Please ensure each of your staff members have read this notice, and provide a printed copy to each Maintenance Technician.
COVID 19 staffing updates
What a crazy time we are living in!
As we continue to respond to the seemingly ever changing landscape surrounding COVID, we wanted to send out the following guidance. If you have any questions regarding your specific property, please reach out to your property supervisor.
For reasons too numerous to mention we are seeing more positive COVID test results- more positive test results bring with them the very real possibility and likelihood that things will shut down again. It is the goal of Cambridge that our employees, our residents and our vendors remain safe and healthy. To that end, we may be returning to site management offices experiencing a temporary change in office hours and also the way we conduct business. This means the very real possibility of again providing coverage through call forwarding, remote access to email, checking night drop slots, and lots of public postings in and around the office area so members of the public know how to reach staff when they attempt to visit an office which is otherwise closed.
With the desire and need to limit staff exposure to the virus we are again instituting the following parameters and procedures for maintenance employee response to maintenance requests.
The attached form describes the types of issues in apartments that would justify an active response from our maintenance staff.
If a resident calls and their maintenance issue is not listed as an Urgent/Emergency Priority Work Order in the attached form, please let them know that you will record their request and that it will be handled in the order it was received following the lifting of the limited contact order prompted by the Coronavirus situation.
Our staff and resident health is a primary priority at this time. A work order should be filled out completely including the date and time of the request, and details about the maintenance issue report. Permission to enter should be obtained after we return to a more normal business format.
For those issues that are listed as a Urgent/Emergency Priority Work Order, please contact the maintenance technician that is on duty for your property. If they are unavailable or if it’s after normal work hours, please reach out to the on call afterhours emergency tech.
Remember, before proceeding to respond to a priority maintenance request, staff should inquire as follows:
- Has anyone staying in (or living with) the household tested positive for Covid-19 within the past 21 days?
- Is anyone staying in (or living with) the household who has been tested and is awaiting for COVID-19 test results?
- Has anyone staying in (or living with) the household who has been sick with the COVID-19 symptoms within the past 21 days?
- Has anyone staying in (or living with) the household decided to self-quarantine due to either symptoms or exposure to COVID-19?
Maintenance Technicians should take the following precautions when responding to a Urgent/Emergency Priority Work Order:
You are responsible for your safety and the safety of those around you. Please take all precautions:
- Protective masks and gloves should be worn at all times while in the unit
- Avoid unnecessarily touching any surfaces within the apartment
- Residents should be asked to vacate the apartment while the PRIORITY or EMERGENCY service is being completed
- Dispose of gloves after use
- Wash your hands immediately after working in a unit
It’s very possible a maintenance request may come in that does not fit in one of the categories we’ve outlined. If you on unsure whether the maintenance request qualifies as a priority and deserves
response during the limited contact period, please contact your supervisor, Scott Busch, or your regional manager for further input. While postponement of work orders will cause some
inconvenience to residents, we want to ensure residents continue to have an apartment that meets their basic needs.
Thank you again for all that you do. If you have any questions of concerns, please do reach out.
Stay healthy!
Spring into Action 2020
Please see below the packet for more information on community clean up dates, the spring maintenance checklist, flag and uniform ordering, safety and wellness updates and much more! If you have specific questions regarding the your property’s community clean up, please contact your supervisor.
Happy Spring Cleaning!
Fall Into Action 2019
Fall is just around the corner, now is the time to review our Fall Into Action packet with your staff to start preparing for the changing season. Please review the attached 2019 packet which includes a maintenance checklist, maintenance uniform information, manager and maintenance log information, and more.
Safety Reminder: Window Screens
As the days begin to warm up, windows will be open more often. Please make sure to prioritize maintenance requests to repair missing or loose window screens. These screens are very important for the safety of all residents, especially those living on upper floors. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
For more information on Window Screen Safety check out this website:
http://childsafety.screenmobile.com/Window-Screen-Safety.html
Maintenance and Managers: Heat Safety and Prevention
During this time of year the heat can become dangerous if you aren’t making sure to hydrate. Maintenance staff (and quite a few managers as well) are out in the direct sunlight, or often sweltering in a vacant apartment during these hot days, and are at risk of dehydration and heat illness. With this in mind, we’d like pass everyone a reminder about heat safety and prevention.
HEAT EXHAUSTION: Symptoms include dizziness, weakness, heavy sweating, paleness, muscle cramps, headache, malaise, loss of appetite, fatigue, nausea, fainting, and a rash called prickly heat.
HEAT STROKE: Is a dysfunction of the central nervous system that makes the body stop sweating and organs stop working. Symptoms include dry skin, dizziness, headache, confusion, rapid breathing, rapid pulse, loss of consciousness, and a high body temp above 104°F. This is a medical emergency. Lower the body temperature immediately by moving the victim to shade, removing their clothing, bathing them in cool or cold water, and fan to increase cooling.
PREVENTATIVE MEASURES INCLUDE:
- Drink plenty of water
- Avoid alcohol, caffeinated drinks and soda
- Wear loose clothing
- Avoid direct sunlight or outdoors when possible
- Rest in a cool place
- Seek medical attention if symptoms do not go away
Of course, an ounce of prevention is worth a ton of medicine, and in this case prevention can come in the form of a bottle of water. Have water available, and be insistent that your maintenance staff is drinking plenty of water. Remember, hydration is the name of the game for these hot summer days.
Spring Into Action 2019
Hello Managers,
Please see the attached 2019 Spring Into Action packet for more information on community clean up dates, the spring maintenance checklist, flag and uniform ordering, safety and wellness updates and much more! If you have specific questions regarding the your property’s community clean up, please contact your supervisor.
Happy Spring Cleaning!
Newly Revised Spec Sheet
Attached you’ll find two documents, one is the long overdue, our newly revised spec sheet! There are plenty of newly updated parts and numbers, so please familiarize yourself with the sheet. Please make sure to delete electronic copies of any spec sheet other than the one revised in November of 2018, as well as throwing out any paper copies. This revision replaces all previous versions.
The other document included in this email is an introduction to the spec sheet, which will help familiarize you with the spec sheet itself.
And, as always, a copy of the spec sheet can be found on Cambridge’s Exchange.
Thank you, and please let me know if you have any questions.
CRES Spec Sheet Revised December 2018
Scott Busch
Telephone: 503.919.1670
Facsimile: 503.450.0241
October Safety Training
Property Managers:
Find attached the October training handout, “Workplace Housekeeping” as well as a Safety Training Form (Sign-In Sheet) to present at your monthly meeting.
The training must be completed and the Training Sign-In Sheet returned to me no later than Friday, October 19, 2018.
Be sure to let me know if you have any questions!
Angela Cooper, SPHR
Preventive Maintenance Inspections and Follow-Up Repairs
Managers,
As we prepare for the arrival of October, we realize that there are precisely three months remaining in calendar year 2018. How did that happen!?
We wish to take this opportunity to N, B & P — NAG, BEG and PLEAD, with all sites to make sure they are achieving their Preventive Maintenance Inspection goals for the year. To recap:
- Inspect and Service All Units on a Pro-Active, Preventive Basis Twice Annually
- All Turnovers Count as One Preventive Maintenance Inspection and Repair
- Inspect Each Week Only The Number of Units You Can Services / Repair The Next Week
- Generally:
- Managers Deliver Notices
- Managers or Maintenance Staff Complete Inspections (let’s use the correct form from Tenant Tech)
- Maintenance Staff Returns to Complete Repairs
- Stay On A Schedule; For Example:
- Inspect Mid-Week
- Service The Next Week
- Inspect Mid-Week, Week Three
- Service Mid-Week, Week Four
- Always, Always, Always Make Sure To Report Your Progress on your Weekly and Monthly Reports
Thank you!