Changes to Our Donation Process due to COVID-19
We are currently accepting donations for computers and laptops in a revised manner to ensure we can follow health and safety procedures to protect our warehouse staff and technicians. The change includes asking donors to box or pallet their donation up, including their completed donor form  and wait a week before bringing it over at an appointed time. Please contact Jim at 604-294-6886 ext 3 or DonorRelations@reusetechbc.ca to arrange an appointment for donations. This will reduce the number of touch points for staff and give time for any viruses or germs to die.
 
Other Workplace Changes
We have made several changes to our workshop procedures to create a safe working environment for our technicians.  Some changes we have made include:

• Donors or clients can only come with appointments
• Limiting how many technicians are in the workshop at once for social distancing
• Several scheduled disinfectant wipe downs of equipment and commonly used objects throughout the day
• Providing safety PPE to technicians

COVID-19 Policy for Staff

BC Technology for Learning has the opportunity to provide needed support to many families by providing refurbished tech. The current pandemic has, unfortunately, highlighted how important and necessary our work is to equalizing the playing field for those who have access to technology at home, compared to those who do not. 
Our work is providing an essential service.

The purpose of this document is to best protect the continued health and safety of yourself, and your fellow team mates in the workplace.  Each of us must follow the instructions.
 
Entering the workplace
1)Staff will enter the work place one person at a time, giving space to put personal effects in the locker and sign in. Then the next person can come in. Keep 2 metres apart from each other while waiting to come in.
2)After you have signed in, you will immediately wash your hands.
3)Begin work – Rob will assign work
 
Use of the kitchen

• The kitchen is a shared space and we must be diligent about hand washing before coming into the kitchen and touching handles on the fridge, toaster, coffee pot and kettle.  Please wash hands in the bathroom.
• One person will be allowed in the kitchen at a time.
• Lunch breaks will be staggered (not all at the same time)
• The kitchen will be closed as a place to eat lunch; you are strongly encouraged to eat outside (take a grey chair with you), or at your work desk provided all other staff are more than 2 metres away from you.
• Leave the garbage can lid and recycling lids open to reduce touch points
• Please pack a lunch that does not require refrigeration / microwave /toaster to reduce visitors to the workshop and extra touch points in the kitchen.
• If these rules are not followed, access to the kitchen will be taken away except for as a hand wash station.

 
Use of the bathroom

• The bathrooms are a shared space. You must wash your hands before leaving.
• If you are in there to only wash your hands, leave the door open to reduce one more touch point.
• Use a paper towel to unlock/open the door.

 
 
Work stations:

• Actively engage in physical distancing, by staying 2 metres away from co-workers at all time.
• If physical distancing can not be managed, you must wear a mask.
• You must not touch anyone else’s work desk in any situation
• Your work desk will be sprayed down before you leave, sprayed and wiped in the morning and before your lunch break.

In the warehouse

• Incoming donations will be quarantined for 5 days before being processed.
• Items that are too heavy for 1 person to lift will not be refurbished (printers/servers)

Visitors to the workshop

• Visitors will be restricted to BC Tech offices and will be done by appointment only
• Clients picking up equipment will arrive by appointment and the client will wheel the prepared dolly to their vehicle for loading. Once the dolly is returned it will be wiped down by Rob/Aaron having supervised their visit and paperwork completion.
• Visitors should not go further than the front entrance unless washing their hands
• Canada Post and VanKam may pick up equipment; garbage/recycling is to be picked up. BC Tech staff are not to assist with that work. Stay distanced.
• Please pack a lunch to reduce the number of visitors to the workshop.

Supervisors

• are responsible for unlocking the door in the morning/locking at days end
• are responsible for ensuring everyone is washing their hands on a schedule
• are responsible for wiping down touch points in the work space/or delegating that job 2 times per day.
• are responsible for ensuring there is enough soap, paper towel, etc so people can wash their hands, and cleaner for the daily wipe downs

Staff

• are responsible for their work space – don’t let people get close to you!
• are responsible for washing their hands thoroughly
• are responsible for trying very hard not to touch their face
• are responsible for listening to the supervisor on job duties, break times and hand washing
• are responsible for caring for their co-workers by abiding by these rules
• if you feel sick or unwell do not come to work/ leave work immediately.

 
If someone tests positive for COVID-19

• Sick workers will be asked to wash and sanitize their hands and will be sent straight home
• Asked to consult the BC COVID-19 self-assessment tool
• call 811 for further guidance relating to testing and self isolation depending on the self-assessment results

 
Common Touch points to be wiped down at noon and before leaving include:
Kitchen -  recycling / garbage lids, cupboard handles, sink faucet, coffee pot/ kettle/ toaster/ fridge /microwave handles. Wipe down counters.
Bathroom – toilet flusher, seat lid and ring, sink faucets, door handles, soap dispenser, all sides of the paper towel dispenser.
Workshop – time station, dollies, carts, ram cupboard doors/handles, desks, keyboards, mice, KVM switches, printer touch pad.
Warehouse –  all (11?) dolly handles, pump jacks, cleaning stations, air compressor nozzle, monitor test station including keyboard, mice, cable ends), light switches, door handles, handrails to mezzanine, and loading bay door chain. 

Alongside other changes to our usual working routine, we hope that these can help us create a safe working environment so we can continue to provide an essential service. The digital divide has been highlighted as a real issue over the past few weeks with schools turning to online education. Keeping our workplace open allows us to continue helping students and others in the community who otherwise do not have access to technology at home. Your donations matter now more than ever.
 
Thank you for your support for our work, and helping to keep our staff safe.

Every month we do an update on our activities to let our donors and clients know the impacts of our work delivering the CFS+ program.

March can be no different, even though everything about March was “different”.
 
BC Tech listened to the words of Dr. Henry and closed our office on March 20th. This was not an easy decision to make because the week prior saw a big influx of applications from families and non profit organizations as they prepared for what a “stay at home” order means for many without access to technology. Our work has not been deemed an essential service by government, and yet we know how essential it is to many people.
 
We heard Minister Fleming say that ~7% of students don’t have access to technology at home. We’re looking for partnership opportunities to assist school districts and organizations support their families in need. It’s easier for us to get one order of 30 computers out the door than it is to get 30 orders of one and time is better spent refurbishing, rather than packing. 
 
In the short time we had in early March, we are grateful to have been able to:
Provide 503 computers/laptops to families and organizations like Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House, Lookout Aid Society, TELUS health care workers, and Handy Circle Resources Society.

• We received our first donation from Kwantlen Polytechnic University (yay!) and more equipment Corrections Canada and BC Utilities Commission. Thanks to all our donors.
• Have 9 interns working with us – and we wish good luck to Stephen and Alex as they completed their work terms.

 
March was totally different and has marked the start of a new way for society to live and virtually interact, and still we must find gratitude for all the good things we have:

• Our treasured health care workers preparing for a crisis we hope doesn’t reach it’s full potential impact
• Good weather so we can get outside and witness the rebirth of spring
• Teachers developing new lesson plans and reaching out to their students after an unrestful Spring Break
• Community coming together to sing and bang pots at 7 pm

 
Stay safe and healthy. Find gratitude. Stay at home.