Considerations for Protecting Your Personnel During a Pandemic

Whether your organization remained open or temporarily closed its doors over the past several months, we're all working to adapt and adjust to the ongoing global pandemic. As many areas experience increased infection rates, operations must be conducted safely.

With this in mind, there are several considerations for protecting your employees and your volunteers:

• Follow the guidance of federal, state and local authorities.

• Encourage workers to stay home if they are feeling unwell. Screen everyone who arrives at work to ensure they aren’t showing symptoms. Send home anyone exhibiting a fever until they are fever-free for at least 72 hours.

• Evaluate and adjust sick leave policies to reflect the need for isolation and encourage workers who are sick to stay home. Clearly communicate sick leave policies to all workers.

• Post signage at the door indicating no one should enter if they currently have symptoms or have been around anyone with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis in the last 10 days.

• Continue to let employees who can work remotely do so. By minimizing the number of people present in one place, you can help reduce the potential spread of infection.

• Consider rotating workers in alternating shifts to minimize the number of people present at any one time.

• Support social distancing where possible. When physical distance cannot be maintained, consider wearing face masks.

• Limit group meetings and discourage workers from congregating in break rooms, conference rooms and offices.

• Regularly clean and disinfect all work surfaces. Pay special attention to frequently touched surfaces like door handles, light switches and railings.

• Encourage hand-washing and sanitation with hand sanitizer stations and reminders.

• Remind employees of steps they should take to protect their own health while at work.

Be sure to check with and follow the guidelines from your local authorities and state’s Department of Public Health to ensure your workplace is in compliance with state and local regulations on this topic.

SOURCE: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention