Industry Advice -COVID19
Food South Australia has produced a guideline to help the food and beverage industry prepare for and manage COVID-19, based on the Australian Chicken Meat Federation guideline. SA Health has agreed that this guideline is in line with current national COVID health information to help minimise risk to a business and its workforce.
SA Health will be providing further information on dealing with a COVID positive employee as soon as its available. In the meantime, please refer to information on the PIRSA website - in particular:
· Increase time between shifts or service periods (e.g. breakfast and lunch; day/night shifts). This will minimise staff interaction and allow more time for increased cleaning.
- Limit the number of people in contact on a production floor or kitchen, where possible.
- In production areas or within staff teams, have the same people stand or work next to one another each day. This will limit the spread of novel coronavirus between staff should infection occur.
- Minimise the overlapping of shifts/rosters as much as possible.
- Review customer entry points and interaction to optimise social distancing. Use customer control methods to meet social distancing requirements, e.g. a ticket system to control entry into the shop. Place signs near the ticketing system that explain customers should wait in line and maintain at least two metres between each other.
- Review staff roles and points of contact
- Restrict face-to-face meetings as much as possible. Keep any meeting to less than 15 minutes.
- Identify what roles or areas within a business may be able to work from home or away from other staff.
- Avoid staff congregating in carparks or other common areas after their shift.
Advice re managing contractors
Businesses employing contractors have the right to refuse entry to anyone displaying symptoms such as fever or coughing. Businesses can also seek assurances from contractors prior to allowing them to enter their property
- that they have had no contact in the last 14 days with anyone tested covid-19 positive; or
- that they have not travelled overseas within the last 14 days.
Further information for business and industry can be found here https://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/public+content/sa+health+internet/health+topics/health+topics+a+-+z/covid+2019/business+and+industry/information+for+business+and+industry+-+covid-19
Agriculture Minister’s Teleconference
- You may be aware that Agriculture Ministers are holding teleconferences regularly to share issues and information nationally. The last meeting was held on Friday 27 March and the communique is available at https://www.awe.gov.au/news/stay-informed/communiques/ag-ministers-forum-27-march-2020
Dairysafe update
Dairysafe has a current focus in 3 specific areas:
- Engaging with all dairy businesses directly by phone to identify any commercial issues or ‘blockers’ to your business that we can assist with either internally or through government/industry networks
- Maintaining consistent and appropriate messaging to ensure dairy businesses have correct and up to date information on the Covid-19 pandemic and issues that may affect business continuity
- Idnetifying and implementing remote and/or virtual food safety verification (audit) arrangements – we’re working with a number of businesses to identify how, through images, video, pictures and essential information, we can verify food safety standards are being maintained at the high level expected
The Dairysafe website maintains a range of information on Covid-19 that may be useful to your business - https://dairy-safe.com.au/food-safety-toolbox/