Employers should ask the following questions to all employees, visitors and vendors prior to allowing access to the workplace and/or jobsite.
1. Have you traveled to an area with known local or international spread of COVID-19 in the past 14 days? Yes No
2. Have you, or anyone in your family, come into close contact (within 6 feet) with someone who has a suspected or confirmed COVID – 19 diagnosis in the past 14 days either at home or on a jobsite, etc.? Yes No
3. Have you had a fever (greater than 100.4 F or 38.0 C) OR symptoms of lower respiratory illness such as cough, shortness of breath, or difficulty breathing in the past 14 days?
Yes No
4. Are you currently experiencing a fever (greater than 100.4 F or 38.0 C) OR symptoms of lower respiratory illness such as cough, shortness of breath, or difficulty breathing? Yes No
*NOTE: If an employee, visitor or vendor answer ‘Yes’ to any of the above questions, ask them to leave the workplace or jobsite immediately and seek medical evaluation. In addition, you should strongly consider following the tips below.
Preventing and Responding to a Suspected or Confirmed Positive Case of COVID-19
Prevention
If you have not had a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 in your workplace or on your jobsite, you are encouraged to take the following steps.
1. Implement a policy for early reporting of signs or symptoms of COVID-19. Doing so can assist with preventing the spread of the disease if the employee is a confirmed case.
a. If an employee displays signs or symptoms of COVID-19, immediately remove them from the workplace or jobsite.
2. Educate your employees on how to protect themselves as outlined by CDC.
3. Educate your employees on the signs and symptoms of COVID-19.
4. Practice social distancing (maintaining a safe distance of at least six (6) feet from others) as much as practical.
5. Require sick employees to stay at home.
Response
If you have a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19, you are encouraged to take the following steps.
1. Remove the infected, or potentially infected, employee from the workplace or jobsite: Before the employee departs, ensure you have a full list of affected employees who should be sent home (i.e., individuals who worked in close proximity (three to six feet) with them in the previous 14 days). For suspected cases, take the same precautions and treat the situation as if the suspected case is a confirmed case for purposes of sending home potentially infected employees.
2. Contact the local public health department. If you have a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19, you should contact the local public health department to report the situation and to get any advice from the department on steps to take to handle the situation.
3. Ensure a medical evaluation is completed: The employee should contact their primary care physician to discuss the symptoms that they are experiencing and follow any orders given.
4. Investigate: Just as you would investigate a workplace injury (i.e., slip and fall), you must do the same for COVID-19, suspected or confirmed cases, and document your investigation. Investigating will also assist with the determination of work-relatedness of the confirmed case or exposure.
COVID-19 can be a recordable illness if a worker is infected as a result of an event or exposure in the work environment. However, employers are only responsible for recording cases of COVID-19 if all of the following are met:
a. The case is a confirmed case of COVID-19 (see CDC information on persons under investigation and presumptive positive and laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19);
b. The case is work-related, as defined by 29 CFR 1904.5; and
c. The case involves one or more of the general recording criteria set forth in 29 CFR 1904.7 (e.g., medical treatment beyond first-aid, days away from work).
5. Identify corrective actions: These items will include what measures should be put into place to prevent further spreading of the virus on the jobsite or in the workplace as well as future occurrences. Such measures may include the cleaning and sanitizing of the work area(s) and/or tools (hand and power) as well as reinforcing the guidelines for prevention outlined by CDC with others in the workplace and on the jobsite.
6. Establish a procedure to follow up: Communicate with both affected and non-affected employees on the status of the suspected or confirmed COVID-19 case, but do not communicate the name of affected individuals or specific medical diagnoses. Where there is a confirmed case of COVID-19, affected employees should be notified and encouraged to seek medical attention. If a suspected case tests negative, affected employees should be notified and encouraged to return work.
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