This week, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration began issuing a series of safety alerts aimed at specific industries and their workers’ potential exposure to COVID-19. The first alerts cover the retail, delivery, manufacturing, and construction sectors, all of which have been defined as essential businesses.
Each of the alerts contains similar recommendations taken from CDC guidelines for all workplaces. These include social distancing, use of masks and other personal protective equipment, and cleaning and hygiene practices. The alerts then adapt these general practices for the specific industry involved. For example, the construction alert recommends reconfiguring work trailers to avoid employees working closer than 6 feet from one another.
As employers begin return to work planning, adherence to CDC and OSHA guidelines will form an important part of their strategies. OSHA is expected to issue additional industry-specific safety alerts over the next several weeks. The alerts can be found here.
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