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5/20/2021 COV1D-19-Control and Prevention I Occupational Safety and Health Administration Employers' COVID-19 response plans should utilize the hierarchy of controls, which generally labels and prioritizes controls in the following order from most to least effective: elimination/substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls and safe work practices, and PPE. Efforts to exclude potentially infectious individuals from the workplace are consistent with the aim of eliminating the hazard. Engineering controls typically require a physical change to the workplace to isolate workers from a hazard. Examples of engineering controls that employers may find useful for protecting workers from SARS-CoV-2 include: ■ Installing plexiglass, stainless steel, or other barriers between workers, such as on assembly lines, or between workers and customers, such as at points of sale. ■ Using rope and stanchion systems to keep customerslvisitors from queueing within 6 feet of work areas. ■ Adjusting ventilation systems to introduce additional outside air and/or increase air exchange to introduce fresh air. Consult a qualified technician if necessary. ■ Modifying physical workspaces to increase the distance between employees. Administrative controls and safe work practices change policies and procedures for how workers perform job duties to ensure work activities are conducted safely. Examples of administrative controls that employers may find useful for protecting workers from SARS-CoV-2 include: ■ Limiting the number of workers assigned to a particular shift in a facility and ensuring workstations are spaced at least 6 feet apart. ■ Posting signage, in languages the workers understand, to remind workers, customers, and visitors to maintain a distance of at least 6 feet between one another and to practice regular hand hygiene. ■ Providing training and information in languages the workers understand. • Increasing the frequency of cleaning and disinfection within the work site. ■ Encouraging or permitting workers to wear cloth face coverings, if appropriate, to help contain potentially infectious respiratory droplets. PPE protects workers from hazards when engineering and administrative controls are insufficient on their own. The types of PPE that workers may need for protection from exposures to SARS-CoV-2 in areas with community transmission will vary based on work activities, exposure risks, and the results of the employer's hazard assessment, The Additional Considerations for PPE section provides additional details about PPE selection and use for all employers whose workers have increased risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 during the pandemic. Because of PPE supply chain concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic, employers should consider whether operations that require PPE can be delayed either until PPE is not needed (e.g., because the COVID-19 hazard diminishes) or until PPE supply chains stabilize. Employers should consider accommodations for religious exercise for those employees who, for instance, have or cannot trim facial hair due to religious belief, or provide reasonable modifications for persons with disabilities. Additional Considerations for PPE Interim guidance for specific types of workers and employers includes recommended PPE ensembles for various types of activities that workers may perform. In general: ■ PPE may be needed when engineering and administrative controls are insufficient to protect workers from exposure to SARS-CoV-2 or other workplace hazards and essential work operations must continue. ■ PPE should be selected based on the results of an employer's hazard assessment and workers' specific job duties. ■ PPE ensembles should reflect the types of exposures identified in an employer's hazard assessment. Most workers' exposure to SARS-CoV-2 is likely to be through the contact or droplet routes, although some workers, https:llwww.osha.gov/coronaviruslcontroI-prevention 519