Albany Farms

Opportunity Title: R&D/QA/QC Intern

Opportunity Summary: R&D and QA/QC are vital departments within a growing company. The right talent is needed to develop, design, and enhance products. So the question is, are you that talent we're looking for?

By the end of this opportunity, students will have learned... All responsibilities related to R&D and QA/QC.

The following tasks/activities students would be doing for this opportunity:

• Analyze and/or study data
• Conduct scientific analysis and/or testing
• Create evaluations, assessments, or survey instruments
• Observe a professional and/or client
• Prepare and/or serve food
• Shadow a professional

What training will be provided to students to perform these responsibilities? GMP and Safety.

How will you provide ongoing support and supervision to students? Via telephone, email, or in-person.

Where will this opportunity take place? Hybrid - Combination of on-site and remote

Please provide your organizations COVID-19 safety guidelines and protocol:
POLICY: Covid 19 Face Covering, Testing & Vaccine Policy 1.12.22

Purpose:
Vaccination is a vital tool to reduce the presence and severity of COVID-19 cases in the workplace, in communities, and in the nation as a whole. Albany Farms encourages all employees to receive a COVID-19 vaccination to protect themselves and other employees. However, should an employee choose not to be vaccinated, this policy’s sections on testing and face coverings will apply. This policy complies with OSHA’s Emergency Temporary Standard on Vaccination and Testing (29 CFR 1910.501).

Scope:
This COVID-19 Policy on vaccination, testing, and face covering use applies to all employees of Albany Farms, except for employees who do not report to a workplace where other individuals (such as coworkers or customers) are present; employees while working from home; and employees who work exclusively outdoors.

All employees are encouraged to be fully vaccinated. Employees are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after completing primary vaccination with a COVID-19 vaccine with, if applicable, at least the minimum recommended interval between doses. For example, this includes two weeks after a second dose in a two-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine, or two weeks after the second dose of any combination of two doses of different COVID-19 vaccines as part of one primary vaccination series. Employees who are not fully vaccinated will be required to provide proof of weekly COVID-19 testing and wear a face covering at the workplace.

Some employees may be required to have or obtain a COVID-19 vaccination as a term and condition of employment at Albany Farms due to their specific job duties (e.g., public facing positions). Employees subject to mandatory vaccination requirements should follow all relevant vaccination procedures in this policy and are not given the choice to choose testing and face covering use in lieu of vaccination

All employees are required to report their vaccination status and, if vaccinated, provide proof of vaccination. Employees must provide truthful and accurate information about their COVID-19 vaccination status, and, if not fully vaccinated, their testing results. Employees not in compliance with this policy will be subject to discipline.

Employees may request an exception from vaccination requirements (if applicable) if the vaccine is medically contraindicated for them or medical necessity requires a delay in vaccination. Employees also may be legally entitled to a reasonable accommodation if they cannot be vaccinated and/or wear a face covering (as otherwise required by this policy) because of a disability, or if the provisions in this policy for vaccination, and/or testing for COVID-19, and/or wearing a face covering conflict with a sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance. Requests for exceptions and reasonable accommodations must be initiated by the team member. All such requests will be handled in accordance with applicable laws and regulations and Albany Farms Covid-19 Face Covering, Testing & Vaccine Policy.
Procedures:

Overview and General Information
Vaccination
Any Albany Farms team member that chooses to or is required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 must be fully vaccinated no later than their initial start date. Any employee not fully vaccinated by their start date will be subject to the regular testing and face covering requirements of the policy.
To be fully vaccinated by an employee must:
o Obtain the first dose of a two dose vaccine no later that and the second dose no later than or
o Obtain one dose of a single dose vaccine no later than .
Employees will be considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the requisite number of doses of a COVID-19 vaccine as stated above. An employee will be considered partially vaccinated if they have received only one dose of a two dose vaccine.
Please note that the Human Resources Manager will make a copy of your vaccination card and place in your file (if you choose to receive the Covid-19 vaccine). At any time this policy may be updated at the discretion of the Human Resources Manager or Executive Team to ensure Albany Farms is in compliance with OSHA and government regulations and requirements.
Testing and Face Coverings
All employees who are not fully vaccinated as of their initial start date will be required to undergo regular COVID-19 testing and wear a face covering when in the workplace. Policies and procedures for testing and face coverings are described in the relevant sections of this policy.
Vaccination Status and Acceptable Forms of Proof of Vaccination
Upon completing onboarding paperwork, or there after, all team members are to provide the Human Resources Manager with their original Covid-19 vaccination card. A copy will be made and placed in the team members personnel file. This is to ensure that Albany Farms is in compliance with OSHA and state regulations regarding vaccination.
Vaccinated Employees
All vaccinated employees are required to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination, regardless of where they received vaccination. Proof of vaccination status can be submitted provided to the Human Resources Manager.
Acceptable proof of vaccination status is:
1. The record of immunization from a health care provider or pharmacy;
2. A copy of the COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card;
3. A copy of medical records documenting the vaccination;
4. A copy of immunization records from a public health, state, or tribal immunization information system; or
5. A copy of any other official documentation that contains the type of vaccine administered, date(s) of administration, and the name of the health care professional(s) or clinic site(s) administering the vaccine(s).
Proof of vaccination generally should include the employee’s name, the type of vaccine administered, the date(s) of administration, and the name of the health care professional(s) or clinic site(s) that administered the vaccine. In some cases, state immunization records may not include one or more of these data fields, such as clinic site; in those circumstances Albany Farms will still accept the state immunization record as acceptable proof of vaccination.
If an employee is unable to produce one of these acceptable forms of proof of vaccination, despite attempts to do so (e.g., by trying to contact the vaccine administrator or state health department), the employee can provide a signed and dated statement attesting to their vaccination status (fully vaccinated or partially vaccinated); attesting that they have lost and are otherwise unable to produce one of the other forms of acceptable proof; and including the following language:
“I declare (or certify, verify, or state) that this statement about my vaccination status is true and accurate. I understand that knowingly providing false information regarding my vaccination status on this form may subject me to criminal penalties.”
An employee who attests to their vaccination status in this way should to the best of their recollection, include in their attestation the type of vaccine administered, the date(s) of administration, and the name of the health care professional(s) or clinic site(s) administering the vaccine.
All Team Members
All team members, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, must inform Albany Farms of their vaccination status. The following table outlines the requirements for submitting vaccination status documentation.
Vaccination Status Instructions Deadline(s)
Team members who are fully vaccinated. Submit proof of vaccination that indicates full vaccination.
2/18/22
Team members who are partially vaccinated (i.e., one dose of a two dose vaccine series). Submit proof of vaccination that indicates when the first dose of vaccination was received, followed by proof of the second dose when it is obtained.

2/18/22
Team members who are not vaccinated.
Submit a statement that you are unvaccinated, but are planning to receive vaccination by the deadline.
2/18/22
Submit statement that you are unvaccinated and not planning to receive a vaccination.

2/18/22
Albany Farms can set their own internal deadlines to allow for processing. OSHA requires employers to collect all information about employee vaccination status by January 10, 2022.]

Supporting COVID-19 Vaccination
A team member may take up to four hours of duty time per dose to travel to the vaccination site, receive a vaccination, and return to work. This would mean a maximum of eight hours of duty time for team members receiving two doses. If a team member spends less time getting the vaccine, only the necessary amount of duty time will be granted. Team members who take longer than four hours to get the vaccine must send their Supervisor or the Human Resources Manager an email documenting the reason for the additional time (e.g., they may need to travel long distances to get the vaccine). Any additional time requested will be granted, if reasonable, but will not be paid; in that situation, the team member can elect to use accrued leave, e.g., sick leave, to cover the additional time. If a team member is vaccinated outside of their approved duty time they will not be compensated.
Team members may utilize up to two workdays of sick leave immediately following each dose if they have side effects from the COVID-19 vaccination that prevent them from working. Team members who have no sick leave will be granted up to two days of additional sick leave immediately following each dose if necessary.
Employee Notification of COVID-19 and Removal from the Workplace
Albany Farms will require team members to promptly notify the Human Resources Manager when they have tested positive for COVID-19 or have been diagnosed with COVID-19 by a licensed healthcare provider. Appropriate communication should be via phone call or text message to the Human Resources Manager or the team members Supervisor. Team members will be advised that they can use any sick leave to cover for the time they will be away from their job.
Medical Removal from the Workplace
Albany Farms has also implemented a policy for keeping COVID-19 positive team members from the workplace in certain circumstances. Albany Farms will immediately remove a team member from the workplace if they have received a positive COVID-19 test or have been diagnosed with COVID-19 by a licensed healthcare provider (i.e., immediately send them home or to seek medical care, as appropriate).
If the team member holds a position that allows them to continue working from home while in isolation, the team member and the Human Resources Manager will establish the guidelines for time worked at home.
Return to Work Criteria
For any team member removed because they are COVID-19 positive, Albany Farms will keep them removed from the workplace until the employee receives a negative result on a COVID-19 nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) following a positive result on a COVID-19 antigen test if the employee chooses to seek a NAAT test for confirmatory testing; meets the return to work criteria in CDC’s “Isolation Guidance”; or receives a recommendation to return to work from a licensed healthcare provider.
Under CDC’s “Isolation Guidance,” asymptomatic team members may return to work once 10 days have passed since the positive test, and symptomatic team members may return to work after all the following are true:
• At least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared, and
• At least 24 hours have passed with no fever without fever-reducing medication, and
• Other symptoms of COVID-19 are improving (loss of taste and smell may persist for weeks or months and need not delay the end of isolation).
If a team member has severe COVID-19 or an immune disease, Albany Farms will follow the guidance of a licensed healthcare provider regarding return to work.

COVID-19 Testing
All team members who are not fully vaccinated will be required to comply with this policy for testing. Team members who report to the workplace at least once every seven days:
(A) must be tested for COVID-19 at least once every seven days; and
(B) must provide documentation of the most recent COVID-19 test result to the Human Resources Manager no later than the seventh day following the date on which the team member last provided a test result.
Any team member who does not report to the workplace during a period of seven or more days (e.g., if they were teleworking for two weeks prior to reporting to the workplace):
(A) must be tested for COVID-19 within seven days prior to returning to the workplace; and
(B) must provide documentation of that test result to the Human Resources Manager upon return to the workplace.
If a team member does not provide documentation of a COVID-19 test result as required by this policy, they will be removed from the workplace until they provide a test result.
Team members who have received a positive COVID-19 test, or have been diagnosed with COVID-19 by a licensed healthcare provider, are not required to undergo COVID-19 testing for 90 days following the date of their positive test or diagnosis.
COVID-19 tests will be made available to all team members through the Human Resources Manager or supervisor. All team members who are not vaccinated will be trained on how to perform the Covid-19 test for times when the Human Resources Manager is not available. All test results must be presented to the Human Resources Manager or supervisor once completed. All Covid-19 tests will be provided at no cost to the team member.

Face Coverings
Albany Farms will require all employees who are not fully vaccinated to wear a face covering while in the facility. (This is in addition to the dress code for ALL TEAM MEMBERS to wear face coverings while on the manufacturing floor). Face coverings must: (i) completely cover the nose and mouth; (ii) be made with two or more layers of a breathable fabric that is tightly woven (i.e., fabrics that do not let light pass through when held up to a light source); (iii) be secured to the head with ties, ear loops, or elastic bands that go behind the head. If gaiters are worn, they should have two layers of fabric or be folded to make two layers; (iv) fit snugly over the nose, mouth, and chin with no large gaps on the outside of the face; and (v) be a solid piece of material without slits, exhalation valves, visible holes, punctures, or other openings. Albany Farms will provide face coverings for all team members while they are in the facility, at no cost to the team member.
Team members who are not fully vaccinated must wear face coverings over the nose and mouth when indoors and when occupying a vehicle with another person for work purposes. Policies and procedures for face coverings will be implemented, along with the other provisions required by OSHA’s COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing ETS, as part of a multi-layered infection control approach for unvaccinated workers.
The following are exceptions to Albany Farms requirements for face coverings for unvaccinated team members:
1. When a team member is alone in a room with floor to ceiling walls and a closed door (ie., office)
2. For a limited time, while a team member is eating or drinking at the workplace or for identification purposes in compliance with safety and security requirements.
3. When an team member is wearing a respirator.
4. Where Albany Farms has determined that the use of face coverings is infeasible or creates a greater hazard (e.g., when it is important to see the team members mouth for reasons related to their job duties, when the work requires the use of the team members uncovered mouth, or when the use of a face covering presents a risk of serious injury or death to the team member).

New Hires:
All new team members are required to comply with the vaccination, testing, and face covering requirements outlined in this policy as soon as practicable and as a condition of employment. Potential candidates for employment will be notified of the requirements of this policy prior to the start of employment.

Confidentiality and Privacy:
All medical information collected from individuals, including vaccination information, test results, and any other information obtained as a result of testing, will be treated in accordance with applicable laws and policies on confidentiality and privacy.

Approved: Date:

Source: www.osha.gov

The OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) on Vaccination and Testing generally requires covered employers to establish, implement, and enforce a written mandatory vaccination policy (29 CFR 1910.501(d)(1)). However, there is an exemption from that requirement for employers that establish, implement, and enforce a written policy allowing any employee not subject to a mandatory vaccination policy to either choose to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or provide proof of regular testing for COVID-19 and wear a face covering in lieu of vaccination (29 CFR 1910.501(d)(2)). Employers may use this template to develop a policy that provides employees the choice of COVID-19 vaccination or regular COVID-19 testing and face covering use. Lastly, employers using this template should consider incorporating their policies and procedures for non-employees (e.g., visitors, customers) and for employees of other employers (e.g., contractor employees).
 

Please provide any safety information specific to this opportunity. Covid-19 CDC guidelines apply

Please indicate the number of hours and duration a student would need to commit for this opportunity: 96 hours for the academic term

Are students responsible for any fees as part of this opportunity? Background Check (e.g., fingerprinting, live scans, driving record)

Are students receiving any form of compensation for this opportunity? Yes, paid.