Coronavirus (COVID19) Advice for Temporary Workers
Important Safety Information
Symptoms of COVID-19 include:
- A high temperature (greater or equal to 38oC) – you feel hot to touch on your chest or back
- A new, continuous cough – this means you’ve started coughing repeatedly
- Difficulty breathing
If you develop a symptom, stay home and call your health care provider or local public health unit and tell them about your symptoms.
You may also visit the Ministry of Health website and take their self-assessment test. Do not call 911 unless it is an emergency.
https://covid-19.ontario.ca/self-assessment/#q0
Please do not visit an assessment centre unless you have been referred by a health care professional.
Notify your local branch by phone or email and DO NOT attend your work assignment.
The following symptoms are considered urgent:
- Significant difficulty breathing – Gasping, can’t catch your breath
- Chest pain or pressure
- New confusion or difficulty waking up
If you develop these urgent symptoms call 911 immediately.
If you have no symptoms, we still ask you to limit social contact and follow the government guidelines of social distancing where possible.
For more information please contact the Public Health Agency of Canada on 1-833-784-4397 or visit canada.ca/coronavirus.
Safety on Site
Our clients are working hard to ensure the safety of their workers and so we ask our temporary workers to please follow the advice laid out by the clients and the managers at the site you are attending for your assignment.
If a temporary worker has concerns about their safety at work, they should call their local branch immediately.
Safety in Branch
The Best Connection Inc. have adjusted as many policies and procedures as possible to reduce social contact and keep our staff and workers as safe as possible. We are making all decisions in line with the federal guidelines for workplaces/businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
To ensure the safety of our temporary workers and our staff, we ask you not to visit the branch during this time.
You can contact the branch via phone or email and if a visit is necessary it will be done by appointment only.
New to The Best Connection Inc. or to Temporary Work?
We are still looking for new workers to help us support the grocery stores and critical supply chains including medical supplies, so to ensure the safety of all of our staff and workers we have modified our interview process during this challenging time.
We will now be registering workers online and over the phone, and all interviews will be conducted over the phone through video chat rather than in person. We will still need to see key documents from our temporary workers, but this can be done online.
There are many free apps available for android and apple phones which allow you to photograph or ‘scan’ documents which can then be emailed into your local branch. If you have any problems, please call your local branch.
Documents can be scanned using the “notes” app on an apple device, or the following apps can be downloaded for free from the App Store:
https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/evernote-scannable/id883338188
https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/camscanner-pdf-scanner-app/id388627783
For android please see the following free apps on the Google Play Store:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.simplescan.scanner&hl=en_GB
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.indymobileapp.document.scanner&hl=en_GB
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.document.pdf.scanner&hl=en_GB
Temporary Key Worker Letters
In line with the recent government lockdown guidance, we believe it is essential we provide documentation to identify temporary workers who would be deemed ‘key workers’ in order to ensure our continual support of critical sectors as identified by the government. This document can then be shown to the relevant authorities where necessary.
Temporary workers on assignment in the following sectors will be able to request a key worker letter from their local branch:
- Transport sector
- Food and other necessary goods
- Health and social care, including supply chains
If appropriate, this will be emailed to the temporary worker.
Temporary Workers and Self-Isolation
All temporary workers that have;
- A high temperature (greater or equal to 38oC) – you feel hot to touch on your chest or back,
- A new, continuous cough – this means you’ve started coughing repeatedly, or
- Difficulty breathing,
should self-isolate for 14 days. We ask that in these circumstances you DO NOT attend your assignment, and follow the advice detailed under the “important safety information” section.
Helpful Links
The following links contain information and support for dealing with COVID-19. These sources are updated daily, and all guidance should be adhered to.
www.canada.ca/en.html
www.ontario.ca/coronavirus
www.publichealthontario.ca
https://www.ontario.ca/page/2019-novel-coronavirus
https://covid-19.ontario.ca/self-assessment/#q0
We recommend you closely follow the Government guidelines and download the Canada COVID-19 app (iOS or Android) for the latest COVID-19 information, recommendations and resources.
If you are experiencing mental health difficulties during the pandemic, you can contact the following for free in Ontario:
https://www.connexontario.ca/
https://www.bigwhitewall.com/
https://bouncebackontario.ca/