVID-19 response which includes public restrooms information. “The bathrooms, shower buildings and vault toilets that are already open for the season will remain open. Most park bathrooms with running water are still closed for the season and will remain closed.” This could be an option for Cities. Keeping certain public restrooms closed will help staff focus on additional sanitation and cleaning measures.

Cities could consider keeping the restrooms open that have the heaviest traffic. If Cities were to keep the restrooms open that do not have as much traffic, vandalism may occur at the restrooms.

Another consideration to think about is keeping toilet paper, sanitizer and soap in the restrooms could be more susceptible to disappearing, because of the shortage. Therefore, limiting the amount of supplies in the restrooms is a good idea.

If a City decides to keep public restrooms open, consider posting signs at entrance points to the restrooms on preventative measures.

Submitted by: Kate Connell, Loss Control Consultant

Sanitary Sewer – COVID-19 and potential for increased sewer back-ups

With the recent outbreak of the coronavirus, a problem is starting to emerge that not many could see coming – a shortage of toilet paper in stores across the nation.  When an individual runs out of toilet paper and can’t buy any more, trying to find safe alternatives to use can be difficult. Most of the options people turn to will most likely clog their own toilet and lines but can also create additional issues for the city.  The public may not view this as a big deal to use something else, but this is risking a potential problem for an increase in sewer back-up claim activity and an additional strain on city resources.

Some examples of things people may turn to that are NOT safe to be flushed down a toilet include:

• Kleenex/facial tissue – does not break down in water the same as toilet paper and SHOULDN’T be flushed
• Paper towels 
• Napkins
• Rags/cloths
• Woven fabric
• Dryer sheets
• Disinfecting wipes
• Baby wipes

This is a great time to also remind everyone of your city's F.O.G. (fats, oils and grease) program and emphasize just how important it is during these trying times what should and shouldn’t be disposed of in a sanitary sewer system.  If your city does not have this information on their website, this would be a most opportune time to get this reminder message out to the community.  Mailings and social media are additional sources of getting this information out to your residents. See pages 16 & 17 of the LMCIT Sanitary Sewer Toolkit to help guide you in these efforts.

Submitted by:  Michael Neff, Loss Control Consultant

COVID-19 — reminder that any incidents of employees contracting the Novel Coronavirus at work are recordable illnesses

UPDATE:  Nov. 21, 2022, MNOSHA adopts permanent recordkeeping, reporting standards for COVID-19

This rule adoption incorporates by reference paragraphs of the health care ETS that include the recordkeeping requirements for a COVID-19 log. This requires covered employers with more than 10 employees to record COVID-19 cases of their employees on their COVID-19 log if a worker is infected by COVID-19, regardless of whether the instance is connected to exposure at work.

This rule adoption also requires covered employers to report to MNOSHA each work-related COVID-19 fatality within eight hours of the employer learning about the fatality, and each work-related in-patient hospitalization within 24 hours of the employer learning about the hospitalization, regardless of when the fatality or hospitalization occurred.

An employee who has had contact with someone who has or may have COVID-19 is not the same as the employee contracting the disease. The actual first report of injury should only be filed if an employee tests positive for the disease as a result of performing their work-related duties. While OSHA specifically exempts employers from reporting common colds or flu in the workplace, COVID-19 is not exempt. Visit OSHA's Injury and Illness Recordkeeping and Reporting Requirements page for more information.

There is no specific OSHA standard covering COVID-19. However, some OSHA requirements may apply to preventing occupational hazard to COVID-19. The General Duty Clause (Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970) may apply. The statute requires employers to ensure on-the-job conditions are free of serious hazards that can cause death, illness, or injury. The bloodborne pathogens and personal protective equipment (PPE) standards also apply in certain circumstances.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration also advises employers to develop an infectious disease preparedness and response plan, implement basic infection prevention measures and develop policies for the identification and isolation of ill individuals.

Resources from MNOSHA Compliance Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19):

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Coronavirus disease 2019
• Federal OSHA: COVID-19
• Minnesota Department of Health: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Submitted by: Julie Jelen, Loss Control Consultant

Dock Inspections

Living in Minnesota, our docks go through a great deal of rough weather. Therefore, you want to make sure you are maintaining your docks to ensure that the users are provided with a safe structure. Ideally, docks should be inspected at each season change. Dock inspections should include looking at the anchorage, walkway, handrails, deck, flotation, and steel connections. Inspect for broken lumber or welds, protruding nails, entrapment hazards and pinch points. Docks should be cleaned on an annual basis. Any rotting or decay that is present should be acted upon quickly. The longer the issue is present the more damage that may occur. Maintaining, cleaning and inspecting docks reduces the likelihood of a liability claim occurring. OMAG provides a checklist for docks.

While these conditions all present a variety of liability exposures, they can also present additional concerns. Issues such as winter freeze can create gaps and transition plates can move, which can result in potential ADA issues. United States Access Board provides additional information on ADA compliance with docks.

Submitted by: Kate Connell, Loss Control Consultant

Coronavirus Awareness

The Coronavirus has been a big topic in the current news and your City should be aware of the emerging risk. The Minnesota Department of Health has information about 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). The general health and wellness of employees is important. Further, first responders have a higher risk of exposure, if exposed this may create workers compensation risks. More information on the risks can be found in this article by Seyfarth, Coronavirus:Employer Liability Issues.

Although, there have not been any cases in Minnesota, Cities should be prepared. Additional information on preparedness and response can be found in this report by Marsh, Outbreaks, Epidemics and Pandemics: Preparednessand Response Strategies.

Cities should be aware of any updates with the Coronavirus. Guy Carpenter created a current Pandemic Coronavirus Update.

In addition, the Insurance Journal spoke on what the Coronavirus means for the insurance industry. The video can be viewed here, the Coronavirus and Its Impact on the Insurance Industry.

Submitted by: Kate Connell, Loss Control Consultant

What training is required again?

It’s a new year! Are you getting all your required annual training?

A lack of proper safety training attributes to accidents and deaths each year. It’s not just a good idea, it’s required that city personnel be trained. Safety training is essential for maintaining compliance with regulations, keeping workers’ compensation costs down, and most importantly, keeping your most valuable resource, your employees, safe and healthy.

We know it’s hard to stay current with state and federal regulations, so we did it for you. Here is a Safety Training Table to help guide you in your required training.

How can we receive this required annual training?

If you are part of the League of Minnesota Insurance Trust (LMCIT) Regional Safety Group (RSG), your RSG Coordinator can help to ensure compliance and proper training is being met. Safety training companies, community colleges, and Minnesota Safety Council are good resources for safety training.

Another option is LMCIT’s NEOGOV Safety Training. NEOGOV Safety Training is an affordable and convenient web-based training for all employees. This tool provides access to more than 60 online training courses covering a wide variety of safety topics that can provide basic training for new employees, as well as refresher training for experienced and seasonal employees.

Need a supplement to your training or a quick refresher to your safety meetings? New this year, we have 342 streaming safety videos through CoastalFlix . This is available free of charge to all League members and replaces our DVD library.

Submitted by: Julie Jelen, Loss Control Consultant

Aerial Lifts and OSHA Grants

Holiday decorations, light pole banners, and flags are all operations that most municipalities deal with on an annual basis. Working at elevated heights adds a risk and safety considerations to the day-to-day operation.

When you are working above ground level how are you completing these tasks? Are you using a ground ladder, bucket truck, contractors, or something unsafe? Hopefully it’s not the last one. What about vehicle traffic control and/or pedestrian traffic?

The City of Victoria has changed their approach to these tasks in the last few years moving from ground ladders, a borrowed/rented bucket truck, to aerial lifts.

Victoria evaluated their operations in their thriving downtown and other locations that require scheduled elevated work. The City was able to use ladders for most of their downtown area as they installed Holiday decorations, flags multiple times a year, and replaced pole banners multiple times are year. Utilizing the ladder was a good practice but added an ergonomic risk. When the ladder wasn’t an option, they were able to rent a bucket truck from other municipalities, but that depended on scheduling, availability, and where it would work. The bucket truck didn’t always fit into tight areas and added a traffic control consideration.

Victoria looked at many options but decided to look at Skid-Lift as their option. The City of Victoria also utilized the Minnesota OSHASafety Grant Program to help with this purchase. Minimizing the use of traffic lanes and improving employee safety are all considerations when evaluating their needs. 

Attached are a few photos of Victoria’s old ladder operation, and after Victoria was awarded the Safety Grant to purchase the Skid-Lift for Holiday Decorations:

City of Victoria

City of Victoria

City of Victoria

Submitted by: Troy T. Walsh, Loss Control Consultant