Resuming Business Toolkit

Monitor federal, state, and local public health communications about COVID-19. square icon square icon square icon square icon

• Ensure workers have access to current information.

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• Check local public health information [5] and the CDC COVID-19 website [1] daily, or as needed depending on local conditions.

square icon square icon square icon square icon Reinforce how employees can protect themselves and others from COVID-19 by communicating the following: square icon square icon square icon square icon

• If you have symptoms [6], notify your supervisor and stay home.

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• If you are sick, follow CDC-recommended steps [7], and do not return to work until you meet criteria to discontinue home isolation [8].

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• If you are well, but have someone in your household who has COVID-19, notify your supervisor and follow CDC recommended precautions [9].

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• 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.

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• Avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth.

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• Cover mouth and nose with a tissue or inside of the elbow when coughing or sneezing, immediately throw tissue in trash, then wash hands.

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• Develop a cleaning and disinfecting plan [11].

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• Clean and disinfect [12] frequently touched objects and surfaces at the beginning and end of each shift.

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• Avoid using other employees’ phones, desks, offices, or other work tools and equipment. Clean and disinfect between employees if sharing occurs.

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• Avoid large gatherings, [13] and stay at least 6 feet from others when possible.

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• Use cloth face coverings (if appropriate) [14] when social distancing is not possible, and especially in areas of with high levels of cases.

square icon square icon square icon square icon Plan for conducting daily in-person or virtual health checks [15] (e.g., symptom and/or temperature screening) before employees enter the facility: square icon square icon square icon square icon

• Use social distancing (about 6 feet distance), barriers or partitions, and/or personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect screeners.

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• If taking temperatures, use touchless thermometers.

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• Consider providing multiple screening entries.

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• Consider designating doorways as “entry only” or “exit only.”

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• Make employee health screenings as private as possible.

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• 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].

square icon square icon square icon square icon Conduct a hazard assessment of the workplace. square icon square icon square icon square icon

• Identify potential hazards that might expose workers to COVID-19.

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• Use the Worker Protection Tool to identify appropriate engineering, administrative, and personal protective equipment (PPE) options for your workplace.

square icon square icon square icon square icon Plan for what to do if an employee is sick at work. square icon square icon square icon square icon

• Immediately separate employees who appear to have symptoms [6] from others in the workplace.

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• Have a procedure for safe transport of a sick employee to home or a healthcare facility.

square icon square icon square icon square icon Develop an action plan for suspected/confirmed cases. square icon square icon square icon square icon

• 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.

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• 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.

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• 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].

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Read the original article at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)