Additional training class precautions

At Leavitt Training we are always dedicated to our staff, instructor, and student safety. During the COVID-19 pandemic we have implemented measures to prevent the spread and transmission of the virus. We will continue to monitor and adapt our strategy as needed as further information and guidance is provided.

The following guideline will provide direction to all operator training in person operations. These guidelines are intended to protect both our students and staff while continuing to deliver exceptional training and practical evaluation for our clients.

To facilitate safe delivery of instruction we are able to offer online instruction through virtual training and online courses. In person instruction is also available either at our customer’s sites, or in a Leavitt facility.

Individual classroom capacity will be determined by the available space which still allows for distance between participants. If classrooms are being used for multiple sessions in a day, adequate time should be booked between sessions for full disinfecting to be completed. Instructors are required to remind students to maintain social distance where possible.

Cleaning

Effective disinfecting is important in preventing the spread of COVID-19 and other communicable diseases. All trainers are responsible to disinfect high touch surfaces, class materials, facilities and equipment before and after each interaction. Disinfecting will be done with Leavitt selected and approved products suitable for decontaminating. SDS sheets are available for all disinfecting products and should be referred to before use and readily available in the event of an emergency. It is important to read the labels on all disinfecting products and follow all instructions when in use.

All trainers are provided with disinfecting products, training on how to use them correctly, access to the SDS information, safe work procedures and PPE for use as needed.

Masks and PPE

Masks are an effective tool to contain respiratory droplets that occur when the wearer coughs, sneezes or speaks. Respiratory droplets contribute to the spread of COVID-19 and other communicable diseases, and it is important to contain these droplets to prevent transmission of the virus.

All students and trainers will follow local guidance for masking requirements. Students and instructors who wish to continue to wear masks for personal reasons are supported in doing so in the absence of mask mandates. Students who would like to wear masks will be asked to bring their own masks to their session.

Building Access

To protect our staff, trainers, and students all students must complete a health screening questionnaire prior to attending any of our facilities. If a student is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or are required to isolate due to exposure, they will be asked not to attend a Leavitt facility. In the event that a student is unable to attend their session due to COVID-19 related symptoms or exposures they will be permitted to re-book and no cancellation or re-booking fees will be charged.

Trainers will also complete a self-administered health screening each day prior to the start of their sessions. If trainers are unable to answer no to all questions, they are not permitted to attend work and must notify their supervisor who will provide direction.

All trainers and students are asked to wash or sanitize their hands upon entry to a Leavitt facility and wash their hands as needed throughout the day to maintain good hand hygiene.

Food and Beverages

Consumption of food will not be permitted in the training rooms. Students bringing their own beverage may be permitted to bring it into the classroom at the discretion of the trainer. There will not be access to facility lunch or breakrooms for students.

Customer Facilities

Leavitt is able to provide on-site training for its customers. Customer facilities should allow for 6’ of distance between the trainer and students at all times. If physical distancing cannot be maintained the trainer may request a different space at the location through the site contact or the sales representative.

Trainers are asked to adhere to any health screening and onsite protocols while on customer sites. If they are unable to comply, they are asked to contact their supervisor immediately for direction.

If a customer’s COVID-19 or communicable disease prevention protocols vary from Leavitt’s protocols the higher standard of practices is to be applied. If it is unclear which protocols should be applied, trainers are asked to contact their supervisor or Safety Director for evaluation and direction.

In Class Training

Where students are participating in in-class training, they must follow all COVID and communicable disease protocols provided by the location, which may include additional measures to what has been provided here. Trainers attending a facility that they do not work in regularly are asked to contact the branch contact to confirm if there are any special instructions for the site.

Practical Evaluation

Trainers will be responsible to instruct their students on proper physical distancing to respect the comfort of all participants during group practical evaluations and provide visible markers to indicate where students are to stand to maintain distance if possible. Trainers will also be responsible to disinfect materials and equipment between each student’s uses. Trainers are to read and follow all labels when using their disinfecting products and be aware of the contact time required to disinfect as product strength may vary.

Extreme Weather Conditions

Where training or practical evaluations are held outdoors in high heat or significant cold, students are asked to dress for the conditions. If students who are waiting for evaluation prefer to be indoors, they are asked to return to their vehicles while waiting for their evaluation, as unsupervised students are not permitted in the building.

Contacts:

Customer or Student Concerns: Alyssa Anderson – Sales Manager, 604-715-4714, aanderson@leavitt.ca

Trainer Concerns: Andrew Yee – Operations Manager, 604-527-7941, ayee@leavitt.ca

Trainer Concerns: Ed Wallan – Lead Trainer, 778-879-1829, ewallan@leavitt.ca

Safety Concerns: Ashley Mckie – Director of Safety, 587-377-7319, amckie@leavitt.ca

If you are unable to reach the contact above please contact:
Jill Brook – General Manager, 604-527-7169, jbrook@leavitt.ca

At Leavitt Training we are always dedicated to our staff, instructor, and student safety. During the COVID-19 pandemic we have implemented measures to prevent the spread and transmission of the virus. We will continue to monitor and adapt our strategy as needed as further information and guidance is provided.

The following guideline will provide direction to all operator training operations in Alberta and BC. These guidelines are intended to protect both our students and staff while continuing to deliver exceptional training and practical evaluation for our clients. All direction in this guideline is to be followed without exception.

To facilitate safe delivery of instruction we are able to offer online instruction through virtual training and online courses. In person instruction is also available either at our customer’s sites, or in a Leavitt facility.

Individual classroom capacity will be determined by the available space which still allows for a distance of 6’ between participants. If classrooms are being used for multiple sessions in a day, adequate time should be booked between sessions for full disinfecting to be completed. Instructors are required to remind students to maintain social distance where possible and stagger any breaks between the classes to prevent congregation of students.

Cleaning

Effective disinfecting is important in preventing the spread of COVID-19 and other communicable diseases. All trainers are responsible to disinfect high touch surfaces, class materials, facilities and equipment before and after each interaction. Disinfecting will be done with Leavitt selected and approved products suitable for decontaminating. SDS sheets are available for all disinfecting products and should be referred to before use and readily available in the event of an emergency. It is important to read the labels on all disinfecting products and follow all instructions when in use.

All trainers are provided with disinfecting products, training on how to use them correctly, access to the SDS information, safe work procedures and PPE for use as needed.

Trainers are to monitor their cleaning supplies and follow instructions for re-ordering as supplies reach the reorder point. Operator Training cleaning supplies are to be kept separate from Leavitt branch cleaning supplies in blended facilities to ensure that they are available for training as required.

Masks and PPE

Masks are an effective tool to contain respiratory droplets that occur when the wearer coughs, sneezes or speaks. Respiratory droplets contribute to the spread of COVID-19 and other communicable diseases, and it is important to contain these droplets to prevent transmission of the virus.

All students and trainers will wear masks when indoors in common areas and when within 6’ of another person. Students will be asked to bring their own masks to their session, but will be provided a disposable mask if they do not have their own. Once seated students may remove their masks for class. Instructors will maintain 6’ of distance from students when instructing without a mask. Masks are not required for outdoor areas, or warehouse style facilities when there is significant ventilation. Students and instructors who wish to continue to wear masks for personal reasons are supported in doing so.

Building Access

To protect our staff, trainers and students all students must complete a health screening questionnaire prior to attending any of our facilities. If a student is experiencing symptoms or has been in close contact with someone who is suspected or known to have COVID-19, or they have travelled outside of the country in the past 14 days, they will be asked not to attend a Leavitt facility. In the event that a student is unable to attend their session due to COVID-19 related symptoms or exposures they will be permitted to re-book and no cancellation or re-booking fees will be charged.

Trainers will also complete a self-administered health screening each day prior to the start of their sessions. If trainers are unable to answer no to all questions, they are not permitted to attend work and must notify their Supervisor who will provide direction.

All trainers and students are asked to wash or sanitize their hands upon entry to a Leavitt facility and wash their hands as needed throughout the day to maintain good hand hygiene.

In the event of inclement weather, trainers may need to move some activities indoors such as signing in for a practical evaluation. Trainers are encouraged to check weather forecasts leading up to outdoor training sessions to be prepared for the conditions and plan accordingly. In the event training is in a Leavitt Machinery facility or another facility not solely dedicated to operator training the trainer is asked to work with local branch management to designate indoor space as needed. In selecting the space it should be near an outdoor access point to reduce exposure of students, trainers and employees of the facility to each other where possible. Time spent indoors should be limited to only the duration needed, physical distancing is to be maintained where possible and masks are to be worn in common areas.

Food and Beverages

Consumption of food will not be permitted in the training rooms. Students bringing their own beverage may be permitted to bring it into the classroom at the discretion of the trainer. There will not be access to facility lunch or breakrooms for students. Coffee and water services are suspended to reduce exposure to communal surfaces.

Washrooms

Students who are participating in 1 hour practical assessment only will not be permitted to enter Leavitt facilities and as such will not have access to washrooms.

Students who are enrolled to in class instruction or longer duration practical assessment will have access to washroom facilities during their instruction time.

In some facilities we will have the ability to designate a washroom for operator training use only. Where this option is available the trainer will be asked to disinfect contact surfaces before and after each session. Leavitt employees will be asked not to use the designated washroom and reserve its use for students. In facilities where this is not an option and a washroom is being shared by all occupants of the building, disinfecting supplies will be available in the washroom and all users will be asked to disinfect contact surfaces. Trainers will still be required to disinfect high contact surfaces before and after their classes as well.

Customer Facilities

Leavitt is able to provide on-site training for its customers. Customer facilities should allow for 6’ of distance between the trainer and students at all times. If physical distancing cannot be maintained the trainer may request a different space at the location through the site contact or the sales representative.

Trainers are asked to adhere to any health screening and onsite protocols while on customer sites. If they are unable to comply they are asked to contact their Supervisor immediately for direction.

If a customer’s COVID-19 or communicable disease prevention protocols vary from Leavitt’s protocols the higher standard of practices is to be applied. If it is unclear which protocols should be applied, trainers are asked to contact their Supervisor or Safety Director for evaluation and direction.

In Class Training

Where students are participating in an in class training they must follow all COVID and communicable disease protocols provided by the location, which may include additional measures to what has been provided in this document. Trainers attending a facility that they do not work in regularly are asked to contact the branch contact to confirm if there are any special instructions for the site.

Practical Evaluation

Trainers will be responsible to instruct their students on proper physical distancing to respect the comfort of all participants during group practical evaluations and provide visible markers to indicate where students are to stand to maintain distance if possible. Trainers will also be responsible to disinfect materials and equipment between each student’s uses. Trainers are to read and follow all labels when using their disinfecting products and be aware of the contact time required to disinfect as product strength may vary.

Extreme Weather Conditions

Where training or practical evaluations are held outdoors in high heat or significant cold students are asked to dress for the conditions. If students who are waiting for evaluation prefer to be indoors they are asked to return to their vehicles while waiting for their evaluation, as unsupervised students are not permitted in the building.

Contacts:

Customer or Student Concerns: Alyssa Anderson – Sales Manager, 604-715-4714, aanderson@leavitt.ca

Trainer Concerns: Andrew Yee – Operations Manager, 604-527-7941, ayee@leavitt.ca

Trainer Concerns: Ed Wallan – Lead Trainer, 778-879-1829, ewallan@leavitt.ca

Safety Concerns: Ashley Mckie – Director of Safety, 587-377-7319, amckie@leavitt.ca

If you are unable to reach the contact above please contact:
Jill Brook – General Manager, 604-527-7169, jbrook@leavitt.ca

Leavitt Training remains open for business and continues to work with reduced class capacity to maintain appropriate social distancing as recommended by the public health authorities in the jurisdictions we operate in. We are committed to continually evaluating our safety measures to ensure the health and safety or our clients and staff, while ensuring that we are still able to support our clients with the best service possible during the COVID19 pandemic.

For our mobile equipment training courses, effective October 19th we will be transitioning to the following protocols for public course delivery:

• Operator trainees will be required to fill in a COVID-19 Visitor Questionnaire prior to starting their course or entering our facility.
• On the day of training, trainees will be provided instruction on how to safely access the training area. Clients are asked not to enter our indoor facilities unless directed.
• Clients will be asked to sanitize their hands at check in.
• Our public washroom facilities will continue to be closed during this time to limit the number of touch points and exposure risks to all clients.
• Wherever an online training resource exists, our open registration equipment training classes will continue to be presented in a mandatory online format for the theory portion of training.
• Clients will be automatically emailed a course code to complete their pre-study course work from the comfort of their own home or office from any internet capable device
• Hands on, practical training will be available to be booked in a morning (AM) or afternoon (PM) format in small, socially distanced groups of 1-5 participants
• During the practical evaluations, trainees will always be required to maintain 6ft of social distance
• The equipment cabs and controls will be disinfected between operators

Operator trainees will be required to wear a face covering in accordance with local requirements as mandated by the Public Health Authority, this includes within the confined space of the equipment cab in order to limit the respiratory droplet exposure risks between operators.

Non-equipment training classes will continue to be limited with class sizes reduced to allow for 6ft of social distancing and our guests will be required to fill in a COVID-19 Visitor Questionnaire prior to entering our facility. Washroom facilities will be available to those taking full day courses.

We will continue to adapt our business practices as needed to maintain service to our customers during this challenging time for all.

Leavitt Training remains open for business in a reduced capacity, ensuring that those clients of ours who are essential to our supply chains continue to have access to a quality training provider. This will allow us to meeting our customers demands pertaining to training alternate or new staff members to maintain their critical operations as they struggle with staffing challenges under rapidly changing conditions. We feel that it is important that we continue to provide resources to these vital organizations within our communities.

We understand the seriousness of this pandemic and are committed to continually taking increased safety measures to ensure the health and safety or our clients and staff, as we see similar measures being taken worldwide, in a cooperative effort to slow the global spread of COVID-19. We would like to make you aware of the following upcoming changes in the coming week:

In addition to the measures outlined on March 16th, as of Wednesday, March 25 wherever an online training resource exists, our open registration equipment training classes will be presented in a mandatory online format for the theory portion of training and clients will complete their practical training in individual 1 hour appointments. Trainees will be asked to meet the instructor at the front yard or however best the branch manager decides that the traffic can be safely directed to the training area without entry to the building. Access to washroom facilities with not be provided to these clients.

• This will allow us to ensure 6ft or more of social distance at all times as recommended by the public health authorities while also allowing for a full disinfectant of equipment controls between operators.
• This will also assist us in limiting public access to our indoor facilities for the protection of our employees who remain working at the branches.

Clients will be automatically emailed a course code to complete their pre-study course work from the comfort of their own home or office from any internet capable device and a Leavitt Training representative will call and email details of the specific timeslot for practical assessment training.

Clients will not have the option to choose their own appointment time due to the challenging logistics of making this sudden change. At this time appointments will be issued in the order the registrations were received during the original course window of 8:00am-4:00pm for a maximum of 7 appointments per instructor per day.

For the limited classes that cannot be facilitated in this manner, we will be limiting class sizes by 50% or more to allow for 6ft of social distancing and our guests will be required to fill in a COVID-19 Visitor Questionnaire prior to entering our facility.

• Each day prior to a course taking place we will have a Leavitt Training representative contacting the customers with a questionnaire in the morning and following up before the end of day to ensure they are collected. If this self-declaration is not received prior to the end of business day, the client will be required to have a signed copy with them to display prior to gaining entry to our facility on the day of the course.
• Those who do not comply will be asked to reschedule at no charge for a later date when they feel more comfortable with signing off on the form.

We believe that it is important at this critical time to continue to support the workforce that is providing the essential services that we all depend on. Ongoing we will continue to adapt our business practices as needed to maintain service to our customers during this challenging time for all.

With increased awareness on how COVID-19 virus has impacted communities around the world, over the last few weeks we at Leavitt Machinery have taken a series of precautionary steps in response to this developing public health impact, including increased cleaning and sanitizing procedures for our facilities.

Rest assured that Leavitt Machinery has a comprehensive set of guidelines and policies in place governing how we monitor and react to health concerns within our community. The health and safety of all Leavitt Machinery staff, students, and guests is our number one priority.

In direct response to the need to be diligent against this virus Leavitt Training is undertaking the following measures:

• No students who show any visible indication of illness will be admitted entry. Those that appear ill will be asked to go home and can reschedule when they are well with no cancellation fee.
• We have implemented a strict no contact hand etiquette protocol, no handshakes will be offered by staff and an extra wide amount of personal space will be respected.
• We are temporarily suspending coffee service and students will be restricted from gathering in employee designated lunchrooms. We encourage students to leave the facility for lunch and longer lunch breaks will be accommodated to allow for this as needed.
• Extra effort in disinfecting desks, washrooms and hard surfaces after each class is being made.
• We are outfitting our facilities with ample handwashing and hand sanitizing stations. Students will be reminded at the start of class to wash their hands regularly and will be instructed of the location of these amenities.
• Training equipment will be thoroughly disinfected after each class session, and where plausible disinfectant wipes will be provided for students to wipe down equipment before they take their specific hands on equipment test. We also strongly recommend that clients bring gloves to operate equipment as an addition PPE measure.
• Finally, we will be reducing class sizes by 30% to minimize the number of students in each class and also provide more space between the operators in the classroom. We will be actively working to schedule our courses accordingly to ensure all customers are accommodated. As noted by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), COVID-19 is primarily spread through respiratory droplets, which means to become infected, people generally must be within six feet of someone who is contagious and come into contact with these droplets. It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.

The best advice is still frequent handwashing for at least 20 seconds using soap and warm water, ensuring that any coughing is done into sleeves at the elbow or into a tissue that is immediately disposed of and avoiding touching your face.

Although we will still have PPE loaner gear available, students are very strongly recommended to bring their own gear including high-vis vest, eye protection, hard hat and gloves. Those using loaner eye protection will be asked to wash and dry the gear both before and after using it.

Leavitt Training is industry leading when it comes to holding classes with an exceptionally low group size to allow for a small student to instructor ratio, in spite of this we do understand that there may be those individuals that require safety training but who want to limit their classroom contact with the public. We recommend that these individuals contact us to learn more about online blended training options where theory training can be completed in the comfort of their own office or home from any internet capable device. Following this, a brief hands-on equipment practical can be scheduled at a Leavitt Machinery location in a reduced contact or private 1:1 scenario.

We are prepared to navigate these challenging circumstances with everyone’s safety in mind. As our customer base is dependent on our product to ensure safe compliance for equipment operation in the workplace we currently plan to remain open for business with a full class schedule to fulfill industry needs. We will remain vigilant to any recommendations made by the health authorities and will adjust and adapt as required.