The Homburg Centre recently impressed the departments of Labour and Advanced Education and Occupational Health and Safety with the rigorous safety measures put in place to keep community members safe. The surprise inspections by Labour and Advanced Education and Occupational Health and Safety are used to ensure that businesses are being compliant with COVID-19 regulations put in place by Dr. Strang, Chief Medical Officer of Health.
Upon re-opening the Homburg Centre has enacted stringent protocols that include capacity limits, two-layered contact tracing, pre-screening measures and enhanced cleaning practices.
The Homburg Centre allows for a maximum capacity of 51 people in the building, which includes staff, facilities and members. The weight room and cardio rooms would normally hold 40–50 people; they have decreased their capacity respectively to 15 in the cardio rooms and 10 in the weight room. The new capacity limits allow the equipment to be spaced out appropriately.
“When setting up the rooms for re-opening, we were focused on the increased respiratory rates of people when they are undertaking exercise activities,” says Greg Knight, Assistant Director of the Department of Athletics and Recreation. “The general public maintains a social distance of six-feet, but after our assessments, we based our set up around an eight-foot separation.”
When a member arrives at the Homburg Centre for a workout, they must answer a series of pre-screening questions before entering the building. They are then asked to wash their hands or sanitize before signing in and scanning their membership card at the front desk. Masks are mandatory at all times, with the exception of while they are working out.
After a member uses a piece of equipment, they are required to clean it themselves before a student staff member follows behind with the hydrostatic sprayers, a new sanitization investment by Saint Mary’s University. The chemical agents in the sprayers require time to effectively kill coronaviruses so it must dry completely before another member may use that equipment. After the 90-minute workout time slot, the gym is closed for a 30-minute deep sanitization before the next session begins.
“Upon re-opening we had our chemical supplier facilitate a session to teach our staff and student employees how to properly use the hydrostatic sprayers in a safe and effective way,” says Roberta Graham, Custodial Manager. “This is a major step in our multi-layered approach to protecting our members while they enjoy a workout.”
This week, the Homburg Centre has added a seventh time slot in the day and is opening up the option for day-use lockers. With the cooperation of its members and persistent hard work by staff and custodians, the Homburg Centre continues to serve the community in a safe way.
To learn more or to book a workout, visit smu.ca/campus-life/smufit-main