2021 ANNUAL REPORT

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EMERGENCY SERVICES

Safety Office (continued)

• Functioning as the Divisions’ infection control officer, which includes monitoring operations to ensure good work practices and investigating all incidents involving possible exposure to infectious agents in compliance with Federal and State laws. Performing follow-up recommendations to eliminate potential hazards through changes in work practices or engineering safeguards. In 2021 this continued to be a large task due to COVID-19. The infection control officer tracked and monitored 183 positive employees. These positive employees resulted in 661 contacts being traced to ensure all SOPs were followed and no concerns of possible exposure existed. In addition, all employee illnesses were reported to the infection control officer for review and guidance relating to COVID-19. • In 2021 the safety office received the ability to perform Rapid Covid testing of employees with Covid symptoms or exposures. This led to the safety office performing or overseeing more than 700 tests. The ability to perform these tests rapidly identified countless positive employees who otherwise would have continued to work and potentially spread infection to others.

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