Guidance for Obtaining Furniture for Employees During COVID-19 Shelter In Place

Employees who work from home do not universally own furniture that provides the level of ergonomic adjustability to meet that provided at the Lab.

Background:

Some employees who are working from home in response to the COVID-19 shelter-in-place situation may need furniture to address discomfort and/or work accommodation.   

Scope:

This guidance applies to furniture during COVID-19 shelter-in-place.

Guidelines:

If an employee has discomfort and/or a medical accommodation that warrants considering whether to supply furniture to the employee’s home, a case-by-case assessment will be conducted in coordination with the EHS Ergonomics Team and/or Health Services/Disability Management.  This may result in the Lab’s procuring furniture or shipping furniture from the employee’s office to the employee’s home.

Options for providing employee furniture that has been deemed necessary by EHS Ergonomics Team and/or Health Services:

Note: The EHS Ergonomics Team will discuss with employee safe handling considerations prior to implementing either option. It will be determined if the employee will be able to safely receive the item from outside their home, bring it inside the home, unpack and/or assemble the item, bring it to the telework location, and safely repack the item for return to the Lab. Chairs cannot be picked up from an employee’s Lab office and delivered to an employee’s home if it has been used within the past 7 days, which exceeds all scientific guidelines for COVID-19 exposure. Specific safety precautions for Transportations and Shipping Departments are being developed.  

If any furniture is damaged during transport or while at an employee’s home, the furniture would not be able to be repaired until its return to the Lab after the COVID-19 situation is resolved. The Division will be responsible for managing any costs associated with the replacement of non-returned or damaged items. 

Option #1

Transportation Services can arrange to have a chair picked up from an employee’s office, packaged, and delivered to the employee’s home via FedEx/UPS. Note: this option only applies to chairs. 

1. Once the EHS Ergonomics Team and/or Health Services has determined a chair is needed the EHS Ergonomics Team will contact the employee’s supervisor to facilitate the next steps.
2. The supervisor will need to approve and provide a PID. The supervisor will also need to obtain approval from the Division Director. The PID will be provided during the Work Request submission. Costs for sending a chair to an employee’s home will vary depending on the zip code. Costs may vary from $40 to $70 per shipment of a chair.
3. If a chair is being picked up and there is only one chair in the pickup location and it will be clear to Transportation Services which chair should be picked up, a Transportation Authorization Form (TAF) is not necessary.  A Work Request will need to be submitted at workrequest.lbl.gov using the Transportation request button.  The Division is responsible for submitting the TAF, Work Order, and labeling the chair.
   1. If there are multiple chairs in the pickup location, someone will need to label the chair or complete a TAF.  The employee/supervisor will need to make arrangements to do this step. 
4. Transportation Services can utilize a truck with a lift gate so chairs can be rolled in and out by one person which allows for social isolation. 
5. Transportation Services will make arrangements with Shipping to have a chair delivered to the employee’s home. Either UPSGround/FedEx Express Saver shipment will be utilized. 
6. All property including chairs will need to be tracked by the Division.
7. The employee would need to keep the box and all the packaging materials that the chair was shipped in, and return the box, chair, and shipping materials with a Lab supplied return label. UPS/ FedEx will be used to pick up an item from an employee’s home and return it to the Lab. A return label will be created at the same time the chair is shipped out and will be placed in the box. The Shipping Department has created a guidance sheet to include inside the box with safety tips and repacking instructions. 
8. The Division will be responsible for arranging for the chair to be returned to the Lab within three days of the employee’s return date to the lab.

Note: If the chair is located in a building that is locked due to possible COVID-19 exposure or if elevator access is not available, Transportation Services will not be able to pick up the chair.

Option #2

A requisition will be submitted to Procurement on behalf of the employee for new furniture that has been approved by EHS Ergonomics and/or Health Services. Furniture will be drop-shipped to the employee’s home.

1. EHS Ergonomics and/or Health Services will determine the specifically recommended furniture needed. 
2. The supervisor and Division Director will need to approve and provide a PID.  EHS Ergonomics will contact the supervisor.
3. EHS Ergonomics will submit a requisition for the recommended furniture and request a drop-ship to the employee’s home.  
4. Procurement will place an order to drop-ship.
5. All property, including furniture, will need to be tracked by the Division.
6. The Division will be responsible for arranging for the furniture to be returned to the Lab within three days of the employee’s return date to the lab.
7. The Shipping Department can arrange to either have the employee pick up the shipping materials, including return label, from Building 69 or the employee can arrange to have these materials delivered to their home.