Navigating the pandemic in our marinas
A customer is safely served from outside the office doors at Westhaven
Leading marina managers from the NZMOA Executive discuss about their approach to ensuring business continuity and staff and customer safety, as we near a time of wider community transmission of the COVID-19 Omicron variant.
Gareth Wilson working from home north of Auckland
Gareth Wilson (pictured left) is Maintenance Manager at the biggest marina in New Zealand, Westhaven, and also on the Covid team with the council organisation that owns the marina, Eke Panuku.
Westhaven Marina, which has around 1,500 berth holders and hundreds of registered contractors, takes a relatively pragmatic approach to pandemic management. Its main focus in this new chapter of the virus is to focus on both business continuity, and health and safety of all its stakeholders.
The marina team collaborated to build a well-considered Business Contingency Plan in 2020 which was activated when New Zealand went into ‘red’ under the COVID-19 Protection Framework traffic light system.
The Westhaven team of 29 now operates as a number of distinct, designated bubbles: one bubble includes the marina manager and a team working exclusively from home. Gareth’s Maintenance Crew has two bubbles, and so does the Customer Service Team, to ensure that some of the team can continue working should there be an infection. The Dockmasters are in their own bubble, and contractors from a security company are on standby in case needed to maintain dockmaster services.
The bubbles are strictly applied, and the risk assessments extends as far as shared equipment and vehicles. Where possible, bubbles have their own equipment and where not possible, equipment is wiped and cleaned between uses.
“We are mindful that our staff also have social lives, families, and are potentially at risk, or needing support outside of work. All of that is taken into consideration,” says Gareth.
All staff are vaccinated, and anyone having face-to-face contact with staff onsite must also be vaccinated.
To facilitate operations and to reduce risk, the marina has adopted new automations. For example, most services can now be conducted online, and a swipe card machine has been placed outside the marina office so that renewals can be done and any issues can be diagnosed without a need for the card holder to step inside. Staff wear N95 or P2 masks all of the time in red. To assist with contact tracing, wwipe tags are now the only way to access the marina.
“If you don’t have a plan in place the risk is that the Ministry of Health require you to send your staff home. Every marina should be basing how they react according to a risk assessment. At Westhaven, we feel we are in the best situation we can be to keep the business to keep running and be safe,” says Gareth.
Phil Wardale (pictured) of Wardale Marine Industry Consulting works across a number of operations.
Phil Wardale
“In this stage of the pandemic most marinas are now focused on safe operations and continuity of the business,” says Phil. He points to the policy for Auckland Council contractors working at its marinas where as far as vaccination requirements go, it’s suggested that a mixed approach is acceptable, so long as unvaccinated contractor staff don’t come into contact with marina or council staff.
Andrew Welsh of Chaffers Marina in Wellington has had a Business Continuity Plan in place for two years, prioritising office functions and staff well-being. Risk assessment is now primarily based around marina staff, rather than boat owners. While vaccination isn’t required to access piers, users of on-shore facilities and the boat lift need to have registered their COVID Vaccine passport with the office, and this is lodged against key cards – meaning if a vaccine passport isn’t supplied, access is denied. Boat owners are responsible for checking their guests and crew. Chaffers Marina has a community of liveaboards who can only isolate onboard with Ministry of Health approval, but they will not to be able to access onshore facilities while isolating and may need to use an isolation facility.
“In the event of a widespread outbreak, we will close the office and go home,” he says.
Nigel Skeggs, Manager, Nelson Marina
Nigel Skeggs (pictured), manager of Nelson Marina, and Shane McInnes of Hobsonville Marina both report that they have unique QR codes on each part of the marina, including pier gates, so that they can identify specifically where a case has been and respond accordingly. Nelson Marina has 24 different QR codes in place. Scanning complacency is a challenge on pier gates, however.
Vaccination policies vary. While Westhaven and Chaffers Marina do require staff to be vaccinated, Nelson Marina doesn’t require either staff (except new staff) or customers to be vaccinated. It does however require customers to scan in, maintain social distancing, and wear a mask if social distancing can’t be achieved or indoors (such as the bathroom or laundry).
While Westhaven and Hobsonville operate with their office closed and a table at the door, Nelson Marina operates on a one in, one out basis and customers are separated by a full Perspex wall from the reception desk. Extra cleaning and sterilisation measures are in place.
Like Westhaven Nelson Marina’s team works in bubbles but as a smaller operation there are just two main work bubbles, with two sub bubbles. “One bubble is on site at a time and the yard and office/dock teams are also kept separate within this bubble. To achieve this we have our dock hands assigned to and assisting the each of our travel lift operators. When our travel lift operators are not on yard shift, they are working on the docks independently. Our office staff are between the office and work from home,” explains Nigel.
Shane McInnes of Hobsonville Marina, which is able to draw on staff from other marinas in the Empire Capital Group if needed, points out that there will be stigma associated with being the first person to bring the virus on site. “Reassuring staff and creating a supportive culture is important from now on.”
NZMOA’s Recommendations:
Every marina and boatyard is different and will have its own plan that best meets the needs of staff, customers and contractors.
Creating team bubbles can minimise the chance of a full business closure
Conduct risk assessment around each role in your operation
Look for ways to reduce staff contact with customers and the public
Unique QR codes on each gate and area of the marina means that any alert raised through the contract tracing system should be confined to a specific location, rather than the entire operation
Be mindful that your staff have lives outside work – they may contract Covid-19, or have vulnerable family members or other responsibilities to consider
NZ Marine’s Recommendations:
NZ Marine urges its members to operate on a split-shift basis in order to avoid the risk of their whole team and operation being impacted by one infectious employee. It also advises that The Short-term Absence Payment is available from Work and Income for businesses, including self-employed people, to help pay their employees who cannot work from home while they wait for a COVID-19 test result.
Further, the COVID-19 Leave Support Scheme is available to employers, including self-employed people, to help pay their employees who have been advised to self-isolate because of COVID-19 and can’t work at home during that period.
Employers can get $600 per week for full time staff, and $359 per for part time staff, to pass on to their employees. To be eligible for a one-week payment, staff need to be self-isolating for at least four consecutive calendar days.
Useful links:
Government advice for testing and returning to work during Omicron
A useful summary of guidance prepared by the Bay of Plenty Chamber of Commerce
Chaffers Marina, Wellington