- Ensure workers have access to current information.
- Check local public health information [5] and the CDC COVID-19 website [1] daily, or as needed depending on local conditions.
- If you have symptoms [6], notify your supervisor and stay home.
- If you are sick, follow CDC-recommended steps [7], and do not return to work until you meet criteria to discontinue home isolation [8].
- If you are well, but have someone in your household who has COVID-19, notify your supervisor and follow CDC recommended precautions [9].
- Wash hands [10] often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.
- Avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Cover mouth and nose with a tissue or inside of the elbow when coughing or sneezing, immediately throw tissue in trash, then wash hands.
- Develop a cleaning and disinfecting plan [11].
- Clean and disinfect [12] frequently touched objects and surfaces at the beginning and end of each shift.
- Avoid using other employees’ phones, desks, offices, or other work tools and equipment. Clean and disinfect between employees if sharing occurs.
- Avoid large gatherings, [13] and stay at least 6 feet from others when possible.
- Use cloth face coverings (if appropriate) [14] when social distancing is not possible, and especially in areas of with high levels of cases.
- Use social distancing (about 6 feet distance), barriers or partitions, and/or personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect screeners.
- If taking temperatures, use touchless thermometers.
- Consider providing multiple screening entries.
- Consider designating doorways as “entry only” or “exit only.”
- Make employee health screenings as private as possible.
- Do not determine risk based on race or country of origin; be sure to maintain confidentiality of each individual’s medical status and history [16].
- Identify potential hazards that might expose workers to COVID-19.
- Use the Worker Protection Tool to identify appropriate engineering, administrative, and personal protective equipment (PPE) options for your workplace.
- Immediately separate employees who appear to have symptoms [6] from others in the workplace.
- Have a procedure for safe transport of a sick employee to home or a healthcare facility.
- If it has been fewer than 7 days since the sick employee has been in the facility:
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- Close off areas that have been used by the sick person for long periods of time (e.g., their desk or workstation).
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- Wait 24 hours (or as long as possible), then clean and disinfect [12] the area.
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- Open outside doors and windows to increase air circulation during the waiting period.
- If it has been 7 days or more since the sick employee used the facility, additional cleaning and disinfection beyond routine efforts is not necessary.
- Determine which employees may have been exposed to the virus and may need to take additional precautions:
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- Inform employees of their possible exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace, but maintain confidentiality [17].
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- Most workplaces can follow the Public Health Recommendations for Community-Related Exposure [18].
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- Critical infrastructure [19] workplaces can follow appropriate safety practices [20].