OMRF continues to adjust our operations to meet the evolving health situation. Our goal is to strike a balance between precautions and productivity while keeping population density in the labs and throughout the foundation as low as possible. Remote working arrangements should be used to the maximum extent possible, as should staggered shifts and flexible scheduling.
OMRF will continue phasing in research activity gradually so that population density and safe practices can be monitored to protect staff health and safety. Additional phases may be considered at later times as circumstances dictate.
Physical distancing
Physical distancing of six feet or more should be maintained at all times, inside and outside, unless a lab or clinical procedure makes that impossible; in those cases, measures should be taken to minimize the chances of viral exposure and limit the duration of such situations as much as possible.
To keep potential viral exposure chances as low as possible, please stay in your own work area whenever possible and keep face-to-face interactions a minimum. Similarly, time at OMRF should be limited to doing only those tasks essential to be performed onsite.
Laboratory density
The goal is to resume research activities while providing as much physical distancing as possible, with employees maintaining a space of at least 6 feet between them at all times.
Each principal investigator should continue developing her/his individual staffing plan with their Program Chair and getting final approval from the Vice President of Research.
PIs should keep the minimum number of individuals for the least amount of time in the laboratory and in the buildings. Telecommuting should be utilized, as should shifts that allow multiple people to work in sequence when possible.
In some cases, members of multiple labs might use the same common equipment, cell culture space or other shared resources. These people should avoid unnecessary interactions by scheduling and coordinating activities.
We understand that some complex experiments, as well as the training of new lab members, require teamwork between at least two people. These interactions are permitted only when unavoidable and should be kept to an absolute minimum. PIs who believe such interactions are necessary should discuss them with their Program Chair, with an emphasis on the use of novel strategies to mitigate risk in these situations. For example, clear protective barriers can be obtained through Marketplace that will help minimize the possibility of viral spread. You can view available options here.
The determination of spacing within individual laboratories is within the discretion – to be exercised reasonably and with attention to the health and safety of lab personnel – of each individual PI. To that end, while remaining cognizant of the challenges posed by the need to minimize human density at OMRF, we encourage PIs to spend as much time as is necessary onsite to ensure the safe and effective management of their research programs.
Please try to resist the natural tendency to stretch the rules to squeeze in one more person; think instead about the health of that person and the health of the community.
PPE and disinfecting practices
All individuals at OMRF must wear a mask covering both your mouth and nose at all times in foundation buildings, common areas and research laboratories, except as listed below. Employees are encouraged to bring their own masks; however, OMRF also has a limited supply of fabric and disposable masks that are available upon request by stopping by the mail room or by contacting carli-hartley@omrf.org.
- Masks are not necessary when
- completely alone in a private room, office, laboratory or other room, and the door must be closed
- outside while adhering to six-foot physical distancing
- while eating or drinking and adhering to six-foot physical distancing
- Disposable masks should be worn for no more than 5 consecutive days, or until soiled, whichever occurs first.
- Reusable fabric masks should be washed and dried as needed, but at least once per work week. Employees are responsible for cleaning their own masks.
- Face shields may be worn in addition to masks, but they may not be used as a substitute for masks.
Thorough hand-washing should occur on a regular basis. Gloves and lab coats should be worn when necessitated by research being conducted (i.e., BSL-2 work). Gloves worn in the lab should be removed and properly disposed before going outside of the lab.
Disinfection of lab space is the responsibility of each PI. All bench surfaces, door knobs and equipment surfaces should be disinfected frequently, as well as at the beginning and end of a shift. Common equipment in shared areas should be disinfected before and after each use. General CDC guidelines for disinfection can be found here. If your lab lacks disinfecting supplies, OMRF has spray bottles and ethanol that can be used for this purpose and can be obtained upon request from wendy-quinn@omrf.org.
Scheduling
To allow multiple people to work sequentially, labs should develop calendar systems to schedule work shifts throughout the day and on weekends. The structure of these schedules and the length of shifts can be flexible, depending on the type of experiment and the needs of the lab.
- Lab members should plan ahead to maximize the use of their limited bench time; they should do their notebook updating and other desktop activities when offsite.
- Lab members should communicate openly and often (by e-mail, text or other means) to coordinate and adjust schedules as needed and to be sure they avoid each other. Everyone should only be on campus during their assigned times.
- Lab members should help their labmates by doing minor tasks and experiments that reduce the need for others to come in.
Each PI must think carefully about which lab members will be allowed to return to work in this phase. Trainees who can work independently and have ongoing bench experiments should be given top priority so that they can complete their research projects in a timely fashion.
Monitoring compliance
We trust our PIs and staff to follow these guidelines and ensure the safety of all members of the OMRF community. However, we will also use spot checks to ensure laboratories and individuals remain in compliance. If you have a concern about a situation, please contact courtney-stevens@omrf.org. All reports will be treated confidentially.
Common areas
- Seating at tables and benches is limited to one person per 6 feet.
- If an individual uses a common area, it is their responsibility to disinfect that area before and following use.
- OMRF will provide increased cleaning and sanitizing of frequently used facilities and common areas, including elevators and stairwells, restrooms and other high-traffic spaces.
- Space permitting, no more than two individuals may be in an elevator at one time.
- No more than one individual should be in the restroom at any given time.
- All water fountains and bottle-filling stations will be closed until further notice, as will the Employee Fitness Center.
- Only unlocked conference and break rooms may be used. When used, appropriate social distancing practices as described in this plan must be observed. OMRF has removed or restricted from use the majority of chairs from each of those rooms; only those remaining chairs should be utilized, and only in a configuration consistent with prescribed social distancing. Spray bottles of disinfectant are located in the rooms, and it is the responsibility of anyone using them to disinfect areas before and after utilizing.
- We recognize that the inability to use conference facilities for meetings of laboratory and program personnel represents a significant hindrance to scientific productivity. However, given that such meetings – indoors, in spaces that are not well-ventilated, and often lasting for significant periods of time – represent some of the greatest risks of viral transmission, OMRF does not believe they can be resumed at this time. In the meantime, although we understand that neither option is optimal, we encourage the use of Zoom or outdoor meetings. If you have questions about the availability of a given conference room, please contact Sara-Adams@omrf.org.
Purchasing
Marketplace requisitions are continuously being reviewed for order placement with suppliers. Recipients may contact the mailroom at 271-7252 to schedule a delivery time or may visit the mailroom to pick up the parcel between 8:30 and 5:00 on weekdays. Email notifications will be sent for temperature-sensitive and priority overnight deliveries.
Standard package delivery to all labs and departments resumed on May 18.
Comparative Medicine
Colony managers may plan for the resumption of animal breeding activities in anticipation of future studies by contacting Comparative Medicine. If you need assistance ordering replacement breeders, you may contact stuart-west@omrf.org or jennie-criley@omrf.org. Please continue to use the electronic calendar on the Comparative Medicine webpage to schedule blocks of time to work in the housing and procedure rooms to avoid overlap with staff from Comparative Medicine and other labs.
Administrative Departments
Administrative departments should continue to function on a remote basis to the maximum extent possible. For functions that must be completed onsite, please follow the density, disinfecting practices and scheduling guidance described above for lab personnel. Any plans for onsite staffing in administrative departments must be approved by the Vice President of Human Resources.
Administrative assistants in scientific and other departments have largely remained offsite since mid-March. After Friday, June 19, supervisors may request to have AAs return onsite, either part-time or full-time, to perform duties. AAs should communicate with their supervisors in advance of this date to coordinate work schedules and determine what portion of their duties, if any, require onsite presence. Similarly, all other personnel who have been working offsite for a portion or all of their workweeks should communicate with their supervisors to determine whether any modification of their schedules/work arrangements will be required after June 19.
Any requests for administrative staffing in scientific departments must be approved in advance by the Vice President of Research, while requests for administrative staffing in clinical departments must be approved in advance by the Vice President of Clinical Affairs.
Clinical Operations
Clinic and clinical research activities happening within the physical location or purview of the Rheumatology Center of Excellence (RCE) or Multiple Sclerosis Center of Excellence (MSCE) will follow the guidelines with regards to those centers. Recruitment of new participants to trials and studies will resume as allowed and recommended by governing data safety monitoring boards, clinical research organizations, funding agencies and IRBs. Guidelines for physical distancing, disinfecting of clinical exam and research rooms, and rotating staffing are in effect for both the RCE and MSCE. Research recruiting should focus on patients or participants who would be in the RCE or MSCE for standard clinical care or when participation in the study may provide clinical benefit to the participant. Research recruiting of other participants to non-interventional studies will need to be reviewed on a per-study basis.
Any human subjects research that involves the recruitment of participants outside of the RCE or MSCE will need to devise a written plan for resuming human participant involvement with COVID19 precautions and submit to the OMRF IRB and Vice President of Clinical Affairs for review and modification as needed.
Pay
Since mid-March, irrespective of hours actually worked (and excluding overtime), OMRF has been paying all full-time personnel for 40-hour work weeks, and all part-time personnel based on average weekly hours previously worked. After June 19, we will return to paying all OMRF staff based on hours actually worked. These hours can be worked onsite or offsite, but the totals on timesheets must represent actual hours worked. For full-time employees, all hours in the work week must be accounted for either by work activities or leave. Please direct all individual questions as to what constitutes “work” for these purposes to your individual supervisor, as they will be the ones to make such determinations for each individual employee.
Hiring
Hiring activities have continued during the pandemic. If managers have a position they wish to fill, they should contact courtney-stevens@omrf.org for assistance.
Travel
No work-related out-of-state travel is permitted at this time without the prior approval of the Vice President of Human Resources. If you have traveled by plane within 14 days of planning to come onsite to OMRF, please inform courtney-stevens@omrf.org, 405-919-3437. Similarly, please inform Courtney if you plan to or do attend a gathering of 100 or more people. (Note: We do not consider a trip to Wal-Mart or the like to be such a gathering.)
Anyone who travels by plane or attends a gathering of 100 or more people may be required to have COVID testing and provide a negative result or self-quarantine before returning to work onsite.
Covid-19 cases
If you experience symptoms (cough, fever, loss of smell or taste, chills, headache, muscle pain, shortness of breath), test positive for Covid-19, or you live with or come in contact with someone who tests positive or experiences symptoms, do not come onsite. Instead, contact your supervisor and courtney-stevens@omrf.org. For information on taking care of yourself or a sick household member, refer to the CDC.
If an individual who was onsite at OMRF subsequently tests positive for SARS-CoV-2, notify courtney-stevens@omrf.org immediately. The individual must remain off the OMRF campus until 14 days after the cessation of symptoms and will need to have clinician documentation before returning to work. All areas in which that individual spent significant amounts of time will be closed and will not be reopened until they have been cleaned and disinfected. Any staff member or affiliate who came in contact with that person may be asked to have COVID testing or self-quarantine for up to 14 days before returning onsite to OMRF.
High-risk individuals
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidance for employers to help manage the return-to-work process. In that guidance (p. 46), the CDC recommends that employers encourage those at higher risk for the coronavirus to self-identify, thus allowing employers to work with those individuals to best protect them from potential infection.
The CDC guidelines identified higher-risk individuals as those over the age of 65, as well as people suffering from underlying medical conditions that include chronic lung disease, moderate to severe asthma, hypertension, severe heart conditions, weakened immunity, severe obesity, diabetes, liver disease, and chronic kidney disease that requires dialysis.
If you fall within the CDC’s higher-risk categories and have concerns about working onsite, please contact courtney-stevens@omrf.org.
If you have another job or life situation that regularly puts you in contact with significant numbers of people who could be carrying the virus, notify your manager and adhere to any instructions provided to minimize risk to OMRF personnel.
Accommodations
If employees require accommodation due to the pandemic, please contact courtney-stevens@omrf.org.
These guidelines may be modified over time in light of the availability of additional testing resources, CDC guidance and health experts’ evolving understanding of SARS-CoV-2.
