White Paper: Employers Guide to COVID-19 — Cleaning and Disinfection in Non Health Care Workplaces
As companies return to work in office buildings, retail centers, and other public places, employers must take steps to reduce the risk of employees and customers contracting COVID-19. Health officials have reported that many people infected with the virus, even if they never develop symptoms, can spread the disease. Airborne viral particles are produced when infected people cough, sneeze, sing, or even when they speak or just breathe. People who inhale these viral particles may contract COVID. This airborne route of exposure is widely regarded to present the greatest risk of infection.
Guidance for employers to reduce inhalation exposure should include administrative controls (e.g. physical distancing measures, frequent
hand-washing, working from home, and physical separation); engineering controls (i.e. physical barriers, enhanced ventilation, and air filtering devices); and wearing necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) (e.g. N95 or other respirators, disposable gloves, and eye protection).