Faced with the fifth wave of Covid-19, a new corporate health protocol

Companies are called upon to mobilize to stem Covid-19 contamination, as the fifth wave hits France. This Monday, November 19, the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Integration is publishing new rules, particularly in terms of collective catering and the organization of moments of conviviality.

First of all, the wearing of the mask must be reinforced. “It is absolutely necessary to wear the mask as soon as there are several of us in an office, hammered the Minister of Labor Elisabeth Borne on franceinfo last Friday. There was a certain relaxation. I asked the labor inspectorate to strengthen its controls.”

“Wearing a mask is systematic within companies in closed collective places”, indicates the Ministry of Labor. And to remember that it must be "either a mask for the general public with filtration greater than 90% (corresponding to the so-called "category 1" mask), or a surgical type mask". Wearing a mask must be associated with respect for a physical distance of at least one meter between people, hand hygiene, barrier gestures, as well as cleaning, ventilation, aeration of the premises. , the implementation of a prevention policy and the management of the flow of people.

Two meters apart in collective catering

In addition, the health protocol publishes new rules for collective catering. In the absence of a health pass in these places, employees must "stay one meter away from others, associated with the wearing of the mask for the general public whose filtration is greater than 90%", declares the Ministry of Labor in a specific sheet on the organization of collective catering. Without a mask, the distance to be respected is two meters.

“In collective catering, when you are at the table, you do not have a mask so you have to respect a distance of two meters. And then, we do not eat face-to-face”, detailed Elisabeth Borne, the Minister of Labor at the microphone of franceinfo last week. We are therefore returning to the rule of 8 square meters per employee in company canteens, as in March.

Moments of conviviality “not recommended”

Moments of conviviality, such as farewell or end-of-year drinks are "not recommended" in the current context. If they are still organized, “they must be in strict compliance with barrier gestures, in particular the wearing of a mask, ventilation / ventilation measures and the rules of distancing of two meters when the mask is removed. “, specifies the ministry.

Reminder of the importance of aeration and ventilation

Ventilation is “an essential measure for preventing situations at risk of aerosolization of SARS-CoV-2”, recalls the government in the protocol. It therefore urges companies to ventilate the premises “by natural ventilation or mechanics in working order (doors and/or windows open as much as possible, ideally permanently if conditions permit and at least 5 minutes every hour."

The Ministry of Labor also recommends the use of CO2 sensors. "It is recommended to favor the measurement of carbon dioxide (carbon dioxide - CO2) in the air, at significant places of frequentation and during periods of high frequentation, in particular when the recommendations for natural ventilation cannot be respected", indicates the government. More specifically, any CO2 measurement above a threshold of 800 ppm must lead companies to act in terms of ventilation/air renewal and/or reduction of the number of people admitted to the room." If the CO2 concentration exceeds 1000 ppm, the ministry recommends evacuating the room, "time for sufficient ventilation to find CO2 levels below 800 ppm".

Cleaning and disinfection procedures

To prevent contamination through contact with hands, the employer is requested to set up "regular cleaning/disinfection procedures (at least daily and each rotation on the workstation) of the objects and contact points that the employees are brought to touch on the workstations and in all places under the responsibility of the employer, including sanitary facilities and places of accommodation", according to the ministry . For activities that require exchanges of objects between employees or between employees/customers, a specific health protocol applies. It includes: "regular cleaning/disinfection of said objects, with a product active on the virus" and "systematic hand hygiene before and after the sequence of use by the employee and customers or other persons concerned with water and preferably with soap, or by hydro-alcoholic friction".

No change for telework

No direct modification of the telework protocol is planned by the Ministry of Labor. Elisabeth Borne nevertheless pleaded for social dialogue within companies, and invited employers to facilitate its deployment, taking into account the issues of work organization, the risks associated with the isolation of employees, or even the difficulty of respect barrier gestures”.

Since September, the protocol no longer provides for a minimum number of days of distancing. It provides that “employers set, within the framework of local social dialogue, the methods of recourse” to teleworking. Adjusted several times, the protocol had in particular imposed teleworking as a rule for several months from October 2020. It had been “increased to 100% for employees who can perform all of their tasks remotely”.

Today, there are no plans to make teleworking compulsory. However, I invite all companies to promote it and to define the rules with employee representatives. pic.twitter.com/jaAyzs2096

A decision that delighted union and employer representatives, in favor of the rules on teleworking continuing to be decided within each company. “The CSEs will meet again to find the most suitable solutions for each company”, indicated Cyril Chabanier, president of the CFTC.

In the face-to-face, the employer must take all the necessary organizational measures to limit the risk of crowds, crossings and concentration. Thus, "each employee must be able to have a space allowing him to respect the rule of physical distance of at least one meter from any other person", explains the protocol. If meetings by audio and videoconference are "to be preferred", the ministry recalls that, when they are held face-to-face, they must "respect the barrier gestures, in particular the wearing of a mask, the ventilation measures / ventilation of the premises as well as than the distancing rules."

Daily allowances when your child is positive

What to do if your child is positive for Covid-19? “One of the parents who stays at home will be able to benefit from daily allowances from Health Insurance. It is not partial unemployment and you must see with your employer if you can telecommute while babysitting a child”, explained Elisabeth Borne. On the other hand, if you have a young child, “it is not very convenient, specified the minister. In this case, you can stop and benefit from daily allowances”.

Finally, the Minister of Labor called on occupational physicians to take part as much as possible in the vaccination campaign, at a time when a booster dose is becoming compulsory for adults wishing to have a valid health pass. “Many employees have confidence in their occupational physician”, assured Elisabeth Borne.