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InstituteInfectious DiseasesInfectious DiseasesCOVID-19USAEnglishAnalysisFocus AreaIn Depth (Level 3)

Hazard recognition

['Infectious Diseases']
Hazard recognition
  • In assessing potential hazards, employers should consider if and when their workers may be in close contact (within six feet) with someone who could have the virus and be able to spread it without knowing it.
  • OSHA has divided job tasks into four potential risk exposure levels for COVID-19: very high, high, medium, and lower risk.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires employers to provide a workplace free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm (see 29 U.S.C. 654(a)(1)). To meet this obligation, it is important for employers to assess occupational hazards to which their workers may be exposed to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus.

In assessing potential hazards, employers should consider if and when their workers may be in close contact (within six feet) with someone who could have the virus and be able to spread it without knowing it. The extent of community spread, if any, is a key consideration in hazard assessment. Employers should also determine if workers could be exposed to environments (e.g., worksites) or materials (e.g., laboratory samples and waste) contaminated with the virus.

Employers may rely on the identification of infected individuals who have signs and/or symptoms of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) to help identify exposure risks for workers and implement appropriate control measures. It is possible that someone may have been in close contact (within about six feet) with someone with SARS-CoV-2 in their community and, thus, may have had exposure that should prompt employer action (e.g., excluding the worker from the workplace during an appropriate self-monitoring quarantine period).

Four risk levels

OSHA has divided job tasks into four potential risk exposure levels for COVID-19: very high, high, medium, and lower risk, as listed in the table below. As workers’ job duties change or they perform different tasks in the course of their duties, they may move from one exposure risk level to another. Employers should always rely on current hazard assessments to identify workers’ initial exposure risk to the virus on the job and changes to exposure risk if and when job duties change.

Risk levelDescriptionExamples
Lower exposure riskJobs that do not require close contact (within 6 feet for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period) with other people. Workers in this category have minimal occupational contact with the public and other coworkers.
  • Remote workers (i.e., those working from home during the pandemic).
  • Office workers who do not have frequent close contact with coworkers, customers, or the public.
  • Healthcare workers providing only telemedicine services.

Medium exposure riskJobs that require either frequent close contact (within 6 feet for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period) or sustained close contact with other people in areas with community transmission. OSHA notes that because any given person may be an asymptomatic carrier, workers’ exposure risks may increase when they have repeated, prolonged contact with other people in these situations, particularly where physical distancing and other infection prevention measures may not be possible or are not robustly implemented and consistently followed.
  • Those who have frequent or sustained contact with coworkers, including under close working conditions outdoors or in well-ventilated spaces in various types of industrial, manufacturing, agriculture, construction, and other critical infrastructure workplaces.
  • Those who have frequent outdoor or well-ventilated contact with the general public, including workers in retail stores, grocery stores or supermarkets, pharmacies, transit and transportation operations, law enforcement and emergency response operations, restaurants, and bars.
  • Those living in temporary labor camps (e.g., farm workers) or similar shared housing facilities.
High exposure riskJobs with a high potential for exposure to known or suspected sources of SARS-CoV-2.
  • Healthcare delivery and support staff (hospital staff who must enter patients’ rooms) exposed to known or suspected COVID-19 patients.
  • Medical transport workers (ambulance vehicle operators) moving known or suspected COVID-19 patients in enclosed vehicles.
  • Mortuary workers involved in preparing bodies for burial or cremation of people known to have, or suspected of having, COVID-19 at the time of death.
  • Those who have frequent or sustained contact with coworkers, including under close working conditions indoors or in poorly ventilated spaces in various types of industrial, manufacturing, agriculture, construction, and other critical infrastructure workplaces.
  • Those who have frequent indoor or poorly ventilated contact with the general public, including workers in retail stores, grocery stores or supermarkets, pharmacies, transit and transportation operations, law enforcement and emergency response operations, restaurants, and bars.
Very high exposure riskJobs with a very high potential for exposure to known or suspected sources of SARS-CoV-2 during specific medical, postmortem, or laboratory procedures.
  • Healthcare workers (e.g., doctors, nurses, dentists, paramedics, and emergency medical technicians) performing aerosol-generating procedures (e.g., intubation, cough induction procedures, bronchoscopies, some dental procedures and exams, or invasive specimen collection) on known or suspected COVID-19 patients.
  • Healthcare or laboratory personnel collecting or handling specimens from known or suspected COVID-19 patients (e.g., manipulating cultures from known or suspected COVID-19 patients).
  • Morgue workers performing autopsies, which generally involve aerosol-generating procedures, on the bodies of people who are known to have, or are suspected of having, COVID-19 at the time of their death.

:
infectious-diseases
infectious-diseases
FOUNDATIONAL LEARNING
InstituteInfectious DiseasesEye and Face ProtectionPersonal Protective EquipmentInfectious DiseasesCOVID-19Hand ProtectionUSARespiratory ProtectionEnglishAnalysisFocus AreaPersonal Protective EquipmentIn Depth (Level 3)

Control and prevention

InstituteMedical and Exposure RecordsPersonal Protective EquipmentRespiratory ProtectionDisabilities and ADAEnglishPersonal Protective EquipmentDiscriminationDiscriminationMedical and Exposure RecordsEye and Face ProtectionInfectious DiseasesAge DiscriminationInfectious DiseasesCOVID-19Hand ProtectionFocus AreaMedical ExaminationsAnalysisIn Depth Sub Topics (Level 4)Disabilities and ADAUSA

Guidance for job tasks associated with certain risk levels

InstituteDiscriminationDiscriminationInfectious DiseasesInfectious DiseasesCOVID-19Disabilities and ADAFocus AreaMedical ExaminationsEnglishAnalysisIn Depth Sub Topics (Level 4)Disabilities and ADAUSA

Vaccination, testing, and treatment

InstituteAnalysisMedical and Exposure RecordsPersonal Protective EquipmentLaboratory SafetyIn Depth (Level 3)USASanitationEnglishPersonal Protective EquipmentMedical and Exposure RecordsInfectious DiseasesInjury and Illness RecordkeepingInfectious DiseasesCOVID-19General Duty ClauseTemporary Labor CampsSanitationSigns and MarkingsOSHA RecordkeepingRespiratory ProtectionSigns and MarkingsGeneral Duty ClauseFocus AreaToxic and Hazardous Substances - OSHAInjury and Illness Recordkeeping

Related laws and regulations

Hazard recognition
  • In assessing potential hazards, employers should consider if and when their workers may be in close contact (within six feet) with someone who could have the virus and be able to spread it without knowing it.
  • OSHA has divided job tasks into four potential risk exposure levels for COVID-19: very high, high, medium, and lower risk.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires employers to provide a workplace free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm (see 29 U.S.C. 654(a)(1)). To meet this obligation, it is important for employers to assess occupational hazards to which their workers may be exposed to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus.

In assessing potential hazards, employers should consider if and when their workers may be in close contact (within six feet) with someone who could have the virus and be able to spread it without knowing it. The extent of community spread, if any, is a key consideration in hazard assessment. Employers should also determine if workers could be exposed to environments (e.g., worksites) or materials (e.g., laboratory samples and waste) contaminated with the virus.

Employers may rely on the identification of infected individuals who have signs and/or symptoms of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) to help identify exposure risks for workers and implement appropriate control measures. It is possible that someone may have been in close contact (within about six feet) with someone with SARS-CoV-2 in their community and, thus, may have had exposure that should prompt employer action (e.g., excluding the worker from the workplace during an appropriate self-monitoring quarantine period).

Four risk levels

OSHA has divided job tasks into four potential risk exposure levels for COVID-19: very high, high, medium, and lower risk, as listed in the table below. As workers’ job duties change or they perform different tasks in the course of their duties, they may move from one exposure risk level to another. Employers should always rely on current hazard assessments to identify workers’ initial exposure risk to the virus on the job and changes to exposure risk if and when job duties change.

Risk levelDescriptionExamples
Lower exposure riskJobs that do not require close contact (within 6 feet for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period) with other people. Workers in this category have minimal occupational contact with the public and other coworkers.
  • Remote workers (i.e., those working from home during the pandemic).
  • Office workers who do not have frequent close contact with coworkers, customers, or the public.
  • Healthcare workers providing only telemedicine services.

Medium exposure riskJobs that require either frequent close contact (within 6 feet for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period) or sustained close contact with other people in areas with community transmission. OSHA notes that because any given person may be an asymptomatic carrier, workers’ exposure risks may increase when they have repeated, prolonged contact with other people in these situations, particularly where physical distancing and other infection prevention measures may not be possible or are not robustly implemented and consistently followed.
  • Those who have frequent or sustained contact with coworkers, including under close working conditions outdoors or in well-ventilated spaces in various types of industrial, manufacturing, agriculture, construction, and other critical infrastructure workplaces.
  • Those who have frequent outdoor or well-ventilated contact with the general public, including workers in retail stores, grocery stores or supermarkets, pharmacies, transit and transportation operations, law enforcement and emergency response operations, restaurants, and bars.
  • Those living in temporary labor camps (e.g., farm workers) or similar shared housing facilities.
High exposure riskJobs with a high potential for exposure to known or suspected sources of SARS-CoV-2.
  • Healthcare delivery and support staff (hospital staff who must enter patients’ rooms) exposed to known or suspected COVID-19 patients.
  • Medical transport workers (ambulance vehicle operators) moving known or suspected COVID-19 patients in enclosed vehicles.
  • Mortuary workers involved in preparing bodies for burial or cremation of people known to have, or suspected of having, COVID-19 at the time of death.
  • Those who have frequent or sustained contact with coworkers, including under close working conditions indoors or in poorly ventilated spaces in various types of industrial, manufacturing, agriculture, construction, and other critical infrastructure workplaces.
  • Those who have frequent indoor or poorly ventilated contact with the general public, including workers in retail stores, grocery stores or supermarkets, pharmacies, transit and transportation operations, law enforcement and emergency response operations, restaurants, and bars.
Very high exposure riskJobs with a very high potential for exposure to known or suspected sources of SARS-CoV-2 during specific medical, postmortem, or laboratory procedures.
  • Healthcare workers (e.g., doctors, nurses, dentists, paramedics, and emergency medical technicians) performing aerosol-generating procedures (e.g., intubation, cough induction procedures, bronchoscopies, some dental procedures and exams, or invasive specimen collection) on known or suspected COVID-19 patients.
  • Healthcare or laboratory personnel collecting or handling specimens from known or suspected COVID-19 patients (e.g., manipulating cultures from known or suspected COVID-19 patients).
  • Morgue workers performing autopsies, which generally involve aerosol-generating procedures, on the bodies of people who are known to have, or are suspected of having, COVID-19 at the time of their death.

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