The Keystone Agricultural Producers has released a sanitation checklist for farmers.
To reduce the spread of COVID-19, KAP says we all must implement safety and sanitation protocols in our daily lives, and our farms need protocols as well.
As preparations are made for the spring planting season, it’s imperative that producers and staff practice appropriate sanitation.
KAP says for on-farm, the best practices include prohibiting all nonessential visitors to your farm, to continue to follow all existing biosecurity and food safety standards that you have in place on your farm.
If you have hired workers, make them aware of expectations for them to stay home from work if they are feeling ill or believe they may have been exposed to COVID 19 and to practice self-isolation.
Share new information about the COVID-19 situation with workers each morning, or at the start of each shift, and ensure that they are following best practices.
The sanitation best practices they suggest include cleaning and sanitizing bathrooms daily, putting hand sanitizer and paper towels in all vehicles and equipment, where possible limit the number of operators for individual vehicles and equipment, establish protocols to sanitize equipment (e.g., wipe door handles, steering wheels, gear shifters, controls, monitors, etc.), and ensure that everyone sanitizes equipment when getting into and out of vehicles and equipment.
In addition, print a handwashing poster and display it in washrooms and workshop to act as a reminder for everyone to practice frequent handwashing, implement a protocol on your farm outlining how often handwashing (for at least 20 seconds) must take place and ensure everyone follows it, ensure that you and your workers distance themselves by six feet where possible (understanding that this may not always be possible depending upon the tasks taking place), and when travelling off-farm, remain in the cab if possible and do not allow other people to enter the vehicle.
