Carbon County is implementing a weekly questionnaire to help maintain a safe working environment for county employees.

On Thursday, Commissioner Rocky Ahner announced the action. The questionnaire must be filled out by each employee upon their arrival to work every Monday or whatever their first shift is for that week.

This new requirement is in response to an employee testing positive for COVID-19 last week.

“We want to have a system in place,” Ahner said, noting that the initial procedure the county had in place worked well last week, from the quick reporting to having a company that specializes in sanitizing areas contracted so the area where the employee worked was able to be deep cleaned within hours.

The new questionnaire will ask employees if they have been tested for COVID-19; come in contact with someone who has tested positive within the last 14 days; traveled to a high-risk area within the last 14 days; and if they have any of the COVID-19 symptoms.

In addition, they have clear guidelines outlined for employee safety, such as maintaining social distancing; wearing masks; using interoffice mail and email instead of moving from building to building; washing hands frequently; maintaining a contact log of employees and visitors for contact tracing purposes if needed; signing for any deliveries without allowing the delivery person into the building; avoiding elevators when possible; disinfecting personal office equipment and shared equipment; and if symptoms begin, notifying the direct supervisor immediately.

“There are people out there who are afraid of this and they shouldn’t be afraid,” Ahner said. “They should be able to come to our county and say we can be safe when you come into our buildings and that goes for our employees.

“We’re just looking out for everybody.”

“We continue to lean forward as best we can in regards to being proactive to first and foremost protect our employees and those who they come in contact with and the residents of Carbon County,” Commissioner Chris Lukasevich said, adding that the board of commissioners has been very cautious in its decisions, but at the same time making sure all decisions were in the best interest of keeping people safe.

Commissioners’ Chairman Wayne Nothstein added that as of June 1, the county will be down to 11 full-time and six part-time staff still on complete furloughs, while some will still be on reduced hours.

“We’re slowly getting back,” he said.