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5/2012021 COVID-19-Control and Prevention I Occupational Safety and Health Administration - Stay home if sick. ■ Recognize personal risk factors, According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), certain people, including older adults and those with underlying conditions such as heart or lung disease, chronic kidney disease requiring dialysis, liver disease, diabetes, immune deficiencies, or obesity, are at higher risk for developing more serious complications from COVID-19. The CDC has also developed interim COVID-19 guidance for businesses and employers. The interim guidance is intended to help prevent workplace exposure to acute respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19. The guidance also addresses considerations that may help employers as community transmission of SARS-CoV-2 evolves. The guidance is intended for non-healthcare settings. Healthcare workers and employers should consult guidance specific to them, including the information below and on the CDC coronavirus webpage. Additional guidance from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and other federal agencies may be relevant to both workers and employers. Interim Guidance for Job Tasks Associated with Lower Exposure Risk Workers whose jobs do not require contact with people known to have or suspected of having COVID-19, nor frequent close contact with (within 6 feet for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period) the general public or other workers, are at lower risk of occupational exposure. As the Hazard Recognition page explains, workers'job duties affect their level of occupational risk and such risk may change as workers conduct different tasks or circumstances change. Employers and workers in operations associated with a lower risk of exposure should remain aware of evolving trends in community transmission. Changes in community transmission, or work activities that move employees into higher risk categories, may warrant additional precautions in some workplaces or for some workers. Employers should monitor public health communications about COVID-19 recommendations, ensure that workers have access to that information, and collaborate with workers to designate effective means of communicating important COVID-19 information. Frequently check the OSHA and CDC COVID-19 websites for updates. Interim Guidance for Job Tasks Associated with Increased Risk of Exposure to SARS- CoV-2 Certain workers are likely to perform job duties that involve medium, high, or very high occupational exposure risks in areas with community transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Many critical sectors depend on these workers to continue their operations. Examples of workers in these exposure risk groups include, but are not limited to, those in healthcare, emergency response, meat and poultry processing, retail stores (e.g., grocery stores, pharmacies), childcare and schools, and other critical infrastructure or essential operations. These workers and their employers should remain aware of the evolving community transmission risk. As the Hazard Recognition page explains, workers'job duties affect their level of occupational risk. Employers should assess the hazards to which their workers may be exposed; evaluate the risk of exposure; and, select, implement, and ensure workers use controls to prevent exposure. Control measures may include a combination of engineering and administrative controls, safe work practices, and PPE. All employers should consider developing COVID-19 response plans that use the hierarchy of controls and other tools to address protecting workers who remain in, or will return to, their workplaces during the COVID-19 public health emergency—including as outbreak conditions evolve. This section provides general information about protecting workers whose job tasks are associated with medium, high, and very high risk of exposure to SARS- CoV-2 during the COVID-19 pandemic and is intended to be used in tandem with other industry-specific resources linked above. In addition to considerations discussed in those resources, COVID-19 response plans may need to address: https://www.osha.gov/coronavirus/control-provention 219