USA: National passenger operator Amtrak has engaged the Department of Environmental & Occupational Health at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health to provide technical expertise and guidance to enhance its response to the coronavirus pandemic.
This will include advice on:
- reviewing safe work practices, return-to-work plans and guidance for employees, managers and facility operators;
- monitoring the epidemic using regional and national data sources to anticipate and respond to geographic transmission trends;
- implementing workplace and operational practices that exceed the latest public health guidelines for Covid-19 prevention;
- reviewing and recommending disinfection, sanitisation and decontamination practices for trains, stations and facilities;
- providing timely and evidence-based advice to promote a safe work culture for employees and travel experience for passengers.
This will supplement Amtrak’s current measures which include enhanced cleaning, contactless amenities, social distancing onboard and at stations and a requirement for passengers to wear face coverings.
‘To continue providing service across 46 states, we need to be aware of the impact of the coronavirus as well as best practices, regional disparities, and evolving guidance from health officials’, said Steve Predmore, Amtrak Executive Vice-President & Chief Safety Officer, on August 11. ‘The extensive expertise within the Department of Environmental & Occupational Health will augment our internal health and safety team as we continue to make decisions to protect customers and our employees who serve them.’
