Recommendations to minimize Covid transmission among seasonal workers

This week the Government of Spain through the joint appearance of the Minister of Health, Salvador Illa and the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, has presented to the autonomous communities a guide for the prevention and control of COVID-19 in agricultural holdings that are going to hire seasonal workers. The Ministry of Labor and Social Economy, several medical societies and the autonomous communities themselves through the Public Health Commission have also participated in the guide.

Although these farms must already comply with the Occupational Risk Prevention Law and other health measures that are required, we wanted to create a simple guide so that within agricultural farms the chains of contacts between crews are as small as possible, avoiding the transmission of the virus. Each crew will be taken as a closed group, so that its members do not mix with other crews, in addition to maintaining the distance between the members of each crew and between the crews themselves, for which the tasks must be planned, just as is being done in other sectors such as construction.

Recommendations are also included that should be taken into account before going to work, during transportation and after carrying out the work. Furthermore, the employer must adapt their prevention plan to include these measures.

Recommendations

• If a person presents any symptoms that could be associated with coronavirus infection (cough, fever, difficulty breathing, etc.), they should not go to the farm until a medical evaluation has been carried out. Neither does anyone who has been in close contact with a person affected by COVID-19.
• The health service of the occupational risk prevention service will prepare the report so that the indication of temporary disability (IT) is accredited, in order to facilitate its processing by primary care services.
• In terms of transportation, the guide indicates the use of a mask according to the rules of the autonomous community itself and, whenever possible, use the mobility options that best guarantee interpersonal distance of at least 1.5 meters.
• If the trip is in a company vehicle, the company must guarantee cleanliness in its vehicles and have hand hygiene products, single-use paper and a place to discard waste. The company will record the data of the workers who in the last fourteen days have traveled outside the autonomous community (name, ID and place of travel).
• Each agricultural holding must include the risk assessment against coronavirus in its Prevention and Contingency Plan. In addition, it must provide for the continued existence of the necessary materials so that this Plan can be executed and maintained, such as personal protection materials, materials related to signage or cleaning and disinfection materials, both for hands and surfaces, equipment and premises.
• The guide points out that it is essential to reinforce personal hygiene measures in all work areas and in any exposure scenario. In particular, frequent hand washing; respiratory hygiene, physical distance of at least 1.5 meters; and avoid sharing food, drinks or personal items.
• In addition to personal hygiene, the necessary means will be put in place to guarantee the hygiene of places of accommodation, transportation and work, which must be intensified in relation to usual practice. Cleaning and disinfection policies for work places and equipment are important preventive measures.
• The accesses to the farms and the circulation routes will be adequately marked in order to avoid crossings of people.Likewise, the entry and exit routes of the farm's fixed facilities (warehouses, dining rooms...) will be differentiated.

Illness and close contacts

• The owner of the exploitation must maintain a record (electronic if possible) with the list of contracted workers and their contact telephone numbers, the crew to which they belong and the accommodation unit.
• In addition, it is of special interest that the request for health care as displaced persons is recommended and facilitated (in necessary cases), whether they come from another province, another autonomous community or another country, in order to have a health center assigned beforehand.
• It must be ensured that any person who develops suspected symptoms of COVID-19 and/or has a confirmed case of COVID-19 can be isolated from other workers and cohabitants effectively in a single room.  

In this same news, you can also find the Guide developed by the Junta de Andalucía, where you can find in a complete document all the recommendations given to stop the transmission of this virus, as well as what to do in case a worker is positive for Covid-19.

From Fraternidad-Muprespa we offer you a complete section on our website Previene with all the general recommendations that you should follow through our posters, where you can take into account in a graphic and simple way all the good practices recommended to stop the transmission of this virus.