Lake Cumberland State Dock stays Healthy at Work
Michael Kennedy and his team at the boat rental counter are quickly becoming adept at managing Healthy at Work requirements. Photo by Drew Bergman.
By Drew Bergman
Contributor
Three weeks into the reopen the State Dock at Lake Cumberland has taken to their Healthy at Work requirements.
At the boat rental counter, the clerks are stocked up with pens, masks, and Lysol. During the day only three customers are allowed at the counter with the staff secure behind a plastic shield which runs the full length of the rental area.
Along with the shielding, the boat rental counter area has been roped off from the rest of the Ship Store to help prevent crowding, protecting the employees which in turn protects the other guests.
Limiting the employees in the spacing and providing the plastic shields has also allowed the dock to be more lenient about employees masking continuously over the course of an eight-hour shift. “They’re starting to have issues with eight hours a day masking,” said manager Michael Kennedy. Staff are still masking for customer interactions, but otherwise and when at a distance they are allowed to open up.
The staff at the fuel piers have masks and gloves at the ready when boats arrive for refueling and all staff have been trained in the CDC guidelines and the expectations at the State Dock.
“I brought in people in group settings and we went over the CDC guidelines as well as the governor’s guidelines,” Mr. Kennedy said. He explained to the staff that “this is what we’ve got to do if we’re going to open back up. This is what we have to do to be able to provide services to our customers. We are, to my knowledge, one of the first ones on the first ones on the lake to be a full go: fuel, store, everything else.”
The regulations extend out beyond what the staff at the State Dock is able to do and also encompasses current limitations to guests there.
“Houseboats, we follow the CDC guidelines on that, ten people to a boat maximum. If [people] were to rent and there were, say have 18 people on the reservation, they would have to get a secondary boat. In all avenues we’re staying within the guidelines, not only CDC, but governor’s as well.”
If these measures, not only taken at the State Dock, but at businesses throughout the Commonwealth, are able to keep the novel coronavirus at bay, it can mean the relaxation of capacity restrictions for groups of people as well as at restaurants.
At the Tiki Bar & Grill staff are following the same guidelines as other Kentucky restaurants. “They’re wearing masks, they’re at 33 percent capacity. All the way across the board we have it covered.”
If you would like your business and its progress reopening featured in this paper, please email Drew at News@LakeCumberlandCurrent.com.
With tables spread out, capacity cut to a third, shields up, sanitizer out, and signs posted up the State Dock Tiki Bar & Grill is fully committed to helping mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus. Photo by Drew Bergman.
