Latest fallout from the ongoing San Francisco City Hall corruption scandal — the entire Public Works Department will undergo special ethics training.

“We want to ensure that all 1,600 Public Works employees have the tools and training they need to meet the ethical standards the city and state demand as they perform their work keeping San Francisco, clean, safe, beautiful and resilient,” Public Works Acting Director Alaric Degrafinried said.

City law requires that the Public Works director, deputy directors and all staff involved in contracting and purchasing take an online ethics training course.

Degrafinried is taking the training further, directing all department, bureau and section managers to review the ethics standards with all staff. Training will be offered online, in team meetings and at informal worker “tailgating sessions” in the department’s work yard.

The training is aimed at laying out the rules on everything from statements of economic interest for executives to gifts and honoraria, plus possible conflicts of interest.

“It will cover everything from awarding contracts to what to do if you are a street sweeper and someone offers you a free cup of coffee,” Public Works spokeswoman Rachel Gordon said.

Not everyone is impressed with the mass training.

“I’m not aware of any allegations of wrongdoing by frontline Department of Public Works employees, most of whom have nothing at all to do with contracting,” said Supervisor Matt Haney, a frequent critic of Public Works.

“The real problem has clearly been a culture of corruption at the top, and a bloated Department of Public Works that has little to no accountability or transparency,” Haney said.

The training follows the arrest of former Director Mohammed Nuru on federal corruption charges. The feds allege that Nuru conspired with restaurateur Nick Bovis and undercover FBI sources to offer a San Francisco airport commissioner $5,000 to help them acquire a concession lease at SFO.

Nuru stands accused — but not charged — of having contractors who work for the city do work on his vacation home in Colusa County and with using department funds to pay for holiday meals for city workers at Bovis’ restaurant.

Nuru is also under investigation for having allegedly assisted a billionaire Chinese national — developer Zhang Li, CEO of R&F Properties, who was having permitting problems at a development at 555 Fulton St. — in return for vacation trips to China and South America.

City Attorney Dennis Herrera believes that Nuru used charity donations to help fund city programs and events, such as the Department of Public Works’ Christmas party and Public Works Week, a celebration of the department.

Nuru also used $5,600 of his own money help repair Mayor London Breed’s personal car, the mayor revealed in an online post.

Nuru resigned in February and has been assisting the city attorney’s investigation into allegations of corruption at City Hall.

Gordon said the training is intended to both “bolster accountability and transparency in the workplace” and to show the public that Public Works is taking the scandal seriously.

For example, the department now must solicit bids from at least three qualified contractors for contracts issued under an emergency declaration. A detailed monthly report will also be forwarded to the city administrator and Board of Supervisors on all bids received and contracts awarded, Gordon said.

Meanwhile, the Board of Supervisors’ Government Audit and Oversight Committee is scheduled to begin hearings Wednesday into Public Works’ contracting procedures.

“At this point, we are taking a high-level look at the practices in the awarding of work and procurement contracts,” said committee chair Aaron Peskin. “Everything from how they were written to how they were put out to bid.”

Peskin said he was “pleased” to hear that Public Works is launching such a broad ethics training effort, but said “it’s a little after the fact.”

“Most people know what is right and what is wrong, and you don’t need ethics training to figure that out,” he said.

The training will be done in-house, at no additional cost, with the goal for it to be completed by June 30.

As for what to do when offered a free cup of coffee?

“While it’s legally allowed, we are asking our employees to graciously decline even token gifts of gratitude to avoid even the perception of quid pro quo,” Degrafinried said. “A thank you and a handshake — or in this era of coronavirus, an elbow bump — goes a long way.”

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Phil Matier appears Sundays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KGO-TV morning and evening news and can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call 415-777-8815, or email pmatier@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @philmatier