COVID-19 and Back-to-Work Resources
Following the quarantines in response to COVID-19, states are beginning to reopen businesses and other organizations that had been temporarily shut down. Both the federal government and each state is providing guidance about how businesses and consumers can re-enter public life more safely, given that any level of interactions can still create some risk of transmitting the COVID-19 virus.
The back-to-work steps that any organization should take will vary based on many factors, which include the following:
- The level of risk that employees face in their work
- A business’s industry and geography
- State-specific guidance
- Each individual’s routine in transiting to/from work and other travel and each customer’s efforts to patronize a business
Below are some resources an organization can review to determine its specific guidance and procedures for employees in returning to the workplace and consumers in entering the public sphere. Some resources also can be used for employee training and communication to help prepare them for return to work and best keep themselves, coworkers, customers, and others safe.
These resources include guidance documents, posters, training videos, checklists, and other materials that both can help business management prepare the workplace for employees and customers and educate employees on steps they can take to stay safe and protect others.
US Administration
- White House Guidance: Opening Up America Again
- Coronavirus.gov (general resource webpage) – Including guidance for businesses
National Institutes of Health
- NIH: COVID-19 Response (general resource webpage)
- NIH: Essential and Returning Workers Training Tool
- NIH: Protecting Yourself from COVID-19 In the Workplace (video)
- NIH: Stop the Spread of Germs (poster)
US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)
- Businesses and Workplaces (resources webpage)
- Employer Information for Office Buildings
- Prepare your Small Business and Employees for the Effects of COVID-19 (print handout)
- Resuming Business Toolkit (print brochure)
- When and How to Wash Your Hands (webpage)
- Life is Better with Clean Hands (print materials, posters, posts, newsletter copy, fact sheet, etc.)
- If You Are Sick (webpage)
- Symptoms (webpage, including print materials, video)
- Stop the Spread of Germs (print)
- Symptoms of COVID-19 (print, video)
US Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA)
- Guidance on Preparing Businesses for COVID-19 (publication)
- Cloth Face Coverings Do’s & Don’ts (graphic)
- Stay at Home When Sick (poster)
- How to Make and Wear Cloth Face Coverings (print resource)
National Governors Association
- State-specific COVID-19 Response Programs
- State-specific Recovery Plans
American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA)
- COVID Resource Center
- Personal Protective Equipment for SARS-CoV-2
- Workplace Cleaning for COVID-19
- Use of Real-Time Detection Systems to Protect the Public During COVID 19 (Guidance)
- Reopening Guidance for General Office Settings