Preventing Transmission

of COVID-19 in the Workplace

Introduction

To safeguard the well-being of Elite Technical employees, contract workers, clients and business partners, we have compiled the following series of strategies, recommendations and practices to limit the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19). These policy recommendations are formulated based on guidelines released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and research on best industry practices for businesses seeking to prevent infection transmission.

This Elite Technical policy is designed to prevent transmission of COVID-19 to and among Elite Technical employees, contract employees and visitors at Elite Technical locations and those working at client sites.

Elite Technical employees and clients may be assured that our policy shall remain flexible and consistent with public health guidance. Elite Technical reserves the right to take additional action or change the protocols listed below in accordance with evolving health information updates and best industry practices. As such, this policy may be amended as needed to reflect potentially changing CDC information and recommendations.

Joseph Monaco, SVP and dedicated COVID-19 response manager, in concert with our leadership team, is responsible for closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation externally and internally. Mr. Monaco is pleased to report there are no suspected or confirmed incidents of COVID-19 among Elite Technical team members at this time.

Elite Technical is committed to daily assessment of this rapidly evolving situation and keeping our team, contract workers, and business partners informed. Elite Technical’s COVID-19 Response Team shall convene daily cross-office telephone conferences with all management staff, at which time they will report the impact of virus-related concerns or outbreaks on their work, Elite Technical contract workers and clients, along with anticipated effects on business continuity and potential solutions.

We are pleased to report that Elite Technical’s operations are presently uninterrupted. Our corporate team members are practicing social distancing in our office.

Guidelines for Return to Office Locations
(Section Revision - September 2020)
As the nation begins business reopening efforts, Elite Technical has allowed employees and visitors back into Corporate headquarters, contingent upon following recommended guidelines. To continue safeguarding employee and visitor health, we have instituted the following precautions:
• Each employee is asked, on a daily basis, to sign and date an affidavit indicating that to his/her knowledge, he/she has not been exposed to or diagnosed with Coronavirus in the past 14 days; has not traveled outside immediate daily routine in the last 14 days; does not have coronavirus symptoms including either a cough, fever, chills, shortness of breath, or loss of taste or smell; and agrees to follow all posted policies to keep him/her and others safe from Coronavirus transmission.
• To allow a Corporate representative to take and record his/her temperature upon arrival at work
• All the signed affidavits and temperature records are stored at Corporate headquarters.
• Signs at the door indicate that all visitors shall be stopped at the door. Prior to admission, all visitors are required to sign an affidavit indicating that to his/her best knowledge, he/she has not been exposed to Coronavirus.
• All visitors are required to have their temperature taken upon arrival before entering the office. Visitors with a temperature of 100° F or higher shall not be admitted to our offices.
• All employees and visitors must adhere to our mask and social distancing policy: Signs throughout our headquarters indicate that masks are to be worn in all common areas and that social distancing is required.
• Conference room use is limited to two people per room at a time
• Use of our kitchen area is limited to one person at a time

Remote Work Guidelines

Our policy is to allow our corporate team members to work remotely, upon request, if they have reason to believe they are at risk for coronavirus at our location or risk communicating it in the workplace. We also urge every corporate team member to work remotely and quarantine at home if they have reason to believe they have been exposed to COVID-19. Employees who are allowed to work remotely should limit their community exposure and remain in-home (or at their designated quarantine facility) during work hours.

During local COVID-19 community outbreaks, Elite Technical employees and contract workers who wish to work remotely in the interest of health should consult their supervisor and discuss options. Elite Technical Management will be supportive of such requests, when practical and in accordance with a client’s own policies. Elite Technical managemen t also shall permit co rporate employees to stay home to care for family members sick from COVID-19 on a case-by-case basis.

Ensuring proper support for the success of remote workers is an important priority. Elite Technical requires all remote workers to maintain the client’s data security protocols especially for those client entities regulated by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”).

Virus Notification

An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer, Elite Technical is committed to non-discrimination and to preventing stigmatizing employees in the workplace. Elite Technical does not determine health risk based on race or ethnicity and shall maintain confidentiality of employees with confirmed COVID-19.

If an employee is confirmed to have COVID-19, Elite Technical shall inform fellow employees of their possible exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace and shall maintain confidentiality as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

To date, there are many unknowns related to the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Updates are available on CDC’s web page at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/covid19. We encourage Elite Technical employees, contractors, consultants and clients to stay informed. Employees exposed to a co-worker with confirmed COVID-19 also should refer to CDC guidance for how to conduct a risk assessment of their potential exposure.

Communication Regarding Covid-19 and Business Continuity

Elite Technical seeks to manage the potential for transmission of this virus, and other communicable infections, in a thoughtful, respectful and conscious manner, free from exaggeration and panic. Our goal is to limit the spread of disinformation and to utilize information released by the CDC as our primary source for decision-making about this health concern.

Should an outbreak of COVID-19 occur in the Elite Technical community, Elite Technical employees and contractors will be informed via email and informational updates posted on our website.

Elite Technical’s Relationship Managers shall be responsible for communicating such information to client managers, as needed. Relationship Managers also are encouraged to exercise their judgment regarding whether to postpone or cancel events and meetings based on incidents of COVID-19 community transmission and guidance from the CDC, local departments of health, and/or current Federal Government advisories.

Until further notice, all Elite Technical employees are advised to review their upcoming events and decide which may be conducted virtually and which must be postponed or canceled during this period of rapid COVID-19 spread. Employees and contractors on assignment are further advised to provide advance notification to supervisors and relationship managers of events and appointments that are or may be canceled because of COVID-19 concerns.

Travel Advice and Restrictions

Elite Technical contract workers who are required to travel on behalf of our client must notify Elite Technical’s corporate office by contacting the relationship manager responsible for your placement.

Employees who have recently traveled to countries designated high-risk by the CDC and/or State Department are asked to maintain a 14-day self-quarantine period starting with the day they arrive back in the US. During this period, Elite Technical’s relationship managers shall work with our clients to assess our affected contract employee’s ability to work remotely. 

At this time, all Elite Technical employees, including those on contract assignment, are located domestically. We require our team members to cancel unnecessary domestic and international business travel and to follow the most current national guidelines regarding personal domestic travel. We urge all Elite Technical personnel for whom travel may be required to stay abreast of CDC and U.S. government travel recommendations.

Elite Technical shall monitor and limit employee travel to and from current and new areas of contagion in compliance with CDC and State Department recommendations. Should traveling become necessary, we urge employees to avoid large crowds and event gatherings and to follow recommended infection control procedures, as detailed below on our website. As always, all Elite Technical contract workers must comply with all policies and procedures issued by the client to whom they are assigned.

Visitors

Elite Technical employees are encouraged to request that all office visitors confirm ahead of time that they have not been placed at risk for contracting COVID-19 over the last 14 days. This includes, but is not limited to, having had contact with anyone who has contracted COVID-19 or has traveled to a country that the CDC has identified as Warning Level 2-3 or to a domestic area noted as high risk in the United States, such as areas in the states of California and Washington, or other locations that may be designated as high-risk by the CDC.

Workforce Preparedness

Elite Technical recognizes the importance of preparedness and asks all Elite Technical employees and contract workers to be prepared for remote work in the event that alternative is recommended by CDC, advised by your local Health Departments and/or the client to whom a contract worker is assigned and/or required by government proclamation. Further, Elite Technical encourages the establishment of flexible working arrangements, including remote work, wherever possible and to follow s tate and local health authorities recommendations regarding the use of “social distancing” strategies. As of this writing, the guideline is to maintain a distance of six feet from others to avoid virus transmission.

Health Information

We encourage Elite Technical employees, contract employees, consultants and clients to stay informed by following updates and risk assessment guidelines on the CDC website . Employees exposed to a co-worker with confirmed COVID-19 also should refer to CDC guidance for of their potential exposure.

• Elite Technical encourages employees to stay home when sick and follow proper cough and sneeze etiquette (such as coughing into tissues and maintaining good hand hygiene by washing with soap and water or using hand-sanitizer after coughing). Employees are instructed to clean their hands often with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60-95% alcohol or wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Soap and water should be used preferentially if hands are visibly dirty.

• In line with CDC recommendations, Elite Technical encourages separating symptomatic employees and contract workers from others as soon as possible and whenever possible.

• Employees and contract workers who appear to have acute respiratory illness symptoms, (e.g., cough, shortness of breath or fever) upon arrival to work or who become sick during the day, should be separated from other personnel and should be sent home immediately.

Elite Technical makes safeguarding health a priority. During this period when health concerns posed by COVID-19 require urgent attention, our firm remains committed as ever to providing clients with reliable, trustworthy service and the outstanding technical talent you expect and deserve. We shall continue to work effectively every day to support your business requirements, your company and your families.