BodyMindLife Infectious Disease Policy – Updated Oct 2021

SECTION 1 – PURPOSE

The purpose of this policy is to minimise the risk of transmission of infectious diseases to the BodyMindLife community as far as reasonably practicable and to manage persons who have contracted an infectious disease.

The intent of this policy is to promote and protect the health and well being of staff, students, members and visitors (including the general public, volunteers, contractors, sub-contractors and their employees) while they are on BodyMindLife premises.

SECTION 2 – SCOPE

This policy applies to all BodyMindLife staff, students and members.

SECTION 3 – POLICY

This policy has been expanded to cover all infectious diseases but in particular Covid-19 and is updated as new information comes to hand.

BodyMindLife is committed to stand by our duty of care to provide and maintain a healthy and safe environment for all staff, students, members, visitors and contractors using its facilities or providing BodyMindLife with services. We will promote informed awareness, preventative measures and standard precautions for dealing with infectious diseases by disseminating and publicising up-to-date information widely throughout the BodyMindLife community.

The following table outlines the strategies and actions that we are taking to prevent the transmission of an infectious disease, in particular Covid-19.

STRATEGY KEY ACTIONS
 

Physical distancing

1.5m personal distancing

4m square room capacity

 

Limit the number of staff and students within the general studio floor, specific practise areas and change rooms following current government regulations by:

– All members of staff completed Australia Government Health Department Infection Control Training – Covid-19;

– Utilising signage and verbal communication in specified areas to communicate both capacity and time restrictions;

– Restricting the number of customers allowed to book for classes;

– Stagger class start times to limit congestion in key areas ;

– Asking students to leave the premises once they have completed their class;

– Ensuring staff as well as students are aware of and agree to distancing measures front and back of house;

–  Clearly marked increased spacing between reformers and mat placements to minimum 1.5 meters and observing 4 square meters at all times;

–  Reduction in locker availability to enable observation of 1.5m spacing;

–  Booking online only to reduce time spent in communal areas; 

–  Online platform available to encourage practise from home;

–  Additional equipment self-cleaning (disinfecting) stations throughout studios to eliminate congestion at these points;

–  Teachers maintain physical distancing during practise and do not provide physical assists;

–  Increased capacity of customer service team to enable more non-contact assistance to students;

–  No physical hugging, kissing, touching or sharing of items;

– Electronic acknowledgement and agreement to all Covid-safe procedures and protocols prior to booking. 

 

Masks

 

– Masks must be worn at reception as well as before, during and after classes, unless you have a medical exemption. 

– Provide mask supply at reception for those who do not have one

 

Practice good hand hygiene, clean and disinfect
your environment

 

Limit risk of transmission among staff and students by:

– All members of staff completed Australia Government Health Department Infection Control Training – Covid19;

Ensuring adequate timing between classes to allow for adequate sanitisation;

Additional hand washing stations and hand sanitiser stations throughout studios;

Additional equipment self-cleaning (disinfecting) stations throughout studios to eliminate congestion at these points;

Extensive signage to remind and educate on good hygiene; 

More frequent cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces that are frequently handled by multiple people such as doorknobs, lockers and equipment; 

All workspaces and studios commercially cleaned at least daily and recorded;

All cleaning and sanitisation products to WHO and Safe Work Australia standards;

Additional information on cleaning and disinfecting of workplaces is available via the Safe Work Australia website;

Stringent waste management procedures including additional bins with lids to contain waste cleaning paper and tissues;

– Electronic acknowledgement and agreement to all procedures and protocols prior to booking.

 

Stay at home if you are unwell and have any symptoms of the virus or similarly presenting symptoms such as hay fever

 

– All members of staff completed Australia Government Health Department Infection Control Training – Covid19;

Signage and verbal communication to alert staff and students showing flu-like symptoms will not be admitted to class and will be politely asked to leave;

– Electronic acknowledgement and agreement to all Covid-safe procedures and protocols prior to booking.

 

Contact tracing

 

To support public health authorities with contact tracing to identify community transmission all fitness facilities must:

– Provide a NSW Government QR code for your premises, venue or event so that staff and customers can check in using the Service NSW app. Or alternatively, the Service NSW business online form for staff and customers who do not have a smart phone or are unable to sign-in using the Service NSW app.

– Maintain a Register of Attendance (sign-in) either digitally or manually of all persons on their site

–  Establish protocols for providing government authorities with member access logs and permitted contact details for the purposes of contact-tracing with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19

 

Employer’s duty of care

 

During the COVID-19 pandemic BodyMindLife has a duty of care to the health and wellbeing of their staff and the community whilst operating their businesses. The impact of COVID-19 on the Australian community will evolve and change over time and with that the requirements for how the fitness industry will operate. We are:

– Maintaining effective, two-way communication with their staff;

– Considering the impact of decisions they make in relation to COVID-19, on the physical and mental health of their staff;

– Consider innovative solutions so that our workplace can remain safely operational and staff can remain in their roles as far as possible; 

– We are planning ahead and being flexible to accommodate the changing nature of the pandemic.

 

Resources and References

Safe Work Australia Covid-19-information-workplaces

Australian Department of Health novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-health-alert